What's the earliest year you'd read back to?

[SJNeal]

Like others have already mentioned, the oldest book I've read is Action Comics #1, so I guess my answer is 1938.

Do I love Golden Age material? Not particularly, and I don't seek it out unless it's for historical reference/context, but I'm not opposed to it nor would I say "I wouldn't read past year X".

[Lee Stone]

1938 for me, also.

[Jim Kelly]

If someone can be convinced to read Superman from 1938, I think I can get them to read Bart Regan, Spy from 1936 or Dr. Occult from 1935.

[Digifiend]

1938, but then I'd skip the 50s-- That whole decade just looks lackluster

Well, superheroes were out of fashion then, so there simply wasn't as many titles published - and those that were frequently crossed over into other genres (hard sci-fi, comedy, romance). So I can understand that. But don't skip it completely. Aren't the origins of the silver age Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter in the second half of that decade?

[DrNewGod]

1938 is as far back as I've gone. I would have loved to read the pre-Batman Detective Comics issues for the stories of The Crimson (later known as The Crimson Avenger), but DC doesn't have those available on their site. The same is true for a big swath of their titles through all their ages up until the late 1970s. Too bad that. I can kind of understand for something like Adventure Comics, but Superman jumps from the late 1950s to 1970 for some reason.

[DrNewGod]

1938, but then I'd skip the 50s-- That whole decade just looks lackluster

Our tastes differ. Absolutely, there was some really lame stuff. But the 1950s were when Manhunter from Mars, Rip Hunter, and Challengers of the Unknown, were coming out, as well as the formative years of The Flash and his mythos.

[Mike]

All the way back to the beginning.
Why set limits?

[Jim Kelly]

In the 1990s, I bought a relatively cheap copy of THE GREATEST 1950S STORIES EVER TOLD in soft cover and it was one of my happiest purchases. In that book, I discovered a certain type of art and storytelling that really appealed to me. I'm not talking about the super-hero stuff. I mean all the other stuff that was available in the 1950s, like Johnny Peril and Johnny Thunder by Alex Toth. Artists at that time--including Toth, Infantino and Gil Kane--had a Milt Caniff type of style and I really like that art. It's not flashy, but it's cool and moody (with great inks by the likes of Sy Barry and Joe Giella).

[John Venus]

Action Comics #1.

Detective Comics #27.

All Star Comics #8.

I've also read the solo appearances of Specter, Black Canary, Wildcat, Red Tornado and some of the other JSA stories of the time. I've only seen snippets of Marvel's (was it Timely or Atlas back then?) Human Torch, Namor and Captain America comics from the time.

I found those old Golden Age comics to be charming and quirky with it's idiosyncratic art style and plots. The creators weren't taking themselves too seriously and were just having fun. Plus you get a sense of what the creators were going for with these characters.

When it comes to Silver Age, Marvel was king. DC's output, at least the stuff I read like Justice League, Lois Lane and Superman, were kind of stale.

[Robanker]

The Golden Age. I'd say 1938 with the first appearance of Superman but there's some cool stuff before that worth reading. Yes, the art's not as flashy nor the storytelling as sophisticated, but it can still spark the imagination. Hell, I was reading old Action Comics stuff and some of the Zatara stuff got me thinking about a story I'd tell for him and his daughter.

There are gems throughout DC's publishing history if you're willing to dig for them. There were a lot of big ideas left unrefined that they just threw out there for a dime. Hell, Diana met an alternate Wonder Woman from a parallel earth in the Golden Age and nobody talks about it until Barry did it years later.