One of my favorite websites, Adventures In Poor Taste, has written a really great think piece about DC’s Silver Age. It really sums up my thoughts about it and why I’ve always felt that it honestly was really reductive. That’s largely why I’m weary of the idea of comics treading too far into “happy go-lucky escapism.” Curious to hear your thoughts!
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I don’t have an inherent problem with Barry and Hal being police officers. It’s entirely possible to have stories that present the police in a positive light without promoting a police state–especially if storytellers are allowed to craft stories that question authority at the same time. (The Golden Age had its share of heroic lawmen, after all.) However, it’s probably no coincidence that they were both eventually phased out as the CCA lost its control over the medium.
I see their return from the dead as a counterpoint to stories like Identity Crisis, which arguably swung too far in the opposite direction. (Then again, there’s something unfortunately appropriate about Ethan Van Sciver’s involvement with those two Geoff Johns stories.)
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However, I feel there’s a difference with cops now than back then. Cops were even more corrupt and liked harassing people of color, which is something that Green Lantern/Green Arrow does a fantastic job of tearing down.
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