With so many great comics just added, and a LOT more to come. I want to take a moment to highly recommend everyone consider giving DC Comics Presents a try as most of the series is now on DCU and the rest will be added by the end of the month.
No comic showcases the Bronze Age of DC more then DC Comics Presents. For anyone who didn’t know, DC Comics presents was a title that ran from 1978-1986 coming to (including the 4 annuals) just over 100 issues.
The series featured Superman teaming up with a different DC hero in each issue, and unlike most other books it had no regular writer and artist team. Each issue was written and drawn by a different writer/artist team usually one heavily associated with whoever Superman was teaming up with that issue.
Because of this concept the series features nearly the entire lineup of Superheroes at the time. We see Superman team up with fellow upper tier heroes like Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Green Aarrow… Mid level heroes like Captain Marvel, Metamorpho, Zatanna and Firestorm… Lower tier heroes like Ambush Bug, Power Girl, and The Creeper… and some heroes most have forgotten ever existed like The Atomic knights, Airwave II, The Starman of the 80’s, Global Guardians and The Dial H For Hero team of Chris King and Vicky Grant… Heck he even teamed up with He-Man (yes THAT He-Man) and Santa Clause. And despite Batman and Superman teaming up every month in Worlds Finest Comics at the time making Batman team-ups off limits, they managed to do an issue with Batman and the Outsiders so even the caped crusader managed to find his way into this series.
And because of the changing artist and writers nearly everyone employed by DC Comics at the time wrote at least one issue sometime during it’s run.
José Luis García López, Keith Giffen, Denny O’Neil, Alan Moore, Curt Swan, Steve Englehart, Roy Thomas and so many more all wrote or did the art for at least one issue in the series run.
And as if that wasn’t enough to make this series great, via a backup story in issue 26.
Now the series was not perfect, due to the changing writers and artist there is no real consistent tone. Sometimes it’s a character piece, sometimes it’s a horror comic, sometimes it’s a comedy (the Ambush bug team-up is to this day the most hilarious comic I have ever read), and sometimes it’s a supernatural or space epic all depending on who is teaming up with Superman each issue. there are no ongoing subplots or story arcs all a bi-product of them not having a regular creative team, and with the exception of issue 1 and 2 with The Flash, and a two part Shazam team-up every issue is self contained.
And as with most bronze age comics the writing is a product of it’s time so it is not as well written as most would consider modern comics and like anything that old sometimes characters say and do things that hasn’t always aged well.
But because of it’ self contained nature you can literally jump in anywhere and for the most part read them in any order. So if you want a taste of the good and the bad that the Bronze Age of DC Comics offered, find an issue that appeals to you and give DC Comics Presents a chance. I can guarantee there is something for literally anyone among the many adventures Superman and his fellow heroes go on.
