Whenever Golden Age heroes are used, I get intrigued. Maybe just me and Roy Thomas, and JB has an affinity obviously.

According to Newsrama http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=121397 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=121397 , the new series by Alex Ross (art) is SUPERPOWERS.

For some reason (assuming as I am that these character portraits are by Ross), these particular figures don't feel so "real" to me, as with most of Ross' recent work. As in, men in costumes instead of superheroes in costumes.

Maybe it's just the nature of the characters. By the way, some of these I've never heard about at all. Any info? See more at the link.

Not sure how good the stories will be, but I love the idea of resurrecting these long-forgotten Golden Age heroes. Heck, I'm glad to see an independent publisher doing superhero stories and I hope it starts a trend.

There's a lot of potential here. Whether it will pay off is the big question.

Bert, do you mean on the Daredevil design? Presumably because they would get sued by Marvel for publishing a superhero called Daredevil, just as DC has to call a comic featuring Captain Marvel "Shazam."

 Anyway, the art looks great. They look like comic book characters, unlike some of Ross's other recent art.   

Anyway, the art looks great. They look like comic book characters

*************

I was thinking the same thing. Looking at these character sketches makes me want to read about these characters.

I think I'm going to have to give this book a shot.

I think the name issue is just CYA; the characters are in the public domain, and I recall just recently asking about the Quality Comics characters, and Freedom Fighters, and whether they're in the public domain. It was indicated you could tell stories about them, but in order to stay clear of some potential legal entanglement, it's better to change the name or not use the name at all? Maybe I misunderstood.

I'm hoping it's not another WATCHMEN situation. At the same time I loved GOLDEN AGE which pretty much did a WATCHMEN thing, even more visceral considering it was "Elseworlds" and heroes in long-standing deteriorated mentally and died horribly. The important thing to note, for me, was that James Robinson gave everyone a chance. At one point or another, every character had a choice; once made, they were locked into their respective fates.

Considering the absolute atrocity of DC's treatment of the JSA up until GOLDEN AGE, it was probably the best send-off the JSA "never had". If this SUPERPOWERS work wishes to go that route, I won't begrudge it necessarily. As long as the characters are given a chance to logically follow their fates, I can enjoy the treatment. If the characters are completely changed and twisted to suit some WATCHMENesque story, then that'll be a shame on Ross and Kruger. These old forgotten character deserve a shot at some popularity, not blatant infamy from bad story-telling.

but JMS is doing a Golden Age Project.

I'm missing it in the article, unless they're talking about AGENTS OF ATLAS 2 or whatever it is. I hate JMS/Bendis/Q having anything to do with any comic book character, much less the GA characters.

I wanted to post the latest images from SUPERPOWERS from a newsrama link, http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=122270 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=122270

I love the little bitches already complaining about how the same kind of series could be done with more well-know characters. I hate the slavering love for popular characters, or "hot" characters, as if that's all that superhero comics consists of and no project should be undertaken unless Batman and Wolverine is prominently involved.

LOVE the Face. Actually, they're ALL really nice looking.

I am buyuing this.

Say what you will, but I have always loved ross's work.

These images feel a bit like his work on MARVELS.

***

 Good. MARVELS was fine. Some of his later work looks realistic to the point where they no longer look like superheroes.

There's coverage of who is involved in the (gag!) JMS/Chris Weston THE TWELVE series by newsrama, so instead of starting a new thread we can consider THE TWELVE to be the Anti-SUPERPOWERS. Still, I'm all for great Golden Age character treated well...won't happen by JMS, but maybe again I can be wrong and admit it and enjoy a nice series with characters who may be...slightly what they were meant to be in the 1940s.

First ones, http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123542 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123542  and http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123693 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123693 , THE WITNESS and THE BLACK WIDOW...

Actually more intriguing is another project involving Golden Age heroes/characters, but with Erik Larsen behind it. Hadn't heard about it at all, but am ready to check it out. Releasing in December from Image...

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11230 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11230

Two by Eric Larsen, and then a particularly sweet cover with The Clock and Captain Triumph by Mike Allred.

Here you go Andy!

I'm thinking this Scarab is different, though the one above is from the Golden Age, Nedor Comics.

I've been trying to find the SUPERPOWERS' particular Scarab. Is he the Silver Scarab?

He is the only Scarab from the golden age. I know for a fact that there would be no character from the golden age who would look anything like Ross's Scarab.

Darrin

I honestly don't know why Ross went in this direction, he seems out of place with the other heroes like Andy mentioned. Still, I can't wait to see this when it comes out along with the other retro comics.

Darrin

No character who looks like Scarab in the Golden Age...

I hadn't thought of it that way, but you're right, Darrin. For the most part. I mean, this Ross Scarab might exist in a much less...articulated fashion?

I mean, all the other characters in SUPERPOWERS are pretty much extant according to their original conception, near as I can tell.

On a side note, Richard Boucher and myself will be starting a new golden age website in the very near future. Basically a who's who of the golden age, which to date is around 1100 characters. Details are tentative right now, but an issue of our old website is still up on the net somewhere - The Good Guys & Gals of the Golden Age. If all things go according to plan, we should be up and running by end of the year.

Best,

Darrin

Continuing THE TWELVE coverage http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123751 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123751

BLUE BLADE...you'll note the artist mentioning "Could be the break-out character of the series...if he survives!"

I wish superhero comic books weren't so anal expulsive about death...adventure and dynamism and grandeur ought to be paramount, and death should mean sacrifice, the ultimate sacrifice, particular in superhero fiction.

Now death means merely "climax". Whatever happened to the mystery of maybe, I don't know, having a character merely vanish...or have some kind of cliffhanger where you don't know if the character is alive or dead? Wouldn't that give readers a chance to, like, make a decision if they'd enjoy seeing the Blue Blade again for instance? Wasn't that the way it used to be done?

I'd agree about Weston. Something seems slightly off. I wouldn't bother posting the images as they seem markedly lacking in dynamism compared to the Ross stuff, but these Golden Age projects are all kind of running in conjunction, and I'm also hoping that one of them, either Ross', Larsen's, and (no chance) JMS' elevates some of these wonderful concepts from a time, as Larsen mentions, when none of the Golden Age creators had a model to work against, there were NO costumed characters previous, no superheroes especially, so the innovation of their work is particularly special.

I was really impressed with Weston's Fantastic Four: First Family.  And Ross is an amazing talent, but sometimes his storytelling isn't up too the level of his artistic technique.

And that Blue Blade illustration is just something else.  What, I'm not sure.....

I was at the King Tut exhibit in Philly, Friday, and got to see the "real" Blue Beetle Scarab from his tomb.

Kaji Da!

I like Weston reimagining of Captain America #131, but I can certainly agree with your point that it doesn't have the same energy as the original one.

I think we can attribute this to a shift in tastes in comic art though - more towards the Alex Ross/John Cassaday/Gary Frank/Bryan Hitch/Chris Weston 'realism' over the Jack Kirby/Steve Ditko/Gil Kane/John Romita/John Buscema 1960s 'energetic storytelling'.

Personally, I prefer the general style of the 60s, but with decompressed storytelling like it is, the 'realism' is one of the few things that can make a comic of talking heads somewhat attractive.

Darrin, would you be willing to email scans of the entire Scarab story from where you got that splash?

I'd love to read the whole thing, as I haven't found any Scarab stories on the web before.

Maybe Cap absorbed the Falcon, like some twins do en utero when the "stronger" of the two basically eats the other, and the feathers are Cap's version of a "third arm" or some kind of tumorous outgrowth of this melding. Eh?

We can blame Kevin Maguire or John Cassaday for the 'feathers'

Maguire is the one who first drew all the detail of the chainmail, Cassady made it popular.  Other artists since have made them look like feathers.

I do not like the "feathers" on Cap. A hint of the texture is all that is needed to get the point across.

Friends who are involved in various mideval recreation events have told me that the modern Cap is wearing "scale mail" rather than chain mail.  Apparently, scale mail provides somewhat better protection, and the indications of texture on his costume over the years have hinted that he's always worn scale rather than chain mail, regardless of how the text may read.

Nevertheless, the new stuff doesn't look good to them either, and we've discussed how much noisier he appears nowadays.  Maguire did a very nice job on the art of that mini-series, but I've read an interview with Adam Hughes where he says that he was up for that as well, and felt in some respects that he'd lost out on the project of a lifetime not getting it.  A WWII Cap project by Hughes would be something to see...

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123753 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=123753

Continuing the covering of the TWELVE, using Golden Age heroes owned by Marvel:

No joke, I dig the hairy legs.

That's true, Ed. I like the hairy legs only because I'm kind of a hairy dude and in a world of hairless Ken doll chests and limbs as depicted in our current culture, I welcome the hair. Not the pubes though, that I can do without.

The argument about hair kind of reminds me of some of those "Ren and Stimpy" shorts from years ago, where they'd show a superhero with hair coming out of his ears or other inappropriate places.

Ed, Chris Weston's artwork was incredible on Enemy Ace: War in Heaven over at DC a few years back, and I was surprised to see him doing superhero fare at Marvel recently.

Some of his designs for this project, such as those for the Witness, Blue Blade and Dynamic Man, work really well for me.  They're about the only thing shown of "The Twelve" project that has me somewhat hopeful for the series.  I love Babylon 5, but JMS has been a cluster -.... of a comic book writer, with little regard for the established characters that he's worked on.

When I saw Weston's Capt. Wonder yesterday, I was a bit put off by the hairy legs thing myself, and pretty much took it the same way that you did. I really have to "wonder" if this character isn't earmarked for a coffin during this series as he doesn't seem to have received as much love as some of the other returning golden agers that we've seen so far.

I do remain curious about who else is set to return in the Twelve.  Looks like Elektro has the nod from Newsarama for tomorrow's debut and based on comments in the promo pieces, we can possibly expect to see Fiery Mask, Laughing Mask and Master Mind Excello at some point.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124292 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124292

Dynamic Man

Lightning bolts on costumes is always money, I must admit. If I was a superhero, I'd have lightning bolts somewhere, even if I was just a strong guy. Worked for Doc Samson.

I understand where you're coming from, Ed.  Weston said that he went for a James Cagney kinda thing with the Witness and I think that actually came across. The uncolored character sketch in the first press release was also quite good - in my opinion.

I don't want to get too down on the book before I've actually seen it, and despite my reticence over JMS involvement - so I'll just keep my fingers crossed between now and then.

I do however, agree with you on the appearance of the * Black Widow and to a certain extent the Blue Blade as well.  I had high hopes for Capt. Wonder over the weekend, but was definitely let down by the image that was shown on Monday.

* Ed, it occurs to me that the description that you gave for the Black Widow actually may work, based on her golden age origin as an agent for Satan.

Chris Weston is an excellent artist. (I loved his work on Ministry of Space for example)

That said I am not sure if that makes him an excellent superhero artist? I tend to think not.

His style and most obvious influences are very old school British. Nothing wrong with that at all, but if you try to draw American style comics in that realistic way it can end up looking very stiff and undynamic.

http://www.chrisweston.co.uk/ - http://www.chrisweston.co.uk/

JB, do you have any thoughts you would like to share in the difference between the British and American styles? How do you think Hampson, Bellamy, Lawrence etc would have fared had they worked for DC/Marvel?

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124457 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124457

ELECTRO

Something about this bothers me...it's like, supposed to be a preview to give some indication of what to expect from Weston, but we get a 3D animation instead. Maybe this is standard for artists, as he suggests...how difficult is it to keep the size of the character consistent with stuff around it? I notice artists these days draw the Hulk in various sizes more than Spider-Man's strength level fluctuates...one minute the Hulk is King Kong size, the next he's barely bigger than Ben Grimm.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124602 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124602

I love the name FIERY MASK...I mean, that's a cool superhero moniker.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124744 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124744

Again, that Golden Age creepy-cool...actually looks even better in the original comic.

I'm wondering if this thread ought to be renamed: Superpowers and/or The Twelve.

These characters do look good, for the most part, and now Mastermind Excello has been selected for next Monday's debut. That leaves only three "reveals" to go.  Wonder who they'll be?

I was thinking the thread evolved into encompassing all the "Golden Age" projects in the pipeline, including Erik Larsen's and any others that pop up.

You've got to admit, if the Laughing Mask was creeping up on you, that would scare the living heartworms out of you.

Something about this bothers me...it's like, supposed to be a preview to give some indication of what to expect from Weston, but we get a 3D animation instead.

When I was browsing around on his site he's used 3-D models as reference on other books he's worked on.  Why they chose to use the model instead of the artwork is curious but I don't think the character will look like that in the comic.

Even more irritating that the computer model used to represent Elektro in the 12 revealing days of "The Twelve", is that todays Mastermind Excello is presented in black & white.

This artwork was shown in the earliest preview on Newsarama, so there's nothing new here.  Minor quibble, but I would have liked to see this guy in color - like all the rest have been.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125096 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125096

MASTERMIND EXCELLO

You know, I actually think lack of color makes Weston's work seem less...stiff.

I wonder if anyone has introduced a character into a color comic who lacked color, not merely being "black and white" but without color due to belonging to some other dimension where color does not exist.

Another update on SUPERPOWERS, interview with Alex Ross:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125175 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125175

I'm going to add this into this thread, which probably should be called GOLDEN AGE RETURNS or something...

The Invaders of the 1940s are going to be crossing over with the Avengers, in a time travel story by Alex Ross...with the 1940s Invaders traveling forward in time. Ross wants to go right back to the original ALL-WINNERS SQUAD, as that was the Invaders' name before Roy Thomas' retcon.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125258 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125258

Personally, I'd like the idea more if it wasn't in current Marvel continuity...Skrulls, Civil War, Hulk blah blah blah...boring. But, Ross seems intent on "having fun" as he put it, so we'll have to see.

Checks in its favor: Stephen Sadowski is on the art, Jim Kruger is co-plotting with Ross and another Kruger. I mean, that's quality dudes involved...

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125240 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125240

MISTER E

I'm all over any character in a hat and double .45s.

I did like that Ross feels he's past trying to justify superheroes...now he's more interested in the characters and the fun and the stories.

That justifying was probably the reason Ross "lost it" as he grew more and more obsessed with realizing comics characters as "real" and losing the basic appeal of comics art and presentation of these characters. His sketches seem to suggest he's no longer concerned with figuring out "how" to make the Flash legit...he just is.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125392 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125392

PHANTOM REPORTER

Well, if Weston had to reverse the colors in order to distinguish PR from Mr. E, why not find another character to place in the series...seems kind of doofy to put two visually identical characters in the same story.

J. Michael Straczynski selected the characters that were to be utilized in "The Twelve."

Weston visually interpreted them based on their classic golden age appearances.

If we disallow characters within the same team because of similar costume appearance, then we've got alot of cutting to do at every comics company out there.

If we disallow characters within the same team because of similar costume appearance...

Weston himself did a color inversion of the two characters in order to distinugish them...that to me is a fundamental problem. It's like having a team with two blondes in fishnets, two men made of steel, two black Green Lanterns, and so on. I'd think for the sake of balance (unless either Mr. E or the Phantom Reporter is not a direct part of the main storyline but serves as only narrator) that you use some other character to fill out the 12.

Plus, I don't trust JMS like I trust Alex Ross to pull off at the very least a comic story that maintains these characters' integrities. There might actually be a reason for the similarity of the characters in JMS' work here. EDIT I don't want to completely be negative, but JMS plus "realism" in the art sends more red flags than a Chinese New Year Parade.

 hope the Alex Ross haters will give the book a chance based on its own merits, and seperate the creators from the story. All we can do is our best, and we intend to put our ALL into it!

When Alex Ross is having fun, everyone who loves superheroes has fun, especially here. And again, Ross' good taste in co-creators remains top notch with yourself, Mr. Sadowski. Good luck.

I'm with Wallace. The more I see, the more I become interested in these projects.

I wonder how INVADERS/AVENGERS meshes with THE TWELVE...both feature Golden Agers transported to modern times.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125573 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125573

ROCKMAN

Okay, you gotta love a guy called Rockman. The more I learn about the Golden Age the more I start to understand where Stan Lee got a lot of his genius...he's like the Quintin Tarantino of his day, recycling bits of information into new forms that became icons...

Okay, going back to this image...this is a preview for the TWELVE, and we've seen all the members covered. So why is Cap, Sgt. Fury, and the Destroyer prominently displayed while the Twelve are background.

Also, who is the faceless guy in the Nemesis-looking uniform with the stylized Y or V symbol on his chest on Sgt. Fury's right?

Also, who is the faceless guy in the Nemesis-looking uniform with the stylized Y or V symbol on his chest on Sgt. Fury's right?

That's Night Raven a 1930's pulp type character who originally appeared in Marvel UK's Hulk weekly back in 1979. (I remember getting the first issue.)

Shoot...I knew I'd seen him somewhere before. Here's an exhaustive history http://marvunapp.com/Appendix/nhtraven.htm - http://marvunapp.com/Appendix/nhtraven.htm  

Pretty damned cool character actually. I'd come across Night Raven recently and forgot about it.

It's true...the piece is stagy at best. Not really poor; looks more like the Invaders and Friends are on a photo shoot, not actually storming Berlin.

Apart from not looking very dynamic, another thing that bothers me about the piece is there doesn't seem to be much thought as to any strategy being used by the heroes.

With respect I think the strategy thing is nit-picking a bit, but I also mentioned the lack of dynamics in Westons art a few pages back. I really like his art which incidentally IMO looks much, much better in black and white however I don't think Weston is an ideal super hero artist.

His characters are so realistically drawn they lack that larger than life element that was so well described in Lee and Buscema's "How to Draw Comics the Marvel way!" Perhaps he would be better as a finisher when it comes to this kind of book?

The sad truth is that Weston was born to draw the kind of comics that they they stopped publishing in Britain 30+ years ago.

The guys a real talent though, I'd really like to see his work on a more appropriate vehicle. As his work on DC's "War Story : Johann's Tiger" shows he is an excellent choice for a realistic WWII book...

http://www.chrisweston.co.uk/warstory.html - http://www.chrisweston.co.uk/warstory.html

Interesting article speaking to the Public Domain issue, especially where it concerns the Nedor Publishing superheroes being employed by SUPERPOWERS, AC Comics, Larsen's project, or JB's usage if he was so inclined.

http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Superpowers/PublicDomai nHeroes.html - http://www.newsarama.com/dynamitenew/Superpowers/PublicDomai nHeroes.html

A fella handed off to me something I didn't know existed.

TSR, a role-playing entertainment source primarily associated with AD & D, issued a couple of Agent 13 "graphic novels" which then went into a more generic "Double Agent" novels, perhaps called 13: ASSASSIN?

Supposedly they were "tie-ins" to the role-playing games TSR had been producing that was NOT AD&D.

The PulpNet lists these books as such:

Agent 13 – This series by Frank Dille and David Marconi was about a man fighting a world-wide secret society in the 1930s. The third book was published with "Web of Danger," by Aaron Allston, in the first of the Double Agent series. There were more Double agent books, but no more Agent 13 stories. There was also an Agent 13 comic book and role-playing game.

This may be written in plain english and I am just missing it, but is Ross doing interiors on this or only plots/covers?

I don't know if the series artist has been announced on SUPERPOWERS.

Ross is consulting, designing, and covers.

Sorry, Stephen. I got my series mixed. I knew you were involved on one of them.

Any lowdowns you can offer?

Once I saw Bucky with the machine gun, I had to post it. I'll promote anything and everything Golden Age until the characters get the respect they deserve. Which I'm sure is etched in tattoo ink on Roy Thomas' bicep as well.

I've always liked Luke Cage, whether as a Hero for Hire or as Power Man,

but .. (and as that painting reveals),

Marvel's insistence on having Cage dress in ordinary street clothes instead of a superhero union suit, really makes him appear to be nothing other than a token black.

Cage's yellow and blue costume was okay with me.  If that seems dated to some folks, at least give the guys his chops and put him in something cooler than a t-shirt and jeans.  And please don't give me that "street cred" horseshit as justification for his current appearance.

I wanted to toss this onto the "Golden Age" thread for a couple of reasons.

First of all, this character is a Mike Mignola hunk of brilliance, a loving tribute to Agent 13, the Phantom, The Shadow, the Spider, the Sandman; an extrapolation of the Pulp genus.

Second of all, the above single comic is the first actual comic, not trade, nor borrowed from my artist pal (just to keep up with Trends), that I've bought straight up "off the rack" since maybe 1989.

There was just no way I was waiting for the trade.

Primarily what I wanted to point out, moreso than the Mignola script and cover, the wonderful character of Lobster Johnson ("Here is the Claw!" I almost wept from joy), is the artwork of Jason Armstrong.

This cat is like equal parts Kirby, Darwyn Cooke, and Mignola himself. It's solid and thrilling while being evocative and cool. The ish is mainly set-up but that's to be understood and forgiven, with the sweet action and bits of nice character intros. There's also another fabulous Mignola creation featured in the book and on the cover, a suit of grey experimental military armor that the Nazis are after. A big fat nod and an exciting bit of business.

Five issues of this stuff. Please buy this book so we can get more of the Claw.

Cage's yellow and blue costume was okay with me.  If that seems dated to some folks, at least give the guys his chops and put him in something cooler than a t-shirt and jeans.  And please don't give me that "street cred" horseshit as justification for his current appearance.

*****

I liked the blue and white one from the 99 Heroes For Hire series.

Because it deserves to be whored and I hope all of you guys check it out so, like BPRD, we might get more great Lobster Johnson stuff:

Issue 2

And the proposed issue 3:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12083 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12083

I missed this interview with Jim Krueger, who is writing SUPERPOWERS with Alex Ross.

It's annoying to hear the words "grow" and "change" in relation to comic book characters, but the difference is that these characters are in the public domain, essentially forgotten. This is Ross/Krueger's version of these characters, as Alan Moore put forth the same characters in TOM STRONG, and AC Comics has their versions, and First Comics had theirs, and Erik Larsen's Image project will have theirs.

Almost every character that's part of the "Terra Obscura" storyline is a public domain character (I think). I haven't read the TOM STRONG stuff, but I recently read the TERRA OBSCURA trades, which have the surviving characters.

Again, there are at least four different versions of the Black Terror I'm aware of, one an original series by Dan Brereton at some point. Another series I've yet to lay hands on, with Chuck Dixon and Beau Smith as writers.

Okay, let me say right up front, i haven't read more than maybe 10 comic books in the last 7 years, ( marriage, kids, etc...) but...

The guy in the back is Luke Cage? I thought it was some version of Black Goliath! And that's the current line-up of the Avengers? Spider-man and Wolverine? Maybe this is blasphemy but I'm absolutely sick of Wolverine. A contributing factor to not really reading much anymore. And it's not that I hate the character, it's that the saturation level is plain overwhelming. One day it'll be Wolverine comics, not Marvel.

Yah, I don't get that SUPERPOWERS is going to do much to be "fun". Which is a shame, since it would be nice to see a diversity among the characters, as there is in ASTRO CITY...some characters have a "fun" edge, some are bizarre supernatural, some are evocative, and so on.

I loved GOLDEN AGE by James Robinson, which this SUPERPOWERS project sounds like. But the strength of GOLDEN AGE was in the old JSAers and Golden Age characters struggling with irrevelancy. These characters in S-POWERS lack even revelancy, unless you're a comics historian. It might be nice to see what the characters of S-POWERS were, before we see what they're become. As we know, the media does tend to exaggerate, so comics would follow suit and distort a character who is truly competent and brave into more of a caricature of superheroics, and so on.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=133403 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=133403

A little more information about the series, SUPERPOWERS, coming in late December apparently.

Visitor Stephen Sadowski gets some face-time (I feel like they're down-playing you, dude! About time you got your two cents in!).

Uh, there is one OMFG moment, when Ross mentions Michael Turner is involved somehow in "incentive covers". I threw up in my mouth a little. Ugh. Jesus.

Stephen, I can only hope that someone in the Dynamite offices is going to realize that your involvement is something to herald as well.

Damn good pencilers don't exactly grow on trees nowadays.

QUOTE: Uh, there is one OMFG moment, when Ross mentions Michael Turner is involved somehow in "incentive covers". I threw up in my mouth a little. Ugh. Jesus.

Why keep it in your mouth when Turner's covers provide you with a clear target?

Uh, there is one OMFG moment, when Ross mentions Michael Turner is involved somehow in "incentive covers".

***

Because we know all Golden Age heroines were part silicone.

All right. According to newsrama, the cover for SUPERPOWERS ish 1.

But what the hell is this about "After the super-selling #0, Dynamite launches Alex Ross’ Superpowers #1"? How can something that hasn't come out yet be "super-selling"?

Stephen- I'm a big fan of your work on JSA and am really looking forward to seeing your pencils in both of these projects.

I wanted to post the latest preview covers, by Mignola, to the concluding parts of LOBSTER JOHNSON: THE IRON PROMETHEUS, parts four and five, releasing in Dec, Jan.

Again, in case anyone is curious, Lobster Johnson is a Pulp-inspired character, on a Golden Age thread by virtue of his illiciting the wonderful style of those very creative times. A truly great homage by Mignola.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12252 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12252

An interview with JMS about THE TWELVE, using the Golden Age Timely characters.

Scanned pages of Chris Weston's work, in black and white, and color.

I'm not a fan of JMS' work. Weston's art looks a little stiff or something. Definitely an artist who needs color.

On the other hand, his art style does kind of evoke the stiffness of a lot of comics from the 1940s. Only thing is, it's 1940s characters transplanted to modern times. Basically JMS taking Cap's "time travel" and multiplying by 12. Just seems uninspired.

I can't fault JMS for being enthused, and he seems to geniunely like the characters. I'd love the series to work if only because the possibility, however slim, that some characters might garner their own solo series (fat chance). And then maybe some other talent like Paul Pelletier or Dan Slott or Phil Hester could jump on and really DO something.

Stephen,

Holy crap. I totally missed this. Link to Sadowski art...I'm as bad as the guys hyping this book, ignoring Mr. Sadowski's involvement (seemingly)!

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134623&highl ight=superpowers - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134623&highl ight=superpowers

Nothing like the Black Terror clotheslining a couple of Nazis to get the blood pumping!

Sorry I missed this, Stephen.

I broke the piece into two, so as to not have to shrink it to fit.

I can't name them all, for sure, off hand. LOVE Cat Man smack in the middle. Obvious ones I guess are Black Terror, Samson, Crusader, Daredevil, Green Lama...

Grim Ghost is in there I think. Is that Captain Flag with the star symbol on his chest?

Amazing Man is rolling in the front. Captain Future is in there, I believe.

Is that the Blue Blaze in back?

I can't figure out who the badass is in front without a shirt and in jodpurs. Bronze Man? The original Commander Steel? Doc Strange? Jeez, hard to tell without color.

Fearless Flint...nice pull, Ed. I hope it is.

It still amazes me the depth and breadth of the Golden Age characters...you can feel the enthusiasm of the creators as they come up with some unique superhero/pulp hybrids unlike anything current creators are consistently able to produce. And what's really amazing is that the creators of these characters had no background or precedent for that sort of thing...they were literally flying blind, with no Stan Lee or Kirby, no Justice League, nothing but the basic idea that the publishers were looking for the next Shadow, Doc Savage, Tarazan or the upstart Superman who was changing everything. This time period fascinates me as creators are by and large getting in there and CREATING something. Good times.

For anyone interested in the artist behind LOBSTER JOHNSON, Jason Armstrong: http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/features/1193288043310 09.htm - http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/features/1193288043310 09.htm

Nice little interview, also talking about FERRO CITY, which I haven't read.

This guy impresses me with his art more every time. If we don't have Darwyn Cooke, Armstrong may step in as a reasonable replacement in the comics world.

Well, the first Michael Turner variant cover for SUPERPOWERS 1...can't figure why it's necessary, but there you go. He brings nothing to the Black Terror, but it does nothing to offend either.

More Stephen Sadowski artwork interiors, for those interested.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12327 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12327

You get shots of some extra characters, like the Silver Streak

Well, I've been dying to get into some kind of discussion on these Golden Age/Pulp characters, as my knowledge is not encyclopedic. Frankly, I had, like many, ignored the period of comics in particular post-Pulp through the first blur of the Silver Age Flash on the page. It's a rough time, particularly because of the lack of information on the people behind those comics and what their thoughts were. Which is why "Alter Ego" by Roy Thomas is a national treasure!

Anyway, I feel I missed the boat on a lot of these wonderful creations. And I'm also dying to see if the public domain ones can be brought back, because I'd love to write some of them. It's a shame to see such good ideas go to waste, like a beautiful spinster on some Maine island who never comes out of the old dark house.

Is Bomber Burns in this thing?

From http://www.dpccomics.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/theamericanco micshop/index.php?file=gad - http://www.dpccomics.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/theamericancomicsh op/index.php?file=gad

Jack 'Bomber' Burns is a US stunt flyer, who with his co-pilot is attacked by Germans. The Germans kill his co-pilot Dave, and try to kill him also. He lands, steals a Lockheed XP-38 fighter ("The fastest plane in the world") modifies it with special superchargers, twelve browning machine guns, an oerlikon cannon, and a flame thrower from a Australian armoured car; fills it full of incendiary bullets and names it The Firebrand. He then gets himsels a snazzy costume and swears revenge.

Stephen, JB...tell me you don't want to draw that Lockheed and that character. Now that's a two-fisted war-time hero there!

EDIT, by the way, GREAT website "The Golden Age Hero Directory". Just gill-chokingly full of succinct, interesting summations and neat micro-hero representations. Good job by the dudes running that.

Now I can say I DOUBLED someones reading!

----------------------------------------------

Yeah, I'm going to be in real trouble soon.  With JB's JSA and FX coming out in the near future I could be quadrupling my spending! 

Okay. In order:

The Eagle and Buddy

Rainbow Boy 

Man O'Metal (LOVE THIS GUY! Great stuff!)  Read a whole issue here http://members.fortunecity.com/srca1941/AAC10-3-1.html - http://members.fortunecity.com/srca1941/AAC10-3-1.html  as well as some of these others.

V-Man (no Boys though so far)

U.S. Jones

Yank and Doodle

The Dart and Ace

Dynamic Man?

Dynamic Boy

It doesn't look like Alex Ross is pussyfooting around in his determination to make Daredevil or The Devil into a comic book icon, judging by the released cover art for ish 2 of SUPERPOWERS:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=135756 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=135756

Ed, I appreciate your posts and you contribute greatly to keeping this thread alive with your knowledge. Thanks again.

I haven't been able to lay hands on the AC stuff as yet. Are those comics sold mostly online, because I don't think I've ever run across any in the big comic shop I sift through.

Someone posted an issue of the Devil (Daredevil) beating the living hell out of Hitler. This may be the worst beating Hitler ever received:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=136463 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=136463

Mike Allred is working with Erik Larsen on this Golden Age project which is digging up a lot of public domain characters.

Allred taking on Fletcher Hanks' Stardust!

Look at Catman's face. He enjoys strangling Hitler almost as much as Kitten gunning down japs on another cover.

I haven't been able to lay hands on the AC stuff as yet.

*********

I have one AC comics compilation with real Golden PD material. The compilation in itself is very cool, the picture quality can't be better, but it was too many pages for the pamphlet format (know no better word), it's a miracle it doesn't explode. It should have been in paperback. It has Black Terror, horror, even Warner Oland. It cost me almost as much as two (!) Essentials or Showcases and is much much thinner.

Added picture below.

Found this, from Tom Scioli's blog http://tomscioli.blogspot.com/ - http://tomscioli.blogspot.com/

It's Tom Scioli's take on "Space Smith" for the "Next Issue Project" of Erik Larsen's, at Image.

Moonstone Books is a beautiful company http://www.moonstonebooks.com/launch.asp - http://www.moonstonebooks.com/launch.asp

They're releasing some Avenger books next year, with covers by some of the original artists of the paperbacks.

But here's the big news, for me at least:  And then stay tuned for a special wide-vision graphic novel where the AVENGER teams up with the SPIDER, as they battle each other AND Dracula!...written by David Michelinie, with art by Eddy Newell!

Seriously, the Spider and the Avenger up against Dracula??? That might be the greatest story ever told. I feel like someone's playing a joke on me here.

Not to deviate too much from the thread's intent, but Scioli's one of the few guys around who could have worked back in the Golden or Silver Ages, so it's okay to discuss? I've dug GODLAND pretty well, though I wasn't overpowered with the writing either, Ed. Now, what I do want to read by Scioli is MYTH OF 8-OPUS, which is advertised in the GODLAND trades. Review here: http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/reviews/10002109011394 0.htm - http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/reviews/10002109011394 0.htm

The design on 8-Opus is just great.

http://my.opera.com/AggressorBrad/blog/index.dml/tag/Cover%2 0model - http://my.opera.com/AggressorBrad/blog/index.dml/tag/Cover%2 0model

Go to the above for a nice blog detailing aspects of the Pulp characters, and what this dude terms the "new Pulp" in the Destroyer/Penetrator/Enforcer/Killmaster vein of men's action novels. I just found it by accident looking for this pic of Steve Holland hisownself posing as Doc Savage:

From what I've read Scioli and Joe Casey do Godland in the old Marvel method of plot, art, then scripting. Casey can be a little over the top with some of his dialogue but overall it's a fun book.

Another Next Issue Project project, "Captain Kidd" by a dude named Jim Rugg, who is apparently quite adept at drawing awesome Brothers with afros punching vampire brains out of the back of their head. His Cap Kidd doesn't look too bad either...

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=136871 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=136871

This is a heads-up and a cool one at that.

Dark Horse Comics solicitations has an upcoming Spider statue that looks VERY cool. With interchangable heads no less, depending on "which" Spider you prefer, the slick Green Hornet/Shadow clone or "clean" version or the nasty psychopathic hunchbacked vampire-fanged freak as originally intended.

News from Mid-Ohio, concerning the new SPIRIT writing team of Sergio Argones and Mark Evanier: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=137541 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=137541

Sergio Aragones was signing for fans of his monthly series Groo and his work on Mad Magazine, where he does four pages each month, as well as the beloved little cartoons on the borders of the magazine's pages.

Beginning in January, comics fans will also be reading his work in The Spirit #14 from DC Comics. Aragones is the new regular co-writer of the series, which is being drawn by Mike Ploog and co-written by Mark Evanier.

Aragones says he likes working on The Spirit because it's got "done in one" stories. "That's one thing that Will Eisner taught us when he did The Spirit," he said. "In seven pages, he did a whole story. And when I was a kid, I couldn't believe it. With only seven pages, I was saying, how could he do that? The stories are so long and have so much in them. Now that I'm writing them, it's is a little longer because it's 22 pages, but it's the same thing."

When asked what readers can expect from upcoming issues, Aragones said January's issue is about a murder in an old people's home, and February's deals with a murder in the beauty contest.

"I am so proud that they chose me to write it, being such a fan of Will and he was a friend of mine, so now I'm really excited," he said.

The writer is also working on the six-issue Bat-Lash mini-series for DC Comics, with issue #1 slated to come out December 12th. "It's the character I co-created many years ago, and I'm writing the origin with a gentleman named Peter Brandvold who writes novels. He's a very good Western writer. And the art by John Severin is just beautiful," Aragones said. "We are doing the origin story of Bat Lash, because we touched briefly upon it when we did our original series. We went and just passed it, just said the ranch burned. So this is how they whole thing happened -- the good guys and bad guys and how he lost friends and family. So it's a development of the origin of Bat Lash."

-----

And right next to Aragones' table was his co-writer on The Spirit, Mark Evanier, who said he loves working with his friend on the series.

"Sergio and I have been best friends since the Paleolithic era," he laughed. "So we get along well. We finish each other's sentences – I finish them in English; he finishes them in Spanish. It's the easiest collaboration in the world. I don't feel that it's even work, because it's just having lunch with Sergio, sitting around with him and talking about ideas. The fact that somebody can turn it into a comic book is a bonus."

Evanier said it would be very intimidating if the two of them were following Will Eisner. "But other people have done the Spirit since Will passed, and some even did it when he was around," he said, "so it's a little less intimidating than it might be. They picked us because we are known for doing concise, complete stories that have a sense of humor about them without being too silly. And that's kind of the same thing that Will did. We're trying to keep that same spirit, but it's a more modern interpretation. It's hopefully the kind of thing Will would have done if he were around today."

Evanier also has a hardcover from Abrams Books coming out titled, Kirby: King of Comics.

"It's a book about Jack Kirby, a man whom I have not written about for over an hour," he joked, adding that he's also doing more Groo and working on a new Garfield cartoon series.

Hmmm.  Including two head versions (grotesque and cover/brief) was a nice enough touch to make up for the ring.  Not sold on the statue as a statue of the Spider even with the grotesque mask, though.  As a sort of general two-fisted, twin .45s Pulp statue, however, I really dig it! 

Thanks for the heads up, Chad!

Is there not a ring? I missed what was being said.

Great avatar by the way, Michael.

Nah, the ring is legit.  I was just letting out with my personal thoughts on giving the Wentworth character such a signet beyond the cover.  Too reminiscent of the girasol for my tastes.  Even before I learned of the mail-away it seemed derivitive, and now it comes off just exactly as what it was: a marketing ploy.  I'm not consistent, I guess.  When it comes to the elements of the statue, I'm not ready to give up one of the 1911A1s for the Spider's truly trademark cigarette-lighter. ;)

Chad, you already covered the graphic projects angle, but any thoughts on Moonstone's upcoming Spider Chronicles prose collection?  Odd in a comic fan, maybe, but I can't quite overcome my disdain for pastiche long enough to look forward to its release.  Chuck Dixon, et al., notwithstanding.

Ah, that's right. The Spider used a specially designed cig lighter to burn his insignia into his victims. I forgot about that.

I've seen the SPIDER CHRONICLES trade, but haven't pulled the trigger to buy it yet. It's one of those things I may ask for Christmas. I should probably start out on the real Pulp deal, but this seems readily accessible right now.

The dude who is being tapped to bring the Spider to life at Moonstone is Tom Floyd...and if I'm going to shill his website while I'm at it, because Captain Spectre is the shite! http://www.captainspectre.com/index.html - http://www.captainspectre.com/index.html

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12472 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12472

Andy Kuhn is taking on this Golden Age property as part of the Next Issue Project:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12530 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12530

Matt Wagner's new ZORRO series is coming! Wagner's not doing interiors, but writing and at least the first two ish covers.

You'll have to forgive me while I catch up with a character I had heard about peripherally, but hadn't paid attention to.

Is anyone reading this series currently?...I somehow missed the boat.

http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/features/1191914933845 48.htm - http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/features/1191914933845 48.htm  interview with the creators, Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener.

Only a six issue limited series, but I'm dying to read this thing. Exactly precisely what good Pulp is all about.

I'm going to mention Joe Casey's THE LAST DEFENDERS here, as he has gone and done something complete f**king cool in his line-up:

That's right. One of the coolest characters of the Golden Age of Marvel. Casey is just a man's man, and I man-love him very much for this.

Other members of the Defenders, Nighthawk, She-Hulk, and Colossus. Interesting and cool. Good for Casey. http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=140235 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=140235

I'm very much looking forward to it, Dave. Your work is amazing.

An interview with a guy whose name sounds like he was born to draw ZORRO, Francesco Francavilla: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=140808 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=140808

The return of Neon the Unknown, in upcoming issues of UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS: http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12640 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12640

I agree, Ed, that USATFF is pretty heinous where it concerns the treatment of Quality characters, but once you've seen the Human Bomb beaten into tomato paste by Bizzaro and Phantom Lady skewered on a spear by Deathstroke, I can't even blink anymore at what DC will do next. Neon the Unknown will probably suffered some psychological indignity just prior to be killed off, that I have no doubt.

High anticipation for the Next Issue Project. I look every day for further news...thanks for posting, Ed.

A Matt Wagner interview concerning the new Zorro from a design standpoint.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=140906 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=140906

http://www.geocities.com/cash_gorman/ - http://www.geocities.com/cash_gorman/

I'm reiterating this because the site is very cool. Plus one of the pages is called "Hero-Goggles", which is awesome and speaks directly to my belief that all the best characters wear goggles. We may be dabbling here, but there's some really informative stuff on this site. Thanks so much for the heads-up, Ed. I love it.

Okay, just for the sake of it, I'm going to stretch the qualifications around for "Golden Age" as this character apparently was born of the Silver Age, but retroactively exists within the MU's World War I.

Phantom Eagle...by Howard Chaykin and Garth Ennis.

It's a MAX title, so I'd expect this to fall into line with Chaykin's SHADOW and BLACKHAWK stuff, and Ennis of course is no shrinking violet to getting gruff and nasty with the language and gore, so anticipate a lot of both.

Nice cover though.

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=142228 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=142228

Thanks for the link.  I'll generally take a peek to see what Chaykin's up to but I must say, although these preview pages are well drawn, the storytelling seems a little confusing.  I guessing he was going for some kind of pacing effect with the camera angles jumping all over the place but it sure made it hard to follow(for me).  I've recently re-read the infamous Alex Toth notes to Steve Rude so my perception may be tainted by that, but these pages look like they're trying to be carried by tricks and pretty drawings rather than good storytelling.  Maybe I'm being too harsh but it was surprising to see from a guy that I consider one of the storytelling generation.

Godly Darwyn Cooke's farewell to THE SPIRIT:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=142359 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=142359

Well, you know I'll be all over this...a new Pulp Hero-inspired comic courtesy of Image Comics, who seem in full-on Golden Age/Pulp mode, likely driven by Erik Larsen's vision, though I'm speculating. It just SEEMS like Image is heavily into this sort of stuff, all of a sudden.

EDIT: http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12707 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12707

Great title by the way. A "revenant" is

2.	a person who returns as a spirit after death; ghost.

Gotta promote the Lobster Johnson trade, http://www.tfaw.com/Shops/Hellboy/Profile/Lobster-Johnso ;n:-Iron-Prometheus-Volume-1-TPB___315046 - http://www.tfaw.com/Shops/Hellboy/Profile/Lobster-Johnson:-I ron-Prometheus-Volume-1-TPB___315046

And its cover:

I ran across this cover from Guy Davis, an adoring throwback for Jeff Frissen and Bob Silva's LUCHA LIBRE comic. This one says it all:

Okay Golden Age lovers...take the quiz: http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=296828 - http://quizfarm.com/test.php?q_id=296828

Me? Very proud to say...

Which Golden Age DC Comics Character Are You?

You scored as a The Sandman.

You are THE SANDMAN: lone, silent nighttime avenger, bringing dark dreams of damnation and remorse to all those who traffic in evil! (1st appearance: (ADVENTURE COMICS #40, July 1939)

The Sandman. 75% Green Lantern 67% Hawkman 67% Doctor Fate 63% The Black Canary 63% Hourman 63% Starman 58% The Flash 42% The Vigilante 42% The Guardian 33% Johnny Thunder 29%

Another tie.  The Sandman score surprised me. You scored as a Green Lantern

You are THE GREEN LANTERN: wielder of the single greatest weapon the universe has ever known: the Power Ring! (1st appearance: ALL-AMERICAN COMICS #16, July 1940)

Green Lantern 75% The Sandman. 75% Doctor Fate 63% The Flash 58% Johnny Thunder 54% Hawkman 54% Starman 50% Hourman 42% The Guardian 38% The Vigilante 21% The Black Canary 17%

I was not expecting this:

Doctor Fate		75%
The Flash		63%
Hourman		58%
The Sandman.		58%
Starman		54%
Hawkman		50%
Green Lantern		46%
Johnny Thunder		38%
The Guardian		33%
The Black Canary		29%
The Vigilante		21%

Does this mean I now need a Doctor Fate commission?

Found this awesome Bret Blevins/Terry Austin cover and comic preview for PHANTOM ish 21 from Moonstone. http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12795 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12795

 

Which Golden Age DC Comics Character Are You?

You scored as a The Flash

You are THE FLASH: the first (and greatest) superhero ever to be known as "The Fastest Man Alive," and a genuine inspiration to everyone around you! (1st appearance: FLASH COMICS #1, January 1940)

The Flash 79% The Guardian 75% Doctor Fate 71% Johnny Thunder 63% The Sandman. 58% Starman 58% Hawkman 58% Green Lantern 58% Hourman 50% The Vigilante 46% The Black Canary 29%

A new retro character, MADAME MIRAGE... http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=144532&highl ight=madame+mirage - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=144532&highl ight=madame+mirage

I can't help being intrigued.

The quiz:

Hourman 71%

Starman, Sandman, Green Lantern, and Dr. Fate all tied at 67%

SUPERPOWERS ish Zero out today?

A review from http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=145000 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=145000

Picked up Project Superpowers # 0  today. I think I'm gonna like this series. Really looking for ward to the next issue.

To Stephen Sadowski: If you read this; Congratulations on your fine work. Are you doing any more stuff for this book?

Stephen, the art was very good on the newly released "0" issue and the cover price made it even sweeter.

For me, the inaugural issue seemed to offer an effective hook for how & why the golden agers were to be revived.  Sadly, for me, this was at the expense of Bruce Carter III (one of my favorites of the old Nedor gang).  I hated seeing him duped, if that's what happened, but only time will tell - - - I guess.

I will stick around and see where this goes, but I hope the artwork doesn't suffer with your early departure.

Though the art previews for LAST DEFENDERS do little or nothing for me (unfortunately, but maybe I need to give it a chance...and yet I can't get over how un-dynamic the Blazing Skull appears; how is it humanly possible for an artist to make the Blazing Skull look, well, mundane?), this is a nice little overview of the character with Joe Casey commentary:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=145148 - http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=145148

Stephen - The circumstances of the heroes' disappearance, their impending return and the inner turmoil of Bruce Carter and his role in all of this all adds up to something I think I'm gonna want to read.

I'm disappointed that you're not continuing with this series but I will keep a look out for Avengers / Invaders.

I have yet to read THE TWELVE yet, but I'm starting to feel like I should. JMS is my problem, but maybe this thing is worthwhile.

What's definitely worthwhile is this cover to issue 2, by Kaare Andrews...don't know where I've heard the name. There's a bit of oddness to the cover, but for obvious thematic reasons it appeals to me. I'm not sure about the interior art, really, but I like this:

I'm confused, Stephen S. You're only doing two issues of the SUPERPOWERS thing? Who's on tap for the others?

 have yet to read THE TWELVE yet, but I'm starting to feel like I should. JMS is my problem, but maybe this thing is worthwhile.

****

Im no great fan of Stracynski, I greatly hate his Spider-Man work. But this was good aside from a line or two that raised an eye brow. Loved most of the designs in the book.

Sorry Stephen S, I haven't picked mine up yet...wince. I've been in the midst of a little bit of life deluge.

Ed, I think the GOLDEN AGE is not meant to be representative of the DC of the time the series came out or now, even though it's supposedly "in continuity". GOLDEN AGE is very specific about the physicality of the characters involved...all of the Golden Agers in this story are about as "real" as Robinson could get them, right down to their origins. I think in Robinson's mind, he was writing from the conceit that the physical world causes physical reactions and vice versa...so mystic might is never considered a viable possibility in "our" world, or the "real" world. It's not so painfully accepted outside of religion. I don't know how purposeful Robinson's intent in regards to the mystics is, but I don't agree it ruins the story at hand.

The superhuman characters involved, especially those "directly" addressed by the story, are almost all products of science-based incident/accident, GL, Robotman, Hourman, Johnny Quick, Human Bomb, while the non-superhumans are dominant, Red Bee, Tarantula, Manhunter, Ms. America, Liberty Belle, Hawkman. Looking at the story, the arrival of Captain Comet and Dynaman represent a core shift in the balance between superhumans and "extra"humans, as superhumans are about to run rampant in the "new" ideology of the Silver Age. Which, by the by, changes the values of the world around them...before that time, even the superhumans are just men and women standing up for American ideals, and in the post-War environment, they suffer the same indifference that the vets of WW 2 were faced with, once the celebrating and occupacy was over. That's my take on some of these proceedings anyway.

There just doesn't appear to be any mystics involved in this story simply because they, like Superman and Batman, have not come into existence yet. In Robinson's created story, that's the case. I don't know how this is "in continuity" either, but there you go.

For me, GOLDEN AGE isn't about the JSA at all. It's about WW 2 vets who happen to have extraordinary abilities, and the sudden disaffection Robinson's chosen cast feels now that the world has moved on from needing them so poignantly. Considering what has happened to most of these characters since that time, I consider GOLDEN AGE a fanciful variation on them...the noir-infected style of Robinson/Smith telling a tale of an alternate world.

I thought Project Superpowers was interesting.  I thought the Twelve was interesting.  Lets see where they go from here.

I'm a big fan of golden age comics, but these new versions aren't anything like the golden age comics.  They are entirely new people wearing the same costumes.  Nearly every golden age hero could be swapped out with the next one, with excpetions, of course.  They are all patriotic, tough, smart, etc.  None of them have any failngs.  Heck, even Rockman was pretty much the same way.

I guess I'll just have to see where they go, and how the characters are written.  If its just Watchmen all over again, then I'll be disappointed.  I think thats the direction of the Twelve, but I hope Project Superpowers isn't that way.  The Twelve makes me cringe a little.  I think its Bendis' "watch-me-shit-on-super-heroes" story. 

I am a sucker for this kind of book and really enjoyed the first issue. Sure the story is not (so far) hyper new but it is a type of story I like rather a lot.I loved the art and I am crushed that Steve Sadowski is now off the book. For me the colouring was fine. What with the Twelve and Avengers/Invaders the next few months are going to be fun for us fans of old style heroes.

Steve do you know if Dynamite have any plans to release this story in hardcover once it is completed?

Green Mask...at least the second version, has a pretty cool little conceit going:

    After a two year break (post Green Mask I), Fox Features revived the character of the Green Mask in issue #10 of The Green Mask . In this version, the Green Mask was now secretly Johnny Green, the son of the original Green Mask, whose secret identity had now been changed to Walter Green. Johnny was a teenager who would become an adult when he was very angry. (like Captain Marvel / Hulk cross; but no magic words required) When he's anger sub-sided, he'd change back to plain Johnny Green.

Too bad this character got short shrift. When I was a kid, that's EXACTLY what I wanted to do when I got mad...become an adult and kick ass.

EDIT forgot to add this is from the GREAT site, The Golden Age Hero Directory, http://www.dpccomics.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/theamericanco micshop/goldenagedatabase/index.php?page=4&section= g - http://www.dpccomics.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/theamericancomicsh op/goldenagedatabase/index.php?page=4&section=g

Oh...eesh. Sorry Ed. I notice a lot of that sort of thing, but I was thinking the originators of the pieces and parts were somehow acknowledged. That's disappointing. What you get from the Internet I guess...I wish to god Roy Thomas would put old issues of "Alter Ego" online.

Ed! In your opinion, and including your own excellent site, what's the best sites to check up/out the Golden Agers?

Ray Tate writes up a review for http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/ - http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/  on PROJECT SUPERPOWERS:

Something is seriously wrong with the DC universe. I know I say that often enough, but you have to realize, gentle reader, that I am a DC fan. I grew up reading DC. I have DC in my blood.

I care so little about DC nowadays. Here I sit. I'm reading a book about a series of basically also-ran, public domain characters called Project Superpowers. These individuals should feel generic to me. They should be like the cookie-cutter police inspectors from '90s British mystery series that were aired on PBS, absolutely indistinguishable and interchangeable. Thanks to Ross, Kreuger, Kluba and Sadowski these super-heroes resonate more for me than the current Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman.

Something is wrong with DC. The problem lies in the writers having no reverence for these characters. They either want to bring them down to give them feet of clay, turn them into jokes or use them as examples of what's old contrasting against what's hip--usually written by Winniruckajohns.

The story opens with the eerie American Spirit (Uncle Sam), presented as a vaguely human shape beneath the flag, confronting Bruce Carter, alias the Fighting Yank, with an accusation. Already, the story is different. Rather than light against dark, we have two patriotic archetypes conflicting. The American Spirit takes the Yank down memory lane. Memory Lane is currently inhabited by the Black Terror, the Flame, the Green Lama and the original Blue Beetle.

I like to delve into the history of super-hero comics. Alter-Ego is on my pull list, but I've not read an adventure with these heroes. I know of them. I have seen them before as art, mascoting the articles written about them, but I don't know these individuals like I do the Trinity.

Thanks to the creative team on Project Superpowers I now like these individuals more than any member of the Shadowmatesocietyofamericantitans. I think I may like them more so than the current Justice League. Let me reiterate. There's something wrong with the DC universe. There has to be.

Kluba and Sadowski depict these heroes in classic poses. Black Terror stands with his arms akimbo. The armored Beetle gleams in the background. Capes flow and flap. At the same time Ross and Krueger injects complexity within the heroes that serves as the crux of the story. The Yank believes in supernatural evil that must be fought at all cost. The other heroes see rationality as the way to fight. They do not necessarily believe in evil as a force but dependent on the individual.

The military, or the powers behind the military, dupe the Yank into serving their corrupt ways. The yarn the general spools could only instigate action in a blind believer. Ostensibly, the Yank is the villain of the piece, but Ross and Krueger make you sympathize with the character. He's doing what he believes to be right, and under the advisement of his ghostly ancestor. He has literally seen the evil around the world; no doubt part of the long con. The artifact the Yank steals from Hitler's cache does exhibit mystical abilities. So I can see his point of view. That's when I realized that I'm feeling something for a character that I didn't know in my childhood, and I'm feeling something for a character who is essentially an artfully corrupted hero, archetypes for which I usually have no use.

The strange thing about is Project Superpowers is that I didn't just feel something for one character. I felt something for all of them. I never read a single adventure with the Flame and Flame Girl, yet I find him potent and she sweet and caring. I know that the original Daredevil was supposed to be hot stuff back in the day, but I never had the opportunity to read a single story with him in it, yet damned if he doesn't look and act cool in these pages. If the Checkteeninfinitypackofjustice went away tomorrow I wouldn't care, but Samson's fate affected me. If Booster Gold were drawn, quartered and disemboweled, I'd shed few tears. Why then does it matter to me if the lives of Kitten, Miss Masque and the Red Arrow are threatened? It's in the writing. It's in the art. These characters may be also-rans to Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, but the individuals involved with the series love them. They revere them. They treat them with respect, and each character's dignity emanates from the panels. Why can't the powers that be at DC and Marvel do the same?

Awesome, Ed. Thanks so much.

Finally got my PROJECT SUPERPOWERS Zero today. Also THE TWELVE two. Will report tomorrow.

Heap action! That's what I'm talking about!

SUPERPOWERS Zero: I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting as poignant a story as I found here. Really, really interesting concept, but I was riveted by the Fighting Yank's decisions, considering he is the true "soldier" who believes intently in the power of the preternatural, the palpable obscure. The idea that "sacrifice" is such an obscure concept even at that time that the Yank is SURE he must betray his friends to save existence...pretty powerful.

The whole series gets a nice little set-up, and Steve Sadowski pulls off some wowser panels, such as the first appearance of the American Spirit, the Face's face melting, Samson's leap and "I'll stop this"...really well-done. A fantastic job all around, and I'm not just saying it. I would even say, tonally, that Jim Krueger gets to the heart of these obscure characters with a few deft manuevers...he isn't telling you what to think about any of the characters, but allowing the reader to latch on to the character based on their actions. It's good story-telling, not a treatise on deconstruction. I was most surprised about that aspect of this story.

As far as anything else is concerned, I didn't think the coloring looked any worse than on anything else I read currently. Most comics look like if you tilted them the color would slide off that slick-ass paper onto your shoes. I would always prefer the color when it doesn't look oily, but you can't get it all.

I was a trifle worried about SUPERPOWERS, only because I hoped it would be something worthwhile. And I'm pretty excited now.

Hadn't seen this cover before to post...I still think Ross is putting some real effort into these things. Probably some of the best work he's done in a long time, to me.

Stephen, what has Carlos Paul been involved on? Any place online to check out the man's art?

Sorry about the Klauba reference, but it was a nice panel. Ross looks like he's got a specific "look" he's shooting for. So you and Klauba seem seamless, or maybe I was just too excited to notice. Plus, I figured Klauba was maybe the inker...I'm not familiar with him.

Well, I finally managed to read it, and I've got to say I'm sorry Stephen isn't doing the art for the rest of it. The artwork is really good - Stephen, you really hit it out of the park with the two page spread (pages 18-19), and Dynamite should really consider making that into a poster or something.  I recognize almost every character, but there's one I'm not so sure about - is the blond haired guy with red metallic skin supposed to be Man O' Metal with different coloring (he was originaly black haired with blue metal skin)?

The writing is really well done, and I like how Fighting Yank was set up to be the catalyst for everything.

Will definitely be picking up Avengers/Invaders, since I'm a fan of the real Invaders (ie, WW2) team. 

Unknown Soldier?

Not this guy, I presume...

???

Dave, NOW I know where I saw Klauba's name before...I'm embarrassed because I was just using one of his great Phantom illustrations for an avatar. I'm suffering from dumb:

I'd like to see someone use the Purple Zombie, a very obscure Golden Age character who only ever made one appearance. Haven't found any pictures of him online, other than micro-heroes. Basically, a bald guy with a mean look on his face, purple skin, brown (I think) pants and shoes.

I won't pretend to know Erik Larsen's mind, but whatever his true motivations, he seems geniunely proud of his Next Issue Project, discussed in interview here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=20 - http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=20

Dave, Klauba is one of those guys, like yourself, I've only recently discovered specifically because Moonstone is out there heralding these characters.

Ed, I've never understood the lack of heat on the Avenger either. Jack Kirby's JUSTICE INC with Denny O'Neil scripts was pretty good stuff (Kirby had some fun too...the panel in one ish where the Avenger has manipulated his "dead, putty face" into a duplicate of another man, and is discovered and subsequently gets a punch in the face...the huge indenture in the Avenger's face from the blow is creepy and fantastic).

I'd die to write the Avenger and Justice Inc. The great part of this character, maybe more than any other Pulp Hero, would be the breadth and scope of the stories you could tell. SF to espionage to horror to jungle adventure would all be readily acceptible. Even the team members of Justice Inc have the kind of backgrounds that could make them as viable and interesting as any of the vampire hunters in TOMB OF DRACULA.

Steranko does the Spider, or, How Did I Manage to Miss This?

Chad-
I'll make a call to Joe at Moonstone for you, but only if I get to film your
death and put it on youtube...

So it's scribe of The Avenger via J-Horror immolation, Dave?

The funny thing about the Kirby Avenger is that, within the story, the Avenger is slender and does use the little tube gun to "crease skulls".

Bruce Timm rendition of the Avenger...

If you look, it seems that Kirk Douglas was the "model" for the character on a number of the old pulp novel covers.

I wonder if Kirk Douglas would have been willing to dye his hair white and wear white face make-up for such a role...certainly, by the 1970s, we might have gotten the Kirk Douglas Avenger. I mean, if he played a living Wile E. Coyote in that cowboy comedy with Arnold Swartzenegger (sic), he would have been willing to maybe create a lasting character on film while not totally turning in his pride.

Steve Holland was a Man. You just find faces like his so very rarely...