James Robinson: How Publishers Cheat Out Of The Golden Age

James Robinson is one of those creators I’ve been trying to cover for a long time. Well it’s now or never because I’ve been getting review requests left and right. This creator is one I hold a lot of respect for a number of reasons; he’s able to find value in unlikely places, he understands why nostalgia is a force of inspiration, and he’s honest about being self-conscience. Something that many publishers use to treat hm as a commodity. Now I’m going to preach what makes James Dale Robinson a good writer under better circumstances.

James Robinson: A Collector By Nature

Now Robinson’s early days in comics start like a lot of people’s, collecting them. You ever want to hunt down a hard to find collectible, the kind that sell exponentially at pawn shops? Well considering that fans have guides to collecting Golden Age comics, it has some stuff to it. Between collecting memorabilia like famous people’s furniture, Robinson knew that the value comes with stories behind things. So his early days are about writing stories in his home country of Britain. With his debut graphic novel London’s Dark getting acclaim as an essential among 500 of them. But it’s his time in an anthology license that gets the US to notice.

Within Matt Wagner’s Grendel franchise, Robinson displays the power that comes from an object’s reputation. The mask and dident of the titular persona empowers anyone who finds it. But so many people take the title in different directions, there’s a struggle between them all.

Then there’s his time with Miracleman under Neil Gaiman’s Eclipse Comics. When a character like that brings a sense of awe and inspiration, James Robinson finds a voice in a bigger crowd. While the stories Robinson writes in the Apocrypha could never be something big in story world, they do in the real world.

A Dark Horse Meets The Dark Knight

Robinson would meet and collaborate with others at Dark Horse for the Terminator franchise. The stories weren’t really anything special, more akin to fan-fiction. But come on people, name one time you didn’t want to publish a fan-fic of your favorite franchise. Besides why get worked up over something like that when you can work on Batman?

Batman isn’t just a symbol of justice but as one YouTuber points out, what makes Batman so popular is turning a bad experience into something positive. Within the pages of Blades and subsequent follow-ups, Robinson introduces characters who could use encouragement. For Robinson, I can’t help but feel like he’s expressing his anxieties of working at DC. These are the big leagues and he’s really trying to put out his best.

Heck Robinson is working between publishers like Marvel, WildStorm, Slave Labor, and Malibu at these times. Some like Firearm are so notable for how absurdly human they are. One can even say it uses experiences from his first marriage. I think what really cements Robinson’s decision to stay at DC was a number of factors. Including but definitely not limited to character who inspire him.

The Golden Age Of James Robinson

DC has a huge catalogue of characters, many of which the company doesn’t know what to do with. So James Robinson uses the characters he grew up with for JSA: The Golden Age. This Elseworlds story is a post-WWII story about the era in terms of character and setting. With the war over, some of the uglier sides of humanity show up in 1950s McCarthyism. For superheroes who were supposed to represent hope, they’re now at risk of being labeled as part of a bigger problem.

In terms of comic fans, think the Comics Code Authority and the damage it caused. Creators were becoming disillusioned with what they loved, and several were looking for purpose. The politicians involved at this time probably looked like supervillains. So heroes fighting back against evil is both invigorating and inspiring. A young Captain Comet showing up in the final battle all but signals a chance for new creators to come up. This comes into fruition when a fan of Robinson actually gets to work with him, but we’ll come back to that.

Intergenerational Transition

After The Golden Age, Robinson finds himself working on more titles; Batman, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Vigilante, and of course Starman. Now Starman might be something that causes James Robinson some grief for being what he’s best known for; but… that’s because he put so much passion and effort into getting it published. Building off The Golden Age, Robinson goes into the legacy of the moniker while putting himself into the role. Jack Knight is a reluctant hero who shares Robinson’s love of vintage collectibles. Naturally the anxieties that come with such a role linger constantly. Ultimately, Jack and Robinson find they like doing this kind of stuff.

Later Robinson’s success of Starman leads him to doing the Justice Society of America, Golden Age Heroes in the modern world. With Jack naturally joining in, Robinson meets that fan from before who got inspired by him. Geoff Johns manages to create a Golden Age tribute of his own with Star-Spangled Kid and STRIPE. In story, Courtney and Jack are a little at odds with one another but begin to grow with respect. In real time, Robinson finds a promising young creator. So in both story and real time Robinson passes the torch of the Starman legacy and JSA over to Johns. But not before doing one last bit of fun with Hawkman.

Publishing Pains

And now we’re going over what publishers do as thanks for Robinson. A number of Robinson’s series get cut short due to company buyouts by the Big Two. Malibu’s buyout by Marvel cuts Codename: Firearm after two issues. At Event Comics, the last and potentially best Ash story Fire and Crossfire gets cut off as the executives sold out tomorrow. Robinson didn’t even get highlights at Marvel since he already left the Cable title. Finally WildStorm Comics’ buyout by DC cut off Leave It To Chance and its initial publishing. This was all during the tail end of the speculator boom so this is practically just business. It’s what happened at the Big Two that really gets to Robinson.

DC for the initial years is a good place with James Robinson doing a good run on Batman. Face The Face really shows him as the World’s Greatest Detective in a Two-Face conspiracy. Unlike his time with Superman that he at times share with Johns. With so much sensational stuff happening, the more down-to-Earth moments feel obscure. Except maybe for the Blackest Night tie-ins which show off the passions Robinson puts in. Only for DC to invoke executive meddling by pushing him into Justice League of America and Cry For Justice.

Marvel wasn’t any better; after an impressive collaboration with Mark Waid over Spider-Man’s family he gets the Fantastic Four. Which if you follow my reaction you have the idea that executives and Robinson weren’t communicating.

There’s A Silver Lining In The Gold

On the plus side, James Robinson does do some good stuff with these companies when executives aren’t in the way. Like say, his follow-up to Starman, The Shade featuring the complexities of the titular anti-villain. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and the beginning of Earth 2 meanwhile are bigger attractions. These nostalgic series bring out the storytelling potential in the many characters who aren’t A-Listers. Sure a missing DC Trinity are big shoes to fill with the way they go out but damned if they don’t try. Which is all the more unfortunate when DC gives the title over to Tom Taylor.

Marvel meanwhile does provide Robinson with other titles between all of the Golden Age cash-ins like All-New Invaders. Most notably is Scarlet Witch where along with the numerous artists is like character and creative piecing their careers back together. You would need something like this too if you have a career of companies screwing you over. I mean this and his Nick Fury series got inspirations from the trailblazing Hawkeye series by Matt Fraction and David Aja. Which is really big considering Robinson was in a bit of a slump.

James Robinson: How The Young Inspire Him

Before all of the better stuff at Marvel and DC, James Robinson pushes his efforts in creator-owned titles. The Saviors being the first attempt is a bit of a hit or miss. There’s some experimental storytelling that Robinson does with his artists.

Probably the one that makes more progress than most is Airboy, a semi-autobiographical take on the mini-series’ development. In a (hopefully) exaggerated take on Robinson’s decision making process, readers see how he views himself as washed up. With most people equating him as the “Golden Age Guy” and how most publishers treated him like dirt, he’s reluctant to do something similar. But he needs work, so he and artist Greg Hinkle try to get ideas down. It’s only when they lose themselves into the development that James Robinson finds that he can still do more. Hinkle was a fan of his and Robinson finds himself inspired to get out of his comfort zone.

At Dynamite, Robinson begins his first new step with Grand Passion, a series people love or hate. But really, this is for him not anyone else. Besides, he got to do James Bond later.

James Robinson: Still A Fan Favorite

As for how Robinson is handling his career, he’s revolving around DC’s trinity. Between Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman, they’re really just stories for a paycheck. What’s really taking up his time is as a producer and screenwriter for The CW’s Stargirl. No doubt due to Geoff Johns asking for some of his mentor’s input and giving him the proper credit for the title character’s legacy. It’s nice to see somebody gives him proper recognition.

James Robinson has a legacy of finding your passions, the burden of them, the disillusionment, and finding new inspirations. Because if the younger generations can inspire older ones, there’s always a chance to make a comeback.

Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.