****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
While I enjoy the amazing age we live in, and the brilliant contributions of the comic book writers and artists of today, my admiration for the creative talents of DC Comics' 'Silver Age', a half-century ago, only increases, over time...to reinvent so many super-powered 'stars' of the previous generation, to envision them, no longer as WWII 'street brawlers', but as the 'Best and Brightest' of the Atomic Age, and to create fresh, intriguing adventures each month...what a challenge! And Gardner Fox, DC's most brilliant scribe of the era, not only wrote for single heroes, he took on the most difficult of all comic book assignments; to write for a team of superheroes, each unique and individual, in a stand-alone 20+ page adventure, every month!Beginning in "The Brave and the Bold" #28, in early 1960, Fox chronicled the exploits of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter, teamed together as the Justice League of America, against villainy too powerful for a single superhero to tackle. What made Fox's concept not only possible, but believable, were the artistic skills of Mike Sekowsky, one of the most maligned artists of the era! Sekowsky lacked the grace of Carmine Infantino, the technical agility of Gil Kane, the smooth confidence of Curt Swan, or the sheer beauty of Murphy Anderson...but for everything he lacked, Sekowsky had gifts uniquely his own; he visualized comic book panels cinematically, with effective use of dramatic angles and perspectives; and he had a real gift in synthesizing the various appearances of the heroes into a style that actually looked 'right' on the page (not an easy task; take a moment, some time, and examine Swan, Infantino, and Kane's versions of the JLA, from that period...you may be surprised how well Sekowsky's version compares!)The JLA stories were a big hit, from the beginning, and after just three appearances in "The Brave and the Bold", the team was launched into their own magazine, with "Justice League of America #1" debuting in Nov/Dec, 1960. Alternating 'bad guys' between SciFi and Magic, Gardner Fox tackled the editorial limits of the era (Comic Code 'rules' were so pervasive that dialogue and action often seemed 'stilted'), offering stories so successful, imaginative, and original, that they inspired Stan Lee to create his own 'supergroup', the Fantastic Four. By the last story of Volume 1 ("The Wheel of Misfortune", JLA #6, Sep/Oct 1961), the Justice League was one of DC Comics' strongest titles, Green Arrow had become the first 'new' member, and fans were even beginning to accept Fox's one attempt at 'humor', the annoyingly 'hip' Snapper Carr."Justice League of America Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions)" is a wonderful introduction to an age a half-century past, but still vividly alive for those of us fortunate enough to experience it, first-hand. As the first of nine volumes that truly summarize the entire Silver Age of Comics, it should be in every comic book fan's library...
