JSA Sightings In The Klang Valley

According to my friend, he saw Hourman, the Atom and Flash loitering about somewhere in Kepong yesterday. Kepong folks should all feel safe that the Justice Society is alive and kickin'. Snatch thieves, pirated DVD peddlers and illegal cybercafe operators beware - the JSA is here!!! :)

Then on the same day, the three were spotted with Dr. Mid-Nite at Cheras Leisure Mall. They stopped a kid who was stealing cotton-candy outside McDonalds. Dr. Mid-Nite also told patrons at McDonalds to clear their own tables after meals. One Ranjit Singh protested - "If we clear our tables, that would put the workers out of their jobs! Shouldn't you be considering public policy when you give advice?" Dr. Mid-Nite shook his head and reluctantly agreed.

Alan Scott aka Green Lantern was spotted outside KLCC. Apparently, he heard that Genki Sushi was giving out free sushi. That turned out to be nothing more than a rumour. When interviewed, Alan said, "I've been going around looking for free food ever since Gotham Broadcasting Corporation went bust a couple of years ago. You know what? They actually gave me an award some years back for pioneering radio broadcasting in Gotham City. Kyle Rayner, who was dating my daughter at that time, kindly reminded me that my negligence caused the company to go bust!"

Wesley Dodds aka Sandman was seen buying kitchen utensils in Tesco Puchong. We tried to interview him but we couldn't really make out what he was saying because the stupid gas mask that he wore kinda turned all his words into meaningless warbles...

Alan Scott was also spotted later that day outside the Men's Room in Summit USJ. He very graciously struck an iconic pose for the photographers. Of course, the kid who was waiting for her mum outside the Ladies' Room probably thought that the old bloke was some scary paedophile. When interviewed, the kid told us that "my mum told me to stay away from scary old guys in tights"!!!

This is The Pro in Chow Kit. Don't ask us why we went there. In fact, don't ask HER why she was there too... *sigh*

Review: Golden Age Green Lantern Archives Volume One

Artist Martin Nodell created the Golden Age Green Lantern after seeing a railway lantern one night. The stories in this volume are written by the very talented Bill Finger - the "O. Henry of American comic books". This volume includes the very first appearance of the Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940) as well as his early stories in that same title and in his own book Green Lantern #1. Includes the first appearance of Irene Miller and Doiby Dickles. See Alan flirt endlessly with Irene and develop a true friendship with Doiby. This volume also includes an essay by Dr. William Moulton Marsten on Will-Power. Marsten is also the inventor of the lie detector and the creator of the original Golden Age Wonder Woman.

One thing that I especially like about the stories in this volume is how most of them are about "real" issues and crime. No super-villains here. No cosmic mumbo-jumbo. Just a person with a gift of power who wants to be helpful to the public. In the 1970s, Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams came up with a series of "Relevance" stories starring the Silver Age Green Lantern and Green Arrow. Those stories were considered revolutionary because by then comics was all about fighting the super-villain of the month. Suddenly, there were stories about real crime, corruption, drugs, religious fanatics and the sort. But then, "Relevance" stories have always been in comics in the 1940s. Especially these Bill Finger penned classics here. Moreover, they appear less "forced" here than in the 1970s works (although I love those Hard-Travelling Heroes stories a lot also).

Interestingly, Alan Scott is still a vital character in today's comics, appearing constantly in the current Green Lantern and JSA series in his original persona (unlike the revamped Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman). Today, he appears very much as a guide and a source of wisdom for the new generation of heroes. Reading about his heroic exploits in these early stories, it's not difficult to see that he is more than qualified to guide us all today to higher aspirations.

(I posted the above review at Amazon.com in 2003. I'm in a nostalgic mood today after picking up the Golden Age Flash Archives Vol. 2 so I decided to post this older review here as well...)

Revisiting the Golden Age Flash

No, I did not get the "Franken-Castle" hardcover. Thankfully, it was no longer available in the stores yesterday. That way, I got to save up my money for Volume Two of the "Golden Age Flash Archives" instead! Yes, I found a copy at about half price today in my local comicbook store. The bloke in the shop was surprised anyone was even interested in these Golden Age old fogies. I told them that I'm a huge fan of DC Archives - especially the Golden Age ones. Can't wait to start reading this volume after I finish work tonight at 10pm... :)

Looking at this book brings back memories of my days teaching in an international school some years back - circa 2002-2003. I was just starting to get interested in Golden Age comics and did lots of research online on the original JSA characters. Thankfully, I got to use the internet in the computer room. Of course, the students would all be wondering why I kept doing searches for Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Ted Knight, etc.

Around that time, I managed to get the two archive volumes of the Golden Age Green Lantern. I was also catching up on the Starman and later JSA series by James Robinson, Geoff Johns and David Goyer. But what really made me fall in love with the characters of Alan Scott and Jay Garrick was their appearances in the mini-series by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson called "The Brave and the Bold - Flash and Green Lantern" - in which Alan and Jay co-starred in an entire issue with Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. After that, I read everything I could find on Alan Scott and Jay Garrick. What was so amazing about these old characters was that they were first and foremost human - genuinely fun-loving and good-hearted gentlemen. Alan Scott became a millionaire and a broadcasting tycoon who later lost all his wealth when his company went bust. But he retained his personality as an engineer with old-world values. Jay Garrick was a prankster much like the modern day Flash, Wally West, but without the hang-ups. He's still highly respected as one of the three elder statesmen of the JSA (the other two are Alan Scott and Ted "Wildcat" Grant).

In fact, it's a wonder that Jay, Alan and Ted have all survived the cataclysmic events of the DCU over the past 20-30 years that wiped out their other teammates - namely, Crisis On Infinite Earths, Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis and Blackest Night. Speaking of Blackest Night, Jay Garrick and Ted Grant were even featured on the cover of the second issue of "Blackest Night: JSA". Like I said, it's a wonder that these characters have remained marketable and relevant even after more than 70 years... :)