Alter Ego: The Graphic Novel

Roy Thomas is truly the standard-bearer for the appreciation of the Golden Age of comics. Have you ever read his Infinity Incorporated? JSA? All-Star Squadron? The Avengers' Kree-Skrull War? Well, suffice to say that Thomas is the guy that made me care about Golden Age superheroes. Even his magazine Alter Ego covers aspects of the Golden Age in painstaking detail. ALTER EGO: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL collects the four issue series originally published by First Comics. The adventures of Alter Ego grew out of Thomas' magazine, and it carries a similar theme - the appreciation of Golden Age superhero comics, warts and all. Rob Lindsay, an average teen-ager, stumbles upon what appears to be an old comic premium: the mask of the Golden Age hero Alter Ego. When Rob dons the mask, he is trasported into a comic world and becomes Alter Ego, leading the "Limbo Legion" into battle against the Crimson Claw. The Claw has designs on conquering both the comic book world and Rob's "real" world, and he'll stop at nothing to do it. But there's more to the story, involving a mysterious connection between the two characters, and the involvement of Rob's grandfather. While the dialogue does unfortunately stumble here and there, it's a good solid story that should appeal to fans of Rick Veitch's MAXIMORTAL, Alan Moore's SUPREME, or even James Robinson's THE GOLDEN AGE. This story contains several treats. First of all, it's both an appreciation and a parody of the Golden Age of Comics. While you can tell that Thomas loves his source material, he doesn't hesitate to poke fun at all the things that make the Golden Age somewhat annoying: the horrible expository dialogue, the absurd racial stereotypes, and the uninspired similarities between certain characters, to name a few. Second, it features thinly disguised versions of public domain Golden Age heroes, such as the Black Terror and the original Daredevil. Third, while the subject material may be considered quaint, it's anything but: adult language, violence, blood, and death make this a darker book than you'd expect. The only problem I have with this book is the art. Ron Harris is certainly a capable artist, as evidenced by his cover and interior sketch section. The page art, however, is quite flat and looks rushed at times. It could be argued that it was meant to look this way as a nod to the Golden Age, but I'm not so sure. A bit more care with the art would give this book a solid five-star rating. But don't let that hold you back from a worthwile read. ALTER EGO: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL is a well-deserved reprint of superb material.