If you were to take this truly classic Pooh book by A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard...
...And put it side-by-side with this similarly revered version...
...It would apply to TIAH Blog... because "Now We Are Twelve!", having been "born" (...or however Blogs come into being) on August 14, 2008!
And, while there may be some who regard this "nice tiny spot of relative calm among the vast and tumultuous reaches of the Internet" as a "Blog of very little brain", I'd like to think we've all had some grand times over the last dozen years!
...So, what do we do for our dozen-th anniversary?
I'm not so sure. I can re-do the old stunt of running comic book covers for "Issue Twelve" of any given title... but that sort of thing that seems more appropriate for "Anniversary 13", so you'll probably see a whole bunch of thirteenth-issue covers next year!
I could tell you how much I enjoy your readership, participation, and yes... friendship! How this thing would be "just a buncha lifeless unread words" without you! But, I feel that way EVERY DAY, not just on anniversaries - dozen-th or any other kind!
Ah! I know!
Since we added "Now We Are Six" plus "Now We Are Six" to get "Now We Are Twelve" ... Why don't we play "Twenty Questions" - but minus eight - to get Twelve Questions"!
I'll ASK them, and I'll ANSWER them (often with copious illustrations)! Here goes:
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01: WHAT ARE YOUR MOST FAVORITE THINGS IN THE WHOLE WORLD?
Oh, there are a lot of answers to that question! Let's hope I remember to name them all.
Esther and Averi (with a spot reserved for Avi's little sister - coming this fall) and our home and life together - after that, in any order...
...Comic books, DVDs and Blu-rays on a big screen TV, my writing of comic books and related text articles; nice quiet days, my retirement, going to bed late - and waking-up late, morning coffee, pizza, certain fast-food burgers, neighborhood walks, buses and my transit advocacy activities... and especially this Blog and everyone and everything that comes with it!
02: WHAT ARE YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THINGS?
Politics, needless nastiness, deception especially in the workplace, misinformation purposely disseminated by politicians - and especially by media outlets with agendas, ill-intent dressed up as pride and patriotism. Oh, and eggs! Yuck!
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03: WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIE?
Casablanca - hands down, or "up" if Bogart's got a pistol trained on you!
04: WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE GENRE MOVIE?
Night of the Living Dead - for pure scares, there IS no better horror film! Being shot in black-and-white (odd for 1968) only added to the eeriness!
Runner up: Forbidden Planet. You can see the origins of BOTH Star Trek and Lost in Space (in general concept and in specific episode plots) in its amazing sci-fi vision!
05: WHAT SORT OF MOVIES DO YOU DISLIKE?
Most modern movies, overproduced CGI-fests, and rom-coms.
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06: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCTS OF ANIMATION?
Theatrical Division: Bugs Bunny.
Television Division: Huckleberry Hound.
07: WHAT ARE YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PRODUCTS OF ANIMATION?
Anime or anything that "was a toy before it was a legitimate character".
Runner up: Any modern series where well-designed classic-characters are needlessly distorted beyond recognition for the sake of equally-needless change!
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08: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS (Classic Era)?
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, Star Trek (TOS) , Batman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits - and I'll expand the definition of "Classic Era" just enough to include Kolchak the Night Stalker
09: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS (Modern Era)?
The Walking Dead Family of Shows, the Modern Era of Doctor Who (thanks to Achille Talon), The Simpsons, Family Guy, and an honorable mention to Curb Your Enthusiasm, starring the great Larry David.
10: WHAT ARE YOUR LEAST FAVORITE TV SHOWS?
The so-called "Reality Shows". If that's reality, I'll take vanilla! Especially those shows that glorify people who engage in repulsive behavior. That's not entertainment! That's TRASH! Game shows and rowdy daytime talk shows, as well.
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11: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS? (...As if you didn't know!)
Western Publishing - AKA Dell (1962 and Prior) and Gold Key Comics. For a LONG TIME, no one did it better!
12: WHAT ARE YOUR LEAST FAVORITE COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS?
Marvel 1990s and on. Image - the worst and most repulsive of all (even though "The Walking Dead" came out of that pollution mill)! Today's DC.
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BAKER'S DOZEN BONUS QUESTION: IF YOU COULD TRADE YOUR LIFE WITH ANYONE ELSE, WHO WOULD THAT BE!
Me... Only younger!
Ah, that's better!
Well, that's "Twenty Questions" - minus eight - equals Twelve Questions - plus one to make a baker's dozen", for me!
Onward to TIAH Blog - Year Thirteen!
41 comments:
Great blog read today. I always enjoy hearing about what people like and don't like. It helps me learn a bit more about the person. Of course we both share a similar love for Dell and Gold Key comics but you have other interests that differ and it is interesting to read about those. I had never even considered Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea until I read in a previous blog where you made it sound so interesting that I went out and got a copy and watched it and found it to be more enjoyable than I would have expected for a genre of movie I am not accustomed to watching. For one thing it really was very well done. I tend to like entertainment that is either very high quality or laughingly low quality (Plan Nine From Outer Space for example) and personally despise the mediocre. Congratulations on 12 years of blogging. I have enjoyed each entry that has come out and look forward to seeing new ones.
Thank you for those very kind words, Carl!
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an undeservedly underrated property today – especially as it pretty much kicked off the sci-fi series boomlet of the mid-sixties that gave us shows that became far better known.
If you have ME-TV, it can be seen (at least at present) Saturday “evening-into-morning” at 2 AM Eastern, and a bit earlier where you live!
And yes, the likes and dislikes of people I know is always a fascinating subject. Everyone is welcome to contribute some of their own, if so inclined. I know *I’d* be interested in learning them.
1. Favorite things: Certain people. Sugar maple trees in October. The Easter Vigil. More generally, walking or biking in beautiful places, and singing together (some day we'll be able to do that again!). Much joy comes from a select assortment of songs, comic books, picture books, and regular old novels.
2. Least favorite things: In the current climate, it can only be: actions to destroy or undermine democratic institutions, the free press, the social safety net, constitutional limits on power, etc., by those who care only for their own economic and political power.
3. Favorite movie: That's a hard one. I think I will go with Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune. But a shout-out to Swing Time, representing all the Fred Astaire movies--it's probably the best for the sheer beauty and joyfulness of the dances. And my favorite movie that has to be viewed on a big screen and doesn't really work on the screen in your living room: Kenneth Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing.
4. Favorite genre movie: Sci-fi: Galaxy Quest! Superhero: Black Panther.
5. Types of movies I dislike: horror, formulaic romcoms, shoot-'em-ups, etc.
6. I'm gonna do "favorite animated characters" rather than "product" because I'm not quite sure how to define the latter.
Theatrical Characters: WALL-E, Gramma Tala in Moana, Bryony in Arthur Christmas, Robin Williams' genie in Aladdin.
TV animated characters: Rocky & Bullwinkle--mostly for the story arc "The Three Moosketeers" where they go to the tiny province of Applesauce-Lorraine (located between France and Baja California).
7. Least favorite animated--don't watch what I don't like, and if I see it, it doesn't stick in my mind!
8. Favorite TV shows, classic period (defined roughly as 60's and 70's?): Star Trek TOS, Columbo, The Muppet Show, M*A*S*H.
9. Favorite TV shows, modern period (80's and later?): BBC's Miss Marple with Joan Hickson and BBC's Horatio Hornblower with Ioan Gruffudd. Can you tell that starting in the mid-80's I only watched public TV? And since 2000 I haven't watched TV at all. Missed all the admittedly great stuff that's been produced for TV in the last 20 years!
10. Least favorite TV shows: skipping this, see #7 above.
11. Favorite comic book publishers: Dell & Gold Key, Gladstone & Gemstone, Marvel for that brief period in the 2010's when they published several fine titles with diverse female leads.
12. Least favorite: skipping this!
Having not answered several "least favorite" questions, I will make up a couple of my own related questions to answer instead:
Favorite comic book characters: the Duck/McDuck avuncular family, Magica De Spell, Ryan North's Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and her pals. These are way ahead of the competition. Runners up: John Stanley's Little Lulu (especially in her role as storyteller), G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel, Madeleine Flores' Great Warrior. Favorite cartoonist not tied to certain characters: Kate Beaton.
Top ten favorite animated movies: WALL-E, Song of the Sea, Persepolis, The Triplets of Belleville, Nausicaa, Chicken Run, Dreamworks' Home (with a resolution that recalls one of the very best episodes of Star Trek TOS!), Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, April and the Extraordinary World, Kubo and the Two Strings. That's today's list, tomorrow it would be slightly different.
Wonderful contribution, Elaine!
Even in view of your many comments here (and in other forums), as well as having met you in person a few times, I still learned a great deal!
And, that’s what I really wanted from this anniversary post – for all of us to have something of a learning experience about one another! If only we could accomplish this on a national level! What a better country this would be!
One thing that jumps out at me, whether intentional or otherwise, is your (dare I presume “characteristic”) lack of responses to questions in the negative. I see that as very much a part of your positive personality – and I compliment you for that.
I dislike negativity too, but I’m not shy about communicating my dislikes in a reasonably-expressed fashion. Though maybe a bit more, in terms of repetitive frequency, when it comes to things like “Bird Bothered Hero” and "Legendary Super-Pickax”! …Hey, it’s not like they don’t DESERVE IT!
Anyone else deciding to take the plunge, address this aspect per your own comfort level.
Well, I'm sure I'd hate "reality TV shows," from what I've heard, but I've never watched even a moment of one, so it didn't seem like I had the right to weigh in! I've mostly been able to avoid the movies, TV, and comics that I wouldn't enjoy.
I suppose I could cite New DuckTales as an animated show I dislike, for having blown the opportunity to build on the qualities that made the classic characters and their stories so great. Can't trust strong characterization and pure adventure and the many different forms of humor we find in the best Duck comics--no, we must show our Superiority and Coolness by being Ironic and Meta and Self-aware and Jokey in ways that constantly take me out of the story and annoy me. Can Huey, Dewey and Louie, even with distinct personalities, all be committed Junior Woodchucks? No, of course not, that would be unironically nerdy and pathetically sincere. Barks can do irony, of course, but it's in-narrative irony, not irony from a stance outside the comics world and looking on.
Ryan North in Unbeatable Squirrel Girl did meta humor, in his "footnotes" and in his playing with the superhero tropes, but that didn't prevent him from conveying an unironic celebration of kindness and adventure and computer science and squirrels.
Happy Blog-versary! I wish you many more. Here’s my list:
1. Favorite things: Comic books, comic strips, classic animated cartoons, heraldry, flags, and historical songs from all over the world and of most political persuasions
2. Favorite movie: The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie
3. Favorite theatrical cartoon: Tom and Jerry
4. Favorite TV cartoon: Huckleberry Hound
5. Favorite comic strip: Prince Valiant
6. Favorite comic book: “The Adventures of Tintin” series
7. Favorite comic book publisher: Dell/Gold Key
Oh, Joe, you know/
We're glad to here/
That your fine blog turns twelve this year/
Of course, we've come to wish you well/
And "Happy Blogthday" to you tell/
For no matter who may come or go/
To this fine blog of yours, Joe/
You can always be sure of/
The Society of the Rhyming Dove!
Happy anniversary Joe! And I like your likes ...I always knew you were a good ... egg ;)
Alas! Alack! Now looking back/
We see a typo up above/
We wrote "here" when we meant "hear"/
Apologies, Joe! - signed, the Dove.
2 years ago, a lighthearted Doctor Who-themed spoof of "Now We Are Six" was published by BBC Books titled "Now We Are Six Hundred", featuring illustrations by former executive producer Russell T. Davies. It's very entertaining and worth a look.
Let’s take ‘Rehab first, since he’s directly above, and do the rest in order.
What a wonderful idea! Dare I say that, with such a book, one can now “pooh-pooh” The Doctor, and still be a big fan!
Given its nature and sources of parody, I would hope it’s written and illustrated in such a way that both children AND adults could enjoy, in different ways and on different levels. (I *know* how difficult that is to do - and never fail to appreciate it, when done successfully!) If so, it would be a wonderful way for parents (and >Ahem!< grandparents) to introduce the very-younger-set to The Doctor.
With the timing of the book, is The Doctor Jodie Whittaker, a holdover of Peter Capaldi (the only Doctor I have not yet seen), classic Tom Baker? The image of Jodie Whittaker would probably be the most comforting to kids, while crusty William Hartnell might give them nightmares! :-)
Elaine:
You write: “Well, I'm sure I'd hate "reality TV shows," from what I've heard, but I've never watched even a moment of one, so it didn't seem like I had the right to weigh in! I've mostly been able to avoid the movies, TV, and comics that I wouldn't enjoy.”
If I could remove “envy” from the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins for just a moment, and do so for an ironically(?) good purpose, I “envy” your ability to make that claim! Not even a teensy-weensy moment of "reality TV"? Oh, I *do so* “envy” you – but only in a good sense! Okay, “envy”, you can rejoin your brother and sister sins now that you’ve helped me to make a point!
As for New DuckTales, I find it a mixed-bag, and yet another (intentionally?) missed opportunity to give us the Carl Barks/Dell Comics based storytelling that became the template for such comics around the world!
Why mess with HD&L to such an unrecognizable degree? Because some “self-important someone” decided he or she was clever enough to improve on Barks? NO ONE can “improve on Barks”! You can “tilt” his works a little “this way” (like Romano Scarpa), or “tilt” them a little “that way” (like Vic Lockman and Tony Strobl)… but you CAN’T improve on them!
Even I do my own degree of “tilting”, in my Translation and Dialogue work, but I remain ever-respectful to the source!
On that subject, meta humor, when employed properly, can be very enjoyable – as long as it is not overdone or is the primary purpose of the work. Have a plot and be sure to have meta in your toolbox, don’t start with meta and try constructing a plot around it. Though, I’ll make an exception for FREAKAZOID! There, it worked quite well!
Like Ryan North, the Core Four properly (and, at least in my case, lovingly) employed meta as a seasoning, but not the entire meal.
Getting back to New DuckTales, I guess I “kinda like it”, but not enough to really tout it very much. I still haven’t gotten through the first season. David Tennant (a former Doctor Who – and a great one) is a worthy successor to Alan Young as Scrooge, Webby is done the way I would have done her, and I applaud the greater use of Donald (perhaps the original series greatest shortcoming)… but I don’t seem to mention it very often, do I?
I've read, and enjoyed, Now We Are Six Hundred, as well! It is indeed kid-friendly. And it doesn't have *one* Doctor — the various poems all feature different characters from different corners of the Whoniverse, Classic and New. As it happens, the book slightly predated the official reveal of Whittaker as the Thirteenth, but one of its poems still actually contains the first appearance of the Thirteenth Doctor, correctly depicted as a woman — Davies having guessed Chibnall's casting intentions.
And as concerns DuckTales 2017… I agree that it's a missed opportunity in many respects, but trust me, Joe, it grows on one with time and seasons. There's less and less of the smirking meta-ness flattening the stakes, which was a fairly major problem with the series in its first season, as I was the first to proclaim back in 2017. It really has to be enjoyed as Its Own Thing(TM), and I understand that not every fan of the comics is going to enjoy that Own Thing, but it gets better and better at doing said Thing. And there are a few bits of comic-accurateness along the ways — most strikingly, the latter-season Magica De Spell is a surprisingly faithful translation of the Barksian Magica to the screen, better, I'd argue, than the original DuckTales version.
Sergio:
Your list is an interesting mix of overlap and non-overlap with mine. And I sure can’t argue with the non-overlap!
Prince Valiant hasn’t run in New York since I was in my late single-digit years. Back then, I found it… intimidating! Its magnificent melding of text and fine illustration was to me then both beautiful and formidable.
In addition, the historical period in which it was based has never been of any great interest to me. As a kid, I tended to “look forward” not backward! Tell me about the FUTURE and the “great things to come”, not the past. I didn’t even like westerns as a kid, though I love them now. As I’d no doubt also love Prince Valiant if I had the time and inclination to put the proper level of effort into it.
Huckleberry Hound and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea share an unfortunate commonality. They are both far more obscure today than they ought to be! Each one “kicked-off” something that has resonated for decades, but gets little or no recognition – or appreciation – for it.
While Huckleberry Hound was not the “first made-for-television cartoon”, it was the first SUCCESSFUL one which, in its own way, is probably MORE important than being first! “The Huckleberry Hound Show” proved it could be done and, from there the floodgates were opened and remain open to this day.
Huckleberry Hound leads directly to: Yogi Bear (obviously, as an original component part of the show), Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, the original ABC prime time “Bugs Bunny Show”, The Flintstones (and from The Flintstones directly, by the creators’ own admission, to The Simpsons and Family Guy), Quick Draw McGraw, Top Cat, The Jetsons – and the rise of the concept of cartoons on Saturday morning.
While far from American TV’s “first sci-fi series”, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was the first network prime time sci-fi series with continuing characters and episodic adventures (to differentiate it from The Outer Limits, and many episodes of Twilight Zone), and a very SUCCESSFUL one at that! It ran for four seasons, airing on network TV longer than any of the series that followed directly in its wake – and would not be eclipsed in episode count until Star Trek the Next Generation, more than two decades later!
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea leads directly to: Lost in Space, Star Trek – and the ENTIRE Star Trek TV and movie franchise… I might add, and a cluster of lesser known shows (but still beloved by fans) of the period such as The Time Tunnel, The Invaders, and Land of the Giants.
Yet, both Huckleberry Hound and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea are undeservedly obscure today, certainly in view of the many popular properties they each spawned! …But, at least they’re both on my list!
You know another word I could use to express what I appreciate in certain comics and cartoons and miss in New DuckTales? "Wholeheartedness." Ryan North, and the best Duck story writers and dialoguers, and the makers of Legend of the Three Caballeros, all convey a wholehearted sense of values, adventure and humor. They're all in on the silliness, puns and other wordplay, sarcasm, irony, slapstick, farce, parody, and observation-of-everyday-life humor. At the same time, they're all in on the characters as real people, their world as a real world where stuff matters, the values imperfectly but consistently upheld by certain central characters (loyalty to friends and family, protecting the vulnerable, love of learning, fairness, etc.). They're all in on adventure, the excitement and awe of the new-to-us, distant from the everyday in time or in space. There may well be meta humor or irony or sarcasm, but it doesn't undercut the "reality" of the characters and their world, the values this set of stories is built on, or the sense of adventure.
On "reality": Darkwing Duck's world operates on cartoon physics much more than Duckburg--but you never question Darkwing and Gosalyn's love for each other or Launchpad's loyal friendship, or their commitment to defending the underdog from bad guys. In New DuckTales, Louie can "jokingly" throw his family under the bus ha-ha. Scrooge has relationship issues with his father that we're supposed to care about, and then we find out that his childhood pet was made of literal whiskers. The knowing or self-referential humor undercuts for me even the sense of adventure. The writers don't really believe in this Atlantis; why should I? The writers of Legend of the Three Caballeros, in contrast, do really believe in Goblin Town. Wholeheartedly.
Doves:
Thanks for the party and thanks for the wishes/
If only you’d clean those cake crumbs and dishes/
As the years turn to “six-plus-six”/
You Doves are a welcome part of the mix/
Don’t you worry, never fear/
We always knew, that you meant "hear"/
It’s an error, that’s easy to make/
Now would you PLEASE clean up that cake!
JoeC:
You write: "Happy anniversary Joe! And I like your likes ...I always knew you were a good ... egg ;)"
Eggs-cellent comment, my friend! Eggs-ceptional, even !
Achille:
You write: "I've read, and enjoyed, Now We Are Six Hundred, as well! It is indeed kid-friendly. And it doesn't have *one* Doctor — the various poems all feature different characters from different corners of the Whoniverse, Classic and New. As it happens, the book slightly predated the official reveal of Whittaker as the Thirteenth, but one of its poems still actually contains the first appearance of the Thirteenth Doctor, correctly depicted as a woman — Davies having guessed Chibnall's casting intentions."
Very prescient on Davies’ part… though he probably had some inkling of what was to come, even if casting was not yet set!
Perhaps later editions could add an illustration of “Doctor Jodie” to that poem.
Though in that book, I must confess/
I’d like to see, The Jagrifess/
And for a friend, and not a foe/
I’d also like The Face of Boe!
Oooh! Those darned Doves are getting to me!
Achille:
Re: New Ducktales…
I never said I DIS-liked it! Just that it’s still not the series a hardcore comics fan like myself would have considered ideal. And my perspective is strictly that of the early episodes. That said, I still largely agree with Elaine on the flaws that I’ve been able to observe from that admittedly narrow perspective.
And yes, I certainly can – and DO – enjoy it as “as Its Own Thing(TM)”! For instance, I think “The House of the Lucky Gander” is perhaps the greatest thing ever done with the character of Gladstone Gander! And “The Missing Links of Moorshire” was also magnificent.
…But, there’s “that Huey, Dewey, and Louie thing” that just keeps comin’ back at’cha – like repeating symptoms of acid reflux.
Can’t wait to see what goes on with Magica, now that you’ve hinted! (NO SPOILERS, please!)
Elaine:
"Wholeheartedness"?
Yes, that just may be the perfect word!
On New DuckTales, I'm glad to hear from Achille that there's less and less of "the smirking meta-ness flattening the stakes"--so well put. I haven't been able to watch any of season 3 yet, but I will eventually. If I am going to continue watching the series, I should probably decide to stop reading any Feathery re-posts of Frank Angones' remarks on the series, because I find his tone extremely irritating. Condescending and juvenile--such a great combination! I'll have a better chance of enjoying DuckTales if I can dissociate it from Angones' online personality.
"The Missing Links of Moorshire" was my favorite episode of the first season, Joe! The ponies/kelpies are hilarious, I like Webby's role in sussing out their true nature, and I also love the visuals of the stone circle and the golf course--a great sense of place.
On another front, I now see what you meant by "theatrical product" of animation, the cartoons made to be shown in movie theaters. Because I know so little about the cartoons, I often don't know for sure which of the cartoons I saw on TV were originally made to be shown in theaters and which were made for TV, except when you tell me! I suppose I would go with Bugs, too, for that category, though my favorite Merrie Melodies shorts are "What's Opera, Doc?" and "Duck Dodgers"--the only Marvin cartoon *without* Bugs.
None of the cartoons I saw on TV in my childhood gave me much in the way of decent, well-rounded, fun or exciting female characters. Probably my favorite animated female character was the fairy godmother who struggled with the big book in the "Fractured Fairy Tales" intro! We are doing SO MUCH BETTER recently with female characters in animation, as in other forms of storytelling. I may have said this on your blog before, but... probably the female character from my childhood TV-viewing who was treated with the most respect by the creators was Barbara Bain's Cinnamon Carter in Mission: Impossible. She had to play the femme fatale role way too often, and occasionally the woman in distress, but she was portrayed as very smart, skilled, professional, cool under pressure, courageous, and confident with a gun. Runner-up: Penny on Sky King (another avuncular family!).
Well, in truth, Frank Angones doesn't fit the pattern of the uncaring executive. He is a genuine fan… of DuckTales and Darkwing Duck. Accordingly, it is not so much that he disrespects the Barks comics as that he considers them to exist in the realm of paleontology — to be referenced and learned from, but not, he seems to believe, anything anyone is likely to get worked up about if they alter from the ground-up.
Angones never belittles or badmouths the comics, but one often gets the impression that he thinks they're quaint; the Disney Afternoon shows are the source material he gravitates around, and it looks like references to the comics are, as far as he's concerned, escapades which he is already going above and beyond resonable expectations by peforming at all. …But he is sincerely passionate about the Disney Afternoon, and about his work (and his team's) creating the universe of DuckTales 2017.
…Which is, I suppose, fair enough for the showrunner of a series called DuckTales. It's darn unfortunate for us comic fans, but a DuckTales revival will be a DuckTales revival first and foremost. It is my deeply-held conviction that a faithful Disney-comics-based show, if it is to not be crushed by the legacy of previous adaptations of these characters with their own bespoke fanbases, should be developed under a different title. Such as, oh, I don't know. Uncle Scrooge?
…Anyway. That's quite enough grouching and lecturing about DT17. Tis the blog's birthday and I'm being a grouch. Here are my Twelve Things:
01) Obviously, various loved ones. Also: drawing and writing; walks in beautiful gardens and natural areas; music.
02) General nastiness, mindless destruction, overly spicy food.
03) Really dunno, there are too many movies I love. And anyway few people in this comment section would know some of my top contenders on account of their being vintage French comedies. Anyone here heard of The Treasure of Cantenac? What about Les Tontons Flingueurs? No? Well then. I think I'll mention a disjointed, non-exhaustive list of people, instead. Vincent Price! Michael Powell! Frank Capra! Preston Sturges! Ron Moody! Suzy Delair!
04) See above!
05) Yer joylessly gritty, self-important, ultimately trite "aren't I saying something Deep, Mr critic, aren't I now?" sorts of things.( I am apathetic towards most “overproduced CGI-fests” — as Joe terms them — but don't really actively hate them, and there are a handful of pictures that might be filed in that category that I quite enjoyed for what they are. Disney's needless-but-entertaining Jungle Book remake, for example.)
06) Wile E. Coyote & Roadrunner for short-form, Great Mouse Detective for feature-length (with anything by the Idéfix Studios, Daisy Town included, as a runner-up of sorts). I don't even know where to begin with TV, but I suppose I do have a strong nostalgic attachment to the Aladdin TV series.
(……and… CUT into a second comment!)
drumroll And now… PART TWO!
07) Cartoons with intentionally “gross” art-styles — of Joe's examples for his loathed cartoon redesigns, I can live with the overly simplified Bugs Bunny (reluctantly, but I can); it's what they did to poor Goofy I cannot abide. …Also, overly rubbery, TV-budget CGI.
08) Alfred Hitchcock Presents is definitely a top contender, as (thanks to Joe) is Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Also, some eras of Classic Doctor Who.
09) The revived Who (of course!), the Terry Pratchett adaptations (from Hogfather to Good Omens, and you can throw in the Christopher Lee cartoons if you must, though the artstyle is disappointing)… and I like a bunch of other things of various genres.
10) Not a clue. I avoid most modern TV not soundly recommended to me in advance by people whose judgement I trust.
11) Ack! Let me cheat and talk about broader comics traditions instead. Disney Comics and Franco-Belgian are where it's at! (The Goscinny-, rather than Hergé- or Charlier-slanted style of the latter.)
12) Just of those I have had the misfortune to encounter, New IDW (natch) and any superhero publishers who decided to do the "aren't we gritty? aren't we adult? aren't we DeEeEeP??" thing. I too would, incidentally, defend some corners of post-1990's Marvel Publishing for Squirrel Girl alone.
Elaine:
…What? …Someone on Feathery Forum? …Irritating, condescending, and juvenile?!
…Whatever is this once-sane world coming to?!
Be they original posts, or re-posts of someone else, I’ve long since learned to stay away from that “out-of-control dumpster fire of a train wreck treated with a chemical accelerant”! It’s been a long time, and I’m all the happier for it.
Yes, that’s a good deal of what I meant by “Product of Animation”! The remaining part would be that “Product” is all that it is considered to be by the often wrong-headed executives that somehow – and with a rather uncanny frequency - become stewards of beloved characters and series.
Twist it totally out of shape, blow it up completely if necessary… just find a new slant that’ll make some money in the short run, not caring if it damages a property in the long run! ‘Cause, in “the long run”, whoever made the questionable decision will have moved-on anyway!
Or, as I’ve said several times to Thad Komorowski in our conversations, the WRONG PEOPLE always seem to get put into the “good situations”. At higher and lower levels alike. For a great example of the former, look at DC Comics today! For a great example of the latter, read a current IDW Disney comic! ‘Nuff said! …It’s ALL just “Product”!
I’d always thought, and later confirmed by Mark Evanier in his various posts and writings, that the lack of female characters in “classic era” animation was of neither malice nor un-enlightenment… but the expense of hiring a female voice actor.
Mel Blanc could do almost everything at Warner Bros. Ditto for Daws Butler and Don Messick at early Hanna-Barbera. MGM rarely used voices.
When a specialty voice (female) was needed they called Bea Benaderet, June Foray, Jean Vander Pyl, Julie Bennett, Janet Waldo, and others. But it was kept to a minimum. Sometimes even Daws Butler and Don Messick were pressed into improvising voices for female characters – if they didn’t have a significant number of lines.
Even June Foray’s arguably “most famous voice” was that of Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Of course, Grace Stafford-Lantz was the longtime voice of her husband’s creation Woody Woodpecker (but only after Mel Blanc was signed to an exclusive contract with Warner Bros.) – and Woody’s nephew and niece, “Knothead and Splinter” were both voiced by Ms. Foray… Knothead in what later became the “Rocky” voice.
I couldn’t agree more on Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter. She was a groundbreaker. And she had quite the cast of characters to have to “stand-out” from – not the least of which was husband Martin Landau! You should also give a look to the concurrent Linda Cristal as Victoria (formerly Montoya) Cannon on “The High Chaparral”! Despite her outward appearance, she was as strong – and wise – as they come!
To digress just a little (I do that a lot!), “The High Chaparral” was “Bonanza in Reverse”. Both shows shared the same creator, but “The High Chaparral” was about ranchers who struggled far more than the comfortable owners of The Ponderosa… and had a great female character (Victoria) as a counterpoint to the men! It was also more fun in the various character interactions. Seek it out, if you can. End of digression.
I never saw Sky King, though I remember it on Saturday mornings, before cartoons took over that particular territory (The long-term effects of Huckleberry Hound, anyone?) But if Penny had any such qualities, she was much ahead of her time.
Maybe it’s the name… Penny Robinson was pretty good at solving problems and working things out too, when she wasn’t forced into the background by her little brother and Doctor Smith.
Hmm. I'm quite willing to allow that the expense of hiring a female voice actor played a role, and I'm not saying the absence of interesting female characters was a matter of malice. Just systemic sexism, not bad people. The story-telling of American popular culture in the 60's was in general quite lacking in female characters a female viewer might actually want to identify with. So it's not just a cartoon issue. I found a bunch of decent female characters in books, but they were thin on the ground in TV and movies.
As I say, when I think of ALL the television I watched as a child/tween, the female characters I might want to identify with or emulate are: Cinnamon Carter, Penny King, Uhura (even though she rarely got much to do). OK, Penny Robinson, very occasionally. To some extent, maybe Samantha in Bewitched, though the messages of that show were a very mixed bag. In adulthood I've seen the sole season of Honey West, which would have counted, but I didn't watch it or even hear about it as a kid. (Let us not dwell on the Cinnamon/Honey first name theme.)
Out of the movies I saw: no one in animated films--great female villains, but no female characters I'd want to identify with. A couple of the girls in Disney live-action movies: Hayley Mills' Pollyanna is a much better character than the use of "pollyannaish" as a descriptor implies. Also, Hayley Mills' character in That Darn Cat. And of course, outside Disney, there's Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz! Based on the book by the feminist Frank Baum, the son-in-law of a suffragist. That was about it.
Sadly, I did not get to see any of the feminist-friendly movies with Barbara Stanwyck (Night Nurse, Annie Oakley) or Rosalind Russell (His Girl Friday, My Sister Eileen,
Auntie Mame) or Katharine Hepburn (African Queen, Desk Set) until I saw them on VHS/DVD in adulthood.
But even movies for adults made in the 60's are lacking in Women I'd Like to Be Like. Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in Winter. Jane Fonda in Cat Ballou. Who else? Things got better in both movies and television starting in the 70's with second-wave feminism, better yet in the last 20 years. Averi will have PLENTY of cool onscreen female characters to identify with!
Achille:
Might I suggest to Mr. Angones and anyone else in his camp that, without Carl Barks and “Uncle Scrooge comics”, there would be NO “Disney Afternoon”… and probably just a few more animated shows based on pre-existing toys in its place!
And it’s okay to “be a grouch on this blog's birthday”, because *I’m* a grouch myself. Often a “nice grouch”, but a grouch just the same.
Very interesting and eclectic list. As with Elaine, I learned some things I didn’t know, even after copious communications!
Squirrel Girl (great as it may be) still can’t make up for unleashing the grotesqueries of Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld on the comics world, the over-stylings of Jim Lee, the eschewing of “good story” for the sake of “cool art”, large badly-rendered “action splashes” masquerading as story pages, and lots of impossibly big guns, the rise of Image when those “creators” turned on Marvel, and the crass obnoxiousness of Marvel’s publishers of the time (pre-Disney ownership).
Today’s DC may be following that path of grotesqueries and other ill-advised actions NOW but, at least they didn’t invent them – just following 20-30 years behind the curve! Yeah, that’s the way to go! You can keep it all! I’m quite satisfied with my back issues! …And happily making a few “new” old discoveries in the process!
Franco-Belgian comics have always had an “interesting look” that was both attractive and pleasing to me. I’ve certainly enjoyed any specimen of “Walter Melon” that you’ve thrown my way!
Elaine:
Again, see Linda Cristal in “The High Chaparral”. You won’t be sorry, especially for a ‘60s TV western!
Backing-up a few decades, you might also enjoy this Humphrey Bogart film for many of the reasons we’ve discussed.
Finally – and I can’t believe I’m saying this for the first time – you absolutely MUST see both seasons of STAR TREK DISCOVERY! All of them, all the way through! (They are short seasons – not like in the “old days”!) No spoilers on this, but I expect you’ll be quite pleased! For both the reasons discussed here AND that it so very nicely set up TREK’s future in very unexpected ways!
Right now, Averi loves “Peppa Pig” (a British animated “little girl pig” and her family). Unlike things made in America, it’s not annoying and is rather charming and even funny. I watch it with her all the time.
Happy Bloggiversary, Joe! Debbie let me borrow her phone (Yes, I did. Deb) so I could wish you good tidings on you 12 year anniversary of blogging.
My 12 favorite things are:
1. Myself
2. Cheese
3. My friends Fluffy and Debbie (but I’m not going to tell them that).
4. Cheese
5. Myself
6. I’m starting to run out of things to write here...mice really aren’t good at making sentimental lists, y’know.
7. Commenting on your blog, and making you think I’m a secret organization bent on world domination after finding the lost city of Atlantis?
Okay, Debbie just said “Give me back that phone if you’re not going to be nice!” So this is the Secret Society of the Chartreuse Tortoise signing off and going after Mickey Mouse, Eurasia Toft and Goofy to get those Atlantis artifacts...
“Just stop, Mervin. Give that back NOW!”
Mervin:
Always glad to hear from you, whenever you can sneak Debbie’s phone away from her, be it as your mischievous but loveable self, or in one of your many guises as various secret societies.
To, digress… I think you’d get on quite well with “Roger the Alien” on AMERICAN DAD! You seem to have that multi-character thing in common!
Interesting list too! I’d probably title it… “Cheese, Myself, and I”!
Regards to Fluffy and Deb!
A "Pooh"-fect way to begin your celebration of 12 years. Amazingly, before this article posted, I re-watched one of my favorite Disney movies. I probably don't even need to say any more--many of your readers will have already figured out to which movie I refer. Just in case more hints are needed, the first word in the title is "The". The second word is "Many." The third word is "Adventures." I think by now everyone knows what movie! Of course, I first knew this movie as three separate shorts that were released a few years apart. The Disney version of this same character has been featured in comic books and a long-running comic strip. I just think it's remarkable that two of the original books would pop up here just after my viewing of the film!
On to some favorites. Favorite TV Sitcoms--I Love Lucy, The Flintstones, Bewitched. These are shows I can watch over and over again, and I do. They have several incidental players in common, such as Sandra Gould, Herb Vigran, and June Foray. They even have a few script writers in common, or at any rate scripts. (While "Lucy" did have her unique team of writers, if borrowings count the previous statement is true enough.) I can name a few plots and plot devices that ran through all three shows--including the birth of a child in the second (or third) season. And another thing--Hanna=Barbera did the animation for all three shows! (At least according to the autobiographies of Bill and Joe--I have only located their word for it that they were responsible for the "Lucy" animation. It is well documented that H-B did the opening sequence on "Bewitched.") Not only did Samantha and Darrin from "Bewitched" show up on "The Flintstones," Verna Felton who appeared in a few episodes of "Lucy" provided the unforgettable voice of Wilma's mother, so the cross-pollination ran in both directions. The three shows also formed a solid continuum of years from 1951 to 1972. New episodes featuring the "Lucy" characters aired until summer of 1960, in the fall of which year "The Flintstones" debuted. The fifth season of "The Flintstones" in 1964 ran concurrently with the first season of "Bewitched." The final season of "Bewitched" wrapped up in 1972. By that time, "The Flintstones" had spawned a couple of sequel series for Saturday morning, Tabitha and Adam from "Bewitched" also showed up on Saturday morning in a special animated by Hanna-Barbera. And around the same time that Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm showed up as teenagers in "Flintstones" spin-offs, Lucy was working with her own teenage kids on her then-current series. Not only did these three series embrace similar themes, but they also had appeal to adults and kids at the same time--plus as noted they had some remarkable links to one another.
Joe happy twelfth birthday! I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: your blog is a uniquely wonderful place on the Internet. I’m looking forward to 12+ more years of wonderful conversations about “Comics, DVDs, Animation, Classic TV, and occasionally more” :)
Before I answer your 12 questions I’ll respond to some misc comments. While it’s not my favorite movie of all time I love Casablanca. I’m also not a fan of CGI. I’ll take rubber suit Godzilla over CGI Godzilla any day because even tho rubber suit Godzilla may look cheesy at least there is something real in front of the camera! I wish CGI was used to enhance practical effects instead of completely replacing them. While I also hate shows that redesign classic characters I must say “Be Cool Scooby Doo” actually has pretty good scripts. I was turned onto the show when the current voice of Daphne said that it’s hysterical “if you just close your eyes”... obviously tho it is major flaw if your animated show is horrific to look at!
Finally I’m glad Averi watches Peppa Pig; my little sister enjoys that program as well.
Now onto my list:
1. My favorite things are my family (specifically my mother and my late Grandfather), my friend group, performing stand up comedy, reading Disney Comic Books, Conan Doyale’s Sherlock Holmes stories, PIZZA, Canada Dry, Well written history, Comedians (specifically Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart), President Harry Truman, Video Games (specifically Mario/Nintendo games, the Nintendo Switch, 2d Sonic Games & Retro Games in general), Blues Music, Eric Clapton, Prog Rock (such as Genesis, Yes & Steve Hackett), Bruce Springsteen and my favorite person making music today Anderson .Paak!
2. My least favorite things are politicians who don’t act in the public’s interest, people who aren’t transparent, and the idiots not taking this pandemic seriously
3. This might seem odd but my favorite movie is the Golden Child with Eddie Murphy. The movie captures the balance of adventure and humor that I love in Disney Comics
4. If Time Travel count as a genre film I think my fav genre flick is the newly released Palm Springs
5. I dislike movies that take iconic characters and make them unnecessarily dark. I am particularly disgusted by a lot of the modern interpretations of Superman and Sherlock Holmes
6. My favorite theatrical products of animation are Mickey, Donald, Goofy, All the classic looney toons, tom & jerry, the pink panther. My favorite television products of animation are Dragon Ball & Spongebob Squarepants
7. I really dislike adult animation that relies solely on shock value. There are mature animated shows that are good but for every South Park and Family Guy there are 20 poor imitations
8. My favorite classic tv shows are Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, Star Trek & The Muppet Show
9. My favorite modern shows (going by your definition of 80s-present) are Numb3rs, Psych, Parks and Recreation, The Office (US), Black Lightning, Legends of Tomorrow, The Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes Series, Seinfeld, The Colbert Report, Jon Stewart’s Daily Show & Spongebob (Seasons 1-3)
10. I agree Reality Shows are the worse! Although I don’t hate all Game Shows. In fact I love me some Family Feud!
11. My favorite comic book publisher is who ever is smart enough to hire the Core Four. So right now fantagraphics
12. I haven’t spent any money on bad comics lately to make a judgement on which publisher is the worst
Scarecrow:
On I Love Lucy, The Flintstones, and Bewitched – you conclude:
“Not only did these three series embrace similar themes, but they also had appeal to adults and kids at the same time--plus as noted they had some remarkable links to one another.”
You’ve really outdone yourself this time… and that’s a pretty high bar to beat!
“…a solid continuum of years from 1951 to 1972.” ? That’s quite an observation – and great one that would never have occurred to me! …Me and everyone else who more likely associates The Flintstones with The Honeymooners!
My recollection is that Hanna and Barbera and Gene Hazelton had created the animated titles for I Love Lucy (anonymously moonlighting, while still at MGM) – titles which I had not seen until the age of DVD. What a terrible shame that they never got onto the syndication prints… though, in another commonality with The Flintstones, the tobacco company sponsor would seem to be the reason why.
Clapton:
Thank you for those very kind words about this humble Blog.
It’s been a great dozen years writing about “Comics, DVDs, Animation, Classic TV, and occasionally more”, though in recent years, there’s been less “occasionally more” than there used to be.
Closing ones eyes would seem to be the natural reaction to “Be Cool Scooby Doo”, so maybe Daphne’s right!
Peppa Pig somehow manages to not be repellingly annoying, as most shows in that category tend to be! .(I’m SOOOO glad she’s apparently outgrown “Blippie”!) Being British, and having good voices, has a lot to do with it – and a cast of characters that could, in numbers anyway, rival The Simpsons! My favorites are Mr. Bull and Ms. Rabbit. And Avi and I often go out looking for “muddy puddles”!
I must say that, while I don’t concur with everything, I really like your list! Most folks reading this can probably pick out a number of the commonalities. …Like nearly ALL of 1 and 2, if you subtract all references to video games and add AC/DC and Judas Priest!
I lump “Time Travel” into “Sci-Fi” as a sub-genre. It works best that way.
In my estimation, Family Guy isn’t quite in the same category as South Park. There’s more “Flintstones” in it than initially appears. Though it can be “on the cusp”, depending on how you view it.
As far as stand-up comedy goes, Johnny Carson was one of THE all-time greats… and he was a student of those that came before him – who you often saw on his show, while they were still alive! Despite his more “political bent”, I feel that Bill Maher is the closest successor to Johnny today! I can’t recall his ever mentioning Carson as an influence, but he’s got it down near-perfectly! Give his show a look, and see for yourself.
For “today’s times” I’d have to agree with Fantagraphics as well! …And more power to you, for having seen a minimum of “bad comics”! I envy you your experience! :-)
Happy twelfth blogthday, Joe! I suppose I'll try out this 20-questions-minus-eight-plus-one thing, although I think I shall skip the negative ones.
1. Favorite things: Loved ones, writing and creating things, Disney comic books (and other Disney-produced works of quality, as well as Disney history), books in general (particularly those written in the 19th and early 20th centuries), animals (yes, all of them - even, and I might say particularly, those that are generally despised), and many other things too numerous to list here.
2. Favorite movie: Honestly, I couldn't say - it all depends on my mood at the moment. In general, I enjoy classic Disney movies (you may be picking up on a pattern, here).
3. Favorite genre movie: Plan Nine from Outer Space - not for its quality, obviously, but for its delightfully humorous lack thereof.
4. Favorite products of animation: In keeping with my love of Disney, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. And various other personalities from the classic Disney theatrical shorts. As for non-Disney classic animated characters, probably Popeye, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Tom and Jerry. My favorite modern animated shows, meanwhile, include Gravity Falls and Legend of the Three Caballeros
5. Favorite classic era T.V. shows: The Twilight Zone, classic Doctor Who, and, for the obligatory Disney inclusion, the series that was variously known as Disneyland, Walt Disney Presents, and Wonderful World of Color.
6. Favorite modern era T.V. shows: The aforementioned Gravity Falls and Legend of the Three Caballeros, as well as modern Doctor Who and the Series of Unfortunate Events adaptation. Also, the original Unsolved Mysteries - does that count as modern-era? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't exactly place it in the classic era, either.
6. Favorite comic book publishers: Dell, Gold Key, Another Rainbow/Gladstone, the Disney Interregnum, Gemstone, and old IDW.
7. With whom would I trade my life: No one!
Congratulations on twelve years - here's to many more!
(I agree with your observation that Peppa Pig is non-annoying and even funny, by the way - and Mr. Bull and Ms. Rabbit are definitely the best characters, although I personally quite like Mr. Potato, as well.)
Lupan:
Thank you for a great list contribution!
I very much respect those like you who omit the “negative questions”, as we strongly strive to eschew negativity at this Blog. But I also feel they can be a necessary counterpoint to accenting the positive. Grouped together, as in my post, the negative gives greater insight into the positive - but (characteristically for me) without being gratuitously harsh or nasty.
Say one reason I love “Casablanca”, aside from telling a great story with some legendary actors, is that it lacks the gaudy excesses of the type of film I don’t like.
Yet, a list like yours makes for a brighter read and, with the overall negativity in the air becoming more intense (literally) by the day, we can all benefit by a bit more “brighter”!
Gotta ask, though… How does “Plan Nine from Outer Space” infiltrate such a Disney-centric list? :-) I love it too, BTW, and for the same reasons!
I’ve heard very good things about “Legend of the Three Caballeros” (in this very thread and beyond), but I’m not about to start paying for any of the new streaming services that also seem to pop-up (almost) by the day! I’ll wait for “good old DVDs” – legitimate, or otherwise. Those are mine to keep always, and they are not subject to the decisions of “those who decide what we can and cannot see” - be their motives set by “profitability or lack thereof” or our “standards of acceptability” which change (all together now) …by the day!
Finally, yes… I should have also named Mr. Potato as a favorite character in Peppa Pig!
1. Favorite things: Comic books, comic strips, children’s books published under Western’s Golden and Whitman imprints (namely the Little Golden Books and Whitman Tell-a-Tales), movies from the golden age of Hollywood, classic animated cartoons, animated cartoons in general, from ANY decade!
2. Favorite movie: Anything from the Golden Age of Animation (or animation in general), live action movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood, anything Tom and Jerry
3. Favorite theatrical cartoon: Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, Woody Woodpecker, Donald Duck, just about anything that MGM, Warners, Lantz, and Disney were responsible during the Golden Age of American animation
4. Favorite TV cartoons: The Amazing World of Gumball, CatDog, We Bare Bears
5. Favorite comic strip: Garfield, Peanuts, those Disney strips drawn by Al Taliaferro
6. Favorite comic book: Dell’s Tom and Jerry (previously titled Our Gang)
7. Favorite comic book/children’s book publisher: Western Publishing: aka Golden Books/Whitman/Dell/Gold Key
Yeow! Except for "Favorite TV cartoons", that list could be mine! ...Or very close to it!
Seriously, great list.
Thanks.
As Gumball T. Watterson would say:
What The Actual What!
Also Averi’s birthday is the same day as Tom and Jerry animator Ray Patterson’s birthday (November 23)
Thanks, Joe. Forgot to mention this, but have you ever SEEN an episode of Gumball, CatDog, or We Bare Bears now that I know your opinion on them?
(I have a lot of Dell Our Gang/Tom and Jerry comics and Boom Gumball comics)
(I tried to send a few similar comments to you after that one , but the just won’t publish/show up)
“Also Averi’s birthday is the same day as Tom and Jerry animator Ray Patterson’s birthday (November 23)”
Well, Averi’s in good company… Then again, so is Ray Patterson! :-)
I’ve never seen any of the shows, so I can’t have an opinion on them. I just know that, since 1958, no TV cartoon has yet to beat Huckleberry Hound in my personal estimation (and my recent Thanksgiving viewings – as posted elsewhere - only reaffirms that), so the odds are these won’t either. After all… a LOT of great things aren’t “My Favorite”! No shame in that!
As for the comments… I employ “Comment Moderation”, so that anyone’s comments don’t appear until I “ok” them.
That serves a dual purpose… I weed out spam comments – AND – I know if someone (as you have done) is commenting on an older post, allowing me to read the comment and respond to it. Otherwise, the comment would just attach itself to an older post and languish, unknown to me.
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