Broken Frontier

Who says the Golden Age ended?  The Next Issue Project returns with the adventures of the Silver Streak, Daredevil, and more. 

It has been almost two years since Comicdom saw the return of Fantastic Comics with its 24th issue.  Samson and his cohorts returned in a thick, beautiful tribute to the Golden Age of comics.  After all, that is what this Next Issue Project from Image is all about.  Taking a classic Golden Age title that just sort of ended and letting it live again today.  Today, comics readers are used to such time spanning between issues of a title.  As a retailer at least once a month I am asked if the second volume of All Star Batman and Robin has been published.

Of course, the 64 years that have passed since the last issue of Silver Streak Comics came out is a bit more extreme than even Frank Miller or Jim Lee will be capable of.  This time around, the Image concept sees a smaller price tag, which is unique in this day and age.  This means that the comic is not the thick 64 pages or nine stories deep that Fantastic Comics brought.  However, the faux newsprint and play on classic advertisements return.  Most notable of the advertisements is the inside cover.  An expanded indicia is disguised as a tacky tie ad, but in reality, a brief history of the comic being read is given.  It is information that is vital to one of the stories inside.

Of course, the Daredevil that appears on the front cover is not the blind lawyer of Marvel’s comics.  He is rather one more recognizable to fans of Alex Ross.  Over in Project Superpowers, the Death-Defying ‘Devil is one of the many public domain characters being reinvented to create a superhero universe for Dynamite Entertainment.  Fans of Erik Larsen are familiar with the character as well. In fact all four of the featured heroes (and villain) that grace the cover and the stories contained after it were featured in a recent Savage Dragon issue.

Here, the characters are treated much like they would have been back in the days when Arthur Bernhard would have published the book.  They are given short stories.  Very rarely did these creations appear in the same issue, but they did all share the same creator.  Jack Cole, most notable as Plastic Man’s pencil father, created the four heroes featured here.  It’s a sure bet that he would have enjoyed this comic.

Larsen’s take on the Daredevil is fun.  When the Little Wise Guys lead him to a woman being burned at the stake, all are taught a lesson in asking questions first.  The Silver Streak speeds his way through a death threat on a popular Western television show in Grist’s story.  Gilbert lets the Claw play on the history of his character while devilishly pointing out the difference in evil in the forties and now.  Horton’s Captain Battle not only looks like a Captain America rip off, his story just confirms it.  The writers all take a different approach to the material and create a varied anthology as a result.  Even Joe Keatinge throws his pencil into the fold, writing a humor strip that recalls the strips of the era while adding a Chris Ware like tragedy to his Kelly the Cop.

The art is just as dynamic and just as fun. Larsen employs different coloring techniques in the first three stories to not only give the book the look and feel of a 40s comic, but also the imperfections.  Gilbert does much the same on a white page, while Muthart gives the Captain Battle story a more crisp coloring to go with Weiss’s fine line work.

In a medium often paralyzed by the nostalgia of its fans and creators, the Next Issue Project is a bold statement.  It dares to be vital and fresh while basking in the creations of yesterday.  The architects of the current state of Marvel and DC would be wise to take notice.