Showcase Presents: Justice League of America, Vol. 4

Showcase Presents: Justice League of America #4

by Gardner Francis Fox, Dennis O'Neil, Mike Sekowsky (Illustrator)

Over 500 pages of super-hero action are collected in this value-priced volume!

In this exciting new volume, The Justice League is framed by their greatest foes, The Red Tornado and Black Canary both join the team, Green Arrow is charged with murder, and the teams has their annual adventure with the Justice Society of America.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Comic Book

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2009

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

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a portrait of a comic book in transition. Gardner Fox gives way to Denny O'Neil on the writing. Dick Dillin takes over on the art. The 60's give way to the 70's. The Marvel influence is more keenly felt in the writing and characterization. The biggest change seems to be in the writing. Although O'Neil's best work from this time period was arguably on Green Lantern/Green Arrow, there's some pretty decent writing here. It starts out a bit clunky, but as he grows more confident, you can see it improving. Dialogue starts to feel smoother, less choppy. He seems to start taking the writing more seriously. Earlier O'Neil issues have an air of, "So what? It's just comics," to their plotting, a willingness to be silly and campy because, hey, it's only kid stuff, right? While he doesn't get all grim and gritty, he definitely ramps up the seriousness ("Black Canary could DIE! Oh, and care about the environment and stuff. Peace!") Some of the later stories seem to have been inspired by what was happening in the New Wave SF movement, which is not a bad thing. By the end of the volume, the transition from the DC comics of the early 60's to the 70's is just about complete. I guess that sounds a bit trite, because, hey, by publication dates, that's literally true. What I mean is, I grew up in the 70's, and was in high school by the early 80's. For me, there's always been a certain feel to comic book stories of the early 60's which is distinctly different from what I was buying off the spinner rack at the drugstore. Stories and art were generally more simplistic, fewer continuing stories, etc. By the early 70's comic book storytelling had transitioned to what I thought of as "Modern Comics" (yes, I'm aware of how 70's comics feel different from 80's and so on.) Over at Marvel, the transition happened quickly. Early issues of the Fantastic Four and so on are very 60's, but by around '66, '67 they were pretty much transitioned. It took a bit longer over at DC, and it's been interesting reading through the Showcase Justice League volumes watching it happen.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume, original author Gardner Fox stepped down for rising star (at the time) Denny O'Neil. O'Neil of course brought his patented leftwing political philosophy to the book, writing anti-pollution stories and the like, but he really makes the team his own, writing out Snapper Carr and the Martian Manhunter (and ignoring Aquaman for the most part), making the team smaller and more manageable. He starts to give them distinctive personalities, too, especially Green Arrow and newcomer Black Canary. He also manages to find ways to get around the fact Superman is on the team and can usually handle anything on his own. As such, the art and stories got better, even if O'Neil's first baddie is a shoddy military man named General Demmy Gog.

[John Parungao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the evolution of the Justice League of America, this volume includes the story I most wanted to read: " Snapper Carr the Super Traitor". It also includes stories written by Denny O'Neil, of Batman fame. Highlights include, the Snapper Carr story I mentioned, as well as the departure of the Martian Manhunter, and the temporary absence of the now powerless Wonder Woman.

The League also continues to grow in size adding the Justice Society member Black Canary to the ranks and gains a new HQ, an orbiting Space satelite. This is the begining of one of my most favorite periods of the Justice League of America.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating volume of JLA, in that it has Gardner Fox giving way to Denny O'neil early on in the book, and with that comes a shift in tone and style from the Silver to the Bronze Age. At this point O'neil was writing Detective, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow/Green Lantern, and Superman, so DC had really given him the reins to their whole universe. JLA Vol 4 introduces the shift to the satellite, Black Canary's move to Earth 1, and the new Red Tornado. One of the best Showcases in quite a while.

[Chris Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly decent compilation as it traces the evolution of the JLA from the mid 1960s to early 1970. Character evolution, especially Green Arrow is historical if not very interesting as is the introduction of Red Tornado and Black Canary. Stories change from the traditional hero/villain template into more metaphysical and fantasy stories.

[Kushnuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got around to finishing this. But I loved it, reading all those stories with the Justice League and the Justice Society of America.

This has my hyped up for the movie: Justice League. Hopefully it turns out to be good.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains most of O'Neil's fabulous run. Really worthwhile.

[S. Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

So dated and kind of a mess, but genuinely entertaining. You can see where the seeds of modern comics were being sown.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot in my head for this volume of Showcase Presents, as it features the very first comic book I ever read (and some of the earliest ones I remember reading).

The last few issues of Mike Sekowsky's legendary run on Justice League of America are reprinted here, along with the start of Dick Dillin's similarly long-lived run. The stories all have that goofy late sixties' feel to them, from the era right before comics' started into their first phase of relevancy (with the advent of O'Neil and Adams' Green Lantern/Green Arrow).

There are several JLA/JSA team-ups in this volume, including the one where Black Canary joins the Justice League, along with appearances by the Creeper, the Joker, and Mind Grabber Kid, along with the final appearances of Snapper Carr and the Martian Manhunter in the series (at least for awhile, anyway).

I'm rating this four-stars, mainly on the strength of the artwork and the feeling of nostalgia it evokes in me. Your mileage may vary.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this.