Star Wars: The Force Awakens (FULLY-SPOILED)

Doug: Time it is. Spoil you must.

Karen: Howdy folks. While Doug and his boys are going to see it today, and we'll hear from him soon, I've seen it twice now, and I want to chime in with some thoughts. 

First, I did enjoy it. I felt it was in the spirit of the original trilogy and was visually stunning, and thankfully did not have the synthetic, over-CGI look of the prequels. I am so glad they decided to film in real locations, and use film stock. The story also is much more personal and relatable than the whole trade guild mess from the prequels -as soon as the beginning crawl said, "Luke Skywalker has vanished" I felt like the story would be focused in the right direction.

The new young protagonists were interesting and likable, if still somewhat mysterious, I am assuming we will learn more about Rey's parentage in the next film. I am still wondering what made Finn break his conditioning and rebel -is there something going on here that will also be revealed?

I have to be honest and admit that the moments that brought me the greatest joy were those with cranky old Han Solo and Chewbacca. Seeing those two together again, and seeing the Millennium Falcon soaring across the screen, were enough to make me go home with warm fuzzies. I've been asking myself how much of my good will towards the film is due to nostalgia, and I'm sure that is a nice chunk of it. Perhaps with some time it will be more clear to me if I like The Force Awakens on its own merits or just because I get to see my childhood heroes in it. I think there's enough in the film to like it beyond the nostalgia factor -but let's not kid ourselves: it's a heavy factor.

Not that everything was perfect (none of the Star Wars films are). I felt there were too many call backs to the original films. Another Deathstar? Why? Even the movie seems to poke fun at this, when the Rebels are planning their attack and Han sort of sarcastically says something along the lines of "There's usually a way to blow these things up." We have a youngster on a desert planet who has a greater destiny. A robot carrying secret plans. A cantina with a bunch of strange-looking aliens. A character who leaves winds up coming back to help. The mentor to the younger characters dies...it just felt like there were too many parallels. It's obvious it was intentional but much like Superman Returns, it felt like overkill to me. 

I also have mixed feelings about Kylo Ren. Obviously he's not meant to be Darth Vader; by the time we first saw Vader, he had been in his position for a couple of decades and was largely in control of himself -his was a simmering anger that he was able to direct with a laser-like focus. Ren on the other hand is all angst and fury, confused as hell and perhaps even psychotic. While this comes across there are also some odd moments of humor, when he throws his tantrums, that make him far less menacing and more pathetic. I suppose the true villain here is the Emperor stand-in (another call back), Supreme Leader Snoke -a terrible name - who seems to be manipulating Ren. I wasn't surprised by the revelation that he was Han and Leia's son, but I do wish we'd had a little more build up to it. The way it was revealed seemed rather off-handed. 

I suppose Harrison Ford finally got the death scene he's been wanting since The Empire Strikes Back. No wonder he's been so happy to do all these TV shows and press junkets -he's finally free! Maybe I'm too hard on him. He seems like a decent guy, just not enamored with the whole 'Star Wars' life. In any case, I thought he did a great job in the film. He really brought back Han Solo -all the ego, the humor, and the subtlety too, he pulled it off. I was very happy to see Chewie get featured quite a bit. I just wish he'd had a scene with Leia after Han's death. I also wish Ford and Mark Hamill had gotten a scene together, but barring flashbacks, this appears unlikely.

Carrie Fisher didn't get a lot to do this time around -and Hamill even less! - but I'm sure we'll see more of them next time. There are still so many unanswered questions about what has happened between Return of the Jedi and this film. And why the heck do jedi always run off and go into hiding when they have a problem? Yoda and Obi-Wan did it, and now Luke is too? Geez guys, how about dealing with your problems?!

Despite any quibbles, I am excited to see where the story is going.

Discuss: Star Wars: The Force Awakens -SPOILER FREE discussion

Karen: OK kids, time to share your SPOILER FREE thoughts on the movie -did you enjoy it, is it Star Wars, etc. Later this week we will post a 'Spoiled' post where we can go into more detail on the film.

Super-Blog Team-Up -- Star Wars: Season of the Force

Karen: It's time for another internet-shattering Super-Blog Team Up! This time, the theme is (surprise) Star Wars! All things Star Wars are up for discussion and dissection by the various members of this coalition. For our part, we'll be sharing my trip a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...or maybe it was just last month in Anaheim,

Karen: The week before Thanksgiving, my husband and I traveled to Disneyland and met up with an old friend there to take in the pleasures of the park all decorated for the holidays. Ah, who am I kidding: we all wanted to see what Disney was doing in the park to tie in to the new Star Wars film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens! 

Karen: As is turns out, they had basically given Tomorrowland a Star Wars facelift, proclaiming "Star Wars: Season of the Force" in big banners throughout that area. Music from the different films played constantly throughout Tomorrowland and Star Wars themed treats and toys were everywhere. Of course, there will actually be a Star Wars Land in Disneyland eventually - construction on the area, north of Tom Sawyer Island, will begin in January - but this temporary change really affects only a few attractions.

Karen: Star Tours, which has been a mainstay of Tomorrowland since 1987, got revamped in 2011 to allow a random sequence of different planets that guests could experience with each ride. The ride has been updated again to include a segment that is directly connected to the new film and it's a lot of fun. I won't spoil it (if you really want to know, you can find it out there in other articles online).  The new segment is always included with each ride.

Karen: Venerable Space Mountain became Hyperspace Mountain for the foreseeable future, and I heard it was great -but sadly, I can't tell you first hand, as that's one ride that's always left my head spinning!

Karen: The old Carousel of Progress has been transformed into the Star Wars Launch Bay. This served as a large theater/showroom/meet and greet/giftshop area. There were tons of models and props from all of the Star Wars films. Honestly I don't know if these were props used in the films or replicas, but they were all quite detailed and impressive. One part of the building was showing a documentary about the making of the new film. I only watched a little -I still want to be surprised! - but it sounded very interesting, and I am hoping this might be an extra on the eventual blu-ray. 

Karen: Two character meet and greets were available:if you were looking for a good guy, then you were able to go into what looked like the Rebel base on Yavin (the planet at the end of the original Star Wars) and get a big hug from Chewbacca! Chewie was very friendly, although I couldn't understand anything he said -and he did make all those wookiee sounds just like in the movies. My husband and I got a picture with him. 

Karen: If you're feeling more on the dark side, you could go see the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader. Boy, that guy didn't let up. He kept telling us we didn't know the power of the dark side, and we would wind up joining him. He was not a hugger...at all. 

Karen: The old Captain EO theater was converted to show Path of the Jedi, a ten minute film that included highlights from all of the previous films, and a short clip from the new film, with some extra effects included, like lights and wind. Some folks scoffed at this, but I have to say, I enjoyed seeing moments from the original trilogy up on a big screen again, in a beautiful, sharp picture. If anything, it got me excited for the new film, which obviously was the point of all of this! In that respect, Disney did a great job -probably every fifth person I saw in the park was wearing a Star Wars t-shirt or hat, and you could feel the enthusiasm for the new film. If there was anything that didn't go over well, it was the wretched food offerings at the revamped Tomorrowland Terrace. The chicken sandwich reminded me of the nasty frog-creatures Jabba gulped down in Return of the Jedi, and I was told the burgers were equally awful. Do yourself a favor and go have lunch over at Cafe Orleans instead.

Karen: All in all, we really enjoyed this taste of Star Wars at Disneyland and can't wait to see what the Star Wars Land will be like in a couple of years. I'm sure it will be fantastic. More than that, I can't wait to see The Force Awakens in a couple of days! May the Force be with all of you!

Bronze Age Babies Extra:

I couldn't end the post without giving you a look at the Super-Hero HQ that sits right above the Star Wars Launch Bay. It seems a little empty at this point, but there's a whole section of Iron Man armors, and we also saw an Ant-Man costume among other things. Didn't do the meet and greet with Spider-Man or Thor though. Maybe next time!

Longbox Graveyard: Star Wars Card Trader

The Retroist: Star Wars Book and Record

Between The Pages: A long time ago in a bookstore far, far away…

Son of Crapbox Of Cthullu: Growing up Star Wars

 

Mystery V-Log: My Personal Star Wars History

Superhero Satellite: Star Wars Episode 7: The Toys Awaken

In My Not So Humble Opinion: Star Wars Sketch Book
 

Buried Treasures: Star Wars - From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker

Karen: I didn't realize it had been just over a year -last November -since we last ran a Buried Treasure post. But categories never stay dead forever here, and with the new Star Wars film coming out in a few weeks, this seemed more than appropriate. I had rediscovered my copy of the Star Wars novelization last year but had just put it on the shelf until now. A little detective work tells me this is the second printing, which came out in May 1977 -and I do recall getting it not long before I saw the film, but as I have mentioned in the past around these parts, our town didn't actually get Star Wars until July 1977! So here I had this absolutely amazing book, chock full of photos and the entire story of the film, and it tortured me. Oh, how it tortured me. I did look at all of the pictures and read the captions -heck, I had been reading articles about "The Star Wars" in Starlog for a year or so, so I knew some of the details already. But somehow, I pulled together every ounce of willpower I had and did not read the novel until after I saw the film. And then I had questions. Like -how come we didn't see Luke go to Mos Eisley and meet Biggs in the film? We never saw Jabba in the movie. And so on. Of course, all those scenes that were cut have now been shown in out takes or, sadly in some cases (Jabba), reworked and put back in the films. But you get the idea. I have read that the novel was ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster from George Lucas' script and notes. Re-reading some scenes, it's interesting how they differ from the film - certainly, the dialog seems even worse in the book than the film, and that's saying something. Look, I love Star Wars, but dialog was never Lucas' strong suit.

Karen: If you have never seen this early movie tie-in, it's a beauty. I wish I could show you all of the color photo mid-section (16 pages of photos, as the cover says), but my poor copy is falling apart. I could barely hold it open to take a few pics. But it still looks great. It has photos of all the major characters along with brief bios. I like how Darth Vader is described as using his "extrasensory powers" to keep the Emperor in power -it's the Force, not ESP! Also, R2 and C3PO are called robots, not droids. I can just imagine some low-level copywriter going through all the notes from the studio  and trying to make it sound less weird. No one back then knew what the heck the Force or a Jedi was. Also interesting is that in the pages describing the production of the film, American Graffiti is referenced no less than four times. I know it was popular, but still! Then again, what else did Lucas have going for him at that point? Well, certainly he has a few other things on his resume now.

Discuss: Comic Adaptations of Television and Film

Doug: Two weeks ago, Martinex1 asked us about comics created using licensed properties. We're going to trim that down just a bit today, and ask you to recollect on those comics (of various sizes) that adapted specific films or television shows -- in some cases from specific episodes. Whether the comic went on to publish original material is not really on the table today -- we want pans and praises of the four-color versions of the live material.

I Like T-Shirts And I Cannot Lie

Karen: Hello, my name is Karen, and I have a t-shirt problem. OK, maybe not a problem. But I have to admit, I have acquired a lot of t-shirts. And by a lot, I mean way, way too many. 

Karen: I began wearing t-shirts at a very early age, as the photo below demonstrates (hey, it's Peanuts, so it's comic-related and demonstrates good taste). Now back in those days, t-shirts were not nearly as ubiquitous as they are now. They were still more occasional wear, and selection was fairly limited. You might see t-shirts for a few tremendously popular comics characters -like the Peanuts gang, or Batman, who was huge after his TV show -but by the time of this photo, circa 1970, pickings were still limited, especially for a little kid.

Your host circa 1970

Karen: But in a few years, t-shirts had expanded on the scene, and by the time I was 10 or 11, I was thrilled to have several t-shirts featuring Marvel characters, which I had ordered from advertisements in the comics. Exhibit A shows me around 11 years old on a couch with my grandparents and brother (I'm pretty sure my brother has just said something goofy, based on our expressions). I'm wearing a shirt with the cover of Incredible Hulk # 152 (and  as a bonus, a Planet of the Apes rifle is resting on my lap -ah, the 70s).  Soon I would also have a sweatshirt with the original Star Trek cast standing in the transporter room, and when Star Wars hit, well, I had to have a t-shirt, and there were tons of them to choose from.  I got one with Luke Skywalker and C-3PO. It was so cheaply made the applique began peeling off after the first wash.

Karen: The love of t-shirts continued on. Heck, in my old job, working  as a research scientist in a wet lab, t-shirts were almost expected attire. But things began to change several years ago. Around about the time I hit forty, I started to feel that perhaps it was not proper for a woman my age to wear t-shirts any more. Perhaps that was for the kids. So I got rid of many of my shirts, gave some away, used others only for night shirts. I had to be an adult, I told myself. I had to dress respectably.

Karen: Well, that didn't last too long. I dress respectably at work now, but as soon as I am away from there, the t-shirts come out! I just love them too much.

Exhibit A

Karen: There is so much variety now - I really can get a shirt for almost any comic, movie, tv show -anything I can think of. It is mind-boggling. I think that is the reason they are so popular (that, and they are just so comfortable). The t-shirt is a medium of expression -it tells people what you like and/or what you think in a passive way, but sometimes solicits a response from others. When I was younger that response was often negative -"Star Trek is stupid" - but today I am often complemented on my shirts, even when I am not in a geek-populated area, and I've had people ask me where I got my shirts. Yes, things have changed.

Karen: I have looked through my shirts and decided to name (and show) a few favorites. I've sort of broken my "collection" (Ye Gods, not another collection) down into categories. So there are the comics shirts, the monster shirts, the Star Trek shirts, the Star Wars shirts, the Disney shirts, the sports shirts, the music shirts, the sci-fi shirts, and finally, the Bruce Lee shirts. There's some miscellaneous ones in there too but not really of interest to this blog.

Karen: One of my favorites is one I picked up a couple years ago at Rob Zombie's Halloweentown in Burbank, and have shown it here before -it's the Captain Kirk vs. the Gorn shirt. It's just an awesome shirt, designed so well, like a classic boxing poster. However, in this picture, I have achieved some sort of cosmic balance by wearing the shirt to Vasquez Rocks in southern California, where the actual Star Trek episode "Arena" was filmed! This is the very spot where the Gorn heaved a (styrofoam) boulder at an outmatched Kirk, although the captain ultimately used his chemistry skills to create a cannon to shoot diamonds at the Gorn and defeat the big lizard. Unfortunately we did not find any diamonds lying around, but we did get to tour the place, and the ladies volunteering at the park were delighted -"you're Trekkies!" -and they told us a bunch of stories about the actor who played the Gorn (Bobby Clark), who sometimes does signings at the park.

At Vasquez Rocks, 2015

Karen: Bruce Lee has always been an icon of mine, and I found the Bruce Lee store through the Facebook page run by his daughter. They have a lot of great t-shirts there, although they are a bit pricey. But I really wanted to have a nice shirt with Bruce, so last year I ordered one. I have since purchased two more...

Bruce and Dr. Funk!

Karen: I want to share some representative shirts that I think the BAB crew will like. First up, this Planet of the Apes design from the Famous Monsters online store. The artist, Jason Edmiston, is very talented and a super-nice guy. I met him this year at Monsterpalooza and bought a Planet of the Apes print from him and spoke with him for a bit about his art and his process. You should check out his site -he has a lot of great stuff!

Karen: This Star Wars Tee was from the 2007 San Diego Comic Con and so is somewhat rare. I don't wear it too much now because it is starting to fade, but what a cool shirt. Illustration by Adam Hughes.

Karen: Probably my favorite Marvel shirt. All-new, all-different X-Men. Classic Dave Cockrum illustration. I can't recall if I got this at target or from an online store like Superhero Stuff or Stylin Online. But a great look, one that I've had several people comment on.

Karen: Most of my Disney shirts are from the parks, but this one was a special order. For a limited time a few years ago, they had this Hatbox Ghost shirt available online. Now that the spook is back in the Haunted Mansion, I am sure there's a ton of merchandise for him, but at the time, it was pretty rare!

Karen: Finally, this one is an oldie but a goodie. It seems like everyone digs it, from the old farts to the youngsters. When I first got it, I thought it seemed a bit odd, with the slightly off-center positioning and all, but I think that makes it more dynamic. But really, it's just because the Creature is eternally cool.

Karen: I'd love to hear your thoughts on the role of the t-shirt in pop culture, as a tool for self-expression, or just some of your own favorite t-shirts!

POST-SCRIPT: We got a great follow-up to this post from our pal Humanbelly. We post it here a bit late but hope that all of you will enjoy it, nonetheless. Take it away, HB:

HB: My first superhero t-shirt.  Or its remains, to be more precise.

There was a big, rather crumbling warehouse clothing "outlet" store in nearby Elkhart, IN when I was a kid, and apart from TONS of irregular designer jeans, they also were set up to do cut-rate iron-on t-shirt transfers.  This was in the early/mid 70's, just as that craze was kind of coming into vogue for adolescents and young teens (at least, small-town, mid-western young teens) as a personal fashion-statement option.  They had Spidey, Cap, and the Hulk available.   Got Cap for Bryan and Spidey for his little brother while I was there.  I made the mistake of choosing appropriately colored shirts for each (blue for Cap, Red for Spidey), rather than white.  And if you look at this image, you can see that the design(s) assumed the white of your average t-shirt would take care of any necessary white in the image.   I had to use fabric paint on the other two to make them look even remotely correct... 

But I loved this shirt to DEATH, regardless.  It was really big on me when I got it at (probably) 13 years old-- and I may have not fully given up on it until high school.  Man, those transfers never laundered well-- and the thing shrank after the first wash (my Mom wasn't so careful about cold-water items-- she shrank everything).  I think I may have used it as an off-beat track/X-Country shirt once the sleeves came off.  It ended up in the rag bag more than once. . . ended up in the bottom of a memorabilia trunk for several years. . . and is now safely stapled to the wall as part of the Hulk Corner in the comic book room downstairs.

The image is one that, for some reason, has had enduring popularity-- Hulk #123, with the Leader and the, heh, Murder Module.  

I had a couple of those ubiquitous poly/silk paisley disco shirts that were all the rage in the late 70's.  One of them was purple and orange, so this is the shirt I would wear underneath, with the silk shirt unbuttoned to just above navel-height.  (And the T was plumb ragged and faded at that point, make no mistake.)

I have no idea how anyone dated me during that period.  The list of Well-He's-Kinda-Cute-In-Spite-Of's must have been absurdly long.   Or perhaps I just posed no threat whatsoever... 

The Man Crate

Doug: Last Tuesday I was contacted by the Community Manager for Man Crates. She'd done some homework on blogs that deal with 1970s and '80s nostalgia, and felt the Bronze Age Babies and its readers would be a good landing point for some help. You can check out the company's website and offerings by clicking here. Personally, I think this is a great idea! In fact, I'm going to suggest my new daughter-in-law take a look at the website. Apparently the folks at Man Crate would like to add to their product line and introduce a new crate -- one geared to "people of a certain age". That's where we come in!

Doug: I was asked to lead this off with my own opinions on what I would like to receive in such a gift package. So I'm going to throw out some suggestions, not really knowing if some of these things are still being made -- but they make me think of my childhood and high school years!

1. Candy bars like Reggie, Whatchamacallit, PB Max... I can recall a time in college when the Mars company did a test market in the Peoria, IL area. Peoria's one of the slice-of-America cities that has demographics that make it perfect for such things. Anyway, my mates and I rolled into the lunch room one day to find a nice lady holding a basket of these PB Max candy bars. We'd never heard of them, but let's face it -- chocolate, peanut butter, and crunchies is a formula for success. Being brash young men, we asked if we could take more than one. She said "help yourselves". Whoa... so we each grabbed a couple, and 3-4 more on the way out. We spent the afternoon listening to music and eating candy. And we were so sick I don't recall that we went to supper that evening. But those candy bars were awesome. Other novelties from the corner store included wax lips and candy necklaces.
2. I'd put a copy of one of the Panini Marvel Pocketbook digests in the crate. Again, Edo Bosnar turned me on to these things some months ago, and I now own four with a fifth pre-ordered. They're just great -- the price is unbeatable. Here's a link to those books, on sale from the Book Depository in the UK. I'd definitely toss in one of the Spider-Man or Avengers books, as they're quite Bronze Age.
3. I'm trying to think of movies that I just love -- films that I'll stop and watch whenever I see them on TV. My first inclination is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but since that's not Bronze Age I'll offer up any of the Planet of the Apes movies, Jaws, Animal House, Stripes, and of course Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Superman The Movie, and Rocky. You couldn't go wrong with a DVD set of the $6 Million Man, either. Or the original Battlestar Galactica. And here's a thought -- what about a couple of actors who link the beginning of the Bronze Age to near its end? Take Harrison Ford: American Graffiti, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Or John Travolta? Welcome Back Kotter, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Urban Cowboy?
4. I think a toy of some sort should be in the crate. My go-to back in elementary school was of course the line of Mego action figures -- the World's Greatest Super-Heroes, but beyond that too. DC recently made some retro facsimiles. Another sort of toy I played with through junior high and high school were the various games from Mattel Electronics. I had the second version of the football game and played it endlessly. Many years later, Mattel revived the line and my wife and I, both with fond memories of those, bought a couple for our sons.
5. Lastly, I'd put some snacks in the crate. But old stuff -- Bugles, Hostess Twinkies or fruit pies, Fresca, maybe a Jiffy Pop.

Some of you may recall a post called Take 5: Fabulous Childhood Memories. Today's offering evokes that sentiment -- kindly refer to it if you need further inspiration. I know I can't wait for the comments to begin, because there will be many great suggestions! After all, I didn't even mention music...!

Discuss: A Long Time Ago, In A Theater Far, Far Away...

Karen: Somehow, May 4th has become known as "Star Wars Day." I think it's  so people can run around saying "may the fourth be with you" or something like that. The film actually premiered on May 25, 1977. However, we didn't get Star Wars in my neck of the woods until July 6th!! I was absolutely going out of my mind waiting for it. I had read all about it in Starlog long before it came out, had got the novelization (although I patiently did not read it, but did stare at the pictures on a daily basis), saw the comics, and had seen Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and R2-D2 and C-3PO on Regis Philbin's Los Angeles-based morning talk show. I had been filled to the brim with Star Wars from every possible source but hadn't been able to see the film itself! When it finally blew into our dusty little town, it absolutely knocked me out. I used every resource I had to see it over and over again. Below is the flyer the theater put up announcing the movie's arrival -I just recently discovered I still had it a few months ago, and it sure brought back memories.

Karen: What's your story about the first time you saw Star Wars? (And around here, it's called Star Wars; none of that A New Hope crap...)

Get Your Popcorn Ready

NOTE: During housekeeping on April 27 2020, I must report that I no longer recall the clips that were attached to this post. Those with broken links shall, alas, remain broken.

Karen: There have been a ton of clips from the upcoming Avengers:Age of Ultron film hitting the internet recently. Are you avoiding them or watching them all? I've pretty much stopped now, wanting to go in to the theater not knowing everything that's going to happen in the film. But here's a couple to get us talking:

Karen: Looking good, although I am still thrown by Ultron's voice. I like James Spader but it's just not what I expect for Ultron. We'll see how it works out in the film.

Karen: Marvel also gave us a full Ant-Man trailer last week. This one had the title character in action, and it also gave us a good look at Yellowjacket -the villain of the film. It's definitely going to have humor but it seems like it will be balanced with a lot of super-heroics. Thoughts?

Karen: DC just got in on the action with the release of the first trailer for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. This looks to borrow heavily from The Dark Knight Returns, as well as address the massive destruction of Man of Steel. I'm not sure what to think yet, but it looks awfully dark. I did think that Batman dialog was way too cheesy.

Karen: How about the small screen? Has anyone been watching Daredevil on Netflix? I've seen five episodes so far, and I'm impressed. The production is high-quality all the way around. My only complaint would be the excessive violence, which feels unnecessary to me (I don't need to see a villain beat a man's head into pulp to understand he's volatile and a bad guy). But the story and acting are strong enough that I'll keep  watching -and I'm not even particularly fond of the comics!

Karen: Finally, I can't close without noting that a trailer for the next Star Wars film dropped on April 16th. I am concerned about this one -I want it to be good, because they are bringing back Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie! -but it is J.J. Abrams at the helm, and his track record is decidedly mixed. But watching this trailer the first time, my heart started pounding. It's Star Wars!

100-Word Review - Four from the Hip

Doug: What a treat we have today! Edo Bosnar decided to take the 100-Word Review challenge, and boy -- did he ever! Edo has provided us with not one, not two... but four capsule reviews of comics he's mentioned around these parts in the past. We're excited to present his thoughts, and hope that you'll enjoy your time here. So no sense in delaying any longer -- let's get to it!

Edo Bosnar: I wanted to try my hand at the 100-word reviews that Doug mentioned, and decided to write them for some random single issues I have in my current collection – books that I re-acquired simply because I remember liking them so much when I was a youngster. None of them disappointed upon being re-read: I found I like them just as much (or at least almost as much) now as I did back then. I wanted to write about them, but didn’t really feel up to doing complete blow-by-blow reviews. Nevertheless, keeping these down to just one hundred words proved quite challenging. So here they are in chronological order of publication:

 

DC Comics Presents #3 (November 1978)
Story: David Michelinie
Art: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

I have fond memories of the first few issues of DCCP, all so beautifully drawn by Garcia-Lopez. Originally I bought all of them in those drugstore three-packs, all with Whitman logos instead of DC’s. Years later, I came across this one in a local comic shop, also with the Whitman logo! The story is pretty simple: Supes and Adam Strange each find themselves on the other’s world, or rather, their worlds have switched solar systems. It’s all part of a nefarious plan by one of Strange’s old foes. Besides the lovely art, there’s some nice character moments in this one. 

 

Marvel Team-Up #79  (March 1979)
Story: Chris Claremont 
Art: John Byrne and Terry Austin

My favorite single issue of Marvel Team-Up ever. This little gem from the X-men’s legendary creative team features an unlikely team-up between Spider-man and Hyborian Age female fury Red Sonja. When a museum guard is drawn to put on a mysterious amulet on exhibit, he is transformed into the wizard Kulan Gath and begins wreaking havoc. Peter Parker is sent to the scene by Jameson; Mary Jane tags along and, after picking up a sword also on exhibit, is transformed into Red Sonja. It all makes sense by its own internal logic, and  it’s action-packed and entertaining to boot.

Marvel Two-in-One #51 (May 1979)

Story: Peter Gillis

Art: Frank Miller and Bob McLeod

Our story opens with the Thing meeting Nick Fury on the roof of the Avengers Mansion to join a poker game with Ms. Marvel, the Beast, Wonder Man, and also D.A. Tower and Jarvis. Fury gets an emergency call from SHIELD – Yellow Claw’s Sky Dragon is attacking the Helicarrier! So Ben flies Fury and the Avengers Three to the scene in the Fantasticar, and they get into a high-altitude slugfest with the invading goons (not sent by Yellow Claw, incidentally). What I like best about this largely tongue-in-cheek story is how it highlights the jocular camaraderie among the Marvel heroes. 

Star Wars #38 (August 1980)

Writer: Archie Goodwin

Art: Michael Golden (plotter/penciler/colorist), Terry Austin

This is basically a filler issue, and is only peripherally even a Star Wars story, but it’s probably my favorite of the entire series. Luke and Leia, on a covert mission in a spice tanker, are attacked by an imperial destroyer and TIE fighters. They jump into hyperspace, but apparently the hyperdrive sustained damage in the attack, and they end up in a starless void. They eventually run into an immense glowing object that appears to be alive. It sucks in their ship, and once inside they get caught up in what seems like an insane and very lethal game.