Customer Reviews

Justice League of America Archives, Vol. 1 (DC Archive Editions)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Are you a 'greying baby boomer'? Did you grow up waiting at the local 7-11 for the latest issues of your favorite comic heroes to hit the stands? Do you regret having tossed out all of your old comic books? Remember the days of the 12-cent comic book?

If you answered yes to more than one of the above, this book and the series it's part of is for you.

I grew up in the sixties, during the 'silver age' of DC comics. I used to spend hours reading, re-reading, looking at covers, and generally following the exploits of my favorite DC characters.

The plots are corny, the art dated and you always knew that the good guy would come out on top. What a great time to live in!

These archive books from DC reprint the complete stories from all the comics you had and somehow lost over the years. Each is 200+ pages (color) with a slew of your favorite stories. I've purchased a bunch of these and find myself re-enjoying the adventures I read about as a boy of 11.

This series is a great momental of our youthful days. If you enjoyed the DC series of comics and would like to see the stories once again, buy one book - then buy them all. Great for relaxation and light reading.

~ Highly recommended ~

I held off buying the DC Archive editions for years because of the hefty price. Then I bought a couple used and I saw that they are worth every penny. At least they are worth it if you grew up with these titles. It was amazing how many of these stories (and specific panels) that I personally remembered after nearly 50 years.

Volume one contains stories originally published in The Brave and the Bold #28-30, and Justice League of America #1-6. The highlights of this first volume are the first JLA story (with Starro the Conqueror), and later, the Green Arrow joining the team.

These stories look better on the high-grade, glossy paper than they did when first printed- and much, much better than they look on old, yellow newsprint. The maroon leatherette covers (with the Justice League of America logo embossed in silver) are first rate- though I would never take the heavy, glossy jackets off of them.

Treat yourself to the age of true heroes.

This book reprints The Brave and the Bold 28-30, which introduced the Justice League, and Justice League of America 1-6. Nine classic stories from the dawn of the Super Heroes as we know them today. Trying to buy all these issue separately would drain your wallet, but together in a handsome volume, they are a deal for any classic comic collector!
(Note: This review is for Vol 1, not Vol 2. For some reason, it shows up under both)

This book presents 9 classic Silver Age stories of the JLA. The only fault I could find was that the old ads weren't printed!

This review is about volume 1 of JLA Archives.

I have to say I love the JSA better than the JLA. JLA, at the time it was made, seemed like a campy version of the modern JSA. Still the issues contained in these books are good and entertaining.

This book is written by Gardner Fox, the same man who wrote for the early JSA - so it really is like a historical prespective to compare the two.

Warning: If you are buying this book thinking you'll get issues with Batman and Superman - don't count on anything substatial. Batman and Supes usally take a side route in these adventures, not participating, or appearing very little at all. I at first didn't like these issues becuase of the lack of Superman and Batman - but after that inital disapointment the issues become enjoyable.

These issues show the first appearences of many villians - like Amazo

For those of you afraid this is like the Superfriends, it is and it isn't. It's much smarter than the Superfriends (No Legion of Doom or any dumb ideas like that) but don't expect it to be that smart or intelligent - I emphizise the word: Campy!
Still you don't nessisasrily have to have been born durring 1960 to enjoy these books. They are good and entertaining. (And starting with Volume 3 have regular guest appearences of the JSA)

If you look through all the volumes of "The Justice League of America Archives," something tht you may notice and find interesting is that as the issues and years go by, you will notice changes in trends and how the comic books were written and drawn

Beginning with the early volumes, you see how the science fiction trend which was popular in the movies at the time influenced "The Justice League of America" stories othr than the fact that Editor Julius Schwartz at DC Comics was a sicence fiction buff.

You will alson notice that the early stoires were really simple and written for kids, because back then comic books were for kids. You will find osme stoires to be really corny and bad.

The stories get better as time goes on as we are introduced to the original superhero team the Jusice Leage of America was based on, The Justice Society of America from Earth 2 who have come out of retirement after also 20 years.

As we get into the mid-1960's, you will see the introduction of camp. I mean out andout camp like how the Justice League fight the Dirty Half Dozen. A popular move in theaters at athe time was "The Dirty Dozen" that stared Lee Marvin.

In anohter issue, a popular movie in theaters at the time influenced by a number one hit record at the thime was "The Green Barretts" that stared John Wayne. The Justice League story features a Green Barret that ends up becoming the hero at the end and saving the day and receiving a medal from the President of the United States.

What wass going on in the mid-1960's was that on September of 1966, the Batman TV series premiered on ABC, plunging the country into a state of Batmania. The TV show hit bigg.

Since the TV show was done campy, DC Comics like a lot of other comic book publishers at the time except for Marvel Comics decided to also go campy with hteir comic books.

You will also notice that on the covers of "The Justice League of America" comics around that time period, Batman is outstandingly featured on each and all of the covers appearing in all the stories even to be joined by Rogin the Boy Wonder in one issue, and Batgirl in a later issue.

During tht time, DC Comics had started printing a sripe with checkerd boxes on the top of all their ocmic books so that kids would see clearly on the stands that the book was a DC Comics title.

After the Batman TV show lost its popularity and was cancelled, camp was out, and the sales of DC Comics began to fal. After so many years as the number one comic book company, DC Comics was no longer number one as Marvel Comics took over the number one spot onctinuing to hold on to it over the years.

We now get into the late 1960's, and you wil see how under writer Denny O'neil, the stories become more relevant, dealing with the issues of like the pollution of out Earth, racism, war, etc.

It was first in the Justice Legue of America that the new revamped, liberal, Robin Hood like Green Arrow is introduced with a beard, a new costume, and a new personality voicing the issues of the day and speaking up for the poor and down trodden.

This is a great set that also reflects the times.

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...

This book recalls the days of the sixties, when heroes were heroes, villains were villains, and reasoning and deduction were more useful in defeating evil than fists, guns, and gore. A treat for those of us who preferred the clever plots and cheerful camaraderie of the DC comics of the '60s to the sappy soap opera and relentless angst of Marvel.

A very good book in wich the Justice Leauge is portrayed perfectly. Recommened to everyone.

How you feel about this book depends on what you were hoping to get out of it. If you're a big JLA fan who wants to know the early history of the group, this is for you. If you like the JLA, but you're not a fan of 60's writing and art styles, you might want to pass. The stories are mildly entertaining, but the "golly gee" tone of the writing is slow in comparison to newer work.