SPLICED Magazine Issue 02 Dec/Jan 2014 | Page 93

The Golden Age / All Shiny and New
As the age of the superhero dawned, a new era in
storytelling began. Comics' natural pictographic
narratives found an immediate appeal with the
general public because of their content and subject
matter. The Golden Age saw the rise of Batman,
The Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman from
DC and Captain America, Captain Marvel and
others from Marvel. Most importantly, the JSA
(Justice Society of America) title introduced the
idea of a 'Super Team'. The era also coincided with
the height of World War II, with many stories often
adopting war themes in order to inspire the citizens
and offer an escape.
The Golden Age delved more into Superman's

origins, introducing planet
Krypton and its destruction,
granting Superman the power of flight
and heat vision. Readers also saw the
rather complicated relationship between
Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane. The
relationship was a pretty unique feature, as most
superheroes tended to be pretty blasé, with female
characters usually serving as damsels in distress
rather than fully-realised characters.
Superman #58 (vol. 1) gave a pretty unique and
interesting insight into the nature of the characters,
especially because we find out that Lois REALLY
doesn't like Clark.