Redartz: It's been awhile, so the time has come once again to give you all the opportunity to set the agenda for the week! Perhaps you've been anxiously awaiting this chance, nurturing a provocative poser or inspiring inquiry. The field is wide open, the stage is set, the audience is seated. The rest is up to you!
But before I turn the mike over to you, here's a quick preview of coming attractions. For next week, you might start gathering some thoughts about........Team-up Comics.................
Redartz: Hi gang! Today, here in the US, there's something going on that will occupy most folks' attention. Can't quite recall it but I'm sure it'll come to me. Anyway, it seems appropriate to keep things quick and light here this go-round. Therefore, it's just a single question, one whose answers may be helpful to us all from time to time.
When you are looking for a brief diversion, mood improvement, or just something to make you smile, what comic title / music/ anything do you turn to?
My remedy for a pick-me-up is an issue of DC's Sheldon Mayer classic, "Sugar and Spike". Those two torrid tots never fail to evoke a smile and a chuckle. Just wonderful light-hearted, charming fun. If no comics are within reach, I'll fire up the tablet and play anything by the B-52's. There's simply no way you can hear that group and not perk up noticeably. Perk up, and probably break out in embarrasing Dad Dancing movements...
Ok, like I said, quick and light. So what lifts your spirits in a pinch?
Redartz: Happy Halloween Week, everyone! In honor of said upcoming holiday, we're saluting the indisputable classic among Halloween shows. To be honest, there aren't really all that many, unlike the endless array of Christmas specials. At Halloween, many folks binge on horror and monster flicks. But in terms of animated specials, it just isn't Halloween without the Great Pumpkin
First broadcast in 1966, it was the second "Peanuts" special from the stellar team of Charles Shultz and Bill Melendez. It followed "A Charlie Brown Christmas" from the preceding December of 1965. A personal note: I've never missed either one in all my years, and truthfully, the"Great Pumpkin" is my favorite.
"It's the Great Pumpkin" is simply perfect Halloween fun. It has too many classic lines to mention; in fact many of us could probably recite the script from memory. Consider Charlie Brown and Linus discussing Santa Claus vs. the Great Pumpkin: Linus is incensed by Charlie's dismissal of his belief in the Pumpkin, to which Charlie observes "We're obviously seperated by denominational differences". As a kid I didn't really get that , but it beautifully shows Shultz' ability to gently weave adult commentary into his world of Kids.
There's the great scene with the kids going trick-or-treating; and of course Charlie Brown 'had a little trouble with the scissors'. That all takes me right back to my days going out Halloween night with friends. Incidentally, like the kids on the show, with no parents. Mom and Dad just sent us out into the night, and we were fine with that!
And on the subject of parents, one thing that strikes me as an adult- Lucy going out to get Linus from the pumpkin patch at 4:00 am!
And of course you have Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, and the cool nighttime race over no-man's-land. How much classic animated goodness can you fit in a half hour? Apparently quite a bit; one mighty full treat bag's worth.
Speaking of treats, how about Vince Guaraldi's score? Another dose of perfection. Here's a bit from the show; the "Great Pumpkin Waltz"...
Vince Guaraldi: "Great Pumpkin Waltz"
Yes, I loved the special 'back then', and even picked up the paperback version. It joined the rest of my "Peanuts" library on my bedroom shelf. More importantly, the special holds up wonderfully through the years, and is still a must-see show each October. Bet you will be watching too...
Oh, one final comment.You may be aware that I'm also a big "Simpsons" fan. Well, a few years ago their annual "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween episode included a tribute to "It's the Great Pumpkin". The episode was brilliant, and here's a shot of the actual "Great Pumpkin" meeting Milhouse/Linus...
Well worth the effort to look it up. Happy Halloween to one and all!
Redartz: Hello once again! Last week we posed a few questions about comics. We got some great responses, so we're going to go one more round. This time, the subject is music. Otherwise, it's the same concept as last week; just a brief friendly survey to wrap your head around...
1. What was the first record you ever bought?
2. What is the most recent example of music you've purchased or downloaded?
3. Which musical artist, and which recording, would you say has affected /influenced/inspired you the most?
4. How did your particular musical tastes evolve; i.e. music class in school, a musical friend or relation, or perhaps just personal exploration?
5. We're all going on a road trip. We have to choose one Sirius XM pop music channel. Your pick is: 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's or Contemporary?
And since you're no doubt awaiting my responses, here they are:
1. First record I ever bought was the 45 rpm disc of Vicki Lawrence's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia"; spring of 1973. Maybe the first time I spent my allowance on something besides comics or trading cards...
2. Most recent musical addition is the lp of Carly Simon's 1976 album "Another Passenger", which I converted and loaded onto my trusty tablet.
3. Most influential artist is a group; the Beatles. No question about it. As for recording, that's a tough call. But one song which always moves me, and speaks deeply to me, is Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come".
4. My family was always playing music, so the influences were everywhere; especially in terms of classical music and Broadway tunes. And my grandmother gave me a bit of advice which has always held true: she said she could always tell a good piece of music because it would send chills down her spine. The best music does just that.
5. For a road trip- probably the 80's channel. Great music and great variety.
Now then, you've all 'paid your quarter', so now 'make your selections'!
Redartz: Anyone up for a quick quiz? Here's five questions for each of you to mull over. No right or wrong answers, no pressure, no biggie.
1. What is the oldest (in terms of earliest date published) comic you ever possessed?
2. What is the most recent comic or graphic novel you have acquired?
3. Congratulations, your life story is about to be made into a comic. Who writes and draws it?
4. A young person, newly introduced to comics, comes to you for advice. What sage wisdom do you give someone 'just starting out'?
5. For many of us, 'superhero' comics are the genre of choice. But what is your second favorite comics genre; what do you turn to when you want something different?
As is only fair, here's my answers to the above questions...
1. Back at the height of my original collecting years, I had an old Little Orphan Annie promotional comic from 1934. I still love to pick up promotional comics, as they tend to be rather unusual (and often somewhat cheaper than 'ordinary' comics. Don't recall why I parted with that, but so it goes...
2 My most recent comics purchase was DC's "Superman Smashes the Klan", a tpb done in anime style, and an issue of Bart Simpson's "Treehouse of Horror" (it being Halloween season, and all).
3. Being a rather odd individual, Steve Gerber would be a natural for the script. Artwise, I'm kind of old school, so Bruce Timm would be a good fit, he'd keep it light.
4. Very simple, I'd tell them to collect what they like to read. Don't worry about value, just find your own interest and follow it.
5. Humor, without a doubt. If I'm not reading about Spidey or Batman, I'm perusing Archie or Uncle Scrooge...
Redartz: With all the craziness in our world today, most of us keep tabs on current events; via the tv news, the net, even (yes, still) the newspapers. But how about 'back then'? When you were a kid, did you pay any attention at all to the news? Did you read any of the paper aside from the comics?
When I was little, my folks always tuned in Walter Cronkite with the CBS News. Even to
day, when I think of tv journalism, Walter"s is the image that appears in my mind. Dignified and personable, he was the one I turned to all through college.
A few years earlier, I (and every Saturday Morning cartoon viewer) got bits of the news from "In the News", short featurettes during commercial breaks and between shows. Those jounalistic episodes might have helped foment my later thirst for news and analysis.
How about you? Send us all a bulletin; just the facts...
Redartz: Usually when we open these 'panel discussions', we are talking about art and artists. Today we're going to look instead at one of the Bronze Age's most unique writers: Steve Gerber. Most readers know him from his extensive work for Marvel, but he also did work for DC and some Indies as well. He even had a second career life in tv animation, including the creation of "Thundarr, the Barbarian".
Gerber's writing style was often esoteric, quirky, and deeply personal. This was one of the things which attracted me to his work; beginning with his classic writing on Marvel's "Man-Thing". About the same time (this was actually the time at which I first started collecting comics and was eagerly sampling anything in four color print) I discovered his "Defenders" and "Daredevil", and he became one of my top favorite writers.
When Gerber wrote a comic, it was jam-packed. It was sure to be a good half hour read, at any rate. Frequently he included text pages in his stories, which probably was a break for the artists.
And the characters he revived or created: Howard the Duck, the Foolkiller, the Headmen, Omega the Unknown, Starhawk, and a certain infamous Elf With a Gun. The same young teen who loved Dr. Demento on the radio was enthralled by such oddities. I mentioned above Gerber's penchant for introspection; it was this tendency that made "Omega" so appealing to me. And the same was true for another of Gerber's psychological studies, "The Kid's Night Out" in Giant Size Man-Thing 4. Gerber seemed at the time to be writing specifically to me (yes, I was a hopeless nerd, but a harmless one).
And aside from weirdness and navel-contemplation, Gerber could write some darned fine stories. His "Night of the Living Dead" was excellent. His "Phantom Zone" miniseries for DC was quite interesting. And we haven't even touched on "Howard the Duck" or "Guardians of the Galaxy".
So here's a few more images from 'Gerber's Greatest Hits'. While you pore over them, you can consider your own thoughts about the man and his work. Were you a fan? Gerber's work didn't appeal to everyone, granted. If you were, what were your favorites? What titles would you have liked to see him tackle? Which artists seemed to mesh best with his unique vision? Comment away...
