Sunday, June 22, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 11
by John Broome, Arthur Peddy and others
The end... sort of. This volume completes the reprints of the Justice Society's Golden-Age adventures in All-Star comics, covering issues from December of 1949 to February of 1951. After that fateful issue, the JSA was no more, and All Star Comics became All Star Western. Of course, the JSA returned in the sixties, as guest characters in Justice League of America comics. Then in the seventies, All Star Comics was revived with new JSA adventures. Heck, even this volume of the archives wasn't the end, as DC published Volume 0 of the archives, reprinting the three issues of All Star that preceded the JSA. But enough history. How does this last-volume-that-isn't-the-last-volume of JSA reprints measure up? Well, it's standard fare. The JSA spent their last year fighting off alien invasions and thwarting earthbound crimes. They even had one last jaunt through time. While it's not spectacular, it's entertaining... if you like this sort of thing.
Ah, check it out for the historical value if nothing else.
LibraryThing link
The end... sort of. This volume completes the reprints of the Justice Society's Golden-Age adventures in All-Star comics, covering issues from December of 1949 to February of 1951. After that fateful issue, the JSA was no more, and All Star Comics became All Star Western. Of course, the JSA returned in the sixties, as guest characters in Justice League of America comics. Then in the seventies, All Star Comics was revived with new JSA adventures. Heck, even this volume of the archives wasn't the end, as DC published Volume 0 of the archives, reprinting the three issues of All Star that preceded the JSA. But enough history. How does this last-volume-that-isn't-the-last-volume of JSA reprints measure up? Well, it's standard fare. The JSA spent their last year fighting off alien invasions and thwarting earthbound crimes. They even had one last jaunt through time. While it's not spectacular, it's entertaining... if you like this sort of thing.
Ah, check it out for the historical value if nothing else.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, CheckItOut, DCComics
Saturday, June 14, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 10
by John Broome, et al
This collection of reprints from 1948 and 1949 is okay. There are no real stories that stand out, but none that are truly awful, either. In this volume the JSA solve a mystery in Hollywood, corral a gang of cosmically powered criminals, thwart the schemes of a seemingly "Invisible" band of burglars, face off against the ghost of Billy the Kid, peer into the future of a boy named Edmund Blake and repel the invasion of the alien Fire People.
Pretty good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
This collection of reprints from 1948 and 1949 is okay. There are no real stories that stand out, but none that are truly awful, either. In this volume the JSA solve a mystery in Hollywood, corral a gang of cosmically powered criminals, thwart the schemes of a seemingly "Invisible" band of burglars, face off against the ghost of Billy the Kid, peer into the future of a boy named Edmund Blake and repel the invasion of the alien Fire People.
Pretty good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, DCComics, WaitingRoomMaterial
Saturday, May 31, 2008
All Star Comics Archive: Volume 9
by John Broome and a cast of artists
The Justice Society faces an invasion from Fairy Land? Then next month they take on juvenile delinquents? What kind of threats are those? Well, you'll just have to read this volume of the All-Star archives to find out. The team also face threats from the Wizard's Injustice Society, criminal alchemist Zobar Zodiak and the rogue prince of the Golden Universe. The stories and art in this volume are pretty good. John Broome's style is definitely different from his predecessor's and the tales are more reminiscent of the comic stories I read when I was a kid. (Of course, some of those may have been written by... John Broome.)
Eh, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check it out.
LibraryThing link
The Justice Society faces an invasion from Fairy Land? Then next month they take on juvenile delinquents? What kind of threats are those? Well, you'll just have to read this volume of the All-Star archives to find out. The team also face threats from the Wizard's Injustice Society, criminal alchemist Zobar Zodiak and the rogue prince of the Golden Universe. The stories and art in this volume are pretty good. John Broome's style is definitely different from his predecessor's and the tales are more reminiscent of the comic stories I read when I was a kid. (Of course, some of those may have been written by... John Broome.)
Eh, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, CheckItOut, DCComics
Sunday, May 11, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 8
by Gardner Fox, John Broome, Robert Kanigher, et al
In this volume, the JSA takes on the Wizard, Per Degaton, the Injustice Gang of the World, five men under the influence of the "Stream of Ruthlessness" and wax figures of History's greatest villains come to life. Roy Thomas claims in his introduction that these tales are from the JSA's "golden age". They are good stories, but I'm more inclined to think that the JSA were at there best at the beginning of their run. Of course, maybe that's because one of my favorite JSA members happens to be Johnny Thunder and in this volume he's quietly being phased out. (sniff) The series' regular writer, Gardner Fox, also received his walking papers during this sequence. Him, I don't miss as much. But I did appreciate the ride he gave not only to the kids of the 1940s but also to us geezers in 1990s who got to experience these reprints for the first time.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
In this volume, the JSA takes on the Wizard, Per Degaton, the Injustice Gang of the World, five men under the influence of the "Stream of Ruthlessness" and wax figures of History's greatest villains come to life. Roy Thomas claims in his introduction that these tales are from the JSA's "golden age". They are good stories, but I'm more inclined to think that the JSA were at there best at the beginning of their run. Of course, maybe that's because one of my favorite JSA members happens to be Johnny Thunder and in this volume he's quietly being phased out. (sniff) The series' regular writer, Gardner Fox, also received his walking papers during this sequence. Him, I don't miss as much. But I did appreciate the ride he gave not only to the kids of the 1940s but also to us geezers in 1990s who got to experience these reprints for the first time.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, CheckItOut, DCComics
Sunday, May 04, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 7
by Gardner Fox, et al
In his introduction, Roy Thomas said that the last story in this collection, "The Revenge of Solomon Grundy", was the beginning of the peak of All-Star Comics. I remember reading through this volume and grumbling that I had just bought a bunch of mediocre stories and had to wait a whole year for the "good stuff" to be published. The tales in this volume are a bit better than those in Volume Six, but still are a far cry from the tales from the early forties. In this collection the JSA go up against Landor, the man from the future; the Brain Wave; Zor, the alien Duna who possesses a humble toymaker; the original Psycho Pirate and the aforementioned Solomon Grundy. Most of the tales are standard mid-40s fare, though I have to admit that the Grundy story is the best of the lot. In a lot of these tales, the members JSA merely plow through the bad guys in their individual segments and then neatly wrap things up at the end. Solomon Grundy made the boys sweat a bit, making the inevitable victory that much more satisfying.
'Tis pretty good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
In his introduction, Roy Thomas said that the last story in this collection, "The Revenge of Solomon Grundy", was the beginning of the peak of All-Star Comics. I remember reading through this volume and grumbling that I had just bought a bunch of mediocre stories and had to wait a whole year for the "good stuff" to be published. The tales in this volume are a bit better than those in Volume Six, but still are a far cry from the tales from the early forties. In this collection the JSA go up against Landor, the man from the future; the Brain Wave; Zor, the alien Duna who possesses a humble toymaker; the original Psycho Pirate and the aforementioned Solomon Grundy. Most of the tales are standard mid-40s fare, though I have to admit that the Grundy story is the best of the lot. In a lot of these tales, the members JSA merely plow through the bad guys in their individual segments and then neatly wrap things up at the end. Solomon Grundy made the boys sweat a bit, making the inevitable victory that much more satisfying.
'Tis pretty good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, DCComics, WaitingRoomMaterial
Sunday, April 27, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 6
by Gardner Fox, et al
Boy, what happened? As the stories in this volume were produced, World War II saw its final days and the quality of All-Star Comics plummeted. With the exception of the Hawkman sections, drawn by Joe Kubert, the art is pretty poor. The stories are a bit better--not some of Mr. Fox's better work, mind you--but solid Golden Age storytelling, chock full of morality, history and/or science lessons. The JSA take a tour through the history of Germany, for one last hurrah of wartime propaganda. They also revisit a 20-year old murder case, fight element eating robots from space, thwart a crime wave with the help of various disabled persons and combat portraits painted with paint that comes to life after sunset. If I didn't have a collector's mentality, I think I would've passed this one by. (Of course, I do kind of like the robots...)
Definitely waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Boy, what happened? As the stories in this volume were produced, World War II saw its final days and the quality of All-Star Comics plummeted. With the exception of the Hawkman sections, drawn by Joe Kubert, the art is pretty poor. The stories are a bit better--not some of Mr. Fox's better work, mind you--but solid Golden Age storytelling, chock full of morality, history and/or science lessons. The JSA take a tour through the history of Germany, for one last hurrah of wartime propaganda. They also revisit a 20-year old murder case, fight element eating robots from space, thwart a crime wave with the help of various disabled persons and combat portraits painted with paint that comes to life after sunset. If I didn't have a collector's mentality, I think I would've passed this one by. (Of course, I do kind of like the robots...)
Definitely waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, DCComics, WaitingRoomMaterial
Saturday, March 22, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 5
by Gardner Fox and friends
The was a war on in late '43 and throughout 1944, but you might not guess it reading the Justice Society adventures from that period. While war raged in Europe and the Pacific, the JSA was tackling criminals like the Monster and the original Psycho-Pirate and travelling through time to help a man reform his life. The stories in this volume aren't as good as those in times past, but there are still some pleasant moments.
Alas, this one's only waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
The was a war on in late '43 and throughout 1944, but you might not guess it reading the Justice Society adventures from that period. While war raged in Europe and the Pacific, the JSA was tackling criminals like the Monster and the original Psycho-Pirate and travelling through time to help a man reform his life. The stories in this volume aren't as good as those in times past, but there are still some pleasant moments.
Alas, this one's only waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, DCComics, WaitingRoomMaterial
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 4
By Gardner Fox, and a cast of... well, lots
In 1943, Justice Society fans were treated to three outings against super-villains and one wartime sermon. This volume collects them all. In "The Man Who Created Images", we're introduced to the Brain Wave, the man whose mind is so advanced that he can create realistic mental images. The individual members of the JSA are so caught up in trying to thwart this villain's plans that they all skip the regular meeting, prompting secretary Wonder Woman to embark on an unusual plan of her own. In the second tale collected, the JSA seeks to stop Nazi-sown discord between workers and employers, natives and immigrants, and people of different ethnic groups. In the third tale the Brain Wave is back and he tries to eliminate the JSA by shrinking them to doll size. They go on to show that there are a force to be reckoned with, even when only a few inches tall. The final tale pits the JSA against men who have been transformed into insect powered slaves by the King Bee. Overall, the stories aren't quite as good as those in some of the previous volumes. But you still have a rollicking sense of fun and adventure that seems to be the hallmark of the era.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
In 1943, Justice Society fans were treated to three outings against super-villains and one wartime sermon. This volume collects them all. In "The Man Who Created Images", we're introduced to the Brain Wave, the man whose mind is so advanced that he can create realistic mental images. The individual members of the JSA are so caught up in trying to thwart this villain's plans that they all skip the regular meeting, prompting secretary Wonder Woman to embark on an unusual plan of her own. In the second tale collected, the JSA seeks to stop Nazi-sown discord between workers and employers, natives and immigrants, and people of different ethnic groups. In the third tale the Brain Wave is back and he tries to eliminate the JSA by shrinking them to doll size. They go on to show that there are a force to be reckoned with, even when only a few inches tall. The final tale pits the JSA against men who have been transformed into insect powered slaves by the King Bee. Overall, the stories aren't quite as good as those in some of the previous volumes. But you still have a rollicking sense of fun and adventure that seems to be the hallmark of the era.
Check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, CheckItOut, DCComics
Monday, February 25, 2008
Justice Society: Volume 1
by Paul Levitz, Gerry Conway, 4 pencillers, 2 inkers, ...
I've stopped reviewing comic reprint collections that I've borrowed from the library, but I think I'll make an exception with this one. The writing is somewhat awful, but I'd like to buy it someday.... Perhaps I should explain. I've been a fan of comic books on and off since childhood. Back in the eighties, when I was in an "on" period, I had a serious collector's mentality. No, not the type that would move me to buy a comic book, seal it in plastic, and monitor the Tokyo Comics Exchange for just the right time to sell. I was more of a comics archivist. If I discovered a title or character that I liked, then I would suddenly want to accumulate all the stories of said character. It was through this practice that I discovered that just because one writer and/or artist can create magic with a particular character, it doesn't mean that every writer and/or artist has done so. In fact, since the cheapest back issues were usually the klunkers of the series, I discovered this aspect of comics history relatively quickly. I didn't care, though. I just wanted to fill up all the spaces in my little comics ledger. Anyway, when I fell in love with Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron back then, I found myself seeking back issues featuring the Justice Society of America. That proved to be a rather frustrating quest. The original Golden Age comics, of course, were way out of my price range. On the other hand, amassing the All-Star Squadron issues I had missed was an easy task. In between were JSA guest appearances, Golden Age reprints, and the short lived revival of All Star Comics in the mid-seventies. The latter was the source of my frustration. I could get a random issue here and there, but rarely could I get many issues in a row. All I had were sporadic glimpses at the overall story, making for a awkward and uneven reading experience.
Finally, in this era of trade paperback reprints, I have been able to achieve my dream of fully experiencing the 1970s JSA. Unfortunately, it's still an awkward and uneven reading experience. The plotline jumps around from subplot to subplot. The writers seem to want to include all of the JSA members, but not at the same time. So, characters come and go, sometimes in the middle of a story. The attempts at personal drama make the heroes seem like high school kids, rather than the mature, "old guard" of super herodom. Objectively, the only redeeming qualities of the issues collected here is the artwork by Wally Wood and Keith Giffen and the character of Power Girl, who, despite her stilted, stereotypical characterization, adds some life to the drab storytelling. (Of course, there's also the eye candy factor, but I'm too old for that sort of thing...) In the end, this collection is pretty bad. But, doggone it, I still have empty spaces in my comics ledger....
It's truly only waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
I've stopped reviewing comic reprint collections that I've borrowed from the library, but I think I'll make an exception with this one. The writing is somewhat awful, but I'd like to buy it someday.... Perhaps I should explain. I've been a fan of comic books on and off since childhood. Back in the eighties, when I was in an "on" period, I had a serious collector's mentality. No, not the type that would move me to buy a comic book, seal it in plastic, and monitor the Tokyo Comics Exchange for just the right time to sell. I was more of a comics archivist. If I discovered a title or character that I liked, then I would suddenly want to accumulate all the stories of said character. It was through this practice that I discovered that just because one writer and/or artist can create magic with a particular character, it doesn't mean that every writer and/or artist has done so. In fact, since the cheapest back issues were usually the klunkers of the series, I discovered this aspect of comics history relatively quickly. I didn't care, though. I just wanted to fill up all the spaces in my little comics ledger. Anyway, when I fell in love with Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron back then, I found myself seeking back issues featuring the Justice Society of America. That proved to be a rather frustrating quest. The original Golden Age comics, of course, were way out of my price range. On the other hand, amassing the All-Star Squadron issues I had missed was an easy task. In between were JSA guest appearances, Golden Age reprints, and the short lived revival of All Star Comics in the mid-seventies. The latter was the source of my frustration. I could get a random issue here and there, but rarely could I get many issues in a row. All I had were sporadic glimpses at the overall story, making for a awkward and uneven reading experience.
Finally, in this era of trade paperback reprints, I have been able to achieve my dream of fully experiencing the 1970s JSA. Unfortunately, it's still an awkward and uneven reading experience. The plotline jumps around from subplot to subplot. The writers seem to want to include all of the JSA members, but not at the same time. So, characters come and go, sometimes in the middle of a story. The attempts at personal drama make the heroes seem like high school kids, rather than the mature, "old guard" of super herodom. Objectively, the only redeeming qualities of the issues collected here is the artwork by Wally Wood and Keith Giffen and the character of Power Girl, who, despite her stilted, stereotypical characterization, adds some life to the drab storytelling. (Of course, there's also the eye candy factor, but I'm too old for that sort of thing...) In the end, this collection is pretty bad. But, doggone it, I still have empty spaces in my comics ledger....
It's truly only waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, DCComics, WaitingRoomMaterial
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 3
By Gardner Fox, Sheldon Mayer and numerous artists
The Justice Society goes to war! This volume reprints All Star Comics issues 11 to 14, originally published between June and December of 1942. Written in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, these stories feature the JSA facing off against the threat of the Empire of Japan and Nazi Germany. In "The Justice Society Joins the War on Japan", the mystery men (somewhat illogically) disband in order to join the armed forces in their civilian identities. But being a mystery man is a hard habit to break and our boys--and guest star Wonder Woman--end up finding an excuse to slip into costume and repel sundry attacks by the Japanese military. They do so well, in fact, that the Army recalls each member back to Washington to keep them from disrupting the normal forces. Instead, the JSA is reformed as the Justice Battalion, presumably to take on special missions against the Axis powers. The first mission is detailed in the next story, "The Black Dragon Menace". In that one the JSA thwarts the efforts of the secret Black Dragon society to steal weapon prototypes from across America. The third story, "Shanghaied Into Space", only tangentially involves the war. A Nazi scientist, in an attempt to rid the world of the Justice Society, knocks them out, places each into a separate rocket and sends them off to various planets in the solar system. (The premise sounds lame, but the adventures on the different planets are fun.) In the final tale, "Food for Starving Patriots", features the members of the JSA delivering miniaturized food to resistance fighters in the occupied nations of Europe. All of the tales are typical 1940s fare, filled with crude plots and overt racism. The art ranges from fair to excellent--the draft had yet to snatch up All American's better artists. All in all, it's one of the better volumes of the series.
It's on my shelf. (The comic shelf, in a long box.)
LibraryThing link
The Justice Society goes to war! This volume reprints All Star Comics issues 11 to 14, originally published between June and December of 1942. Written in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, these stories feature the JSA facing off against the threat of the Empire of Japan and Nazi Germany. In "The Justice Society Joins the War on Japan", the mystery men (somewhat illogically) disband in order to join the armed forces in their civilian identities. But being a mystery man is a hard habit to break and our boys--and guest star Wonder Woman--end up finding an excuse to slip into costume and repel sundry attacks by the Japanese military. They do so well, in fact, that the Army recalls each member back to Washington to keep them from disrupting the normal forces. Instead, the JSA is reformed as the Justice Battalion, presumably to take on special missions against the Axis powers. The first mission is detailed in the next story, "The Black Dragon Menace". In that one the JSA thwarts the efforts of the secret Black Dragon society to steal weapon prototypes from across America. The third story, "Shanghaied Into Space", only tangentially involves the war. A Nazi scientist, in an attempt to rid the world of the Justice Society, knocks them out, places each into a separate rocket and sends them off to various planets in the solar system. (The premise sounds lame, but the adventures on the different planets are fun.) In the final tale, "Food for Starving Patriots", features the members of the JSA delivering miniaturized food to resistance fighters in the occupied nations of Europe. All of the tales are typical 1940s fare, filled with crude plots and overt racism. The art ranges from fair to excellent--the draft had yet to snatch up All American's better artists. All in all, it's one of the better volumes of the series.
It's on my shelf. (The comic shelf, in a long box.)
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, DCComics, OnMyShelf
Saturday, October 27, 2007
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 2
by Gardner Fox and a cast of, well, nine or so.
This second collection of Justice Society adventures features the JSA trying to raise money to help war orphans, solving a mysterious outbreak of insanity, travelling to South America to thwart Axis agents and travelling to the 25th Century to secure a formula to protect America from enemy bombers. Oh, yeah, it also reprints the first Wonder Woman story. It's all presented in it's crude, 1940s comical glory--a pleasant diversion from the troubles of today.
It's on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
This second collection of Justice Society adventures features the JSA trying to raise money to help war orphans, solving a mysterious outbreak of insanity, travelling to South America to thwart Axis agents and travelling to the 25th Century to secure a formula to protect America from enemy bombers. Oh, yeah, it also reprints the first Wonder Woman story. It's all presented in it's crude, 1940s comical glory--a pleasant diversion from the troubles of today.
It's on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, DCComics, OnMyShelf
Sunday, October 07, 2007
All Star Comics Archives: Volume 1
by Gardner Fox and more artists than I care to type.
I haven't gotten hooked back on my comic book habit (yet) but I have pulled a few off the shelf to enjoy over meals. (Comics are great to read when your hands are primarily occupied with the task of stuffing your face.) This is the first volume reprinting the Justice Society of America stories from All-Star Comics, issues three through six. According to modern standards, the art and stories are pretty crude, yet I have to admit I enjoyed them. Comics of the 1940s give a glimpse of an alien world--a world filled with gangsters, hidden civilizations, mad scientists and heroes who are unambiguously good and heroic. A fine place to escape for a half hour or so.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
I haven't gotten hooked back on my comic book habit (yet) but I have pulled a few off the shelf to enjoy over meals. (Comics are great to read when your hands are primarily occupied with the task of stuffing your face.) This is the first volume reprinting the Justice Society of America stories from All-Star Comics, issues three through six. According to modern standards, the art and stories are pretty crude, yet I have to admit I enjoyed them. Comics of the 1940s give a glimpse of an alien world--a world filled with gangsters, hidden civilizations, mad scientists and heroes who are unambiguously good and heroic. A fine place to escape for a half hour or so.
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
Labels: AllStarComics, CheckItOut, DCComics
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
