When does the Bronze Age end?

[fiendish]

I'm CERTAIN this has been hashed over in a previous thread, but I've been searching and can't find it.

 

When does the Bronze Age end?

 

One of the references in the last Overstreet (p. 47) says 1979, but that seems sort of arbitrary.

 

Is it fair to date the Bronze age from 1970 (Conan #1, Kirby leaves Marvel) to 1986 (Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen)?

 

 

[joe_collector]

Either X-Men 137 or Daredevil 181, which both featured major character deaths, and were the beginning of the end for the two major runs that ended the era.

[FlyingDonut]

Ohh, I'd go later than that - Crisis 1 (1985), with the "Dark Age" following issued in by Dark Knight 1.

[kryptonitecomics]

I have always thought of the end as 1979?? X-men #137 would push us to 1980, and Daredevil #181 would push us even further all the way up to 1982. I guess it could end where ever you wanted it too, but I have a hard time considering any early 80's books as Bronze Age no matter how significant the book is in terms of story line

[joe_collector]

Ohh, I'd go later than that - Crisis 1 (1985), with the "Dark Age" following issued in by Dark Knight 1.

 

I'd agree that's the START of the Modern Age, but my own personal feeling is that there was a "waiting period" between the two, where little was really happening.

[joe_collector]

I have always thought of the end as 1979?? X-men #137 would push us to 1980, and Daredevil #181 would push us even further all the way up to 1982.

 

I don't really look at it as a year you can place a cut-off at, but more like the end of the trends that personified the Bronze Age.

 

For the Marvel side, that was anti-heroes, major character deaths and basically a "darker" tone to the stories.

 

That's why I think X-Men 137 is a great bookend to the era, as the Dark Phoenix Saga incorporated them all into one great send-off. DD 181 is kind of like an echo of that.

[Rip]

The Bronze age starts with GL/GA 76. Ends Dec. 79. But some like to debate the issue.

[joe_collector]

The Bronze age starts with GL/GA 76. Ends Dec. 79. But some like to debate the issue.

 

DC Fans Go Home!!

[Rip]

[shiverbones]

i end the bronze age with 1983, the year almost any non superhero book was canceled. There is a definate shift in the type of comics being printed that year & 1984. I don't think any single titles events measure up to the importance of shifts in the entire industry.

[Mephisto]

Your all way off base here it ends with the beginning of the 2nd Spider-Man clone saga in the mid 1990's.

[Illiterati-migration]

[fiendish]

Why 1979?

[awe4one]

i end the bronze age with 1983, the year almost any non superhero book was canceled. There is a definate shift in the type of comics being printed that year & 1984. I don't think any single titles events measure up to the importance of shifts in the entire industry.

 

I always used the 1978 DC Implosion to signify the end of the Bronze Age. Maybe that's what OS gets their 1979 timeframe from. Don't necessaily have a problem with X-Men #137 being used as a benchmark either. I don't see it running all the way to Crisis or DK though.

 

I always find it funny why, and I'm pretty sure of the reason from a seller's point of view, people keep trying to expand these eras......

 

Jim

[FlyingDonut]

This is just me:

 

Platinum Age: 1897 (Yellow Kid) - 1933 (Famous Funnies 1)

Golden Age: 1933 - 1949 (Marvel Comics 92)

Atom Age: 1949 (Marvel Tales 93) - 1956 (Showcase 4)

Silver Age: 1956 (Showcase 4) - 1970 (Green Lantern/Green Arrow 76, Conan 1)

Bronze Age 1970 (Green Lantern/Green Arrow 76, Conan 1) - 1985 (Crisis 1)

Dark Age: 1986 (Dark Knight 1) - 1998 (Daredevil 1):

Modern Age: 1998- present

[Zonker]

Well, 1980-1981 was a definite inflection point, just like 1949-1950 and 1970. If pressed, I'd say September 1980 marked the end of one thing, and January 1981 the start of something else.

 

May 1979: Daredevil 158- First Miller art

Sep 1980: X-Men 137- Death of Dark Phoenix

Oct 1980: DC Presents 26- first New Teen Titans

Nov 1980: New Teen Titans 1

"1980" : Superboy Spectacular- Direct Sales only 1-shot (anyone know which month?)

Jan 1981: Daredevil 168- First Miller -script; Intro Elektra

Jan 1981: X-Men 141- Days of Future Past launches alternate time line that would form the basis for lots of uber-fandom-based X-continuity over the next several years

Mar 1981: X-Men 143- Final Claremont/Byrne

Mar 1981: Dazzler 1- First direct-sales-only for an ongoing series

Nov 1981: Captain Victory 1- First Pacific Comics issue, direct-only publisher

 

But...IMHO, with the significant exceptions of the Cockrum/Byrne X-Men and Marshall Rogers Batman, most of the really classic 1970s stuff was behind us as of December 1974.

[Aman619]

i end the bronze age with 1983, the year almost any non superhero book was canceled. There is a definate shift in the type of comics being printed that year & 1984. I don't think any single titles events measure up to the importance of shifts in the entire industry.

 

I always used the 1978 DC Implosion to signify the end of the Bronze Age. Maybe that's what OS gets their 1979 timeframe from. Don't necessaily have a problem with X-Men #137 being used as a benchmark either. I don't see it running all the way to Crisis or DK though.

 

I always find it funny why, and I'm pretty sure of the reason from a seller's point of view, people keep trying to expand these eras......

 

Jim

 

I dont think the changing ending ponts are dollar driven.... I just think that as we move ahead year after year, we naturally get a different viewpoint on the past. We all defined the Gold and Silver ages 30 to 40 years ago. Those were easy. But everything since then has been slower to come into focus, and , as the comics collecting industry has gained momentum since the late seventies, it all appears as one age since the Bronze which was pretty distinguishable from Silver. IMO, its all been a blur since with only slightly noticeably but arguable marking points. Nothing definitive at all.

[lighthouse]

Tuesday at 3:27pm GMT

[shiverbones]

[Rip]

Why 1979?

 

Well no one has really agreed on any defining moments that ended the bronze age.

Usually a new age is determined by some sort of historic event. The beginning of the modern age doesn't really have a clear cut begining like the Gold, Silver and Bronze.

Its just been the accepted (or not so accepted) cut off date given for the last 15 years or so.

Some people continue to dispute it.