All Star Comics Archives, Vol. 0

All Star Comics Archives #0

by Gardner Francis Fox, Jerry Siegel, Bill Finger

From the Golden Age of comics a special volume collecting the early individual adventures of the members of the Justice Society of America from ALL STAR COMICS #1 and #2 at a special price!

While ALL STAR COMICS #3 was unquestionably one of comics' greatest milestones, issues #1 and #2 were also impressive in their own right. Virtually every founding member of the (yet-to-debut) original JSA lineup minus Superman and Batman was represented in these individual adventures, and most of the stories are written and drawn by their original creators. ALL STAR ARCHIVES Vol. 0 is the perfect preface to the 11-volume complete reprinting of every JSA adventure from the Golden Age.

Now the entire body of these "All Star" exploits is in print and available to all those who were there when they were published the first time around or wish they had been!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction, Science Fiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2006

About the author

Gardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"

Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase

Reviews

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

All-Star Comics is best known for being the title where the first super-team in comics - the Justice Society of America - made its debut. That was the third issue of the series. This book contains the first two issues, which, it turns out, were published as a test run to see which rising stars in the DC Comics universe should graduate to solo titles of their own.

The stories in this volume are truly from the earliest days of super-hero comics, before the idea of a cohesive universe took hold and when the characters were not seen as intellectual property that had to be carefully managed. They are full of plot holes and often rushed at the end, but it is still a thrill to see the formative years of characters that would thrive in the Golden Age of comics and be revived, celebrated and grow in ages to come.

The standouts in this book for me were the Spectre tales. They were drawn nicely by Bernard Baily and written by Jerry Siegel (one of the two creators of a certain mild-mannered reporter from Smallville, Kansas). Siegel's stories showed the most imagination, verve and thought. I see the roots of how the Spectre became the fearsome character he did in later years, and can't wait to tackle his Archive edition. Siegel also wrote the "Red, White and Blue" stories in this volume, and those were also quite enjoyable and nicely plotted.

Having "known" many of these characters since the 1970s, it was quite a pleasure to see them in their earliest days.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a big 64-page anthology series featuring many different super-heroes. I am not sure which Earth this is supposed to be or how it does or does not fit into current continuity, I just know that I love Golden Age DC.

Hawkman is awesome, as he “uses weapons of the past to battle evils of the present”. Sheldon Moldoff is one of the finest Golden Age comic book artists. The original Sandman is of course fantastic, owing much to the Pulps of the 1930s in tone and delivery. Gary Concord, The Ultra-Man is little more than a Flash Gordon retread, who himself was a Buck Rogers retread done right. The original Flash just bores me. I have no idea why. I enjoy the Silver Age reboot but the original bores me so much that I have no interest in buying the Archives of that run.

My favorite is The Spectre. The Golden Age version is the best comic of it's day, and it was the lure of stories not collected in the Golden Age Spectre Archives that had me scoop these All Star Archives when DC was liquidating them a couple of years ago. Hour-Man and Red, White And Blue are all lovable products of their time that put a smile on my face. Golden Age Comics are something of an acquired taste. They wouldn't hold up to most modern readers beyond historical significance, at least from what I gather via online comic communities.

These are all fun, silly escapist reads. At the end of the day that is all that I am looking for anymore. The real world and real life are depressing enough; I don't need that clogging up my escapist hobby.

[Honey Rose007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Not reviewing whatever this page is) I want to review the doctor fate comics. After watching black Adam, I decided to just see skim through the history of doctor fate, I feel like he should have gotten a trilogy, maybe the new dcu will give him justice. Regardless maybe the third film, will have a multiverse where doctor fate meets older doctor fate played by brosnan. Regardless I just want to talk about the orders I skimmed it, I didn’t really read It since it’s not that interesting, but just wanted to see the artwork.

Collects: More Fun Comics #55 To #98

Kent Nelson meets Nabu for the first time and becomes Dr. Fate! Created by Gardner Fox with Howard Sherman, Fate’s first comic book appearances is in 1940’s “More Fun Comics” issue #55.

All Star Comics Archives Vol. 1

Collects: All-Star Comics #3 To #6

All Star Comics Archives, Vol. 2

Collects: All-Star Comics #7 To #10

All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 3

Collects: All-Star Comics #11 To #14

All Star Comics – Archives, Volume 4

Collects: All-Star Comics #15 To #18

All Star Comics Vol. 5

Collects: All-Star Comics #19 To #23

This is all I kind of lost interest maybe I will come back once they do an interesting movie, but that is a big if?

[TK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for the history of comics. There's something so fascinating about the comics from this era. I love watching fashion, language and themes change as characters walk, run and fly through the decades. The 40's in particular have a distinct vision of what's right, what's wrong and what the future holds. At the same time the golden era also chooses to completely ignore whole realities and experiences. These stories come from a very limited perspective and it's impossible to ignore the blatant sexism and racism bleeding through the pages.

Rating stories from this era are a struggle, do you accept them at face value understanding the period they originate from? Or do you hold them to the standards of the modern era? Perhaps it's a combination of both? Reading these stories lets me wonder if the world has really changed all that much? How much of our storytelling is still limited to a handful of perspectives? Are we still afraid of the same things? Do we still have the same fantasies and dreams?

[Lser · Rating 5 out of 5]

So All Star Comics Archives Vol. 0 contains only 2 comics, All-Star Comics #1-2.
The team was not yet formed and all characters are having solo comics.
All-Star Comics #2 is one of the best 1940 comics and All-Star Comics #1 is also very good.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like any of the stories here, you're either a time traveling kid from the 40s or you were a kid reading these back then and you like remembering what it was to read silly stories.

[Sean Sexton · Rating 3 out of 5]

All Star Comics was a series that DC Comics introduced in 1940, designed to showcase various characters who didn't have a series of their own. (E.g. Batman in Detective Comics or Superman in Adventure Comics).

The series included characters like The Spectre, The Sandman, Hawkman, Flash, and Green Lantern. Some of these characters, of course, went on to become DC staples.

This volume includes all stories from the first two issues of All Star Comics, from the Summer and Fall 1940 editions.

The stories are all fairly entertaining and it's fun to see some of these characters in their earliest adventures. The stories may seem a bit dated and silly, but the artwork is gorgeous and the colors in this printing bright.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This archive volume was printed after the 55 issues starring the Justice Society were collected. The first 2 issues of All-Star Comics, they featured a collection of 7-9 page stories starring many of DC's and AA's less popular heroes, such as Flash, Hour-Man, Spectre, Green Lantern, Hawkmam, Johnny Thunder, Sandman, and some strips previously unknown to me: Ultra-Man, Red White & Blue, and Biff Bronson.

These stories were to gauge interest in solo titles for the heroes, and the editors actually solicited from the readers who they wanted to see in their own series. DC reprinted those editorials, as well as two-page ads that highlighted many of the DC anthology books these characters appeared in.

There is also a two page prose science fiction story by Elizabeth Gaines, neice of MC Gaines, who published All-American comics with DC publisher Donenfield.

Most of these stories are pretty tame stuff with the usual crude Golden Age art but they are fast paced tales and the artists generally seem to have fun with what they do. There is art by Joe Kubert and Bill Finger as well as Bernard Bailey.

Great stuff of you're interested in comics history and early depictions of DC's JSA members.

[Tony Calder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of the JSA, and this 12-volume series (from 0-11) reprints their Golden Age adventures, from issue 1 in 1940 through to issue 57 in 1951, which was the final issue before the series was revived in 1976.

This first volume in the series reprints the first two issues of All-Star Comics (each one 68 pages). The JSA doesn't appear in either of these issues. These issues contain stories of individual characters, many of whom would form the starting roster of the JSA.

To readers of modern era comics, the stories and artwork may seem quite basic, and some of the characters may be unfamiliar even to those who are fans of Earth 2, as they were to me, but most of the featured characters should be familiar - Flash, Green Lantern, Spectre, Hour-Man, Sandman, and Hawkman.

Overall, this is a fascinating look at the early era of superhero comics.

[Jeff Schmitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the Golden Age DC Superheroes since the day I discovered them, all living out their days on Earth 2. Dunno why that particular group struck such a chord with me, but they did...especially the group that would ultimately form The Justice Society of America.

This book reprints the first two issues of All-Star Comics before the JSA took over that title.

The stories are short (anywhere from six to ten pages each), crudely drawn, and complete within themselves (multiple-entry stories spanning month and sometimes even different titles were still in the future). But they're quaint.

Definitely a fun read for the DC historian in me. Now, on to Archive collections 1 and 2 (All three Christmas 2014 gifts from my son)...let the meetings begin!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written nearly 2 decades before my own reading of DC's Silver Age Comics, these 1940 issues are a real treat to watch earlier incarnations of characters who would survive and be transformed by the 1960's. Also included are strips which didn't outlast the 40's, some with good reason. Still, a worthwhile glimpse at the barely pre-war era in the U.S. and how violent the comics of that era could be.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than average Golden Age fare, as long as you don't expect anything more than that. This volume reprints All Star Comics 1-2; the look at All Star prior to the formation of the JSA is worth the time spent reading the book.

[Thurston · Rating 3 out of 5]

historically interesting....but a tough read.....early comics were still evolving.