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Do you like Golden Age comics?

Started by Cyclops,

130 posts in this topic

Cat-Man_America

Cat-Man_America

Posted
Posted
I collect GA for the covers. Not much of a fan of the stories.

 

+1

 

GA covers :luhv:

 

:headbang:

 

It's hard to dismiss the GA for variety of art and interesting covers. I can understand some of the criticism of story content, although superior examples can be found if one looks in the right places.

 

As a huge fan of the GA era, I'm always on the look-out for great covers.

 

So far, I've been very fortunate. :cloud9:

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Ken Aldred

Ken Aldred

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I've always managed to find something interesting to read in every Age of comics. To read, that is, but in general the original copies are much too pricey for me, especially as a high-grade collector. From the Golden Age, I find Will Eisner's Spirit and Jack Cole's Plastic Man absolutely enthralling. Also, now that Atom Age / pre-Code have been incorporated into Golden Age here, I'll mention EC as my all-time favourite comics publisher, with two great writers, Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, and the best roster of A-list level comic artists ever assembled. I also like the newspaper strip work of Milton Caniff, Hal Foster and Alex Raymond.

 

I have many Archive Editions, IDW / Fantagraphics newspaper strip hardcovers and EC Library sets covering this period.

 

 

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Ken Aldred

Ken Aldred

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Can someone explain to a SA->Modern collector about EC? I've heard about them in several threads now. What titles are the best to look into from that publisher?

 

'Best' really is difficult to define because the titles, especially during the New Trend era, were so consistently excellent. I'm biased towards the SF titles, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, with their often dark, paranoid atmosphere, the social commentary material in Shock Suspenstories, and some of the best war comics of all time in Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales.

 

Others will favour the horror titles more.

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AnkurJ

AnkurJ

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Those are history ladies and gents and none of the books today would exist without them. :)

 

Absolutely! The golden age and silver age books paved the way for the comic market today. And those books command the highest prices time and time again at auction. I love the simplicity of their stories and the history within the pages. I've been collecting golden age since 1996 and have a vast collection.

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zosocane

zosocane

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Posted
Absolutely, I think the history behind them both character and medium wise is fascinating. They are a small window into the past for someone like me that has grown up so far away from that time. I just wish I had the wealth to actually purchase them. Perhaps someday when I am no longer a college student.

 

:golfclap: A millennial that gets it. Thank you. I'm dumbfounded by some of these comments about the GA having bad comics, etc. Imagine no comics in the late 1930s to 1940s. You can pretty much erase the DC Universe and its vast library of characters (forget Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow -- yeah, all those characters that today are either on TV or some movie has been or is being made). Maybe the Marvel Age of Comics still comes into existence, who knows, but I doubt it (Stan Lee would likely have become a novelist).

 

I think you go back to 1938 to 1939 and imagine being a comics creator. There really is no "template" to create from. You were on your own. These were really fresh, interesting origin stories and mythologies -- not the recycled drek we have seen post-1990. And they were published for one audience only -- CHILDREN. I think the publishers did a pretty good job of knowing who their audience was (at least up to the late 1940s). Naturally there was an evolution into more diverse titles and stories (and audience) as we went into the Atomic Age, Silver Age and beyond. And I agree with an earlier post that comics' creative high-water mark was probably in the mid-1980s, where stories, titles and originality were at a zenith. But those writers and artists from the GA deserve a lot of thanks for what they teed up, and many of their published works -- viewed through the lenses of that historical context -- are masterpieces.

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shadroch

shadroch

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Posted
Absolutely, I think the history behind them both character and medium wise is fascinating. They are a small window into the past for someone like me that has grown up so far away from that time. I just wish I had the wealth to actually purchase them. Perhaps someday when I am no longer a college student.

 

:golfclap: A millennial that gets it. Thank you. I'm dumbfounded by some of these comments about the GA having bad comics, etc. Imagine no comics in the late 1930s to 1940s. You can pretty much erase the DC Universe and its vast library of characters (forget Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow -- yeah, all those characters that today are either on TV or some movie has been or is being made). Maybe the Marvel Age of Comics still comes into existence, who knows, but I doubt it (Stan Lee would likely have become a novelist).

 

I think you go back to 1938 to 1939 and imagine being a comics creator. There really is no "template" to create from. You were on your own. These were really fresh, interesting origin stories and mythologies -- not the recycled drek we have seen post-1990. And they were published for one audience only -- CHILDREN. I think the publishers did a pretty good job of knowing who their audience was (at least up to the late 1940s). Naturally there was an evolution into more diverse titles and stories (and audience) as we went into the Atomic Age, Silver Age and beyond. And I agree with an earlier post that comics' creative high-water mark was probably in the mid-1980s, where stories, titles and originality were at a zenith. But those writers and artists from the GA deserve a lot of thanks for what they teed up, and many of their published works -- viewed through the lenses of that historical context -- are masterpieces.

 

 

Without the 1914 Dodge Dart, there would be no 2015 Dodge Charger. That doesn't mean I have to love every product Dodge ever put out.

I really like the Justice Society. Loved their annual teamups with the Justice League and was thrilled when I first heard that the 100 page JLA would feature a full length 1940s JSA story. I couldn't believe how lame the story was. Still love the JSA, loved the All Star Squadron, loved the late 90s JSA book. I have a number of 1940s AllStar comics, but don't bother to read them.

I love professional wrestling, but can't stand watching ol;d matches from the 1950s/early 1960s.

GA comics are almost always geared for ten year old boys, a target audience I'm far removed from.

Give me a 1940s Prince Valiant Sunday archive over a Justice Society one, any day, all day.

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

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I've always managed to find something interesting to read in every Age of comics. To read, that is, but in general the original copies are much too pricey for me, especially as a high-grade collector. From the Golden Age, I find Will Eisner's Spirit and Jack Cole's Plastic Man absolutely enthralling. Also, now that Atom Age / pre-Code have been incorporated into Golden Age here, I'll mention EC as my all-time favourite comics publisher, with two great writers, Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, and the best roster of A-list level comic artists ever assembled. I also like the newspaper strip work of Milton Caniff, Hal Foster and Alex Raymond.

 

I have many Archive Editions, IDW / Fantagraphics newspaper strip hardcovers and EC Library sets covering this period.

 

Jack Cole's Plastic Man is brilliant. I couldn`t believe how good the Plastic Man DC Archives were. A Night and day experience compared to those old Filmation Plastic Man cartoons.

61AeF8bUUpL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

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Paddy_McShillihan

Paddy_McShillihan

Posted
Posted
Absolutely, I think the history behind them both character and medium wise is fascinating. They are a small window into the past for someone like me that has grown up so far away from that time. I just wish I had the wealth to actually purchase them. Perhaps someday when I am no longer a college student.

 

:golfclap: A millennial that gets it. Thank you. I'm dumbfounded by some of these comments about the GA having bad comics, etc. Imagine no comics in the late 1930s to 1940s. You can pretty much erase the DC Universe and its vast library of characters (forget Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow -- yeah, all those characters that today are either on TV or some movie has been or is being made). Maybe the Marvel Age of Comics still comes into existence, who knows, but I doubt it (Stan Lee would likely have become a novelist).

 

I think you go back to 1938 to 1939 and imagine being a comics creator. There really is no "template" to create from. You were on your own. These were really fresh, interesting origin stories and mythologies -- not the recycled drek we have seen post-1990. And they were published for one audience only -- CHILDREN. I think the publishers did a pretty good job of knowing who their audience was (at least up to the late 1940s). Naturally there was an evolution into more diverse titles and stories (and audience) as we went into the Atomic Age, Silver Age and beyond. And I agree with an earlier post that comics' creative high-water mark was probably in the mid-1980s, where stories, titles and originality were at a zenith. But those writers and artists from the GA deserve a lot of thanks for what they teed up, and many of their published works -- viewed through the lenses of that historical context -- are masterpieces.

 

Indeed , bought a few GA books from sales threads here, that I probably wouldn't have found on the bay. Reading them was a blast , holding that old 60 year old piece of history in my hand is an awesome feeling. Really dig the Atlas books ...

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ComicConnoisseur

ComicConnoisseur

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Can someone explain to a SA->Modern collector about EC? I've heard about them in several threads now. What titles are the best to look into from that publisher?

EC COMICS were just special from Gaines to all the artists. It was community before Marvel became big. EC Comics were the comics they burnt because of Wertham and censorship. If you go on Amazon you will see plenty of great EC Archives. Try a couple.

61HwvXFC2iL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

61GH9N7AirL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

61i63tCFLIL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

 

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