Written by (See Credits Below)
Art by (See Credits Below)
Cover Art by Terry Dodson; Rachel Dodson; John Kalisz; & Digital Chameleon
SUMMARY:
Published by DC Comics for July 2000, this 64-page one-shot consists of a JLA feature story; a four-page Dial ‘H’ for Hero tale; a five-page, ‘lost’ Hawk & Dove team-up with the Creeper; and several miscellaneous articles and character profiles are interspersed. All colors are provided by artist Tom McCraw.
Page 3: “The Silver Age.” Written by D. Curtis Johnson. Art by Michael Collins; Vince Russell; and Kurt Hathaway. The Justice League (Superman; Green Arrow; Batman; Aquaman; Black Canary; Green Lantern; Flash; Atom; and the Martian Manhunter) must face the off-world menace of conqueror Agamemno. First, the League must dispose of Despero.
Page 32: Justice League Secret Sanctuary Schematic. Art by Claude St. John.
Page 33: Flash Facts! Written by Brian Augustyn. Art by Norm Breyfogle & Kurt Hathaway.
Page 37: “Moonshine Encounter.” Written by Jason Hernandez-Rosenblatt. Art by Christopher Jones; Walden Wong; & John Costanza. Hank & Don Hall discover Hank’s friend, Chet, murdered. A note Chet left leads Hawk & Dove to Keates Airfield where the Creeper aids them in busting a Communist spy ring.
Page 42: Metal Men Facts and Fancies. Written by Brian Augustyn. Art by Kevin Maguire; David Meikis; & Kurt Hathaway.
Page 44: Silver Age Sketch Gallery. Classic sketches from Carmine Infantino, Nick Cardy, Jim Mooney, Murphy Anderson, Jim Aparo, and Gil Kane are provided. Also included are Mark Farmer’s inked version of Infantino’s Flash sketch; Dave Gibbons’ inking of Cardy’s Teen Titans sketch; Ty Templeton’s finished version of Anderson’s Justice League of America cover sketch; and Kevin Nowlan’s inked version of Kane’s Green Lantern cover sketch.
Page 51: “Secret of the H-Dial.” Written by Mark Waid. Art by Jim Mooney; George Freeman; & Jack Morelli. Suzy Shoemaker’s threatened exposé of Robby Reed’s magical dial leads to an unexpected partnership.
Page 57: “Super-Turtle” comic strip. Written by Brian Augustyn. Art by Ty Templeton.
Page 61: Metamorpho’s Chemical Curiosities. Written by Brian Augustyn. Art by Ramona Fradon; Karl Kessel; & Jack Morelli.
Page 63: Cosmic Treadmill Schematic. Art by Claude St. John.
REVIEW:
Though the JLA’s tale isn’t hot stuff, it’s ideal as to the type of innocent storytelling that DC Comics pursued in that era. If only for curiosity’s sake, the various other features are at least worth perusing. The individual profiles may be the best of the bunch. The sole detriment is that, despite being a mere five pages, the Hawk/Dove/Creeper team-up is heavy-handed re: Hawk & Creeper’s anti-Communist bias. Still, Silver Age Secret Files & Origins # 1 proves a nostalgic treat for old-school DC Comics fans!
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
With text by Scott Beatty and colors by Tom McCraw, there are eleven profiles:
- Page: 30 Justice League of America (art by John Workman);
- Page 34: Barry Allen’s Flash (art by Carmine Infantino & Paul Neary);
- Page 35: Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern (art by Claude St. Aubin);
- Page 43: Metal Men (art by Ty Templeton);
- Page 49: Challengers of the Unknown (art by Tom Grummet & Karl Kesel);
- Page 50: Dial “H” for Hero (art by Jim Mooney & David Meikis);
- Page 55: Injustice League (art by Kevin Maguire & Randy Elliott);
- Page 56: Doom Patrol (art by Ramona Fradon & Dave Gibbons);
- Page 58: Seven Soldiers of Victory (art by Dick Giordano);
- Page 60: Teen Titans (art by Nick Cardy); and
- Page 62: Agamemno (art by Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson).
Note: The Seven Soldiers (in this instance) are: Batgirl; Adam Strange; Mento; Deadman; Metamorpho; Shining Knight II; & the first Blackhawk.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
