Going Back to the Golden Age

Written by Chris Fluit

Friday, 24 August 2007

It’s not unusual for two people to have the same idea at the same time.  Nikola Tesla and Guigliemo Marconi worked on their wireless radios contemporaneously.  What’s true in science is also true in entertainment.  Volcano and Dante’s Peak both appeared in theatres in 1997.  Antz and A Bug’s Life entered theatres within a month of each other in 1999.  In comics, friends Len Wein and Roy Thomas created separate swamp creatures Swamp Thing and Man-Thing in 1971.  And now, it seems like everybody has the same idea again: let’s resurrect some Golden Age characters.  This summer, three separate companies announced upcoming titles featuring Golden Age characters. Admittedly, it’s not unusual for comics to star Golden Age characters.  At DC, Superman and Batman star in multiple titles while Wonder Woman is one of their longest-running heroes.  The Justice Society of America is one of their biggest team books and it features several characters who debuted in the Golden Age plus others who have ties to the Golden Age.  SHAZAM, formerly of Fawcett, starred in two new mini-series this year.  Even Marvel plays with some of their Golden Age characters.  They made big news earlier in the year by killing off Captain America.  And Sub-Mariner is starring in his own mini-series while also appearing in other series such as Avengers: Illuminati.  Many Golden Age characters are still around and are active, major figures in the current comic book universes.  And yet, the new titles that were announced this summer are unusual.  They aren’t going to feature long-running and still popular Golden Age characters.  Instead, they’re each going to resurrect Golden Age characters which have been dormant for a long time.  Many of these characters have fallen outside the lines of copyright protection and are now in the public domain.  Indeed, that’s a big reason why the current companies are going to tell stories with the older characters: because they can.  Some of the characters haven’t seen publication since the 1940s.   But I guess the time is right to bring them back.  Why else would three separate groups at three separate companies all come up with such similar ideas? SUPERPOWERS by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and Dynamite Of the three projects, this is the one that I’m most excited about.  This isn’t Alex Ross’ first crack at a nostalgia book.  Indeed, from Marvels to Justice to covers for Battle of the Planets and Space Ghost, Ross’ career seems to be defined by looking backwards.  And personally, I have no problem with that.  With the notable exception of Kingdom Come (which did have some nostalgic elements, as well), I’ve always preferred Ross’ backward looking books than his forward looking works like Earth X.  You can feel the passion in the pages.  And Ross does a great job of bringing the readers along with him.  The early artwork looks powerful.  It features some of the most popular characters of the era like the original Daredevil, now renamed The ‘Devil so as to avoid confusion (and lawsuits) with Marvel’s current star.  There’s also the Black Terror, one of the Nedor heroes who most recently appeared in Alan Moore’s America’s Best Comics titles Tom Strong and Terra Obscura.  There’s the Flame, one of Fox’s “big three” characters who somehow didn’t manage the second life of other characters such as his housemate the Blue Beetle.  There’s the Mask and Masquerade (the new name for Miss Masque).  There’s the Green Lama, the Yellow Claw and a whole lot more.    I’m actually a big of a Golden Age buff.  I’ve got history books about the era.  I’ve got reprint books featuring these characters.  I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for them.  And I’m eager to see a story that looks to be both exciting and respectful. The Next Issue Project by Erik Larsen and Image Of the three projects, this is the one I’m most likely to pass on without even trying it.  The basic premise is this: Erik Larsen and other Image creators will create the “next issue” of a canceled Golden Age comic whose characters are now in the public domain.  For example, we’ll get a peak at Shock Comics #45 featuring Shock Gibson, Crack Comics #63 featuring Captain Triumph and the Clock and Fantastic Comics #24 featuring Samson, the third of Fox’s “big three.” My interest level could change depending on the announced creative teams.  The cover to Crack Comics appears to be drawn by Mike Allred and if he’s contributing more than a cover, I could be convinced to give it a try.  But if it’s primarily an Erik Larsen project, then I’m not that interested.  I’m not a big Erik Larsen fan in the first place.  I’ve enjoyed his work here on there.  I liked the early Savage Dragon and his Aquaman work wasn’t bad- it just seemed that way because he followed Peter David on the title.  However, I haven’t enjoyed Erik Larsen’s work when he’s gone for nostalgia.  For example, I didn’t enjoy his Defenders work with Kurt Busiek at all.  He brought such a strong ‘70s sensibility to the project that it had the tendency to exaggerate the stylistic flaws of the time.  It may have been meant as a tribute, but it came off more like an unintentional parody.  And I’m concerned that he would do the same thing here.  He would try to make it too Golden-Agey.  It wouldn’t actually be true to the Golden Age.  Instead, it would be an exaggerated Golden Age, one that would appeal to neither modern fans nor real Golden Age buffs.  At least, that’s my fear.  I’d be happy to have Erik Larsen prove me wrong.   The Twelve by J. Michael Straczynski, Chris Weston and Marvel   I won’t say that I’m excited about this project.  But I am intrigued by it.  I’ve had some problems with Straczynski’s work over the past couple of years.  He doesn’t seem to be able to work well with other people’s creations.  He updates them or gives them new voices which are inconsistent and sometimes outright contradictory to what’s gone before.  So I don’t really trust JMS to tell me a good story with someone else’s characters.  However, I’m willing to make an exception for something like the Twelve.  In this case, JMS is supposed to update the characters.  And they don’t need to be completely consistent with the Golden Age originals- most of those old Marvel characters didn’t have much in the way of distinctive characteristics anyway.  Furthermore, I don’t have as much of an objection to radical updates of characters that have been out of print for so long as opposed to characters that I’ve been currently following.  Alan Moore’s version of the Nedor heroes that appeared in Tom Strong and Terra Obscura had some pretty modern takes on the characters and I didn’t mind one bit.  And finally, I really enjoyed JMS’ work on Supreme Power for the first year and a half.  That seems pertinent as that was another case of JMS putting his own spin on a pre-existing set of characters, but doing so in a brand new environment. I could be up for a modern take on obscure Golden Age characters, if it’s done well.  It’s a much more intriguing idea than what Image is doing.  But it’s also a much bigger risk than what Alex Ross is doing.  I’m excited about Ross’ respectful take, but JMS’ update could be the best of the bunch.  If its not the worst.  Anyway, it looks to be a great year for Golden Age characters.  Some of them are about to see publication for the first time in more than 60 years.  And with three very different takes, there should be something for everyone, even if you don’t own the same history books I do.     Which of these projects sparks your interest? Come discuss it at the Captain Comics Message Board: Fluit Notes

Last Updated ( Thursday, 23 August 2007 )