All Star Comics Vol. 7 – Review
I have been enjoying collecting some of the DC Archives Editions, especially the reprints from the golden age of comics. Some of my favourites are those of the Justice Society of America, which appeared in All Star Comics.
The lineup of the JSA changed over the years. They lost members if they got their own title (although Flash Comics was not considered the solo title of Flash) and if they lost their back up series in any title. The line up found in volume seven of the collected set included Hawkman, Green Lantern, Flash, Dr. Mid-Nite, Atom, Johnny Thunder, and Wonder Woman.
Speaking of Wonder Woman, it should have been a great thing for the team to get a female hero. Unfortunately Wonder Woman only serves as the secretary and never joins in the adventures. That, even though she is perhaps their most powerful member at the time.
Volume seven reprints five issues of All Star Comics. These include issues 29-33 and have some of their lasting villains such as Brain Wave, Psycho Pirate, and Solomon Grundy.
These stories appeared just after the end of the Second World War and reflect a change in the focus of the previous number of years.
While the JSA is a team, each of the stories is about individual heroes going off to investigate one aspect of the case they were working on. They then come together at the end to wrap things up.
In this collection, the story with Solomon Grundy is definitely the highlight. This was Grundy’s second appearance, one in which he seeks revenge on Green Lantern. The Joe Kubert art on the Hawkman story is particularly impressive.
These stories are very different from modern superhero stories. They are from a much simpler age and they are not for everyone. They do, however, bring me joy.
