Why GA?

[PovertyRow]

OK - A serious question. What appeals most about GA. Not looking for "one thing" - that is silly. But detailed expositions most welcome! (Yes, I will also post in a day or three!) But since I asked the question do not wish to set the tone for the answers!

[Mushroom]

Jeez...where do you start with something like this.......ummmm how about

 

cover art (Cole, Schomburg etc etc)

diversity of genres (GGA, Crime, Hero etc etc)

diversity of publisher (real competiton at trying to be the best)

Scarcity

History

not totally controlled by the Code

the political incorrectness

did i say great covers.....

where all the great heroes stemmed from

less speculators

 

That is just a start.

 

 

[silveragejedi]

being that i just started buying GA books,i honestly cant tell you the best thing about them since i have no idea what it is yet.BUT i started buying them because:

 

1-its where it all started

2-GA batman covers kick

3-they are true pieces of history and pop culture that will never die liek lal these fads kids are into now.

 

i love the idea that i own a book that my grandfather bought for 10 cents 60 years ago(even though i pay a hell of a lot more than he did)and i can try to imagine how great it would be to be reading adventures from these classic books and having to wait 2 months or so before the next issue.unlike today when you can go buy 7 or 8 titles of the same character,and find the book isnt worth the dime my grandfather spent on his books once you leave the store

[ArAich]

Jeez...where do you start with something like this.......ummmm how about

 

cover art (Cole, Schomburg etc etc)

diversity of genres (GGA, Crime, Hero etc etc)

diversity of publisher (real competiton at trying to be the best)

Scarcity

History

not totally controlled by the Code

the political incorrectness

did i say great covers.....

where all the great heroes stemmed from

less speculators

 

That is just a start.

 

 

I agree completly but I would like to add....Fantabulous Cover Art...

[seank]

Jeez...where do you start with something like this.......ummmm how about

 

cover art (Cole, Schomburg etc etc)

diversity of genres (GGA, Crime, Hero etc etc)

diversity of publisher (real competiton at trying to be the best)

Scarcity

History

not totally controlled by the Code

the political incorrectness

did i say great covers.....

where all the great heroes stemmed from

less speculators

 

That is just a start.

 

 

I agree completly but I would like to add....Fantabulous Cover Art...

 

Uh... ditto.

 

I do love the sense of history that permeates some of these books, especially around World War II. Comics back then were propoganda, plain and simple. I just love seeing the Submariner tear open a Nazi sub or South Seas girl fighting off Japanese soldiers. Futuro taking Hitler to hell is and will always be a classic. I'll never slab my copy because I love opening it up and looking over that story.

 

I also love the fact that GA books aren't tied to the superhero genre. You get adventure and humor and romance and all sorts of other great things in one book. I often wonder what it was like to visit the newstand in the 1940s or 1950s and see every genre under the sun peering out from the four-color covers. The comic stand today is quite bland with hero after hero...

[ghoulaid]

I like the history primarily. There was an explosion of creative talent in the EARLY Golden Age. It's interesting to watch various creators shape and mold an art form that was new. It was an art form similar to comic STRIPS but different in format. Instead of a single, weekly page, creators had several pages to tell a story and had to deal with the logistics of it. Artists like Jack Kirby were able to make an impact that others tried to emulate.

 

Some golden age art was pure [!@#%^&^] that looks like a 6th grader could do. Not many of those artists survived. Others like Lou Fine, Crandell, Cole, Eisner, Kirby, Wolverton, etc, really stood out. There is a lot of energy in Golden Age comics and the books are exciting to see developments play out. It all started in the Golden Age!

[Shield]

Jeez...where do you start with something like this.......ummmm how about

 

cover art (Cole, Schomburg etc etc)

diversity of genres (GGA, Crime, Hero etc etc)

diversity of publisher (real competiton at trying to be the best)

Scarcity

History

not totally controlled by the Code

the political incorrectness

did i say great covers.....

where all the great heroes stemmed from

less speculators

 

That is just a start.

 

 

 

Couldn't agree more with you on all points! How about this as well:

 

The fact that all these were hand drawn and produced 100% without the aid of computers?

 

64 PAGES IN FULL COLOR FOR A DIME!

 

At worst, 60/68 pages of content (Very few ads)

 

The extra large "size" of the books

 

The fact that WWII was going on; interesting facts like "single staple books so more metal could be used for war production"

 

Introduction/Origins/First appearances of characters still printed today: Archie, Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, etc.

 

You may be the only one in your STATE that owns a copy of a book!

 

1940's lingo - I just read Zip Comics #8 about a female detective, and the bad guy walks in the room and says "A DAME COPPER!" Great stuff!

 

 

[Shield]

Jeez...where do you start with something like this.......ummmm how about

 

cover art (Cole, Schomburg etc etc)

diversity of genres (GGA, Crime, Hero etc etc)

diversity of publisher (real competiton at trying to be the best)

Scarcity

History

not totally controlled by the Code

the political incorrectness

did i say great covers.....

where all the great heroes stemmed from

less speculators

 

That is just a start.

 

 

Oh yeah the covers! ....Comic covers started looking worse when you saw a "Approved by the comics code" label affixed to it!

[chrisco37]

1940's lingo - I just read Zip Comics #8 about a female detective, and the bad guy walks in the room and says "A DAME COPPER!" Great stuff

 

I'm with you on that one! Gotta love the lingo!

 

Nothing better than old Crime books, movies, etc.....

 

Chris

[realitytrip]

Why GA? A good question POV, especially for those who collect GA in my age range (I'm 28, btw). None of these books came out in my lifetime, and I don't collect Superman or Batman, so none of it has direct ties to any of the books I grew up reading. For me it is many things. Golden Age comics give the reader a picture of a different era in American culture, both good and bad. It is a snapshot of America's history, filled with racism and sexism, but also with optimism and hope. A time when publishers had more liberties (pre-code) to tell all kinds of stories and when genres of all types could thrive. The stories and interior art tend to be simpler and more straightforward (some would say hokey), but the covers were often amazing and still breathtaking to this day. The books were bigger back then, both in size and page count, giving the reader a sense of more bang for the buck (or dime ).

And it's not just the comic content. I, being a history buff, am fascinated by the ads and the America they portray. In fact, I interned at the Smithsonian one summer, working for a guy researching the history of sound technology in American History, and part of my job was to go through old publications at the Library of Congress (including comics ). Whether it be shills to buy War Bonds, or just the latest "miracle diet pill", I find it all really cool.

There is also the rarity factor. A lot of these books are just plain hard to find, making the search that much more exciting. And just holding a book that is fifty year old newsprint is pretty cool, I think.

Great stuff, Golden Age books. A great opportunity to look at America's past and a chance to hold the history of our hobby in our own hands.

[seank]

Ads!!!! Realitytrip above mentioned something we all forgot. I LOVE the ads in old comics! Cigarettes! Live animals! Female support garments! Weapons! What more does the average American mid-century child need?

[Dano]

Hi Pov, great question! I've been lurking for so long I almost forgot how to post... I recently acquired a beat but complete Action 27 (lion cover) that takes my breath away everytime I hold it. For me the back story of a sixty plus year old book fascinates me... who read it, who trashed it and who picked it back up again and figured it was worth keeping around. Also, the sweet, sweet gga that seemed so innocent pre-code!

 

Dan.

[NoImSpartacus]

I enjoy the fantastic cover art. For me its nothing more. Many I read but many I also do not. I collect Sci Fi Space and Monster books so I say to myself "Where do I find covers like this today?" I look back at some of the fantastic covers like the Wally Woods ECs or others like Planet or Strange Worlds. The best I can come up with are book lines like Alien Worlds or Time Warp and those are from the late 70s or early 80s. I really havent seen that much great Sci fi Space monster type of covers since then. The golden age art is jus fantastic!!!

[Metarog]

There are obviously many great reasons to pick up GA books. Everyone should try to actually read a couple to experience the popular culture of the 40's. Most of the great attributes of these comics have already been discussed but I would also add:

 

1. You don't have to pick up a half dozen cross-overs and know the convoluted continuity of the publisher. The vast majority of the stories were self contained in the comic and many titles had 3, 4 and up different stories for a dime.

 

2. There was also incredible variety-unlike today when most comics are superhero related with a few exceptions here and there. There was literally a comic for every taste: Romance, Teen, Funny Animals, Newspaper reprints, Religious, War, Crime, Sci-Fi, Horror, Sports, etc.

 

3. And of course those neat covers and art. Although printing techniques, art supplies, paper quality and other related fields have improved; the incredible craftmanship that many GA covers exhibit hold up well and indeed surpass the efforts of today.

 

 

 

[PovertyRow]

I called the tune but did not expect so many dancers! And I really have nothing new to add. SO I will just sum up - for me - GA is for the art and covers. For the stories that reflect another time. For seeing some of the great artists in both in their prime and just starting out. For the great ads. And for the look and feel of the printing itself. Just something special there.

[Zonker]

Agreed with most everything posted above! One facet not mentioned is the un-self-consciousness found in the Golden Age books. Stan Lee did a tremendous amount to help post-Code comics grow up, and has done more than any other single person in the last 40 years to make the hobby what it is today, but it's nice to go back in time and see some books that are not necessarily the most pulse-pounding, senses-shattering, awe-inspiring instant collectors' item classics for face-fronting true believers.