Super Old Comics...

[azrael1213]

I'm curious about people's opinions on "super old comics". I'm talking about comics produced in the Golden Age of comics (1940's-1950's).

Other than seeing the novel FIRST issues or introductory issues, what would be the benefits of reading them?

So let's assume that in a hypothetical situation you had all the comics ever created. Would you want to read Action Comics, Flash Comics, More Fun Comics, Detective Comics, etc from issues #1 onwards? Or do you think that really enjoying and getting a grasp on a character like Batman or the Spectre is perfectly fine advancing all the way into the 1990's or 2000's, hundreds of issues since they were introduced?

Would being a completionist or a historian be the only reasons for reading those "super old" comics?

I just can't find any interest or relevancy in some of these super old comics. Their values and storylines are just impossible to relate to.

What are your opinions?

[yetihands]

for me it's interesting to read that old stuff to see the historical path the character has taken.

[johnferrigno]

Well, it depends on how you read them. If you take into account hey were done in pretty much no time and the target audience was young kids, you can enjoy some of them from that stand point. if you're expecting something with a story that rivals the latest Grant Morrison tale for complexity, you're going to be disappointed.

Also, I enjoy reading about comics history, so "super old" comics, as you describe them, are pretty interesting to me. It's fascinating to see how comics have changed since they were invented in the 30s, as well as how they stayed the same.

You can witness the birth of one of the two things that are actual American creations when it comes to art: we have given the world comics and we have given the world jazz. Those are our biggest cultural contributions to mankind. Seeing one of them on the ground floor, to me at least, is fascinating.

[doddsickle]

In contrast to johnferringo, I wouldn't really enjoy reading 'Super old comics' that much. Sure, I'm sure at some point I'll read some stuff, and I remember I read the first few issues of X-Men (if that counts), but really it's not my thing.
I guess it's just differing opinions.

Also, I'd imagine the time I've been into comics is a factor. I've only been reading for about...1 and a bit years, maybe 2 and the oldest I've read is probarbly V for Vendetta or Watchmen (V's older, yeah?), but as I get older, I'd imagine I will go back and read older, golden age stuff.

[jkexar]

I've found having those old issues really don't entertain me except for the campiness factor of them...like the Wonder Woman bondage stuff you see in the early 50's; but I do like to use them as a tool.

Being a writer, I really like sifting through old issues that have been long forgotten to see about getting some fresh ideas to use. Try getting something really obscure that no one has heard of at a convention and see it if sparks up something new that you can use in your writing.

Alex Ross and Dynamite did this with the public domain characters, and the stories were rather good...I honestly didn't stick with them all the way through, but it did open up some new creative avenues.

[azrael1213]

I think that the campiness is certainly present. I reiterate how hard it is for me to relate to their stories. I remember looking at one issue of Action Comics in which Superman is upset with traffic related incidents and he storms into a radio station and declares a war on traffic. Then he goes around destroying cars, forcing "crooked" car dealers to pay for their badly built cars, and generally causing all sorts of property damage.

While I can say, "yes, traffic issues are terrible" I can't justify this old version of Superman interfering with legal, albeit shady, businesses. He just interferes too much, as opposed to the modern-day Superman who is very careful of how much he intervenes with government policies and legal practices.

So, it's just issues like these which bother me and make me wonder if it's worth looking at as a comic to read, as opposed to gathering story ideas or as history. I mean, it's interesting taking a look at the past to see how pop culture existed at that time, but as a story that appeals to me I'd say no.

[johnferrigno]

Originally Posted by azrael1213

I think that the campiness is certainly present. I reiterate how hard it is for me to relate to their stories. I remember looking at one issue of Action Comics in which Superman is upset with traffic related incidents and he storms into a radio station and declares a war on traffic. Then he goes around destroying cars, forcing "crooked" car dealers to pay for their badly built cars, and generally causing all sorts of property damage.

While I can say, "yes, traffic issues are terrible" I can't justify this old version of Superman interfering with legal, albeit shady, businesses. He just interferes too much, as opposed to the modern-day Superman who is very careful of how much he intervenes with government policies and legal practices.

So, it's just issues like these which bother me and make me wonder if it's worth looking at as a comic to read, as opposed to gathering story ideas or as history. I mean, it's interesting taking a look at the past to see how pop culture existed at that time, but as a story that appeals to me I'd say no.

Yeah, you aren't going to find a whole lot of subtlety and character development in those old stories from the 40s and 50s. Very little thought went into these stories. They just wanted to get product on the spinner rack, they didn't really care what was between the covers. The artists and writers were, for the most part, embarrassed about what they did for a living and didn't put much thought into it. Plus, they were written for little kids, so the stories just had to entertain a 6 year old. Comics have certainly come a long way.