Did you know that August 24th marked the 20th Anniversary of ComicsAnd...Other Imaginary Tales? How cool is that?
Although I missed posting something on the actual anniversary, I did remember to send a message to Jim about it. (Outlook calendars are great for remembering things!) So, better late than never...
And in honor of the occasion, I have the perfect book to discuss... the treasury-sized facsimile edition of Justice League of America #200, which arrived in my box this week. It's a back issue, it's a "new" comic, it came out during my Year Five (but I didn't get it new on the stands), it showcases some great art, it's a fitting tribute to the recently departed Gerry Conway, and I'll link a similar-sized coming attraction below. Needless to say, this review (of sorts) encompasses just about all the themes (or at least a lot of them) that've been posted about here on Comics And!
So jump on down below for more... and Happy Anniversary to US!!!
Hey, I can throw in America 250 too (get it?).
First, a huge thanks to the good bloggers at 13th Dimension for giving me the heads up. I visit their site nearly every day. Yeah, they still post regularly; keep up the good work, guys!
Let's talk about size for those of you who don't know or remember how big a treasury is:
While the newly arrived Steve Ditko ASM Artist Edition dwarfs it, you can see how much larger the treasury is compared to the standard-sized comic. If you don't recognize the smaller one, that's the Alex Ross variant cover to Avengers/JLA #4 facsimile.
Seeing George Perez's art at the bigger size is such a joy; you just sort of fall into the pages. It certainly is better than my original copy. The images are clearer, the pages are whiter, and the paper stock still "feels" right* (DC is best at facsimiles - Archie is the worst - too glossy)! We'll see some great examples of some of the large page goodness below:
*Unconscious reference (cryptomensia) to Gladys Knight & The Pips' cover of "The Way We Were"
Before I forget, the gist of the 72-page story is that foes from the first gathering (re: Origin) of the Justice League of America return, making the original seven (7) members recover the meteors they had hidden. In the process, we have the old League fight the current League in spectacular fashion. Each one-on-one battle is drawn by a different artist associated with the classic hero or one of the newer ones, including a full-page spread in each chapter. Perez provides the opening, transitions, and ending. All of it is written by the late, great Gerry Conway, who was in the middle of his multiyear run on the title, many of which I've yet to read.
I need to rectify that. The Volume 4 Omnibus will be released in a few months, and the Detroit-era is available in the cheaper DC Finest format.
Let's just say this could be the BEST issue of the entire series; it certainly is a great sample of it achieving its highest potential!
Now, on to some pictures:
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| The JLA Satellite (22,300 miles above the Earth) |
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| A few months before the second Firestorm series, also drawn by Pat Broderick, which is one of my favorites.** |
**The current DC published Fury of Firestorm book is a total character assassination in the vein of Tom King's brutal destruction of Adam Strange (Strange Adventures). The book panders to old-school nostalgia rubes like myself, but I dropped it after issue #5 in disgust. The less said, the better. And no, I'm not providing a link to that well-drawn dog mess.
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| Zatanna's costume isn't terrible as drawn by Perez, but I prefer the fishnets. Doesn't everyone? |
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| Jim Aparo |
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| Dick Giordano |
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| Great figure work by Gil Kane |
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| Carmine Infantino |
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| Brian Bolland |
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| Joe Kubert (I just picked up his Dark Horse Tarzan HCs last week) |
For fun, see how cool it is when you flip the image:
It's funny how they take a swipe at the Avengers, citing no need for a battle cry. Things change when we finally have the teams crossover:
I, for one, would love to see more classic Perez issues in the treasury format. Fortunately, I won't have to wait long! In addition to his Wonder Woman series, can you imagine reprinting The New Teen Titans 3 or 4 issues at a time in treasury size? Now that DC has the printers on board to publish these books, it should be relatively inexpensive to push these babies out regularly. One can dream.
I've got to say I enjoy facsimiles much more than current comics these days. There are still some decent new books out there. Perhaps I'll write about one of them down the road.
Until next time...
For another treasury review from my inaugural year, see this post.
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