The best reading from the Golden Age.

[Scrooge]

Always great insight from Pat.

 

Thank you AS for the vote of confidence but I can hardly qualify to give advice.

 

What I will agree with Pat whole-heartedly is that anthology titles with long running series are best. That's why Planet is such a fun run or Fight or Smash, Crack, etc ... You have to go to the Digital Comic Museum and sample a couple of issues (not too many so as not to spoil the experience of receiving a new issue in the mail) from each series and then dive in.

 

N.B.: I'd also recommend checking out Keltner's Guide to GA comics for the simple reason that one should not think of collecting an entire run for the sake of collecting an entire run. Rather, you could try and focus on a particular feature. Look at Seank and his Sky Girl in Jumbo run or my Senorita Rio in Fight run. I am eyeing Mysta in Planet run (# 21 through # 64) or Ka'a'nga by Ruben Moreira in Jungle. The variations are endless but you need to do some upfront research.

[adamstrange]

If the criteria were loosened to just "good books" then I would definitely have suggested Atlas pre-code horror or war. Atlas was so prolific in their output that quality was inconsistent making it hard to recommend a single run, though Menace and Men's Adventure are generally high quality throughout. I certainly endorse Scrooge's idea of looking for good series or even for individual comics as there are loads of gems out there.

 

[Darth Corgi]

If horror floats your boat, EC's are amazing (as previously stated by almost everyone). Outside of that is sort of wide open though. A lot of it hasn't been reprinted except in fanzines and the occassional anthology. One of these NON-EC collections is about to be released next month from Fantagraphics entitled "Four Color Fear". Here's a preview which looks to be a nice round up of some of the best NON-EC precode stories: http://www.fantagraphics.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=568&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=1894&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=62

 

I spent a decade collecting the ECs and have now started with the other publishers over the last two years. Its been a blast! Some bad stuff but also some really weird and wild stuff as well.

 

Another excellent resource for PreCode horror, aside from these boards, are the Tales Too Terrible To Tell fanzines that were released in the 90's. They can be found here: http://www.newenglandcomics.com/cgi-bin/shop/search.cgi?0=NSP03340&database=tick.csv&template=details.htm

 

Good luck and have fun!!

[Pat Calhoun]

not to toot the horns of me and fellow boardie Phil Z but http://www.ohthehorror.com/index.html is a another pre-code horror resource. Among other things, Phil is reprinting my 'Adventures Into Weird Words' column from Comic Book Marketplace that showcased golden age storytelling especially the 'short story' books (Atlas horror, EC, etc) of the precode years.

 

other great stuff:

D. Briefer's Frankenstein both postwar humor and precode horror.

though not for all, readers often like the ACG (American Comics Group) horror titles, Adventures Into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds.

early issues of Dennis the Menace are terrific.

 

[Scrooge]

other great stuff:

D. Briefer's Frankenstein both postwar humor and precode horror.

 

That's also being reprinted

 

Also, I can't wait to see what Fantagraphics picked for the new reprint book Corgi mentioned in his post.

 

I have pre-ordered both of course

[Darth Corgi]

not to toot the horns of me and fellow boardie Phil Z but http://www.ohthehorror.com/index.html is a another pre-code horror resource. Among other things, Phil is reprinting my 'Adventures Into Weird Words' column from Comic Book Marketplace that showcased golden age storytelling especially the 'short story' books (Atlas horror, EC, etc) of the precode years.

 

other great stuff:

D. Briefer's Frankenstein both postwar humor and precode horror.

though not for all, readers often like the ACG (American Comics Group) horror titles, Adventures Into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds.

early issues of Dennis the Menace are terrific.

 

 

Unbelievable coincidence Pat! I literally just found that copy of Frankenstein (that exact copy pictured above, which you sold me a bunch of months back) and read it before I logged back onto the boards and read your post. I was actually reading the book at the time you were typing/posting it! Weird!

 

I read one of your pieces in the Comic Book Marketplace (LB COLE issue) but didn't know about the Adventure Into Weird Words column. I'll be sure to go visit the link!

 

-Christian

[Darth Corgi]

other great stuff:

D. Briefer's Frankenstein both postwar humor and precode horror.

 

That's also being reprinted

 

Also, I can't wait to see what Fantagraphics picked for the new reprint book Corgi mentioned in his post.

 

I have pre-ordered both of course

 

I wonder if this is going to kick off a series of reprints of the other companies as well. I would love a bound collection of Black Cat, or Avon's Eerie.... It looks like Fantagraphics does a good job on the reprints, using the printed page as the source and staying as loyal as possible to it as oppossed to the way Marvel has been digitally recoloring their SA archives causing the original ink work to become blotchy and the fine lines to drop out. Speaking of which, has anyone seen the Marvel Masterworks Archive for the Menace series? I haven't seen that one yet. How are the reproductions?

 

[PreHero]

Interesting question. I've thought it would be fun finding a title that's not hot or popular, but has great stories and art. ECs are a great place to look - crime, horror, sci-fi, and war. I've heard good things about Fawcett Capt Marvel titles too.

 

Problem making a recommendation, is what titles you read and enjoy are a personal thing. Depends on your interests and quirks (if you collect comics, you are bound to have one or two).

 

If you are not sure, I'd take the suggestions given here and try to find some reprints to read. Read a couple issues or titles, and see if you like it or not. EC, Marvel and DC are easy. There's lots of cheap comic book format and more expensive bound volumes to choose from.

 

For the other titles from the GA, there's still some hope. Many popular titles have reprint books or have stories in books that focus on a certain artist, era or type of story. In addition to the suggestions posted, Alan Light Flashbacks and AC Comics are other great sources. AC generally reprints titles and characters from companies that are no longer publishing. Try Men of Mystery - current and back issues. http://www.accomics.com/accomics/goldenage/index.html

 

Might be cheaper to read a few of the reprints to determine what you like, vs. spending a lot of $$$ on originals you don't. Good luck.

[Pat Calhoun]

finally found a Wonder to post. This one too, is but a scan and memory for me as the real book, if I recall, went to skypinkblu who 'likes pretty colors'. Yeah, Christian, I hear you on the Frankenstein. I was going through scan library looking for a cover that would summon a good feeling about precode horror and whamo! a big part of reading comics is reading the pictures- I really like the unwordiness of the Frankenstein and Wonder covers...

 

[Forbush-Man]

Thanks for your reply Fuleman. Yes, I agree that EC reprints can be found at the fraction of the cost, and would decide against getting the original EC books. The run would in most likelihood have to consist of non-reprint books that can only be read through attaining the originals. Good start so far. If anyone else has suggestions please let me know.

 

Thanks,

Eric

 

I think the problem you will encounter with this approach is that most anything which is worth reading has been or will be reprinted. Finding quality material that hasn't been reprinted will be a challenge in itself. With that in mind, I would suggest Planet Comics. Planet is the more popular title of Fiction House. It's a pricier run, couple of difficult books to locate (2 early issues), great covers, fun stories and nice selection of artists and features. Title is popular, so a little pricey at times. You could shoot for restored books on the earliest/costliest books, and aim for unrestored VG/F or above on other issues for eye appeal. Lots of great GGA(Good Girl Art) covers. A challenge at some points near the middle of the run to find colorful covers, improves again towards the end.

 

WIKI on Planet Comics

 

Planet Comics Cover Gallery

[Scrooge]

Please let's not direct any more people towards the Planet run

 

Instead, why doesn't Eric consider the Contact run?

 

Contact is a short feasible run with cool L.B. Cole covers and two major super-hero features for your enjoyment: The Golden Eagle and Black Venus and as a bonus, you get Tommy Tomahawk thrown in. However, if I were doing the run, I would only get 1 through 11. # 12 has neither Golden Eagle nor Black Venus story.

 

If you are looking at a longer run, consider The Skyman from Columbia in Big Shot comics. Bonus strips are: The Face (interesting concept twist on Batman) and one of the many Magician features from the GA: Marvello, Monarch of Magicians (yes, alliterative titles in comics pre-date Stan Lee!). To round out the issues you get a variety pack of other features in Big Shot ranging from Joe Palooka to Charlie Chan and Sparky Watts. Granted that's a considerably longer run and some issues aren't turning up on street corners but it's not a wallet buster either.

 

So many comics ... so little time ...

[Forbush-Man]

How about Plastic Man from Quality? Good art, interesting theme shifts during the run, challenging during the 1950's and relatively inexpensive. Lots of nice Jack Cole artwork. Some great covers,..............

 

WIKI on Plastic man from Quality

 

 

GCD Plastic Man Gallery

 

 

[Forbush-Man]

Of course they have been reprinted in the archives from DC.

[skypinkblu]

finally found a Wonder to post. This one too, is but a scan and memory for me as the real book, if I recall, went to skypinkblu who 'likes pretty colors'. Yeah, Christian, I hear you on the Frankenstein. I was going through scan library looking for a cover that would summon a good feeling about precode horror and whamo! a big part of reading comics is reading the pictures- I really like the unwordiness of the Frankenstein and Wonder covers...

 

I love that book, Pat

 

I also enjoy the Super Magician run, if you are looking for something relatively cheap, and GA, it's really under appreciated. There are some very good Blackstone stories.

[skypinkblu]

Welcome to the Boards, Eric:)

[Larryw7]

 

I read one of your pieces in the Comic Book Marketplace (LB COLE issue) but didn't know about the Adventure Into Weird Words column. I'll be sure to go visit the link!

 

-Christian

 

Pat's Adventures Into Weird Worlds articles are one of the reasons I love CBM so much, and wish it could return in some form. I'm trying to complete my run now; I'm getting pretty close to having most of the issues before #22.

[Larryw7]

How about Plastic Man from Quality? Good art, interesting theme shifts during the run, challenging during the 1950's and relatively inexpensive. Lots of nice Jack Cole artwork. Some great covers,..............

 

WIKI on Plastic man from Quality

 

 

GCD Plastic Man Gallery

 

 

Definitely agree on Plastic Man. Also, Will Eisner's Spirit is a great read, and are available in the DC Archives collection.

 

EDIT: If you don't want to read reprints, Airboy and the Heap from Hillman publications have never been reprinted to the best of my knowledge. Excellent stories and art, and most issues are fairly affordable.

[Mister O]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses!

 

Freeloadingrusty – I love the Digital Comic Museum link! Thank you for providing the link it is much appreciated!

 

AdamStrange – Thank you for recommending The Spirit. I will look into this title. Barks Ducks would be sweet and would be nice to have down the road if I get children to share the stories with. I will keep them in mind at a later date for sure.

 

143ksk – Very impressive Pep Comics full run! That must have taken a long time to collect, good for you!

 

Bat-Man – Thanks for the Batman suggestion. What an expensive and long-term undertaking that would be! If only the resources were there….

 

Pcalhoun – Pat, thank you for directing me to the Atlas horror titles. The Wonder and Startling titles have some awesome covers, and are very tempting to start. Airboy looks intriguing to say the least, and would be a decent start. I’m just not certain if Airboy would appeal to me, but I could take a look at it before making a decision.

 

Darth Corgi – Thank you for the Fantagraphics.com link and the Tales Too Terrible To Terrible To Tell fanzines suggestions.

 

Scrooge – I would not worry if another collector took on the Planet Comics run. However, it would be a long and expensive undertaking. There are many nice Fiction House runs out there it’s just a matter of finding out which one appeals to my taste. I have been eyeing Planet Comics since the Fiction House thread in the Golden Age section has plentiful information. I am just not certain if this is a direction I want to take though, as there are many nice Fiction House titles to look at. Thank you for suggesting Big Shot Comics for a small run start.

 

Darth Corgi – Awesome start, thanks for the links!

 

Fuleman – Thank you for directing me to Planet Comics. It is a nice title to obtain. It would be hard finding the scare/rare issues though, but something to keep in mind. Plastic Man would be a nice start for sure. I just need to get over the uniform he wears…..

 

Skypinkblue – Thank you for welcoming me to the boards! I appreciate it! I see you like Wonder Woman, and I would like to know if Sensation Comics is a good read? The reason I ask, I bought a Sensation Comics #107 (I believe the first mystery issue) about seven years ago, but never read it because I bought it encapsulated in the CGC holder.

 

 

Dolby Dickles – It’s great to get more opinions on The Spirit and Plastic Man. I have checked out The Spirit in the Digital Comic Museum and it does seem to be a good read. I may have to check The Spirit out for sure. I still need to get over the Plastic Man uniform, but it looks like a good affordable title.

 

Thank you all for responding. There are a lot of excellent suggestions out there. The Startling Comics and Wonder Comic covers are AMAZING! Those two books look to be for the serious collector.

 

What format did the Golden Age publishers use for the most part? Are these books mainly filled with short stories within each book, or are there any titles with a continuous story line? The reason I ask, there are two modern series from Image Comics "The Walking Dead" and "Chew" that I have been reading since the summer.

 

Both titles have a continuous story line that follows the lead characters through many different situations. Is there anything like this in the Golden Age? This is a format I could be interested in, but short stories and anthologies would be something to consider reading for sure!

 

Thank you for all the responses! It is much appreciated!

 

Eric

[Comicdey]

Supersnipe's a fun read and inexpensive

 

 

[Scrooge]

As for the story format, none of the GA series have any true continuation of story à la Walking Dead and Chew. At most, you'd have a story continuing into the next issue (happened once or twice in the Airboy run) but that's the exception rather than the norm.

 

The only instance I truly recall where there is strong continuity in a GA series is the case of the Boy King in the early Clue Comics. Other than that, I believe you have to go to Brothers of the Spear, the Tarzan back-up to get that kind of continuity.

 

All that is of course short of focusing on the strip reprint that ran in GA format comics, as in D_ick Tracy. One issue might end leading into a new story sequence that is resolved in the following issue.

 

To all: Is there continuity in the Futura strips in Planet Comics?