3. The Golden Age
Written by James Robinson, The Golden Age was a four issue Elseworld miniseries that reenvisioned the JSA in the 50s. Facing McCarthyism, their own mortality and a surprisingly deadly foe, Robinson's JSA are in real danger. For the first time ever the kid gloves are off and the world's first superteam might actually die. Owing a sizable debt to both Alan Moore's Miracleman run and his seminal classic Watchmen, Golden Age is a fantastic example of the direction good comics were heading in by 1993. The characters are portrayed incredibly well and all of the things that usually make characters from this time period seem silly actually work to make them endearing here. Like Kingdom Come, I still consider this book canon in my twisted little mind. It clearly informed most portrayals of the JSA up until Flashpoint, as it should have.