History ComicBook / TheGoldenAge

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Jay Garrick, the original Flash, is implicitly this to his fellow [=JSA=] speedster Johnny Quick, who tacitly admits that Jay was faster. Johnny also notes that Jay is HappilyMarried (Johnny is recently divorced) and owns a successful company (Johnny works late and lonely hours as a reporter who stays out of the limelight). However, Johnny has a reputation as TheReliableOne in the superhero community and does a lot of planning and [[IncrediblyLamePun legwork]] for the final battle, while Jay only contributes briefly before being PunchedAcrossTheRoom.

[[caption-width-right:330: UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks ends with a bang.]]

It tells the story of Franchise/TheDCU's [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes immediately after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, their problems with the rising tide of [=McCarthyism=] and government corruption, and a super-powered take-over of the US Government.

Most of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes have retired for various reasons, and are making new careers for themselves, when an amnesiac Manhunter makes his way back to America from parts unknown. As events unwind, the heroes have to deal with conspiracy, government corruption, and horrific discoveries about the war.

The series touches on most of the major [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes, and many of the minor ones. Notable absences from the line-up are ComicBook/{{Superman}}, ComicBook/{{Batman}}, and ComicBook/WonderWoman, despite all three originating in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks.

* EndOfAnAge: The ending of [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks The Golden Age]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Paul Kirk's disappearance in the jungle near the end, foreshadowing his later resurrection as the Manhunter in the [[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks Bronze Age]].

* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: John Chambers reveals the fates of the main characters who survived the Dynaman revelation incident, while also showing the dawn of [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks The Silver Age]].

A particularly memorable ''Creator/{{Elseworlds}}'' MiniSeries by James Robinson (of ''ComicBook/{{Starman|DCComics}}'' fame), published by Creator/DCComics in 1993.

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A particularly memorable ''{{Elseworld}}s'' MiniSeries by James Robinson (of ''ComicBook/{{Starman|DCComics}}'' fame), published by Creator/DCComics in 1993.

A particularly memorable ''{{Elseworld}}s'' MiniSeries by James Robinson (of ''Comicbook/{{Starman}}'' fame), published by Creator/DCComics in 1993.

The series touches on most of the major [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes, and many of the minor ones. Notable absences from the line-up are Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, and Franchise/WonderWoman, despite all three originating in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks.

''The Golden Age'' is nominally a WhatIf story, but elements of the series have snuck into {{Canon}} anyway, most notably Ted "Starman" Knight's nervous breakdown, a major part of ''Comicbook/{{Starman}}'s'' backstory. It was eventually retitled ''JSA: The Golden Age'' to connect the series to the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica ongoing series of the late 1990s and early-to-mid 2000s.

The series is told primarily from the viewpoints of Liberty Belle, Manhunter, the original ComicBook/GreenLantern, and Johnny Quick. The story plays out in a "realistic" fashion, similar to ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'', but not quite as dark.

* BigNo: Thunderbolt, when his master Johnny Thunder gives him the command to kill Hourman during the Dynaman revelation incident, becomes so conflicted with that and his own personal ethics that he just departs from the scene entirely, screaming this.

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Robotman notably lost his humanity after the war ended.

* ClassyCatBurglar: The Tigress.

** Attempted by Jonathan Law on Libby Lawrence, but Libby puts Jonathan down rather easily.

* OldShame: Tex Thompson doesn't want to see Bob Daley anymore, having come to see their time as Mr. America and Fatman as embarrassing (so he says).

* GreenLanternRing: The original Green Lantern, of course.

* AnyoneCanDie: Pretty much the case of this series, as a good deal of the Golden Age heroes are killed off by Dynaman [[spoiler:with the mind of Adolf Hitler]].

* RadiationInducedSuperpowers: Most of Dynaman's powers came from being exposed to a controlled nuclear explosion.

* ILoveNuclearPower:
** Most of Dynaman's powers came from being exposed to a controlled nuclear explosion.
** Ironically, since the Atom was already exposed to nuclear radiation, he was rejected as a test subject, [[spoiler:because his body would have poisoned Hitler's brain during the transference.]]

* OldShame: In-universe, Tex Thompson doesn't want to see Bob Daley anymore, having come to see their time as Mr. America and Fatman as embarrassing (so he says).

* LowerDecksEpisode: Sort of. Most of the narrative follows the lesser stars of the Golden Age, such as Johnny Quick, or Tarantula, rather than most of the bigger names, though Alan Scott is a main character throughout.

* DawnOfAnAge: The end of the series marks the transition into the Silver Age of Comics, with most of the big names of that era starting to show up.

* VillainBall: Tex Thompson makes the classic villain mistake of writing down ''everything'' about himself and his plot in his diary.

* AnyoneCanDie: Pretty much the case of this series, as a good deal of the Golden Age heroes are killed off by Dynaman.

* AlliterativeName: Daniel Dunbar, aka ''Dan the Dyna-Mite''. Also Tex Thompson, the Americommando, and Libby Lawrence, the Liberty Belle.

* BigBadDuumvirate: Tex Thompson and Dynaman [[spoiler: who are secretly the Ultra-Humanite and Adolf Hitler]].

--> "It's my time and my life, so why don't you fu--...h-hello, Paula, it's Lance...Lance Gallant..."

** Joan Dale shows signs of this after she discovers [[spoiler: that Tex Thompson is really the Ultra-Humanite]].

* {{Expy}}: The Tigress costume-wise is an expy for the Golden Age version of Catwoman...although the costume itself is patterned after the ''modern'' versions of Catwoman.

* GrandTheftMe: [[spoiler:Besides the Ultra-Humanite's brain taking over the Americommando's body, there's also Adolf Hitler's brain taking over Daniel Dunbar's (Dynaman) body]].

** Ironically, since the Atom was already exposed to nuclear radiation, he was rejected as a test subject, [[spoiler:because his body would have poisoned Hitler's brain during the transference]].

* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: Tarantula's last thought [[spoiler:before he is killed by Dynaman]].

* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:Miss America is about to reveal who Dynaman really is when Robotman kills her]].

** When Alan Scott is called before HUAC, he starts to give a heroic speech to the committee about how he won't give in to fear and will stand up to this "witch hunt." Then [[spoiler: Dynaman starts wrecking the building.]]

** Starman's moment of taking down Dynaman with his cosmic rod is instantly negated by [[spoiler: Dynaman snapping the thing in two]].