So we all have an idea who the best GA artists are, but.....

[Apotheosis]

... Who would you guys rate as some of the top writers? You all got me hooked with the fantastic covers of the age, but now I'd like to hear what to read I know I know... reading a comic I have found, however, that GA collectors tend to actually read what they buy (save the ones "trapped" in CGC cases) so.... What's a good read?

[shiverbones]

i maintain through abuse & mockery that Superior has the best horror stories! I don't kno who was behind them, but man, they are completely different than anything else out there! There are several themes which go through all 3 titles (Strange Mysteries, Journey into fear & Mysteries Weird & Strange) such as Horribly disfigured people trying to fit in, or Dead people coming back to life & realizing the world doesn't want them. Weird weird ideas not explored elsewhere. Also the level of surrealism is VERY high, and most stories are completely unpredictable. Hope that helps!

[Zonker]

If you count early 1950s ECs as Golden Age, then I think your answer is clear: Harvey Kurtzman (Two Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat, MAD). Close runner up is Al Feldstein (basically everything else in the New Trend ECs: Weird Science/Fantasy, Tales from the Crypt, Haunt of Horror, Shock/Crime Suspenstories).

 

If you're instead talking about the 1940s only as Golden Age, then it is hard to really point to a particularly strong writer. Golden Age superhero stories are best sampled in small doses, which is why I thought the 100 Page Super-Spectacular format was so good-- you got a then-new story, plus a few Silver Age plus a few Golden Age stories.

 

That said, here are some of the better Golden Age writers:

 

- Bill Finger -- most of the Batman stories up until 1945 are pretty readable, and most came from Finger

 

- Simon & Kirby -- their Captain America, Newsboy Legion, Sandman, Manhunter, and (to a lesser extent) Boy Commandos are a cut above the norm for the time.

 

- Gardner Fox, John Broome, Bob Kanigher -- these Silver Age workhorses got their start in the late 1940s, and did some good work in the All-Star Comics #33-41 period.

 

Finally, SF great Alfred Bester did several Golden Age Green Lantern stories for Julie Schwartz, but I've not been particularly impressed with the few I've come across.

 

Oh, and I'm leaving out Will Eisner just because his Spirit was distributed as a Sunday supplement, and I at least think of it as a separate genre from "Golden Age Comic Books"

[rob_react]

Harvey Kurtzman

 

No doubt about it. Kurtzman's work was incredible. Give him eight pages and he could craft really deep, thoughtful stories that stand up to anything done in the medium by anyone.

[ecfanman]

Oh, and I'm leaving out Will Eisner just because his Spirit was distributed as a Sunday supplement, and I at least think of it as a separate genre from "Golden Age Comic Books"

 

You may argue that the Spirit sections weren't comic books, because they were Sunday supplements, but they were they were comic book stories, and in a format similar to comic books, with the exception of the "price", no glossy cover, and fewer pages.

 

The Eisner Spirit stories, expecially the second period from 1946 to 1951, contained some of the finest comic book storytelling from the Golden Age or any age. And most of these stories have been reprinted so you can "test the waters" pretty cheap. (You don't need to buy the DC Spirit Archives. Kitchen Sink reprinted stories for a number of years, and these books can still be found in many dealer's $1 boxes.)

 

Also many of Jack Cole's Plastic Man stories were very well written.

[rob_react]

The Eisner Spirit stories, expecially the second period from 1946 to 1951, contained some of the finest comic book storytelling from the Golden Age or any age. And most of these stories have been reprinted so you can "test the waters" pretty cheap. (You don't need to buy the DC Spirit Archives. Kitchen Sink reprinted stories for a number of years, and these books can still be found in many dealer's $1 boxes.)

 

 

I skipped over the bit about Eisner in my rush to "me too" Kurtzman. The Eisner stories definitely qualify. Price, # of pages and lack of a cover don't disqualify the supplements in my book. Plus there were "traditional" Spirit comics from Quality (and Fiction House later) done in the GA so even if the supplements don't count, the Quality books definitely do.

 

I used to get the Kitchen Sink reprint series monthly. What great stuff. Right now,

I'm waiting for all the Archives are to be out before I reread the Spirit stories. I'm going to do the whole thing in one burst. Should be fun

[Zonker]

Hey, no argument here. The Spirit is some of the best stuff done of all time. Can't wait to get my hands on Archives Volume 13 of the postwar material. (The stories in Volume 12 had already been reprinted in color in the 1980s Kitchen Sink series).

 

I just think Eisner's Spirit transcends the whole Golden/Silver/Bronze age genre classification, because since he was writing for the Sunday newspaper readers, he had an entirely different audience in mind. Kind of like how most of us leave the Warren mags out of Silver Age discussions.

[bobpfef]

John Stanley and Carl Barks get my nod.

 

I also enjoy Bill Finger, Otto Binder, Eisner, Kurtzman, Kriegstein, Cole....and a bunch of guys I will probably never know the name of. I find that many of the earlier Dell Four Colors are very enjoyable and well written but I have no idea who did them.

[143ksk]

John Stanley and Carl Barks get my nod.

 

Walt Kelly and Bob Montana, too!

[dgillock]

I would throw in my vote for the Lev Gleason line- Daredevil, Crime Does Not Pay, Crime and Punishment, and I'm esp. a big fan of Boy Comics (notice the avatar). Not only was LG willing to put a bit more "grit" in their stories than others, but Biro and Wood were also putting a bit more "story" in their stories. There's a reason that the pages of these books are so text heavy. Really good character devlopment and a nice level of realism. Years before Peter parker was having trouble paying his rent, the Little Wise Guys were scrouging for pocket change.

[bobpfef]

Walt Kelly and Bob Montana, too!

 

Ah, yes. I should have put Kelly on there. As far as Montana I have never read any of the earlier Archie comics. Can you suggest a good place to start? Is then a book collection of the better work?

[143ksk]

Unfortunately there aren't any good comprehensive reprint collections of early (or any) Archie stories. The Archie Americana Best of the '40s has a few stories. I think your best best would be to go to Shield's website (goldcomics.com) and download a few of the early Pep and Jackpot books. I think the Archie stories in Pep 22-36 are very good as are the Jackpot issues (4-9). Hope this helps!

[bobpfef]

Cool thanks I'll give it a look!