<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: If you love the Silver Age, get this book!
Review: Let me start off by saying that reading this book will make you laugh long and hard - not because the stories are intentionally funny, but because they are so overwhelmingly absurd. It's a product of the times, however, and it is an essential part of your comic education.Every company that could was riding the superhero wave of what is considered the Silver Age of comics. DC, Marvel, Charlton, Gold Key, et al, were drowning us with men in tights. Not to be outdone (in THEIR minds, at least) Archie Comics decided to stray from their standard fare with the creation of the Mighty Comics Group, giving us brightly-garbed heroes such as Fly-Man, Fly-Girl, The Black Hood, The Comet, and The Shield. These characters united to form the Mighty Crusaders. While these stories never touched Mighty's competitors in terms of quality, they more than made up for it in unintentional laughs. What am I talking about? Well, how about the fact that Fly-Man seems to have more powers than the entire Avengers roster - is there anything he can't do? The Black Hood rides into combat on... a flying robotic horse? The Comet's costume, designed by Peter Max? The hilariously snide comments and forced confrontations between team members that substitute for characterization? I had to put the book down several times in order to compose myself. Don't let this deter you, however: the writing, for all its faults, is very creative, so thumbs-up to Jerry Siegel (yes, THAT Jerry Siegel). Paul Reinman's art is razor-sharp and very reminiscent of Mike Sekowsky, which was a big selling point for me. His layouts could be compared to early '60s Kirby. This collection includes FLY MAN #31 - 33 and MIGHTY CRUSADERS #1, originally published in 1965. The art has been restored, and the coloring is amazingly vibrant on bright white paper.
<< 1 >>
| 
