If I Had a Buck...The Aluminum Age

Martinex1: Here at the Bronze Age Babies' site, there is an obvious love for all things from the 60's, 70's and 80's, so don't judge me too harshly when our virtual spinner rack carries us unabashedly into 1990's comic book territory for a $1 shopping spree challenge.

While I, perhaps more than others, have an affinity for comics from my adolescent days I did continue reading and collecting until the turn of the century and beyond.  In my opinion, I was still able to find some good and even great superhero stories after the Bronze Age.  The art was changing quickly on the heels of the Image movement, and the writing was becoming more decompressed as titles clogged the racks, big special events seemed to pop up every month, and variant covers started to appear.  But there were still some gems amongst the dreck of the disposable decade.

Below are 15 titles that I found some hope and enjoyment in during those days.   I felt there was some artistic aspect worth recommending in each.   In retrospect, some truly survived the test of time better than others.  They all had a sensibility or heroism that I recognized and liked from previous generations of comic work.  There are definitely comics worthy of a re-read, and others that should find their way to a recycling bin. 



These comics were cover-priced far too expensively for our normal game, so once again they reside in the quarter box (much like in reality).   Four for a dollar.  As always, share your selection and your thoughts; share your cheers and jeers. Thanks again to Mike's Amazing World of Comics site for the extensive cover archives and credits.

So listen to some Nirvana, Eminem, or Guns N Roses; pop in your VHS tape of  Herman's Head or Quantum Leap, enjoy a cold glass of Crystal Pepsi and make your picks and comments from the Aluminum Age.

Kirk Busiek's Astro City #11 (Nov 1997)  The covers, writing, and art in this series were top notch.  I enjoyed to modernist take on archetypes I loved.
Force Works #11 (Mar 1995) An evolution of the West Coast Avengers with writing by the clever team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.   This Spider Woman had some nice moments.
Ghost Rider #15 (July 1991) Danny Ketch was the new Ghost Rider and that had pros and cons to it.   The art by Mark Texeira had some good aspects; this cover is an example. 
Guardians of the Galaxy #8 (Jan 1991)  Can you believe this was 25 years ago?   Not their best outing, but I love the characters and the future history that this book expanded.
Hourman #7 (Oct 1999)  I didn't read it at the time, but I have to give kudos to the robotic Hourman and the writing of Tom Peyer and the art of Rags Morales.  This cover is by Scott McDaniel.
Impulse #20 (Oct 1996) Mark Waid's Impulse had a ton of humor but also a lot of heart.  
Incredible Hulk #387 (Nov 1991)  I only read the Hulk sporadically (sorry HB) until Peter David took a turn writing, and then I explored the massive back catalog.
Journey Into Mystery (Featuring The Lost Gods) #506 (Feb 1997) During the period that Thor was "gone"  Red Norvell and a new group of gods fought the Egyptian god Set.
JSA #2 (July 1999) The old and the new brought together in the great DC tradition; the originals and their legacies fight for justice.  
The New Warriors #4 (Oct 1990) A brand new team for a new generation,The Warriors had some familiar tropes but improved on some lesser known character properties under the guiding hands of Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley.
Spider-Man 2099 #4 (Feb 1993) The 2099 brand had some hits and misses, but Peter David crafted some decent tales as Miguel O'Hara took on the identity in the far flung future and a fancy new suit.
Thunderbolts #11 (Feb 1998) Spoiler Alert!  In a bold move the Masters of Evil play hero in a bid for world domination.  Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley establish a whole new approach for some classic villains.
Ultraforce #6 (March 1995) Gerard Jones and George Perez created a hero team for Malibu's Ultraverse with oddballs like Pixx, the Ghoul, and Prime.   The first arcs are highly underrated in my opinion, and the art is amazing.
X-Factor #71 (Oct 1991) Well, Peter David is at it again.  This time he puts his twist on a mutant team with some great characterization for the likes of Madrox and Quicksilver.  The art by Larry Stroman had some really over-the-top 90's flair.
Quasar #37 (Aug 1992) This series was a fun cosmic romp written by Mark Gruenwald in a very traditional way.

So that is a rundown of the "new" stuff.  Enjoy the covers!

Masks of our Fathers

Karen: We don't talk much about current comic books here at BAB, because we're focused on the books we dug in the past. But I can't help but notice what DC is now doing with their line. Soon, they'll be renumbering all their titles, starting at number 1, and there will be changes to the characters and the history of the DCU. It sounds like another restart that isn't a restart, in the same way that some books and characters were sort of rebooted after the original Crisis and some weren't. We all know how well that worked out. To me, it feels like DC is desperate to find some path to topping Marvel in sales. I have my doubts whether this will work, but time will tell.

The thing that surprised and disturbed me the most however, was to read that Superman will now once again be the first super-hero -which means that all those heroes from WWII, the JSA and others, no longer existed. There isn't even a JSA title announced. I've always thought that the multi-generational aspect of the DC universe was appealing -and also set it apart from Marvel. With the JSA, JLA, and the Teen Titans, we had three generations of heroes all co-existing. There was an aspect of passing the baton, of the older generation helping to spur on the next . I for one liked that. I liked the Jay Garrick Flash meeting up with the Barry Allen Flash. Or Alan Scott's Green Lantern teaming with Hal Jordan. Heck, I even liked it back when there were two Supermen, two Batmen, etc! Of course, that was also back when the JSA was in a different reality...

I'm wondering if these characters are being shelved because DC thinks its too confusing for readers? DC hasn't said exactly what they are doing with these characters (not anywhere that I've read anyway) although Dan Didio said they will be "resting the JSA concept", whatever that means.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, how do you feel about DC losing the multi-generational concept that has been around so long? Or if you'd like, comment in general about DC's plans.