Best Books of the Silver Age

[FenrisUlf]

Well, I had a prior thread about the best of the Bronze Age, so now I'll go even further back and ask you folks which currently available comics, graphic novels, and collections (Marvel Essentials or DC Showcase) contain the best Silver Age style stories.

Myself, once I get past the Marvel Essentials (and they often 'broke the rules', though always to good dramatic effect) and the DC Showcase books for that 'pure' Silver Age feel, I'm stuck for an answer. Any of you have favorites you want to mention here?

[John Desmarais]

Well, I had a prior thread about the best of the Bronze Age, so now I'll go even further back and ask you folks which currently available comics, graphic novels, and collections (Marvel Essentials or DC Showcase) contain the best Silver Age style stories.

Myself, once I get past the Marvel Essentials (and they often 'broke the rules', though always to good dramatic effect) and the DC Showcase books for that 'pure' Silver Age feel, I'm stuck for an answer. Any of you have favorites you want to mention here?

For me, the Justice League and Legion of Superheroes (both available in DC Archive editions) pretty much represented what the Silver Age was all about, but I was always a bigger DC fan than Marvel.

In addition to these two, the solo titles for the Silver Age re-boots - particularly Flash and Green Lantern - really strike a chord with me as being the prototypical books that show how the Silver Age differs from the Golden Age - magic and wonkytech taking a back seat to atomic-age science. (I find that the line between Golden and Silver gets quite blurry with the big three: Superman, Batman, & Wonder Woman; which is why I look more to the secondary characters).

On the Marvel side, the Avengers and Fantastic Four were my favorites of the Silver Age - but I found re-reading them (as Marvel Masterworks or Essentials) that Avengers stories don't hold up as well as I expected them to - my memories of these stories are better than the stories themselves. (The FF stories are still re-read great). Most of the Marvel solo stuff, while I enjoyed reading it back when, doesn't inspire me to want to re-read it, with perhaps one big exception: Spiderman. To me, Spiderman is Marvel's Silver Age - or perhaps, Spiderman is the prototype for Marvel's Silver Age approach to superheroes; emphasizing flaws over powers.

[st barbara]

I tend to agree John. But then I didn't like a lot of "Marvel's" writing when I first read the stories DURING the "Silver Age" (1960's) !

[OddHat]

Everything by Jack Kirby.

The Legion of Superheroes were the Silver Age team to me, the ones I loved grabbing in re-prints.

The Fantastic Four, one of the first comics I followed and still a favorite.

Anything with talking monkeys or space monkeys, to remind you that the people going on about how much better comics were back then may not mean "better" the same way you do.

[austenandrews]

At one time DC editors mandated a gorilla on the cover of at least one title per month.

[assault]

Anything with talking monkeys or space monkeys, to remind you that the people going on about how much better comics were back then may not mean "better" the same way you do.

I don't know what you mean. :straight:

After all, how can you possibly compare present day trash with the joys of titles like Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen? :joint:

Actually I was a bit alarmed at just how much Jimmy Olsen there was in my old comic box from when I was a kid when I rediscovered it a couple of years ago. And then I read it, and blew my mind all over again...

It's true though, there are different meanings of the word "better". Personally, I would rather read about about Bizarro, Lori Lemaris and the bottle city of Kandor than about sadists and psychopaths. Most of the time, anyway.

And the cheesiness is half the fun.

[OddHat]

It's true though, there are different meanings of the word "better". Personally, I would rather read about about Bizarro, Lori Lemaris and the bottle city of Kandor than about sadists and psychopaths. Most of the time, anyway.

Same here, actually. ;)


And the cheesiness is half the fun.

Heck, I actually like the Legion of Superpets. :)

Search the boards a bit and you'll find my two Krypto tributes and the evil Master Dog.

I do think that many who post about the joys of Silver Age Storytelling have forgotten the goofiness that was so much a part of the period. Yes, the Silver Age brought us the Fantastic Four vs the Mole Man, but it also brought us Super Baby vs Super Monkey. I like both stories, but grim and gritty fans will not.

[Trained Chicken]

The essential Daredevil Vol 1. Not in color, but still awesome. Also, check out the Mystery Men comic books (especially the Flaming Carrot) by Bob Burden. Although by today's standards it's delightfully deranged fun, it fits perfectly with silver age sensibilities.

[CBikle]

The essential Daredevil Vol 1. Not in color, but still awesome. Also, check out the Mystery Men comic books (especially the Flaming Carrot) by Bob Burden. Although by today's standards it's delightfully deranged fun, it fits perfectly with silver age sensibilities.

I've been talking with him recently. Very nice guy. Was thinking about asking him his thoughts on licensing Flaming Carrot , et al. (esp. in regards to Hero).