Reviewed by: Mathan “I spent $6.95 + crazy Nevada State Tax on this?†Erhardt
Story Title: Crisis On Earth-One
Written By: Gardner Fox
Penciled by: Mike Sekowsky
Inked by: Bernard Sachs
Lettered by: Gaspar Saladino
Story Tile: Crisis On Earth-Two
Written by: Gardner Fox
Penciled by: Mike Sekowsky
Inked by: Bernard Sachs
Lettered by: Gaspar Saladino
Story Title: The Spectre
Written by: Jerry Siegel
Penciled and Inked by: Bernard Baily
Story Title: Stand-In For 100 Convicts
Written by: Unknown
Penciled and Inked by: Ralph Mayo
Story Title: The Galleon In The Desert
Written by: Joe Samachson
Penciled and Inked by: Dan Barry
Story Title: Crime Wore A Costume
Written by: Robert Kanigher
Penciled and Inked by: J. Chester Kozlak
Story Title: Strange Spells of The Sorcerer
Written by: Gardner Fox
Penciled and Inked by: Joe Kubert
Lettered by: Gaspar Saladino
Edited by: E. Nelson Bridwell, Julius Schwartz, Mort Weisinger Whitney Ellsworth & Robert Greenberger.
Publisher: DC Comics
For some reason I decided to pick this book up, sight unseen. And equally inexplicably I told Daron that I was going to pick it up. So I wasn’t too surprised when I was charged with reviewing it.
However when I got to my comic shop and actually picked it up, I was blown away at the price tag ($6.95.) But it was a light week for me, so I said “what the heck.†I convinced myself that it was going to be full of goodness.
I got home and opened it up, only to be greeted with the first JLA/JSA team up, “Crisis on Earth-One.†Then I turned to the second JLA/JSA team up, “Crisis on Earth-Two.†Now you might be thinking, “wow, this is a great book!†I on the other hand just picked up “Crisis on Multiple Earths†last year, so these stories were still pretty fresh in my mind.
Next up is a pretty cool Spectre story. After reading this I can finally see what some fans of the character see in him. It was a nice story, but my main pleasure was in reading a Golden Age tale, (where thoughts were conveyed parenthetically.)
The Johnny Quick story is another trip into the Golden Age with an interesting take on prison and rehabilitation. Of course there is diamond heist thrown in for good measure.
The Vigilante story comes up next. I enjoyed it. I grew in Tucson, Az, so I’m a sucker for western tales. The Wildcat solo story was also a nice treat. Especially since it was one of those “lost†tales that hadn’t been published, before 1971. The Hawkman story is the only Silver Age solo story in the book, and it could provide the origin for Buffalo Wings.
The writing is typical Silver Age/Golden Age writing. It appears quaint by modern standards. But when you look at the amount of action and story these writers filled into the space they had you get a new respect for them. Plus it’s kind of cool to hear Green Arrow proclaim how great it is to use Lead based paint.
The art too is typical Silver Age/Golden Age fare. The JSA/JLA team ups are action packed as you expect them to be. The Spectre story looks really well put together considering it was made over sixty years ago. I really enjoyed the Vigilante story and the Hawkman story. The former almost seems too cramped but it’s so very detailed. Joe Kubert does the latter, need I say more?
