Martinex1: Born William West Anderson in 1928, Adam West passed away yesterday at the age of 88. He of course was known to all of us Bronze Agers as Batman from the campy television show. From the late '60s he carried on in some fashion continuing to promote the character, through convention appearances, cartoons, and voice acting.
I remember being glued to the television set watching daily reruns of the program in the early 70s. It was on continuous rotation alongside other classic shows. When I was a bit older I recognized the full humor of the show and enjoyed it thoroughly.
I was struck by later appearances of Adam West and how he always seemed to be in good humor. He was continuously self-deprecating and seemed to fully embrace being tied to Batman. I never met him, but he struck me as optimistic and honestly bemused but happy about what life had given him. That attitude seemed to rub off on others.
The show itself definitely was part of my ongoing enjoyment of the superhero genre. It hit me at the same age as when I started collecting comics and was the perfect companion for that early part of my hobby.
I was sorry to hear about his passing and it struck a chord with me as more and more of our heroes of youth succumb to life's final step. Thanks for the entertainment and good humor; rest in peace Adam West.
Thank you for tuning in this past week. I appreciated the help this past Monday solving the memory mysteries. I ordered the Life with Archie book from ebay, so I will be able to enjoy a childhood favorite again. On that topic, if you have any nagging memory mysteries please reach out to us at backinthebronzeage@gmail.com and we will add them to a list for a future post and hopefully solve some problems for you as well.
It was an enjoyable week all around with a wonderful discussion about Summer reading and additional income in our weekly Follow the Leader post. Redartz led a discussion about comic digests on Wednesday. Tarzan and Conan took center stage on Thursday. We had a couple of questions around musicians and musical failures on Friday. And Saturday we laughed at some inexplicable panels.
COMING SOON:
This week we shine a light on the hairless on Monday, open the door for a new leader on Tuesday, hit the road on Wednesday, leap back to the Golden Age on Thursday, get dazed by school days on Friday, and much much more! Join us along the way.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
When I posted the Wonder Woman topic last week, I had not seen the movie yet. But I managed to get out this past week with an old friend to see the DC film. This is the first DC movie I have seen at the theater for a while as I skipped Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. Without spoiling anything, I thought the movie was faithful in spirit to the Wonder Woman mythos, and was generally optimistic and upbeat. The character was heroic and steadfast. And despite the movie treating the material and origin seriously, it did not get mired in the darkness and brutality like previous films. Instead it embraced the heroism and the honor embedded in the storyline. There was a good sense of humor throughout and many characters were likable. I though Gal Gadot was great in the title role, portraying both the strength and the fish-out-of- water attributes of the character very well. I liked the settings of Themyscira, London, and the WWI battle front. The movie seemed both new and traditional at the same time. It wasn't perfect but it was quite superior to many other Hollywood comic book offerings. I honestly place this movie in my list of Top 10 comic movies - and it truly may be in the top 5 along with many Marvel movies. I give it 4.5 Bronze Medallions and say "see it!" If you do, and you agree or disagree let us know.
Have a great week! Cheers!
