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97th out of 189 books
—
43 voters
JSA: The Golden Age (Robinsons' The Golden Age #1-4)
Some of the greatest heroes of the 1940s, including the original Green Lantern, Atom, Hawkman, Starman and others return in this spectacular Elseworlds tale. The story follows their postwar adventures as they battle evil in a world they fear may no longer need them. And as their importance wanes, a new hero, Dynaman, rallies the nation behind his fascist agenda.
Paperback, 200 pages
Published
June 1st 2005
by DC Comics
(first published 1994)
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JSA: the Golden Age is an alternate reality tale that tries to update gaudy Golden age heroes by adding death and drugs. In short WW2 happens the heroes can’t do anything about it due to a villain with power canceling powers. The heroes retire after various hang ups with the war and the book explores them still trying to stay relevant in normal everyday living. Of course there is a big mystery of one hero trying to climb up the political ladder along some other Superman archetype. The twist is (...more
This one was a bit dark and could not sustain my interest really well, hence the 3-star rating. The ART also did not help. I think that having issues with both the story & the art was what ultimately hurt this book.
OTOH, major props to DC for actually publishing something as dark as this. In this book, you will NOT find the idealised mystery men of yesteryear's comics (where they're all just one big happy family). No, here there are no giant typewriters or other such ridiculous death traps....more
OTOH, major props to DC for actually publishing something as dark as this. In this book, you will NOT find the idealised mystery men of yesteryear's comics (where they're all just one big happy family). No, here there are no giant typewriters or other such ridiculous death traps....more
Most of my reviews, if I can only offer a book 2 stars that means I won't be keeping it in my library. It's time The Golden Age got the boot. If there's some way in which this book is NOT a Watchmen rip-off, I'd sure like to know it. As it stands, there are just too many parallels between the two books (e.g., a disbanded/dishonoured superteam from the 40s; a nefarious and huge conspiracy bound to affect every level of life and implicating the aforementioned characters; old and new characters ban...more
The Golden Age is often credited with being the first book to bring author James Robinson widespread industry recognition, and with god reason. Taking classic characters that were conceived during simpler times, Robinson manages to shine a very modern, very real sensibility on heroes and villains alike.
But rather than just smearing grime over everything, he utilizes subjects like substance abuse, witch-hunts, and PTSD towards similar ends as the source material. Yes, the heroes are flawed, but i...more
But rather than just smearing grime over everything, he utilizes subjects like substance abuse, witch-hunts, and PTSD towards similar ends as the source material. Yes, the heroes are flawed, but i...more
Not quite as great as I'd been expecting - it's James Robinson, after all - but still pretty damn good. The HUAC hearing was the only part I'd heard about beforehand, which as it turns out is not just a small part of the story, but in fact comes from some Roy Thomas JSA comics from way back. In any case, though not up to the level of Robinson's Starman epic, it's still a pretty great tale of the Golden Age heroes in their days after WWII; in fact, some elements of that parallel the past sections...more
May 07, 2011
Justin
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of the Golden Age of superhero comics
I sought this out after reading the Starman by Robinson. It was an enjoyable, but disposable, read. There's a certain charm to the Golden Age characters and Robinson understands that better than many authors who have delved into that era. However, with that charm comes a greater suspension of disbelief. I know how absurd that sounds, "I'm perfectly willing to accept that this man can fly, but his motivations seem contrived." Such is the world of superhero comics. For my experience, I think Robin...more
One of my fave graphic novels, and one of the few that I've re-read with pleasure. A real novel, too, with a beginning, middle, and end, and not just part of an ongoing comic book series.
In the late 1940's, members and associates of the Justice Society of America attempt to return to civilian life, but have a hard time adjusting. Many are haunted by their war experiences, and some are hounded for alleged Communist sympathies.
Features lots of characters you might not remember, like the original G...more
In the late 1940's, members and associates of the Justice Society of America attempt to return to civilian life, but have a hard time adjusting. Many are haunted by their war experiences, and some are hounded for alleged Communist sympathies.
Features lots of characters you might not remember, like the original G...more
A very good story about what happened to the Golden Age heroes after the end of WWII. As an Elseworld's story, Robinson is allowed a bit more play with backstory and outcome. Overlaid with the story is the socio/political climate of the time, with the beginning of the Red Scare.
Given that I am less familiar with the JSA characters, I found I had less emotional involvement in the story than I had with New Frontier, which visits similar themes. This gave the book less of an impact for me and, over...more
Given that I am less familiar with the JSA characters, I found I had less emotional involvement in the story than I had with New Frontier, which visits similar themes. This gave the book less of an impact for me and, over...more
James Robinson's and Paul Smith's Elseworlds tale involving JSA and the heroes of the Golden Age is a well told tale and successfully reflects the post-WWII era in a fascinating manner. Robinson is a good writer and Smith is delivering some of his finest work in this volume.
However, while I enjoyed the story, I could not help feeling, on more than one occasion, that I was somehow reading a Watchmen light. Several of the themes that seems to interest Robinson as a writer, are themes that Moore co...more
However, while I enjoyed the story, I could not help feeling, on more than one occasion, that I was somehow reading a Watchmen light. Several of the themes that seems to interest Robinson as a writer, are themes that Moore co...more
The catergory that this book fits into on the bingo board is graphic novel.
I decided to read this book because it looked like a gangsta boss like a g6 aldae every dae.Also because it looked very exciting and interesting.
What i liked about the book and why was:The great storyline, the exciting and suggestive pictures, and also all the superhero's coming together.
What i didn't like about the book and why was:The long as story.
I would reccommend this book to anyone who likes comics.
I decided to read this book because it looked like a gangsta boss like a g6 aldae every dae.Also because it looked very exciting and interesting.
What i liked about the book and why was:The great storyline, the exciting and suggestive pictures, and also all the superhero's coming together.
What i didn't like about the book and why was:The long as story.
I would reccommend this book to anyone who likes comics.
Oh, James Robinson ... I'm such an apologist for you. I stick by you with your shitty Justice League with the Congorilla, and finally, FINALLY I sit down to read the Golden Age expecting greatness, which it was, until the whole "Hitler's brain's alive inside a jar!" ending. LAME. I'm beginning to think the only thing you've ever written that was truly great was Starman.
A fresh look at a JSA that actually retired after WWII, this Elseworlds tale explores the return of the costumed heroes in order to foil a sinister undercover plot that has reached from wartime into peacetime. A unique tale with some good twists!
I found this book half-priced at a local bookstore and picked it up on whim, just because it was set in the 1940s and 50s, which is a comic book era I particularly enjoy. It turned out to be another "Elseworlds" story, which was a pleasant surprise, after just reading and thoroughly enjoying "JSA: The Liberty Files." This story is not as hard-boiled as "The Liberty Files," but it is just as entertaining, if more reverent to the "purity" of the era. I really enjoyed the political aspects of the s...more
Aug 08, 2011
Alan Hoffman
added it
I'll have to read this again. Illustrations are good but the expostion and dialog comes in pieces and I felt there was a lot I wasn't getting. And I've read a fair amount of comic books - including DC.
There are a ton of characters in this thing, and as someone who has never read any golden age DC stuff, it took me a little while to understand who they all were. But once I got it, I enjoyed it immensely. There are some leaps in logic here and there and a couple of utterly boneheaded mistakes by the villain that no self-respecting evil genius would have made, but the thematic and character aspects of the story more than make up for those missteps. The way Robinson uses post-WWII Communist paran...more
Aug 17, 2009
Robert
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2008-9-season,
comics-graphic-novels
A good 'Elseworlds' storyline - juxtaposing the transition from WWII to the Post-War/Cold War 50's with the passing of the golden age of comic heroes.
Great story, even if you don't know anything about these characters.
Not as much fun as I wanted
Hitler's brain?
Recycled plot, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since so much of comics (and fiction) is about recycling, re-envisioning, re-presenting - but ultimately this graphic novel is boring and mired in the liberal promise of post-War America that pretends to be a critique of the fascistic undertones of the American superhero genre and the anti-communist fervor of the 1950s, but ends up just reinforcing an over-simplistic ideological vision of "the American spirit."
Recycled plot, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since so much of comics (and fiction) is about recycling, re-envisioning, re-presenting - but ultimately this graphic novel is boring and mired in the liberal promise of post-War America that pretends to be a critique of the fascistic undertones of the American superhero genre and the anti-communist fervor of the 1950s, but ends up just reinforcing an over-simplistic ideological vision of "the American spirit."
Interesting but inaccessible. It's true that more recognizable characters make appearances, but it's primarily about these minor characters. Like, serious minor characters, the kind where the wikipedia entry is like "So-and-so is the name of three characters in the dc universe". Which is fine, I don't mind playing catch-up, but the story also jumps perspective so much that it's hard to get comfortable. Probably if I'd liked the story better it wouldn't have been as big a deal.
had to use wiki but loved in the end.
wow. musch better the second time around. especially when you think it's going to get all preachy about social problems and history, and then the supervillians are unmasked and the battle royale kicks in!
this is an "Elseworlds" title, so don't expect everyone you know to show, or history to unfold as it should. nevertheless, I found it quite exciting -- stayed up and read it by flashlight, like I was 12 again!
this is an "Elseworlds" title, so don't expect everyone you know to show, or history to unfold as it should. nevertheless, I found it quite exciting -- stayed up and read it by flashlight, like I was 12 again!
The ultimate book on heroes and what they stand for....why they do it...and sacrifice.
This should be required reading for any director, writer, publisher, artist, or fan that wants to understand superheroes and the heroic ideal.
If you haven't got this one...beg, buy or steal and copy! Read it, treasure it and pass it along to others!
This should be required reading for any director, writer, publisher, artist, or fan that wants to understand superheroes and the heroic ideal.
If you haven't got this one...beg, buy or steal and copy! Read it, treasure it and pass it along to others!
Excellent investigation of the post-war Golden Age. Very well written and art work that immerses you in the period. The characters are used very well to illustrate many of the struggles faced by Americans upon returning home from WWII. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a change from your everyday superhero story.
While this was once considered an "Elseworlds" book, it's now almost entirely accepted as canon in the JSA continuity.
A well-told tale providing new insights into many older characters, and a rare look at superheroes in the years between WWII and the Silver Age.
A well-told tale providing new insights into many older characters, and a rare look at superheroes in the years between WWII and the Silver Age.
It's a good story, that suffers from too many characters. I spent half the time reading it trying to figure out who's who.
The title that updated the Justice Society. Really good stuff.
This is easily one of my favorite graphic novels of all-time!
Two words: Hitler's Brain.
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James Robinson is a British writer, best known for his work in comic books and screenplays. He is well-known for his encyclopedic knowledge of comic book continuity, especially regarding the Golden Age of comic books. His earliest comic book work came in the late 1980s, but he became best known for his revitalization of the character Starman for DC comics in the 1990s. In addition, he has written...more
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Grade: ACHIEVED
Ms Mulcahy
Nov 13, 2011 06:56pm