JLA - Bronze Age

[Zonker]

I know there are JLA collectors here, so here's the question of the day:

 

Which Bronze Age run is the best, and why? A poll will be forthcoming, but here are my nominees:

 

 

1. JLA 71-83 Denny O'Neil & Dillin/Sid Greene/Joe Giella

- J'onn J'onzz leaves Earth

- Death of Larry Lance, Black Canary joins JLA, New Green Arrow

- Snapper Carr betrayal

- forerunner of GL/GA relevance with pollution as a plot point

- resolution of dangling plotline from Atom-Hawkman book

- "death" of the Spectre

 

2. JLA 86-99 Mike Friedrich & Dillin/Joe Giella

- Guest stars Zatanna, Mera, Adam Strange

- Deadman x-over, with a few pages drawn by Neal Adams

- For the first time, subplots carry over from issue to issue

- Great Golden Age reprints

- Whacked-out Harlan Ellison "guest star"

 

3. JLA 100-114 Len Wein & Dillin/ Giordano

- Probably best art of the series

- New members: Phantom Stranger, Elongated Man, Red Tornado

- Seven Soldiers of Victory, Freedom Fighters Golden Age revivals

- John Stewart 2nd appearance

- Villians return: Shaggy Man, Amazo, Eclipso, The Key

 

4. JLA 139-150 Steve Englehart & Dillin/Frank McLaughlin

- Manhunter ret-con as pre-GL police force

- Willow as a DCU doppelganger for Mantis

- Extensive use of interlocking sub-plots

- Extra length stories in every issue

 

5. JLA 192-197 Gerry Conway & George Perez/various inkers

- "True" origin Red Tornado

- JLA/JSA/Secret Society of Super-Villians crossover

 

Cheers,

Z.

[Zonker]

Here's the poll:

 

 

 

For the purposes of the poll, all post-Gardner Fox issues are eligible.

 

Cheers,

Z.

[Zonker]

I actually did not vote when I set up the poll, because I was on the fence. I'm a huge fan of Denny O'Neil's early 1970s work (just a bit before my time as a reader), and the Englehart issues are perhaps the best-written of the lot.

 

The Wein/Dillin/Giordano issues were the ones I read new off the stands, so I've tried to not let nostalgia overly influence me. But in retrospect, I do believe those really are the best overall combination of story and art-- due in large part to Giordano's inks. By the time Englehart was writing the book, the Dillin/McLaughlin team just wasn't doing it for me. And while the expansion of the book to 35-some-odd pages was great for the writer, I fear it set a too-hurried-pace for the artists.

 

Anyone else want to share their opinions?

 

Z.

[mcd-migration]

I voted for the Wein run also, like you, that was what I grew up on. The JSA crossover from 100-102 is still one of my favorite story arcs as it was the 1st to include a 3rd classic team (re-intro of the 7 Soldiers of Victory). You also get the re-intro of the Fawcett characters in a later JLA/JSA cross over and the beginning of the 100 pagers in that run.By far, my favorite run of JLA books.