The Golden AgeWritten by James Robinson/Paul Martin Smith, Color art by Richard Ory and Letters by John Costanza
Over the last several years there have been numerous books from DC and Marvel that attempt to tell "realistic" stories using those universes. And in the majority of those cases, I've fucking hated them. Not just because they're clumsy and heavy handed. Though they tend to be. And not just because they throw minor characters into a meat grinder of death for "shock" value. Though they do. But because they're so damn unoriginal. Moore's
Watchmen, Gruenwald's
Squadron Supreme, non-crazy Frank Miller's Batman stories. Thats what the new kids are aiming for and so often missing. By a lot. Those and Robinson/Smith's
The Golden Age...
This Elseworlds story takes place shortly after the end of World War 2. America's Mystery Men have all retired back to civilian life for the most part. Keeping their IDs hidden and quietly going back to their pre-war life. Except for Tex "Mr. America" Thompson. Who revealed his ID and begins down a road that might lead all the way to the White House. But theres something darker going on with Thompson. Something that has to do with why his former friend, Paul "Manhunter" Kirk is suffering from partial amnesia, traumatic nightmares and is constantly fleeing gun-toting killers...
The Golden Age manages to do what so many Secret Infinite Civil Crisis Wars fail at. Tell a compelling story using super-heroes that incorporates real world politics (in this case the anti-Communist hysteria of post-war America). Death, sex, bloody violence and madness. Hell, late in the story it even has numerous single panel deaths/crippling/etc of various tertiary background characters. And even THAT seems to work better (though thats likely because its Elseworlds and so it doesn't feel like a giant waste of potential to see a C-lister get his neck snapped). An older DC trade worth hunting down and another reason Robinson is so missed from the field of comics...
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
demiurgent's birthday. Who we still hate. And why? Because he has too much talent. AND a hawt nerd fiance. HATE THE ERIC! TAKE HIS HEAD AND STEAL HIS ESSENCE!
