The Golden Age Of DC Comics!

DC Comics in the Golden Age was the behemoth of the comic book landscape. They had three of the biggest icons in the industry in their mitts with plenty more hits to tally alongside the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. 

Only Their early history is a fascinating tale of a World War I military man named Major Malcom Wheeler-Nicholson  who started up a little comic book firm to drop into the marketplace the first "comic book" with new material designed just for that purpose. To that point comic strip reprints had served the purpose but the while the books were larger they were as the titled suggest "New Fun Comics". 

This oversized coffee-table extravaganza begins with an interview with Joe Kubert, the final interview the great artist gave before his passing. He reflects on his long tenure at DC which began in the Golden Age when he was just a teenager. His reflections are interesting and lack the rosy nostalgia which often comes with these kinds of things. 

Paul Levitz offers up a dandy essay which details how National Comics formed an alliance with American Publications helmed by Max Gaines and how under the auspices of Harry Donenfeld who had first become Wheeler-Nicholson's partner and then forced him out of the company. This was the basis for what became DC Comics eventually named presumably for the first comic dedicated to a single theme Detective Comics. The company of course went on to have a tremendous impact when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster sold them a hero named Superman. This was followed by Bob Kane's Batman and eventually William Marston's Wonder Woman. There were many other heroes and even more heroines in this Golden Age which eventually saw the decline of superheroes and the rise of other genres in comic focused on things such as war, romance and funny animals. Levitz's essay cover the ground but does so with verve and with some opinion about matters. 

The rest of this very large book is made up of images -- covers, interior pages, original art, etc. There are sections covering Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman as well as the Justice Society of America and the many heroes associated with it. Artists such as Sheldon Mayer and Will Eisner are selected for focus. And since in years beyond the Golden Age, DC would acquire the properties of Fawcett, Quality and EC Comics, there are sections on those as well in this sprawling overview. Think of it like a laptop museum visit with each image given its place and some context. And like a museum it's a fun book just to wander around in. 

Here are some more of the Golden Age covers showcased in this tome. 

Next time it's the Silver Age. 

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