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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 31, 2014 11:14:55 GMT -5
This question's been bugging me b/c I really can't remember exactly when I heard about the GA DC heroes.
The first JLA comic I actually remember buying is #31 (on sale in September '64), the one in which Hawkman gets into the League, but I'm pretty sure I read the first half of the second team-up between the JSA and JLA (#29), perhaps at my cousins' house, where I remember seeing and reading several early JLAs. I was 9 when the latter came out, and my access to comics was limited.
I'm going with that because it wasn't reprinted until years later (1974); in fact, the first team-up was only first reprinted in 1971, by which time I was a constant reader and collector.
Very clearly remember all the ads for the GA team-ups and the Spectre solos in B and B and Showcase in 1965, but those were two titles that were always difficult to find in those days. Spectre was easier to find when he got his own comic because I was in high school taking the bus to good old Newark, NJ and there were more stores to check out.
Thanks to Mike's Amazing World, le petit madeline of comics.
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Post by Hoosier X on Aug 31, 2014 14:38:54 GMT -5
I just read JLA #31 last night (in the black and white Showcase volume). Sometimes, I don't know about these old JLA stories. The bad guy is a dude names Joe Parry who finds some alien doodad on the beach while he's taking a walk and he uses it to menace the JLA for 25 pages. Yup.
Too many of the stories are like that. I would rather see more issues with super-villains. Like the first appearance of the Queen Bee! Zazzala rules! Some of these villains are goofy as heck but they're still fun. Some of these gimmick stories are, uh, I'll try to be polite. They could be better.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 31, 2014 14:46:30 GMT -5
Oh so that at this point is still permanent? I didn't know if that had changed, as things always do in comics. Have they had much modern appearances before IC? They appeared in the Earth-X issues of JLA (100-102) and 15 issues of their own series, and maybe a few guest shots. Up to Flashpoint, as far as I know, the originals hadn't reappeared (unless you count Blackest Night zombies). There was another group that was formed with new versions of some of the characters that had a couple of short runs (8 issues for one, 9 for another, a couple of one-shots) and what I think was the original Uncle Sam (I haven't read this version). After Flashpoint, they started putting out minis with new versions of some of the characters (Human Bomb, Phantom Lady/Dollman, etc) with a new version of Uncle Sam as head of a clandestine organization which seemed to be headed towards a new version of Freedom Fighters group. Haven't seen much more on it since last year though (unless I missed something). They appeared in the Earth-X issues of JLA (100-102) and 15 issues of their own series, and maybe a few guest shots. Up to Flashpoint, as far as I know, the originals hadn't reappeared (unless you count Blackest Night zombies). There was another group that was formed with new versions of some of the characters that had a couple of short runs (8 issues for one, 9 for another, a couple of one-shots) and what I think was the original Uncle Sam (I haven't read this version). After Flashpoint, they started putting out minis with new versions of some of the characters (Human Bomb, Phantom Lady/Dollman, etc) with a new version of Uncle Sam as head of a clandestine organization which seemed to be headed towards a new version of Freedom Fighters group. Haven't seen much more on it since last year though (unless I missed something). Pre-Flashpoint, there were two Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters minis. The first, with art by Daniel Acuna, is really good. The second is actually kinda confusing. There were rumors of a new series, but it never panned on.
Post-Flashpoint, Uncle Sam leads SHADE, and was a regular in Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE with the new Creature Commandos. He also made a few appearances elsewhere. The new Ray had a mini, and I think some of the others had one-shots. There's still rumors of a new series, but nothing has been announced. I think the best bet to see them would be Palmiotti and Gray's GI Zombie, but that seems pretty self-contained so far.
Thanks for the information guys. Can I ask one more questions without turning in my comic book badge? When/what is Flashpoint? I've seen it said a lot, and thought about researching it, but I am afraid reading about it on like wikipedia would be more confusing than a simple explanation or reading the material itself, like COIE was the last time I read something on it. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 14:59:21 GMT -5
I just read JLA #31 last night (in the black and white Showcase volume). Sometimes, I don't know about these old JLA stories. The bad guy is a dude names Joe Parry who finds some alien doodad on the beach while he's taking a walk and he uses it to menace the JLA for 25 pages. Yup. Too many of the stories are like that. I would rather see more issues with super-villains. Like the first appearance of the Queen Bee! Zazzala rules! Some of these villains are goofy as heck but they're still fun. Some of these gimmick stories are, uh, I'll try to be polite. They could be better. I noticed a similar lack of super-villans in the fifth Batman Showcase. Admittedly Batman works well with common criminals, but it would've been nice to see some established villains show up and raise a little hell. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2014 15:11:24 GMT -5
Thanks for the information guys. Can I ask one more questions without turning in my comic book badge? When/what is Flashpoint? I've seen it said a lot, and thought about researching it, but I am afraid reading about it on like wikipedia would be more confusing than a simple explanation or reading the material itself, like COIE was the last time I read something on it. Flashpoint is the event series from DC that ended their old continuity and set up the new52. There is a DC animated movie adaptation of it that gives you a sense of the story if you are interested. Like most events, it was more hype than actual good storytelling, and for me some of the more interesting bits of it were in the tie ins rather than the main book. -M |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 31, 2014 15:50:55 GMT -5
Thanks for the information guys. Can I ask one more questions without turning in my comic book badge? When/what is Flashpoint? I've seen it said a lot, and thought about researching it, but I am afraid reading about it on like wikipedia would be more confusing than a simple explanation or reading the material itself, like COIE was the last time I read something on it. Flashpoint is the event series from DC that ended their old continuity and set up the new52. There is a DC animated movie adaptation of it that gives you a sense of the story if you are interested. Like most events, it was more hype than actual good storytelling, and for me some of the more interesting bits of it were in the tie ins rather than the main book. -M Ah I see it's something recent. I'll look into the movie see if Netflix has it or something. Thanks. |
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Post by fanboystranger on Aug 31, 2014 21:25:25 GMT -5
Seems like a good place to ask this question, but did anyone else find the Golden Age heroes far more interesting than their Silver Age counterparts (outside the Atom)? Perhaps it's because I encountered these characters after they had been filtered through a post-modern lens, but just through their existence they seemed to have a substance to them that their Silver Age counterparts didn't. (Most Silver Age Age heroes from DC seem very broad to me. Marvel's a different story, but I'm not sure that until Miller's Daredevil that I felt the same thing as a goofy, alienated Irish Catholic boy.) We couldn't really appreciate our parents, mostly because the stated goals of the '60s had failed so thoroughly, but we could appreciate the "Greatest Generation", even if we didn't agree with their politics. Maybe that's because those heroes had been reinterpreted in such a thorough way in a pre-internet days before every very minute detail was scrutized. I think this is an interesting avenue of study, especially as those re-interpretations of the '80s and '90s have been subsumed by a newer interpretation.
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Post by MWGallaher on Aug 31, 2014 22:11:47 GMT -5
When I began reading comics, DC was in their "52 pages for 25 cents" stage, so Golden Age reprints were routine, but I think the first time I really "got it" was with Flash #213, which reprinted "Vengeance of the Immortal Villain", with Vandal Savage and the Golden Age Flash. Suddenly I grasped the scope of those reprints, and began to understand that there was a whole era of characters that had preceded me. My friend James's description of "old" heroes clicked, somehow, and I realized he didn't mean that the heroes were old characters, but were old in "real time".
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Post by hondobrode on Aug 31, 2014 23:17:42 GMT -5
Seems like a good place to ask this question, but did anyone else find the Golden Age heroes far more interesting than their Silver Age counterparts (outside the Atom)? Perhaps it's because I encountered these characters after they had been filtered through a post-modern lens, but just through their existence they seemed to have a substance to them that their Silver Age counterparts didn't. (Most Silver Age Age heroes from DC seem very broad to me. Marvel's a different story, but I'm not sure that until Miller's Daredevil that I felt the same thing as a goofy, alienated Irish Catholic boy.) We couldn't really appreciate our parents, mostly because the stated goals of the '60s had failed so thoroughly, but we could appreciate the "Greatest Generation", even if we didn't agree with their politics. Maybe that's because those heroes had been reinterpreted in such a thorough way in a pre-internet days before every very minute detail was scrutized. I think this is an interesting avenue of study, especially as those re-interpretations of the '80s and '90s have been subsumed by a newer interpretation. You know, that's very interesting. Most of the reprints I read growing up were actually Silver Age from the 70's as a kid, and they're charming and entertaining in their own way, but you're right. As I get older I really appreciate the appeal of the no rules Golden Age, though the rub is that the Silver Age had more costumed villains. Lots of the Golden Age was robberies, kidnappings, whatever, but not as much use of the Villain. |
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Post by zryson on Sept 1, 2014 8:34:41 GMT -5
How did I discover them? It was either through the newsstand or a used bookstore. I would regularly pour over every frame, reading their latest adventures and they never disappointed.
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Post by DE Sinclair on Sept 2, 2014 11:41:19 GMT -5
They appeared in the Earth-X issues of JLA (100-102) I think you mean 107 and 108. 100 to 102 is the one with the Seven Soldiers of Victory, also known as Law's Legionnaires.
The Freedom Fighters also got a retroactive origin is The All-Star Squadron, around issues #31 to #34, I think.
You are, of course, correct. I even looked at the issues on GCD and still screwed up the numbers. Mea culpa. |
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Post by ghastly55 on Sept 28, 2014 22:53:11 GMT -5
It was the 1966 JLA/JSA Crisis Crossover.
1966 was the year that my comic book Jones got permanently tattooed on my psyche. I had been buying and reading comics since I was 5 years old in 1960, but between '60 and '66 it was but one of many interests. And I was beginning to LOSE interest.
Then as school let out and I took my five dollar rewards for good grades up to the drug store, among the $2.52 worth of comics I bought -- that's 21 comic books for the math-challenged -- were several titles that would fan the flame. Among them was the aforementioned crossover.
I mean, I knew that Superman and Batman had been out there for more than 25 years, but I had no conception of just how new Julius Schwartz's titles were. To see that there were TWO Flashes, TWO Green Lanterns, and a grown-up Robin with the stupidest costume imaginable was something that caught my interest.
For some reason the JSA and the Earth-Two concept has always seemed fascinating to me. The best way to get me interested in a new series is to put it somehow in proximity to Alan Scott or Ted Grant.
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Golddragon71
Full Member
Immortal avatar of the Dragon Race The Golden Dragon
Posts: 343
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Post by Golddragon71 on Sept 28, 2014 23:57:33 GMT -5
I think I was introduced through the Greatest flash Stories ever Told. shortly thereafter I had picked up the Justice Society Mini-series and that added with my World War II era interests (I was a big fan of war era radio shows) hooked me in. I bought the Greatest golden age stories ever told as soon as it came out and when Armageddon Inferno came out I was almost frantic to hear of a New life and new book for the JSA. (I bought the issue of Flash that led into "The Return of Barry Allen solely for the fact that Jay Garrick was on the cover with Wally West) when Return ran it's course my view wasn't "How could those b@$tArd$ play with us like that?!" it was more like...."Hey we still have Jay back! So, no problem!"
Any time a new JSA based book has come out I've made it a mandatory addition to my collection.
My Library boasts volumes
0-11 of All-Star Archives
1-2 of GA Flash and GA Green Lantern Archives
Black Canary
Doctor Fate Archives
Hawkman Archives
Spectre Archives and finally,
Volumes 1-2 of the GA Starman Archives
as well as the first volumes of Batman, Dark Knight Superman Archives.I have a fairly solid JSA built up in DC Direct figures (Lacking only classic Powergirl, Star Man (that wand holding arm breaks too easily)
Earth 2 Robin Crisis Huntress and purple coat Sandman (i'm still mad DC Direct and mattel never gave us a Golden Age Mr. Terrific)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2014 14:50:10 GMT -5
Having said that, the introduction of the Justice Society of America - especially the original team helped steered my love of the Golden Age of Comics. And, steered me into the world of Doctor Fate and the Original Green (Alan Scott) Lantern that's solidify my love for it. Doctor Fate and Green Lantern were my top two JSA Members of all time.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2014 1:02:25 GMT -5
Reprints for me...DC 80/100 pg Giants & Treasury Editions.  "The Joker's Utility Belt"....true REPRINTED Dick Sprang AWESOMENESS!!! |
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