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Up and Down (and Up and Down and Up Again) With DC Comics' SILVER AGE Series (PART FOUR)
by NICOLAS JUZDA

copies of various parts of the Silver Age Event. -- NJ

DC's SILVER AGE event was symbolic of the shift in strategy in recent years among the big two companies (and DC especially) towards a return to an earlier, simpler, brighter form of comic storytelling; and, thus, a chance to recapture the magic (translation: sales) of yesteryear's comics.

While KINGDOM COME was Mark Waid's allegory for the comics

industry in the '90s, the SILVER AGE Event is the final victory of the

ideology he has so tirelessly championed, virtually from Day One.

It also happens to be one gigantic, insane ode to Robby "Dial 'H' For

Hero" Reed. But I'll get to that later.

I'm doing things a bit differently, this time out. The SILVER AGE

Event had way too many comics for me to possibly review in my usual method (the one I blatantly swiped from Unca Cheeks). My first attempt at using a replacement technique was the classic "haiku" approach:

Doom Patrol comic
The art needed some more work
Robotman is cool

However: I've decided, instead, to simply give random commentary on various things, re: the issues I've read, and pass judgment on same. You may wish to read a couple of the other reviews of the event to get a grasp of the plot of the books in question if you haven't read them, since it would be redundant (translation: too much work) for me to supply yet

another plot summary here.

So: what are the criteria by which we must judge this event... ?

Two things occur to me: did it produce good comics? And, did it produce passably Silver Age comics?

The second criteria is misleading, however. I mean, I can't exactly compare it to some of the genuine Silver Age stories that crossed over through nine different comics titles (plus three one-shots), and involved several dozen heroes. One shots didn't even exist back then, for crying out loud, barring the sort of sales figures that force editors into

reconsidering a job in the exciting field of tap dancing for dimes on street corners.

Thus, the question becomes not "are these titles unrecognizable as

fakes, when placed alongside the real thing?" (and, thus, a sure way to score big bucks off a slightly dimmer-than-normal fellow collector at the next comic convention you attend); but, rather, "do they at least capture some of the feel of same?"

Let's begin, shall we... ?

And, lo, there shall come a Spoiler Warning. Proceed at your own

risk.

First up to bat, in chronological order, is the SILVER AGE SECRET

FILES AND ORIGINS. And -- within said comic -- we first encounter "The Silver Age."

The first half of the story suffers somewhat from the fact that it's basically just set-up for the SILVER AGE Event's main story; providing the requisite rationale, re: how an alien conqueror finds out about the almighty JLA in the first place.

Frankly, given the amount of alien conquerors who've faced the JLA in the past without needing a twenty page explanation (I always figured they swapped tales at some sort of inter-galactic tyrant weekend seminar), this struck me as kind of missing one of the key points of the Silver Age: just get in there and tell the story, dagnabbit.

However, the second half of the tale could be used as a textbook

example of a writer following that very maxim.

In a mere SEVEN PAGES, there is a complete JLA versus Despero story; complete with all the action, banter, teamwork, and -- in place of mere grunting and brawling -- some actual cleverness on the parts of Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Superman (the last whom also gets to use his powers innovatively, for a change), that you could ask for. I've read seven issue "epics" that didn't deliver as much. So, full marks on that section; this was what the Silver Age was all about.

By contrast, the second story in here is a meeting between Hawk

and Dove and the Creeper...

... and: it's downright b-a-d BAD.

Hank and Don Hall may have always been exaggerations of their respective ideological demographics; but here, they're little more than one-dimensional caricatures.

"Good for nothing beatniks and peace freaks!" Hank sneers at one

point.

"Hank, don't you think it would be a better idea to exchange ideas

and explore other points of view before dismissing them", Don replies,

off-handedly dismissing his brother's viewpoint without exploring it one

whit.

Of course, Hank is well prepared to engage in this sort of subtle

banter, as he parries with: "I'd like to dismiss them, all right... with my

knuckles!"

This is, unfortunately, pretty much as witty as this piece gets.

The potential third perspective (i.e.,the "completely bloody insane"

viewpoint) the Creeper could have brought to the Hawk and Dove's dynamic is completely ignored; although maybe that's just because he barely interacts with them, really.

After the fight scene (It's one panel long. Seriously), we close with an especially insulting jab at the fact that the issues Hawk and Dove debated are no longer relevant (never mind that they were then). "But if there's one sure thing, it's that the Russkies will always be our enemies, and we'll be kicking Commie butt 'till we're old and gray!"

And, in case anyone missed the irony (ponderous and inelegant a

target though it may be): "Only time will tell, Brother Hawk" reads the

accompanying caption, which at least has the simple decency to end the horrid piece, right there.

Things pick up somewhat with the third story: a Mark Waid-penned

piece on Robby Reed and his miraculous "H-Dial." A little more plot might have been nice, but it's basically just a lecture on the H-Dial, in

preparation for Waid's own SILVER AGE one-shot later on. That being said, there is some nice character work with series supporting character Suzy.

However: saying "people don't get amnesia from a whack on the

brain case" (as Suzy does) ranks just below "you know, gorillas don't even have the right sort of vocal cords to speak English" on the list of All-Time Silver Age Heresies.

The other features throughout the book are, by and large, neat. The

fact pages are a nice touch, although having the Flash mention the

Internet as a future development is a bit too cute. Oh, and the Nick

Cardy art on the Titans page is gorgeous.

The plot shifts into high gear with SILVER AGE #1.

One by one, we're introduced to our players through vignettes wherein they battle the various members of the Injustice Gang. It's interesting

to note that the villains defeat the heroes because, for once, it's them

using teamwork. This is despite the Justice League's repeated claims that villains never actually do that (I never did trust the JLA; they just spew propaganda, really. Giant, telepathic, spacefaring starfish need to be heard too, y'know.)).

(Check it out, though: Mr. Element causes Flash to slip into Chronos' trap; Catwoman provides Felix Faust with the arrows to take down Black Canary and Green Arrow; Dr. Light truusses up Batman so Penguin can do the body/identity swap; etcetera, etcetera.)

Some other nice touches include Superman's secret identity in jeopardy; the Flash being turned to sand by Chronos (what DIDN'T Barry get turned into, during his long career?); the boxing glove arrow (you WILL believe a completely non-aerodynamically sound object can fly!); Ray Palmer and Barry Allen lulling Jean and Iris into twin narcoleptic comas via scientific "shop talk"; and Superman/Luthor telling "improvident lackey" Snapper Carr he's dismissed.

(I also approve of the fact that it's Green Arrow -- as opposed to the more obvious choice of the Batman -- who gets the real Justice League out of the prison they've been left in.)

All in all: a commendable start to the story.

Now, on to the nine (count 'em! NINE!) crossovers.

The SILVER AGE Event differs markedly from most of the recent DC "Skip Week" Events in that the one shots all follow one story (unlike "Girl Frenzy" or "Tangent"), and are not merely parallel (like "JSA Returns" or "Sins of Youth": classic split-up-defeat-mini-menaces-then-regroup-for- the-big-finale stories).

In other words: there is a definite progression of the plot,here.

And that's a bad thing.

... or, at least: it can be.

When reading the crossover one shots, I tended to look most

favorably upon those which stand well and truly on their own; both in terms of comprehensibility and in terms of delivering complete stories of their own, with clearly definable beginnings, middles, and ends.

Basically, there are three reasons for this:

1.) In general, if comics companies want to charge 4$, Canadian, for ten minutes worth of entertainment, they should at least deliver that much, at barest minimum.

2.) During multi-title "events", it is utterly obscene to put out nine comics in one bloody week and expect people to automatically buy them all (even if said projected consumers aren't limited to a kid's allowance in the way of actual spending money).

3.) ... and, in the real Silver Age, that's how things were done; and that was (ostensibly) what this whole event was about.

If they (the various "solo" issues) wanted to tie in to the SILVER AGE Event's main plot, that was fine... but: it didn't really bother me if they didn't give more than a token nod to it. The important thing, ultimately, was that they managed to stand on their own merits.

Our next entry stood on its own, certainly...

... but: I'd be hard pressed to find any actual "merits", per se, for it to stand on.

No, wait, here's something it deserves to be noted for: a hyperbolic caption that the comic actually lives up -- or, rather, down -- to.

"Warning! The Justice League adventure you hold in your hands

must not be read by anyone with a nervous disposition! This issue
features some of the most famous super powers in the world routinely
abused by several deeply disturbed super-villains! We urge you NOT to

enjoy... The League Without Justice!"

Well, really: who am I to argue with the well-intentioned urgings of a comics caption... ?

I absolutely, positively did notenjoy this comic; and I didn't even require the excuse a nervous disposition to feel I shouldn't have to finish reading it, halfway through. But: I'll make the sacrifice for you, the

reader, so that you won't have to.

No, no: I don't require thanks, really. Just doin' m'job, is all.

Mark Millar is the scribe in question, and I happen to have read his first AUTHORITY arc this very afternoon. It's not terribly difficult to spot the thematic similarities.

Basically: mockeries of heroes commit horrific acts.

I had mixed reactions to the AUTHORITY story's "Avengers," but at

least there was no pretense that this was anything but smug, post-modern sneering at the icons.

Here, it's presented as "an all-new tale from the Silver Age."

Well: I don't have the world's largest Silver Age collection, so maybe some especially kind and helpful someone out there can tell me where else in the DC comics of the period, specifically, one might reliably find such things as:

A.) ... hundreds of Green Lanterns slaughtered;

B.) ... Catwoman savagely kicking an already-downed foe, simply because she hadn't done anything particularly violent recently;

C.) ... sentient fish shredding and devouring one another alive, solely to amuse a sniggering super-villain;

D.) ... cold hearted genocide of a helpless, shrunken Daxamite society, entire;

E.) ... and dialogue rife, throughout, with blandly sadistic cruelty.

I'm thinking maybe it's in those old issues of STRANGE SPORTS STORIES I can never find...?

A very bad start to the crossovers, to be sure... but: the worst is over.

We're heading towards the good stuff, now.

Karl Kesel is quite possibly my favourite current comics writer; and he does not disappoint in THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN.

This is probably the second best of the crossover issues, overall. The ongoing "event" storyline is included, but is utilized as a springboard for a fairly self-contained story in its own right.

Kesel manages to breathe life into both Red and Prof in the first

few pages, through the former's completely unnecessary daredevil climb up Challengers Mountain, and the hilarious running gag concerning the latter's habit of giving things goofy super-scientific names; the best of these, a joke reaching its high point when Prof -- after explaining the Internet -- peevishly mutters "personally, I think they should call it the Conglomavox". (Unfortunately, Rocky and Ace end up somewhat less clearly defined.)

Kesel also manages to make the characters seem like people who do

indeed "challenge the unknown," routinely. When they get shrunk down to insect size, at one point, they complain that it happens so darned often. "Why can't they change us into robots, or werewolves, or two- dimensional beings?" a beleagured Ace moans.

And the bookish Prof manages to be the ONLY person in this whole event who figures out what's really going on, re: the hero/villain switcheroo. It's a nice moment, as the obvious "misunderstanding leads to fight scene for trapped hero" plot gets completely shunted aside well before we're expecting it to be.

Finally, the issue wraps up with a battle versus some pre-historic

beasties; thus providing the comic with a legitimate (dare I say it?) "mini- drama" of its very own to be resolved, rather than simply making it "Part 4 of 12". It's well staged, with time quickly running out for the men who've only been borrowing it, anyway.

The next comic on our list is my personal favorite of the crossover issues, overall: THE TEEN TITANS.

Now, it's only fair that I confess that, yes, the Titans are my all-time favorite comic book team, sure...

... but: I think that this installment of the SILVER AGE Event was the one to best recapture the feelof an actual Silver Age comic.

First up, there's the overall plot, which is so absolutely Silver Age TEEN TITANS material that it's practically a cliche. A super-villain with a conservative agenda takes over the minds of a small town's teenagers. The Titans faced this kind of thing all the time, back in the day. [See Unca's Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age series of articles, if you don't believe me.] And it allows this comic to stand on its own as a complete story, while still maintaining a connection to the SILVER AGE Event through the guest stars.

From the very second page of the story -- with the various Titans hanging out and bantering while answering their teenaged fan mail -- I was feeling nicely nostalgic.

"... so if Wonder Girl is my prom date, I just know all the other guys will be jealous," Speedy reads from the missive sent by a very young (and delusional) Kyle Rayner.

"Ha ha ha! Tell him my eight-foot alien boyfriend doesn't like me

dating other guys!" Donna replies, probably referring to her latest John Byrne-scripted retcon.

"Just tell him Speedy's your boyfriend! That'll scare him," Roy inexplicably suggests in the third person, clearly not able to focus on brute reality all that darned well even then.

"The idea of YOU dating Donna would scare anyone" comes the reply.

And so on. (This may be one of those things that you have to be a diehard TITANS buff to appreciate, granted.)

On the other hand, everyone should get a chuckle of Aquaman's

appraisal of being in Black Manta's body. ("I don't have to immerse myself in water to survive! I can actually go to concerts, baseball games, even Disneyland!") And I'll never look at Arthur the same way, now that I know the tragic pain he's harbored deep within his breast as a result of never, ever going on the "It's A Small World After All" ride.

The Silver Age touches keep coming, from Aqualad's "gallopin'

guppies" exclamation to a scene wherein the heroes are in traps cunningly crafted to negate their specific powers, but which may easily be overcome by teamwork; as Robin himself points out, just before his brain is fried by the trap designed to negate his intellectual abilities.

That being said: for a Boy Wonder, Robin certainly proves a bit dense at times. When the Batman, trapped in the Penguin's body, encounters Robin, he implores him: "Robin! I need you! Ignore what I look like! I'm Batman! Remember the incident of the two stilettos! You have to believe me!" (The image I'm getting of Batman wearing a pair of 6 inch stiletto heels is the sort of thing Frederick Wertham warned us about, isn't it...?)

"The two stilettos? But only Batman and I know about -- !" Robin

replies. But he's no Prof, and He. Just. Can't. Figger. It.

The comic reaches a climax as the villain rants away about "where

this great country of ours would be if our forefathers rebelled against

their elders?" in true '60s TITANS villain (or Canadian patriot) fashion, while Batman/Penguin and Robin simultaneously destroy his mind control machine.

Finally, there's a hilariously Silver Age-y one panel where Robin stodgily remonstrates a crowd to the effect that: "I know you adults are concerned about your kids... but remember, whatever our differences are, we all have to learn to get alongwith each other," to lusty cheers of "amen to that", "right on" and "you said it, Robin!"

It probably qualifies as parody, true... but it's the perfect (and utterly appropriate) end to a wonderful pastiche of the Silver Age TEEN TITANS series.

"Labour of love" is, quite frankly, the only way to adequately describe DIAL "H" FOR HERO; our next comic, which comes courtesy of the aforementioned Mr. Mark Waid.

Robby Reed is on a field trip to a military installation, learning

about such "future" developments as the Conglomavox (or "Internet", if you prefer); when who should appear but three members of the JLA, wreaking havoc (Superman, Green Lantern and the Flash).

It's all part of a plan by the JLA to discredit themselves. I don't think much of this sub-plot, actually... but: since it's basically an excuse for

a fight scene between "the Justice League" (as cleverly created by the

Martian Manhunter, utilizing the powers of Dr. Light) and Robby, I'll hold my rant until a comic more deserving of my ire comes up for review.

It's a good fight scene, to be sure... but: it was other things about the issue which ended up impressing me all the more, really.

These are what made DIAL "H" a such a fun-filled comic:

*** The scene at the end, where Dr. Light takes off his costume and

just walks away; reasoning that "an ordinary man who's shed his attention-getting costume can sneak away with ease" was a classic moment.

*** Waid fills in some of the gaps in Robby's background, both establishing how he was orphaned and tying him in to the Martian Manhunter.

*** He also implies that Robby's own multiple alter egos are uncocnscious (and unsuccessful) attempts at providing a living "father figure" for himself; a fun (if completely wacky) bit of psychological insight. Man... who knew Robby was so freaking twisted...?

[UNCA CHEEKS' ASIDE: Mighty Moppet and Gem Girl were two of Young Robby's idealized father figures, then? Sweet Jesus -- !]

(Sneak peeks into Robby's head are all well and good, of course... but: that's not what made the original DIAL "H" FOR HERO series great. At least, I've never heard that theory advanced. It could be, I suppose.)

At any rate, what I'm thinking of here are Robby's far famed alternate identities. Mark gives us one classic identity, and four all new ones. And three of the four feel dead on "right"; the only exception being the Pyronic Man, who (to me) lacked the distinctive quality of virtually all Robby's alter egos (i.e., godawful lameness). The other three get this dead on, particularly Generic Giant Character Man and Captain Splits Into Four.

We'll be seeing more of Robby Reed and his fabulous "H" Dial later, but -- in the meantime -- it's time to move on to THE FLASH.

This comic has probably the best cover of any of the comics in this event; but that is (unfortunately) the only area where it is in any way noteworthy or exceptional.

The FLASH comic is divided into two separate stories. The first of the two is the better one. It completely ignores the ongoing plot of the SILVER AGE Event; good move, since the second half of the issue is nothing more than a random and uninvolving chapter in a larger tale. And -- in its own way; taken on its own terms -- the first story delivers a convincing pastiche of a Silver Age comic, with a goofily appealing premise and a reasonably clever solution to the problem at hand, clocking in at an economical 10 pages.

Kind of a shame, then, that it had to be fairly mediocre.

It's not actually bad, really -- and it does have a couple of nice moments; my favorite being the hired actors badly portraying the Rogues -- but the fundamentally misguided choice of main villain (the Turtle) and the absence of any real excitement both hinder it.

But "mediocre" starts to sound downright appetizing after the second

story. Said opus focuses entirely upon the SILVER AGE Event's sub-plot

concerning the real JLAers trying to discredit their normal identities

before the villains can use the JLA's rep to do something bad. This was a

lousy auctorial choice for three reasons: the entire idea is fairly illogical (note that it would not have stopped the villain's plan even if it hadn't ended up backfiring when the rightful bodies were restored); the subplot never pays off in any real or satisfying way during the SILVER AGE event, itself (in the concluding 80 PAGE GIANT, Superman spends a whole two panels escaping from some soldiers... and. THAT'S. IT.); and, to top it all off with a whopping and illogical cherry, Barry is thunderingly UNSUCCESSFUL at it.

Thus, this story does nothing to advance the overall arc, while still being completely dependant upon it to make sense in the first place; and -- even if you take it as part of a larger whole -- it's still terrible.

(Incidentally: does anyone out there buy Batman urging the Flash to greater heights of atrocity until Barry has to put his foot down and insist he won't harm civilians? That's not the Penguin in Batman's body I'm

referring to, mind; I mean the genuine "driven to protect the innocent" Batman, completely subverting his entire raison d'etre. THAT guy.)

Things are looking appreciably better, meanwhile, over at the DOOM PATROL comic.

Well, not "looking" better, really, since the art is -- quite frankly -- just godawful; but reading better, anyway. (We're still stuck with the lame plot about the JLA ruining their own reps, of course; but, when it comes to implementing an inherently ill-thought-out plan prone to massive and disastrous backfiring, at least Superman/Luthor manages to... you know... do it.)

The dialogue is pretty good, capturing the offbeat cool of the

characters, particularly Robotman. ("But I just want to wrap one little girder around his throat," Cliff mutters dejectedly after the Chief has told him he can't harm Luthor, as Elasti-Girl comforts him by soothingly repeating "I know... I know..."))

I'm not familiar enough with the actual Silver Age DOOM PATROL to

know how exactly this sort of "family" dynamic compares with the original, but I found it quite charming throughout.

Elsewhere, Superman's attempts to imitate Luthor are quite funny.

("I will, er, brook no failure"; "...and woe betide the technician who fails me"; etcetera.)

But the best part is that Tom Peyer used the SILVER AGE Event's

"swapped bodies" storyline as a springboard for a Doom Patrol vs. General

Immortus and Garguax tale that stands complete unto itself.

Jim Aparo's got another great cover gracing THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Presents Batman and the Metal Men. And -- as with the Flash, earlier -- the story inside fails to live up to it.

We're done with the heroes trying to frame themselves, thankfully;

since our JLAers out of body are Green Arrow and Black Canary, who were smart enough not to buy into that whole mess.

Our other heroes (you need more than one set to have a "misunderstanding" lead to a fight, obviously, otherwise, they'll just eat up perfectly good story pages mercilessly whacking the crap out of themselves) are the Metal Men. To give credit where it's due, their characterization -- always amusing, in and of itself -- is more or less dead on target (with one exception, which I'll get to shortly).

So: why didn't I like this comic...?

Well, first: Platinum's character bothered me, what with her constant

swooning over Doc.

Now, lest I be accused of being unfair to Mr. Haney (he of "The Teen Titans' Swingin' Christmas Carol" infamy, by the way) in holding him

responsible for her character when he's just being true to the character's

prior portrayals... he isn't. Platinum, insofar as I've ever seen, is very much pro-active in her pursuit of the irresistible hunk o' man that is Will Magnus, doing everything short of (literally) throwing herself at him.

No, I take that back. She DID (literally) throw herself at him, on occasion. Like, every five minutes or so. Give or take.

On the other hand, the version presented in THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD here is much more self-pitying, whining and pining away in a very UN-Platinum-like way.

The Platinum I remember wouldn't just THINK "Oh Doc, when will you finally see that underneath this cold platinum shell I'm all woman"; she'd tell him, loudly and repeatedly (and probably accompanied by explicit hand gestures).

Compared to that, the goofy hat isn't even worth noticing.

So, that's one reason. Reason Number Two is the sheer ludicrousness of the bit where -- confronted by the ex-Metal Men, and asked whether he can turn them back into robots (a feat almost certainly falling more in the realm of pure magic then hard science), Doc basically just says "sure" and, by the next page, has it all ready.

I know the man's a genius, but... come on.

Third: despite the fact that the Penguin's plan was entirely dependant upon the Metal Men taking down Ollie and Dinah, when the former get

their metal forms restored and set off once again to pursue this task, he [the Penguin] acts like he's been foiled. No wonder this dweeb always loses those prestigious (no pun intended) Elseworlds roles to the Joker.

Reason Number Four: "I... I miss putting my strong treads into the

yielding earth -- !" was more about Lead than I ever wanted to know.

Way, way more.

(Can't he just throw himself at Will Magnus like any normal robot

with... urges?)

Oh, and Number Five is the fact that -- despite Platinum clearly

identifying herself to Doc after her transformation -- a page later he

wonders why she didn't do exactly that. I know he's supposedly dazed... but, if he whipped up a doohickey to turn humans into robots, then he can't possibly be completely out of it.

Before I leave THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD behind, I will admit that

"the greatest trick arrow ever" was pretty darned cool.

Kurt Busiek's GREEN LANTERN is by no means as bad as THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, THE FLASH or (shudder) JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA. But, considering the pedigree, here (this is Kurt bloody BUSIEK, after all), it's disappointingly mediocre.

The bits on Thanagar (where, thankfully, the "JLA" neglect to commit any specific acts of horrific genocide) are quite exciting at first, as Hal

stands alone against the JLA. But it all starts to go wrong with the yellow ring corrupting him.

It's been a longstanding fact that a power ring sans weakness would drive the wearer mad with power, true. But I always thought that would be a subtle and gradual corruption, not the power ring maniacally cackling, in essence: "I'm driving you mad! Ma-a-a-d! Nyah-ha-ha-ha!"

Like all the cannier writers involved in this event, Busiek supplies a self-contained story; but it feels tacked on, and inserting it dead center in

Hal's knockdown drag-out versus "the JLA" serves to completely diffuse the mounting tension. It would have been MUCH better served had it been neatly placed before the main story. a la THE FLASH, a tactic which still would have allowed Hal to suddenly recall its lesson, later on.

(Speaking of which: while there is a thematic connection between the stories, it could -- and, I venture, should -- have been cobbled far stronger.)

The accompanying "Sonar" story, in the meantime, lends no particular feeling of menace to GREEN LANTERN; and watching Hal make about three failed attempts to save the day before hitting the solution completely mitigates any real sense of urgency.

(One or two attempts might have caused mounting tension as time ran out, certainly; but three attempts, spread over as many pages, creates the impression that Hal has all the time in the world, really. He could practically duck out for a quick bite to eat and still come back to save the day afterwards.)

Back in the main story, things rapidly pick up again, until we're

back on track with a great battle between the Injustice Gang and the Green Lantern Corps. I also have to admire the fact that Green Lantern thinks his way out of his battle with the Injustice Gang instead of fighting, a good touch that feels distinctly Silver Agey.

Not a bad comic, by any means, but neither is it a great one.

GREEN LANTERN is followed by the last of the one shots: SHOWCASE.

Our "stars" in this issue are seven of DC's lesser lights from yesteryear, teaming up for the first time as the Seven Soldiers of Victory (an odd choice of name, considering that they actually pretty much fail, this time out). The assembled Injustice Gang, you see, is razing the planet Rann; and it's up to our heroes to help.

(Rann, of course, was being invaded all the time, back in the day. Aliens tried to take it over on a more-or-less monthly basis, [that being how often Adam Strange's adventures were published, of course]. This is because Rann occupies a key strategic location midpoint betwixt over 132 different interstellar wars; is chock full of valuable minerals; and its inhabitants both taste great and are less filling. But, actually, the Injustice Gang pretty much just seem to be attacking it for... you know... kicks.)

After the team is assembled, we basically get one long fight scene...

... but: I won't complain, because it's a truly great fight scene.

There's tons of action, but my favorite bits are those where it's not mere fisticuffs that triumph: Mento distracting Sinestro with visions of the Green Lantern Corps was clever; Adam Strange being attacked by his own jetpack was pleasantly weird (and felt just like the sort of interior

scene that Silver Age comics would have to justify some insane cover with a blurb like "Can Even Adam Strange Triumph Over... THE JETPACK OF DOOM?"); and the predictable Mr. Element versus Metamorpho sequence was very well done, indeed.

Oh, and like all good Silver Age fight scenes, it's only when the heroes work together that things really start jumping, as Batgirl and Blackhawk take out Black Manta and Catwoman, or the Shining Knight (why not the Atomic Knight?) and Metamorpho defeating Dr. Light.

Other than the fact that it neglects to tell its own story (of all the crossovers, this is the one that most feels like nothing but one chapter out of a larger whole), my only complaint is that there are too many heroes to be given full attention. (Blackhawk, especially, is there for what amounts to little more than a glorified cameo; he has less than a half dozen speech balloons in the entire issue.) Mento and Batgirl fare better, but the spotlight is clearly on Adam Strange, Deadman, the Shining Knight and Metamorpho.

We've finally arrived at the big wrap-up, then: the Silver Age Eighty Page Giant.

Far be it from me to keep you in suspense... so, I'll just say, right off the bat, that it rocked!

The villains are back on Earth, armed with the ultimate weapon:

enough power rings to go around (sans vulnerability), PLUS the ability to read the thoughts of everyone on EARTH!

They've collected a device that taps into billions of minds; a mineral that focuses and amplifies mental powers [see "Per'fesser" Quentin Long's Multiverse 101#3]; AND a device with an unlimited ability to channel mental power into energy. (Did anyone else see this as adding up to something more than an Absorbascon and a bunch of Sinestro-type rings...?)

But why quibble when we're having so much fun? And fun it is.

Before Chapter One is done, the gauntlet is laid down outside Gorilla City (a Silver Age Event without talking gorillas? Perish the thought!), and then off the heroes go.

Splitting into teams to defeat the menace (we all knew they had to

do it at some point), the JLA are aided by all the Silver Age characters

we've seen over the course of the Silver Age Event.

The individual chapters don't warrant too much attention, fun though they are, until the surviving heroes regroup for the last battle with the Injustice Gang...

... And that's when Robby Reed steps in to save the day.

Using his "H" Dial to transform the League into characters as godawfuly lame as any he, himself, ever became (and I mean that with all due affection), Robby becomes the true hero of the story.

(I warned you it was all an insane ode to Dial H For Hero way back at the beginning of this article, remember? You should have listened.)

Not that I'm complaining about the silliness of Robby Reed, mind. (I hear that, on this site, that offense is punishable by hanging and/or

being forced to read ALL the Bloodlines Annuals in one sitting.) It's just funny that Waid has so shamelessly seized his chance to push his beloved Robby to the forefront.

Of course, it's not so hard to read this as allegory, with Waid (like Robby) being allowed to "play in the big leagues" now.

Anyway, with the Injustice Gang thus dispatched (allegedly by teamwork, but actually just by using the goofy powers now at the

individual JLAers' disposal), all that remains is Agamemno, who promptly

kicks their butts.

Mark Waid then does something I might well have thought

impossible, cynical and jaded as I am.

In an incredible hat trick, he had my jaw dropping three times in as many pages.

First, as the Justice League are helpless, Agamemno declares "Now

and forevermore... I am the rightful ruler of the universe... and you will

be the first to taste my vengeance!"

"Not today..." comes a voice from off-panel, and then the villain's blast is deflected by...

... Hawkman!

"Not ever!" cries the man from Thanagar, spitting defiance at

Agamemno.

I probably don't have to tell you how this once proud DC character

has fallen into a state of disrepair in recent years, so scarred by updatings and recreations is he. To see him here, taking his rightful place alongside the Justice League, had me cheering.

(Oh, sure, it's probably not Katar Hol. But that doesn't make one bit of difference, in the end.)

But as Hawkman lets the JLA go free, he admits that "One Hawkman

would hardly turn the tide." So, it's a good thing he brought...

... a whole sky full of Hawkmen!

My God, but my hat is off to Mark Waid.

This panel full of Thanagarians is a beacon of hope; hope that a Silver Age great can escape the Modern Age mire he is stuck in.

Plus, they just look so damn coolthere.

Coulda used a few Hawkwomen, though.

As to how the Hawkmen found the Earth?

"They brought us."

I don't think I can say if the sight of the Green Lantern Corps had a greater or lesser affect on me than the Hawkmen.

I really don't see the point in measuring, actually.

Once again, we are reminded of all the things that made the Silver

Age at DC so damn cool...

... and that, of course, was what this whole event was all about.

And that's a note to end commenting on "S.O.S. To Nowhere" if ever

there was one, so I'll move to the back-up stories.

The first is a Batman story that, due to its absence of aliens,

Jokermobiles, and other such campiness, feels more late Golden Age-y than early Silver Agey to me. And it's just not a particularly gripping story. Still, decent filler.

Jimmy Olsen then more than overcompensates on the camp quotient,

making up for the Bat tale and then some. But any story that has Jimmy

Olsen launched into space with Richard Nixon has got my support.

Wait a second... they land back on Earth again?

Well, forget that, then.

A decent Wonder Girl story follows, mostly noteworthy for some nice art from Ty Templeton.

And at the last, the brilliant Super-Turtle story.

I laughed at every bloody panel in this thing. From the warnings of noted scientist Sh-Ell that they must abandon their planet meeting with instant unanimous support from the Science Council to Super-Turtle in a suit being told that "Without your glasses, your bald scaly head makes you look like Super-Turtle" (and the latter replying "What, are you INSANE?").

Give Mark Waid a SUPER-TURTLE ongoing series... NOW!

In summation, then, we return to our two initial questions: did

the SILVER AGE Event produce good comics... and did it capture the feel of the actual Silver Age?

Well, we got, in descending order of quality: three great comics (The 80 PAGE GIANT, TEEN TITANS, CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN); five goodcomics (DIAL "H" FOR HERO, SHOWCASE, SILVER AGE, SECRET FILES [which would have scored higher without the Hawk and

Dove fiasco], DOOM PATROL); a couple of mediocre comics (GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH); and a couple of downright bad ones (THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA).

That's not bad, by any means. (Heck, it's a darn sight better than the odds you get in the newreleases, any given week.) So, on that score, I'd say the SILVER AGE Event delivered.

Did it capture the Silver Age?

On the one hand, we had talking gorillas; Robin, sermonizing about

getting along with others; the Challengers' goofily named gizmos; the

Green Lantern corps; captions daring us to turn the page or solve the

puzzle; Robby Reed (not doing anything, just BEING Robby Reed); and some covers from artists who defined the Silver Age.

On the other hand, the most glorious celebration of the Silver Age

(that Hawkman entrance just gets me every time) occurred entirely due to a distinctly modern age meta-textual context. Some of the attempts at

Silver Age style dialogue came off forced and even offensive. The

violence throughout (not just in JUSTICE LEAGUE, but also GREEN LANTERN, SHOWCASE, etc.) seemed a bit too intense, and the sexiness (like the SILVER AGE one-shot that had Catwoman/Black Canary crawling over Snapper "Incredibly Lucky Bastard" Carr) just a bit too daring to feel authentically Silver Age. The Justice League of America issue was, of course, completely wrong. And, in the end, a big end-of-the- world bash with that many guest stars just feels too much like a Modern Age summer crossover to be really credible.

But beyond such details... we got a dozen comics featuring iconic

heroes sans angst and anguish; evil to be vanquished; cleverness at least

making token appearances as an alternative to violence, when solving

problems; and (mostly) self-contained issues that delivered complete tales

in 20 odd pages each.

And that's what the Silver Age was really all about.

Unabashed TEEN TITANS apologist Nicolas Juzda can be reached at nicolas.juzda@utoronto.ca, where he is currently dressed up as "Princess Koriander." The little tramp.

The SILVER AGE Limited Series (PAGE TWO)

The SILVER AGE Limited Series (PAGE THREE)

The SILVER AGE Limited Series (PAGE FIVE)

The SILVER AGE Limited Series (PAGE SIX)

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