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Into the Bronze Age

Started by BentonGrey, January 02, 2016, 09:16:24 PM

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HarryTrotter

Also speaking of GL/GA,its funny how often the series gets dragged out in recent times to prove that "comics were always political". Yeah,thats not really the same as what we are getting today.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Well, there's a school of thought that says 'everything is political,' and in a sense, it's true, insofar as everything that we create is a reflection of or a comment on the culture that it springs from, but there is a marked difference between works that are self-consciously political and those that aren't.

There's also a marked difference between editorial mandated political stances and those taken by creators, for what it's worth.

On a different note, let's start a new month of classic comics!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2018/02/09/into-the-bronze-age-september-1971-part-1/
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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daglob

Oksner was a wonderful artist who did a lot of humor titles for DC, like Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, and a bunch of other similar licensed characters, as well as Angel and the Ape. In later years he did Superman.

HarryTrotter

@Bento Not quite what Im saying.Even if its hamfisted as it is,we could all agree that drugs are bad.IMO its impossible to compare that to the whinefest of entitled wankers that is todays Marvel.Nuances,I guess.
Later on there will be another set of backups,Superman The Secret Years,that dealt with Clarks journey from Superboy to Superman.Great stuff,actually.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Howdy guys! I've posted a few different Bronze Age entries in the last few months.  Sorry I haven't kept up the releases here, but it's been a busy time.  I have some particularly interesting comics today!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2018/04/18/into-the-bronze-age-september-1971/
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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daglob

The Sand Thing saga did end rather abruptly. I wonder if the powers that were told O'Neil he had X number of issues to make the changes... I think it could have used a few more pages anyway. The "Kryptonite No More" aspects hung around for awhile, the other changes kind of just got forgotten as I remember.

BentonGrey

I don't know, DG.  That's an interseting question.  I sort of feel like he just didn't have a complete idea and was making up portions of it as he went along.  I also think that O'Neil is just under the delusion that anyone else cares about I-Ching, like a parent who thinks their unexceptional kid is the center of the universe. 

Well, how about the end of the Don Rickles fever dream?  Ohh, and capstone for September 1971 one as well?:
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/into-the-bronze-age-september-1971-part-6/

Here is some more Bronze Age goodness.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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HarryTrotter

Forgot to mention it all this time...DC decides to capture some Marvel magic,so they get Jack Kirby...and then give him Jimmy Olsen,Supermans Pal.Why not Superman?Were they afraid of that he would change too much?
Also,on an earlier thing,Superman will later get a Roman-themed rival in Alpha Centurion.Whos been missing for some 20 years,but I doubt anyone cares.Still,far from the worst thing that came out of Zero Hour.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Well, clearly given the retouching they did on his work with Supes and Jimmy, DC did not want its flagship character actually handled by the King.  According to legend, he got Jimmy Olsen because the powers that be insisted he do an existing title, as well as his new books, and he said "give me your lowest selling book and I'll make it your highest selling one."

Interesting, I wonder if someone like the design of the Super Centurion fellow.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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daglob

There is an Alpha Centurion by Dreamerzoid.

HarryTrotter

Granted,Stuart Immoens design wasnt half bad.But there is a thousand supporting characters attached to Superman,and some just get phased out.Wonder what Scorn is up to these days...
Speaking of Kirby,next year sees the debut of Etrigan.CCA was loosening,and soft satanism was the counter culture of the early 70's. :)
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Cool, DG!

Yeah, HT, I'm really looking forward to that, but you're right.  The appearance of Etrigan does point to a further loosening of the CCA's restrictions.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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HarryTrotter

#462
For reference,soon after that Marvel tried to make Son of Satan (or rather son of an otherdimensional ruler pretending to be Satan,but that lacks a certain ring) a thing.And they have been trying ever since...
Also,Im pretty sure that counterculture gave birth to wacky Christian groups and their war on tabletop games and children cartoons.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Yeah, the Son of Satan thing has just never really worked, has it?  That one seems a little out there for my tastes.

I don't know; I feel like the war on D&D and such was more a product of the 80s.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
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kkhohoho

Quote from: BentonGrey on May 03, 2018, 08:40:04 PM
Yeah, the Son of Satan thing has just never really worked, has it?  That one seems a little out there for my tastes.

I don't know; I feel like the war on D&D and such was more a product of the 80s.

On the other hand, Son of Satan ended up being a part of the Classic Defenders, so that alone makes him worth having around in my book.
The Golden Age; 'A different look at a different era.'

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1089779/chapters/2193203

Deaths Jester

The D&D equals Satanism/cults view started in the mid 70s but it didn't really gain nationwide coverage/dispersion until the 80s. You could say, that this unfound and idiotic view was part of the early creation-era of what we now know as the Evangelical Movement.
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

HarryTrotter

#466
There was a Hellstrom series back in the 90's.Its something of Hellblazer-lite.Which again,proves that they tried everything.
But the industry never really grasped the difference between "a lasting franchise" and "it lasted for 20-40 issues a few decades ago".
Loosening of CCA in 1971 caused both DC and Marvel to shovel out tons of tame horror title.From the whole bunch only Tomb of Dracula,Swamp Thing and Ghost Rider really had any staying power.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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HarryTrotter

#468
I cant really say anything that wasnt said already about the GL/GA,but for an understanding,liberal guy,Oliver acts like a dick here.His first reaction is to kick his "son" out.I hope this doesnt affect their relationship for the next 40 years.
Humans are the real monsters only works to a point in a fictional universe with vampires,zombies and brain eating aliens.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Yeah, on the one hand, there's a certain amount of schadenfreude to seeing the ridiculously self-righteous Ollie from the past several issues completely fail at being a decent human being, but on the other, it's pretty darn nasty.  And yes, the biggest problem with this story isn't the story itself, but what will come afterward because O'Neil didn't bother to heal the wounds he inflicted.
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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BentonGrey

God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

HarryTrotter

So he gathered a cult to help him collect scrap which he then recycled into a rocket?Im not sure if thats stupid or secretly brilliant.  :lol:
Yeah,going in and out of Kandor never seems to be a problem.IIRC Scorn used the same trick of tailgating Superman out.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

BentonGrey

Haha, yeah, it's not the most efficient master plan...

See, this Kandor thing just raises all kinds of questions!
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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HarryTrotter

That Kandor was something like Cynosure meets Mega City One.I miss the triangle years,I really do.
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer

daglob

I don't have a copy of the original story at hand, but as I remember, Superman had enlarged all the cities Brainiac had stolen except for Kandor, and there was one charge in the enlarging machine left. Supes was going to enlarge Kandor and sacrifice himself (he was shrunk too), and suddenly a rocket from the bottle city smacked into the button on the machine enlarging Superman. Then, that was it... The Kandorians were stuck at a microscopic size. This, of course, didn't last. Somehow, the Superman Emergency Squad was able to enlarge themselves to about 6", and individuals were able to come and go for years, shrinking (For Nightwing and Flamebird stories), or growing for enemies (like Black Flame). I'm sure there were "explanations" as to why they couldn't just enlarge everyone in Kandor, even one at a time, but at this point I don't remember.

BentonGrey

Interesting stuff, DG!  I wonder what the heck their explanation was.  I keep hoping someone will comment on the blog and enlighten me.

Speaking, there's a new post out:
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/into-the-bronze-age-november-1971-part-2/
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

BentonGrey

God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
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daglob

#477
Your analysis of the second story in The Forever People is interesting; I enjoyed "Tales of Asgard" a lot more than I did the soap opera that made up the first part of a Thor comic.

BentonGrey

Indeed!  The Tales of Asgard strip was some of the best Thor stories and generally awesome worldbuilding. 
God Bless
"If God came down upon me and gave me a wish again, I'd wish to be like Aquaman, 'cause Aquaman can take the pain..." -Ballad of Aquaman
Check out mymods and blog!
https://bentongrey.wordpress.com/

HarryTrotter

On the Batman part,writers like Tom King cant figure out serious doesnt mean mopey and suicidal.
10+ years ago he was at least droping Bond one Loners and it seemed he ENJOYED being Batman.
And Im still operating on a basis that 10 years ago was the late 90's. 😑
''Even our origin stories have gone sour.''
Jon Farmer