JSA: The Golden Age with Logan Crowley
We’re back with another episode of Trade School! This time, we’re talking about JSA: The Golden Age! Our host this week is Logan Crowley, a comedian and podcaster!
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Edited by Case Aiken
Scored by Bret Eagleston
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Outline
Introduction and Overview of JSA: The Golden Age (00:00 - 07:54)
Introduction to the podcast and gratitude for the opportunity to discuss JSA: The Golden Age
Praise of James Robinson and Paul Smith’s miniseries as foundational for the later revival of the JSA, prior to Geoff Johns’ well-known run
️ Thematic Analysis, Fight Scenes, and Personal Reflections (07:54 - 16:03)
Highlighting the climactic superhero battle against the Hitler-superman villain
Discussion on the importance of physical conflicts in comics as metaphorical storytelling rooted in Western mythology and religion
Significance of JSA: The Golden Age (00:20 - 01:26)
An underrated classic comic series by James Robinson and Paul Smith that set the stage for the later popular Geoff Johns’ JSA run
The series is situated in post-WWII America amid McCarthyism and HUAC political witch hunts, expertly integrating historic tension into superhero narratives
️ Characterization of Alan Scott (02:50 - 03:40)
Alan Scott is portrayed as a stoic, warm, and complex hero distinct from Superman, with strong visual and narrative presence
The comic presents a compelling story exploring patriotism, suspicion, and resistance against government oppression, especially through Alan Scott’s defense of persecuted creatives
️ Climactic Conflict and Themes (06:00 - 09:50)
The dark plot twist reveals a brain-swapped Mr. America/Hitler villain, culminating in a memorable, well-choreographed superhero fight that symbolizes the ideological battle of WWII
Physical superhero conflicts in comics serve as powerful metaphors and are essential narrative tools drawn from deep cultural and mythological roots
Logan's Personal Connection (11:49 - 14:45)
Logan’s personal connection with the JSA and plans to develop a comic inspired by JSA: The Golden Age illustrates the lasting influence of this work
The host encourages readers to discover or revisit this comic, praising its storytelling, art, and thematic richness
️ Podcast Promotion (15:10 - 16:03)
Promotion of the Single Bound podcast offers listeners a related resource for comic conversations focused on single issues
Encouragement for listener engagement and suggestions
Transcription
00:00
Welcome to Certain Point of View's Trade School, where each episode a different host talks about a comic book trade paperback that they loved and why they love it. All right, jsa, the Golden Age. Let me first say, Case, thank you for this opportunity. I'm really glad that you put this show idea in motion because it gives me. On my show Single Bound, which you can find on Spotify, we talk about individual issues of comics and what makes those great. And so story arcs like this, you know, longer form stories I don't really get the opportunity to talk about yet. So this was a really great opportunity to talk about a comic that I just absolutely love. And I think this is really one of the most underrated comics ever written. I don't think.
00:49
I think a lot of times Geoff Johns gets the credit for the kind of JSA renaissance that happened in the late 90s and early 2000s. And. And while I don't deny him his roses on that's maybe my favorite comic run of all time, particularly because of what he brought to it. I think that it really begins with this James Robbins, Paul Smith miniseries, the Golden Age. So much so that I did not realize that this wasn't technically an Elseworld story for a long time. It just seemed like it would fit so perfectly into the. The post crisis continuity. I don't really know why it doesn't, but for. For those of you that haven't read it, I am going to have spoilers, so keep that in mind as you're listening.
01:39
But I think if you still are interested in it, what the basic premise of the story is it's set just after World War II, and it's kind of what happens to the JSA heroes when wartime is over and America is moving into McCarthyism and the HUAC and getting more suspicious on the home front. Eisenhower's America is beginning. And so you're seeing these kind of responses to that and great character moments start in this comic, like the idea that our man Powers could lead to a problem for him, which I do think kind of overpowers the character now. But in this comic, it's really well handled and gives him a great arc. I think that this. This is sort of the birth of the version of Alan Scott, who is one of my top five favorite superheroes ever.
02:42
I'm one of the only people in the world who. Alan Scott has been my favorite Green Lantern my entire life. When I was a baby, I had an Alan Scott plushie that was ordered from DC Direct that I used to sleep with at times. So he's a character that's very beloved to me as the Big Guy, right. As sort of the best superhero of a version of DC's golden age that didn't have Superman in it. And this is. In this version of him in this comic is just perfect and perfectly captured by Paul Smith. He's so big, he fills the page and warm and honest and kind, but not in the same way that Superman is. You know, Alan Scott, in his most perfect version, has this stoicism that you just. That I don't really associate with Superman in the same way.
03:36
And this comic perfectly captures that. There's a great. There's an incredible panel where he has a. He has a painting or like an art deco mural on the wall of his office of Atlas. And while he's going through all the HUAC stuff, which, for those of you that don't know the HUAC was the House of UN American Activities Committee. It is unfortunately one of the most successful bipartisan efforts in the history of our country, as it was spearheaded by Democrat Joseph McCarthy and Republican Richard Nixon. So that's sad, but it was this horribly bleak time in the history of our nation where were so scared of communist infiltrators that were just ruining people's lives trying to ferret them out. And of course, we know now that a lot of people weren't really as concerned about the communist infiltrators as they were pretending to be.
04:37
They were using it as an excuse to get back at people they had vendettas against. And that story is told in this comic through Alan Scott trying desperately to defend the people who work for his radio station, the writers and artists that are being witch hunted, that he is trying to put himself in their path to spare them what the government is trying to do. That's probably my favorite part of the comic. The Johnny Quick parts are really cool. It's a great frame story. And highlight the ways that character is different than Jay Garrick. If I do have a complaint about the series, I really wish there was more Jay Garrick in it. He and the Sandman are really the two big golden age DC characters that are very omitted from this story.
05:30
And I get why the Sandman is because this came out at the same time as Mystery Theater and Neil Gaiman's Run. So Sandman was getting the love that he kind of deserved. But I would have loved to have seen Jay Garrick get some kind of arc in this to capitalize on him. I think he probably Got left out because Johnny Quick was already in there. But I think, however similar their powers, personality wise, those characters are different enough that the story could have supported them. But just by way of a very brief summary. For those that aren't going to read the book, but do want to know what it's about.
06:06
All these heroes are going through all these different trials and tribulations of life at home, While at the same time, this hero who went to the war and killed Hitler, named Mr. America, the American mando, is rising in status in power in the country. And he goes on this very kind of reactionary campaign to, you know, as he claims, defend America from something like World War II happening again. And part of doing that is he turns a sidekick named Dan the Dynamite from the golden age Into a Superman analog named Dynaman. And Dynaman is getting pushed by the government as the newest, greatest superhero, the one who's going to lead the country into the next era. And he's the most powerful. And at first, he seems to be every bit the Superman analog.
07:08
But as time goes on, Dynaman seems to be more and more off and doing things that aren't just strange, but are very out of character for the Dan that you meet at the beginning. And the ultimate payoff that we find out for this is Mr. America did not kill Hitler. Mr. America was taken captive and had his brain replaced by the ultra humanite. And he has used Dan the dynamite as a body to turn Hitler into Superman. It's Hitler's brain in this new super being. And when that is revealed at the end, There is one of the absolute most gorgeous, well choreographed, well told superhero fights ever in the history of comics. Absolutely devastating, gritty, but triumphant. As every golden age hero sets in fighting this evil Superman who has the brain of Adolf Hitler.
08:09
And this part I'm not going to spoil because you should just. You. You owe it to yourself to read it. I usually. I use this fight as an argument Because I do think there's a tendency, those of us that like to get literary about comics, which I am one, to. We kind of want to shy away from the pro wrestling nature of American comics. And we don't. We. We want everything to be like watchmen, where there's not really any fights. And we kind of look down on superhero comics that involve fist fights. And I think that is such a disservice to the medium. Because physical conflicts as metaphors for philosophical struggles. Aren't just at the root of American comics and American storytelling. They are at the very Roots of Western religion and mythology, right?
09:09
Going all the way back to Hercules, locking up with the Nemean lion or the Minotaur or, you know, if we're going to get into the Bible.
09:23
You.
09:23
Know, Jacob, I think wrestling with God on the mountain, that is such, it's such an important part of how we tell stories that metaphor speaks to a very primal human need. And in something like comics that are a visual medium, they add a layer to how you can tell the story that we overlook when we cut it out. Right. When you get to. When a comic doesn't have that, it's not that it can't still be an incredible comic, but you are leaving this incredible potential for how to tell the tale just behind for no other reason other than, you know, kind of self importance or embarrassment. And I think that's a mistake. And I think this is an example of how well it can be done.
10:20
Because you see all of these classic heroes throwing their bodies, some of them giving their lives to try and stop this the second wave of unstoppable fascism. And it is such a perfect metaphor for what World War II was in its purest, most ideological form. It was men and women this world over throwing their bodies on the line to stop the most evil base aspects of human nature. And it is perfectly captured in this story, both in the power of that evil, in the consequences that you will suffer if you are the one who stands up against it, but also in that there is victory possible if you do it. I can't sing its praises any more than that. And I'll tell you this, I have written a comic that I'm hoping to find an artist who can work on it with me.
11:35
And like a lot of comics, it kind of started. The first nuggets of it were sort of a fan fiction that I eventually, you know, tweaked into being where something where it stands on its own and isn't, you know, derivative to a degree that it's a problem. But the comic, but the comic I have written that I'm trying to get made right now started life as a sequel to this. Like, this was a very affecting comic for me at a young age. And it's one of the reasons why the JSA stays one of my all time favorite comic book teams. Because more than any other superhero team, they tell the story of America in the 20th century. They have very important parallels in all of their well told stories for the history of this nation and why it's the way it is.
12:25
And I Love America. I really do. We're going through a dark time right now. But one of the reasons why it is a dark time is because this is a nation that is full of people that care deeply about right and wrong in a way that. That I really do think is unique. I really do think that. That we care in this country whether or not we are the good guys to a level that you don't see very often in other nations fiction. And I. And we. Does that say that we have big egos? Does that say that we have main character syndrome? Yes. Yeah. There's not a perfect group of human beings. There never has been.
13:13
But I think it's beautiful that we are a country that is miserable if we think we're not the good guy, if we think we're not doing the right thing. I think that even in our darkest moments, that is inspiring to me. And this comic captures that. This comic has a lot of parallels for what we're going through right now. And I see so much of myself in the struggles of the characters trying to deal with the idea that this. That this fascist dark wave has infiltrated this thing that they love so much. And I love that they kick its ass. I really do. And I think you will, too. If you have not read this comic, please read it. It is as damn near perfect as a comic can be. And like I said, so let me thank Case one more time.
14:20
This is such a cool idea for a show and such a cool opportunity. I hope that. I hope that more people jump on this ship, because I think this could be something that's just absolutely a blast to listen to. You can find me and my wife at Single Bound. We're a podcast. We're on YouTube, but. But the episodes go up fastest on Spotify. We review single issues of comics that stand on their own that you can read in one sitting in one volume. And you can follow us at. You can reach us at SingleboundPod on Gmail if you want to suggest comics. But when. We hope that you'll reach out, because we're just getting started out. And if you've ever listened to a podcast and thought, man, I would love to get my suggestion through and hear an episode about something.
15:11
I thought, well, we've gotten one piece of fan mail so far, so this is your moment. And like I said, read JSA the Golden Age. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. You guys take care. Thank you. Oh, and of course, happy reading.
15:34
We love digging into epic comic book runs, but what about the art of the single issue? Single Bound is a new podcast series hosted by married couple Amy and Logan as they review single issues of Comics. And if the title also makes you think of Superman, you're not alone as the man of Steel is Logan's favorite character and a regular topic of discussion on Single Bound. Listen and subscribe on Spotify and YouTube, and follow the show on Instagram SingleBoundPodcast.
15:59
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