Of all the comic books I have read, the Justice League series is my favorite. The people behind the series are beyond creative. They never run out of good plots, and the amount of research they put in to these characters is just incredible. They did not just create a dream team but a super team. The team has got every kind of hero and every kind of supernatural power anyone can think of. You have Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Captain America, among others. For the girls who do not find Barbie beautiful at all and like kick-ass female characters, they have Wonder Woman, Vixen, and Hawkgirl. The league’s team spirit is heart-warming. They got each other’s back regardless of how different the heroes’ personalities are. Who would believe that getting all of these popular characters together is possible and can work out?

One good thing about the story is that you grow with them. You evolve as the story and characters evolve. Although the story generally focuses on these superheroes saving and protecting the DC universe from villains, a bigger picture is revealed with all the values you learned in every story. You will learn the importance of patriotism, friendship, family,selflessness and service. No wonder it remains popular (first appeared in the February-March 1960 issue) and has even been adapted into animated television series like Super Friends and Justice League Unlimited.

The Justice League is created by Gardner Fox for DC Comics. Fox was born in May 20, 1911, and is a native of New York. His love for fiction started during his eleventh birthday when he received as gifts the books The Gods of Mars and The Warlord of Mars. He was a lawyer by profession and only started writing for comics during the Great Depression. Creating the concept behind the Justice League is one of Fox’s greatest achievements writing for DC Comics.

DC Comics is one of the largest and most successful comic book companies. It is affiliated with Warner Bros., which put many of its comic book hero characters into successful film franchise like Batman and Spiderman.

Comic book heroes would often be part of our discussion during dinner. Me and my brother would often argue as to who is the best. Of course, we would fight for our personal favorites and fight against those who I called “just an afterthought” because they got lame powers.

Among the comic book heroes I have read and seen on TV, I consider Superman as the best. I mean the man is a legend. Without him, there would be no Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, and others. Even today with a new batch of heroes with cooler powers and even cooler costumes, Superman is still the King of them all. He may appear as a geek when he is Clark Kent, but he is so adorable with those glasses. I wonder if he always broke his glasses when he threw them every time he transforms. He is such an honest to goodness guy. He has no self-esteem issues. He is comfortable as he is. And even if he is known as the Man of Steel, he is such a gentle lover and a loyal friend. He is very mild-mannered even to his enemies. He has a million dollar smile that weakens the knees of every woman. Even if he is not from this planet, he has shown more humanity than most of us. His emotions are very human, and just like humans, he always has a weakness – kryptonite. But even with that weakness, he never gives up. He continues to fight with his last ounce of strength. What really makes me love him more is that he loves his adoptive parents with all his heart, and even when he moved in the city to work, he never forgets the values his parents taught him. Who wouldn’t love a hero like that?

I am also drawn to the character of Spawn but not that much. I consider him my least favorite because I found his character very dark and disturbing, although he is really portrayed as such. I admire the love he has for his wife but to strike a deal with the devil just to see his wife for one last time is plain selfish. He did not consider that the consequences far outweigh his feelings. It is like choosing love over the fate of the entire human race, which his wife is a part of. I just don’t buy the general premise of the story and how his character evolved. He cannot die, has godly powers, and is believed to beat God by those who like his character. I mean, c’mon! I guess I am not the only one who thinks that his character just evolved into something that comes across as ridiculous because Spawn comics aren’t selling that well these days.

In industry parlance, the Golden Age of Comics refers to the period in history (American, mainly) when comic books were first published and appealed to the readership. During this period, the hero archetype (fiercely independent, possessing supernatural powers, defender of the weak, enemy of evil, et cetera) was created and defined. This was the debut of notable personages that endure as cultural icons today: Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. This was also the height of popularity for the two Captains: America and Marvel.

Although there are dissenting opinions, the Golden Age was generally estimated to have begun in the early 1930s and lasted until the early 1950s. In 1933, the comic book that would eventually define the size as we know it today went on the newsstands and convenience store counters (right next to the soda fountain). In 1938, America encountered their first superhero from the planet Krypton.

The history of Superman is so well-known today that trivia about his life are stuff for metaphors. For example, you might overhear someone say, “Your love is my kryptonite.” It could mean that the person is held powerless by another being’s affections. This alludes to Superman’s weakness when he is presented with a kryptonite, a stone taken from his planet of origin. Or perhaps someone describes a coworker as a “typical Clark Kent”, and it could be that the person has a personality that is hard to fathom. This is another allusion to Superman’s alter-ego, the mild-mannered newspaper man Clark Kent (who has a penchant for changing identities in telephone boxes).

However, Superman was not actually a popular character during the Golden Age. That distinction belonged to Captain Marvel, a brainchild of Fawcett Publications. Captain Marvel was the superpowers-wielding alter ego of young orphan Billy Batson who was led by a mysterious stranger to a place where he was given the power of six gods. His trademark expression was “SHAZAM!” The word is an acronym of the origin of his superpowers, i.e., Solomon (wisdom); Hercules (strength); Atlas (stamina); Zeus (might); Achilles (courage); and Mercury (speed). When Billy wanted to summon his powers, he shouts the word. Then, lightning would streak down from the sky and transform him into a caped superhuman adult. The cape had a totally sweet design, by the way. Continued publication of Captain Marvel’s adventures was unfortunately halted by a legal battle between Fawcett Publications and DC Comics.

Another notable comic book during the Golden Age that is still in publication today is the Archie Digest. But we’ll talk about Archie and the Gang in another post.

The fifth-place award for best comic book artist goes to Will Eisner. Will Eisner died in 2005 but left a legacy that cannot easily be duplicated by newer artists. His career as a comic book artist spanned 70 years. His most memorable works are Blackhawk and The Spirit (which he wrote before WWII). His work is considered “serious” or “somber” by critics, but I’d say that with other comic book artists taking so much liberty in passing off cartoons and sketches as art, serious artists are what the world needs every once in a while.

Fourth place goes to Neal Adams for his work on Batman (most notable is # 252). Adams channeled his ideas from commercial art and produced fine results in his drawings. His techniques have spawned a great number of imitators. And I think that the comic book industry has greatly beneffited from it.

Third place goes to Francis Manapul for his work on Flash. Any issue with Francis Manapul working on it comes to life under his ministrations. The characters’ expressions are clearly defined. Also commendable are the presentation of action scenes and the awesome tones in every page.

Second place honors go to a very young artist (at least among the other – uh – seasoned comic book artists commended here). Harvey Tolibao is an artist from the Philippines who is rapidly climbing the ranks as one of the greats. He previously worked for Dark Horse comics (Star Wars Series) and now works for Marvel. His clean lines, richness of expressions, subdued hues (nothing to repel you from the artwork), and detailing tell me that this is one artist to pay close attention to in the days to come.

Miguel Sipulveda makes it to my awards list as the person who sits at the first placer’s throne. Trumpet blasts, please. His work range is so versatile that the results are always astounding. Imagine the effort he must have invested on Thanos Imperative. There are dozens – I mean dozens – of characters in every issue, and he has to distinguish each one through their costumes, expressions, et cetera. He succeeds at that – with flying colors and fireworks to boot! The battle scenes are truly spectacular, especially when you closely observe that each character is drawn perfectly and in awesome detail.