What's the real DISTINCTIVE GA cutoff for ongoing titles?

[adamstrange]

... You mean the only GA book is Obadiah Oldbuck

 

I tend to associate the end of the GA with the rise of the Genres, that is, once the consecutive waves of Romance then Western then Horror took over the newsstands, the GA was over.

 

I can see why MrBedrock wants to restrict them to the "thick" books. Those are the true GA. I only post here b/c we don't have an AA forum.

I tend to agree with that position. The superhero dominated period up till the end of WW2 is drastically different than what came after. Atom Age should be recognized as a distinct, wholly separate period in comic book history.

 

Of course, this doesn't address the subject of cut-off points for major superhero titles, but...

 

Best I can do is "there are different cut-off points for every title" (months or maybe years apart from one another) and "I know a golden (silver) age comic when I see one"

 

 

Superheroes went from being 54% of all titles in 1941 to being 4% by 1950 (according to Gerber's calculations). Clearly some significant shift happened in the interim even if a few titles hung around post WWII and, therefore, it's easy to justify an Atomic Age for comics. The precise boundaries for any age are hard to place because they probably don't exist -- there was a gradual transition away from the old age and a gradual transition toward the new.

 

I collect what I like and organize it idiosyncratically, sometimes grouping by comic age, genre, time period, publisher or artist. If I was OCD, I would never get a good's night sleep as I would be continually looking for the "right" way to organize my comics.

[sakaridis]

The precise boundaries for any age are hard to place because they probably don't exist -- there was a gradual transition away from the old age and a gradual transition toward the new.

 

The voice of reason!

[Cat-Man_America]

The precise boundaries for any age are hard to place because they probably don't exist -- there was a gradual transition away from the old age and a gradual transition toward the new.

 

The voice of reason!

 

+1

 

Since I'm rapidly approaching golden age myself I can certainly appreciate this line of reasoning! (thumbs u

[Hepcat]

I tend to associate the end of the GA with the rise of the Genres, that is, once the consecutive waves of Romance then Western then Horror took over the newsstands, the GA was over.

 

But DC was the most successful publisher of them all before the latter part of the Silver Age and its Golden Age did not end until All-Star Comics became All-Star Western in 1951. And Captain Marvel was the only superhero capable of challenging Superman's dominance in the Golden Age and Captain Marvel didn't cease publication until 1953.

 

 

I collect what I like and organize it idiosyncratically, sometimes grouping by comic age, genre, time period, publisher or artist. If I was OCD, I would never get a good's night sleep as I would be continually looking for the "right" way to organize my comics.

 

I don't even attempt to address the questions of era and genre in my filing. I file in alphabetical order by publisher and then by title within publisher. I fortunately don't collect any title both before and after publisher changes. For example, I'm only interested in the Turok books under the Dell imprint.

 

 

 

[Scrooge]

My filing is more haphazard than that. Dependent on how many books I have I will group by publisher or title or genre. That is, I have a couple of boxes of Fiction House by title, but a box of Airboy and then there is a box or two of mixed publishers westerns and yet, still separate from those are my Atlas books, including the Westerns, in alpha order EXCEPT for the War books that have their own two boxes in alpha order separate for all other Atlas books. Some days, I don't find what I am looking for. I have a tendency never to find my misc. box

[RockMyAmadeus]

The precise boundaries for any age are hard to place because they probably don't exist -- there was a gradual transition away from the old age and a gradual transition toward the new.

 

The voice of reason!

 

Right, but I'm asking about the cutoff for each individual title, not the age in general.

 

Help?

[adamstrange]

The precise boundaries for any age are hard to place because they probably don't exist -- there was a gradual transition away from the old age and a gradual transition toward the new.

 

The voice of reason!

 

Right, but I'm asking about the cutoff for each individual title, not the age in general.

 

Help?

Is there a specific short list? I viewed your original post as listing examples of a larger question but perhaps it was just the ones you listed?

 

But what about Batman, Action, Adventure, 'Tec, Wonder Woman, Superman, WF? Or Marvel Tales? Are they all different? Is Superman #76 a GA book? Is WF #70 a GA book? Is Batman #73 a GA book? When the page count went from 52 to 40? 32?

[rjpb]

The appearance of the CCA emblem seems to be the default dividing line on this board.

 

 

When the page count went from 52 to 40? 32?

 

What month and year did that happen?

 

 

In the broadest terms: Golden Age = pre CCA. Just don't ask about Dells and Classics Illustrated.

 

 

If one thinks of the Atom Age as a separate ( though perhaps overlapping) era and not a genre driven sub-category, then I guess the Golden Age peters out after the war, generally ending with the last Superhero issues of most titles, and the shrinking of page sizes for the continuing titles. Getting more specific than that will be a fruitful as debating when the Bronze Age ended.

[rockman2008]

The appearance of the CCA emblem seems to be the default dividing line on this board.

 

 

When the page count went from 52 to 40? 32?

 

What month and year did that happen?

 

 

In the broadest terms: Golden Age = pre CCA. Just don't ask about Dells and Classics Illustrated.

 

 

If one thinks of the Atom Age as a separate ( though perhaps overlapping) era and not a genre driven sub-category, then I guess the Golden Age peters out after the war, generally ending with the last Superhero issues of most titles, and the shrinking of page sizes for the continuing titles. Getting more specific than that will be a fruitful as debating when the Bronze Age ended.

 

+1

 

The first half of the Golden Age lasts right through the war and a little after. The second half lasts around 1947 to 1954, as others have pointed out, with an expansion of themes and genres. Speaking in general for DC, when Batman and their other superheroes ended its run in fighting hard-boiled crime and the stories started to have more of a frivolous sci-fi flavor, you can tell the first Golden Age had ended. I'll leave specific issue numbers for others to research. For Timely, a demarcation can be seen when their flagship heroes started working with female sidekicks (Cap 66 and Subby 23?) which happened to coincide with their great title expansion.

 

[Ted Knight]

The appearance of the CCA emblem seems to be the default dividing line on this board.

 

 

When the page count went from 52 to 40? 32?

 

What month and year did that happen?

 

 

In the broadest terms: Golden Age = pre CCA. Just don't ask about Dells and Classics Illustrated.

 

 

If one thinks of the Atom Age as a separate ( though perhaps overlapping) era and not a genre driven sub-category, then I guess the Golden Age peters out after the war, generally ending with the last Superhero issues of most titles, and the shrinking of page sizes for the continuing titles. Getting more specific than that will be a fruitful as debating when the Bronze Age ended.

 

Hey wait, when did the Bronze Age end?

[FlyingDonut]

Golden Age books are like porn. You can't exactly describe a Golden Age book, but you know it when you see it.

[RockMyAmadeus]

The precise boundaries for any age are hard to place because they probably don't exist -- there was a gradual transition away from the old age and a gradual transition toward the new.

 

The voice of reason!

 

Right, but I'm asking about the cutoff for each individual title, not the age in general.

 

Help?

Is there a specific short list? I viewed your original post as listing examples of a larger question but perhaps it was just the ones you listed?

 

But what about Batman, Action, Adventure, 'Tec, Wonder Woman, Superman, WF? Or Marvel Tales? Are they all different? Is Superman #76 a GA book? Is WF #70 a GA book? Is Batman #73 a GA book? When the page count went from 52 to 40? 32?

 

I was hoping that people who are most familiar with specific titles could post their thoughts, and I'm looking for all of the ongoing titles that lasted essentially into the SA.

 

Batman

Superman

Action

Detective

Wonder Woman

World's Finest

Marvel Tales (?)

Pep

Archie

Daredevil Comics (?)

Four Color (?)

 

Maybe the Disney titles, but I have copies going back to WDC&S #33, and there just doesn't really seem to be a change. Anyone feel differently?

[RockMyAmadeus]

Golden Age books are like porn. You can't exactly describe a Golden Age book, but you know it when you see it.

 

I have a handful of Bats books from the 1947-1949 period, including Star Spangled #66, 71, Bats #44, 49...these books feel like GA to me, but I'm no expert. I see the "ten cents" still spelled out, and it feels Golden Agey....

[rockman2008]

Well, I'm no GA expert but I'll stand by my characterization that the "atomic age" GA books had a goofy pop fusion of sci-fi and other genres. For example, in your Batman #44 cover-dated Dec/Jan 1947, contains this story (synopsis from Mike's Amazing World of DC):

 

Bruce Wayne is confounded by a mystery surrounding his ancestor Silas Wayne. Silas was a silversmith and a suspected highwayman. Bruce has Professor Nichols send him into the past to learn the truth about his ancestor. When Batman and Robin arrive in 1787, they stop a gang of highwaymen, but are suspected of the crime themselves. Ben Franklin speaks up for them and frees them. Then they prove that Silas was framed as the leader of the highwaymen.

 

The tone of these later GA stories are distinctly different from the more serious, hard-boiled tales that appeared earlier in the decade.

[BB-Gun]

Batman 68 looks like golden age since it has a Two-Face cover, but I think all of the issues up to 100 are golden age. These special issues are a cut-off for me and the rest are silver age through 200. I have forgotten the atomic age but I reserve that designation for titles that started at that time. Fighting American and Tor probably fit into that classification. I have completely ignored date of publication and gone with feelings about the classification but who wants to confuse the issue with facts.

[icouldbe]

Quality is the other superhero publisher that ran past the adoption of the CC.

 

Plastic Man's own title ran from 1946 to 1956 and it went from quarterly to bi-monthly in 1948. Doll Man's comic ran from 1946 to 1953 and Blackhawk appeared regularly in its own title (with a move to DC) from 1946 to 1968.

 

I think the issue comes down to two options: is it the characters who are golden age or is it the presentation/narration that is golden age. I tend to think in terms of characters and feel that some issues are just very late golden age comics.

 

An example on the narrative side is that the golden age for Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash ended when Sheldon Mayer stopped editing their books, and that a new age started when Julius Schwartz took over the Flash and Green Lantern titles (and Robert Kanigher the editing for Wonder Woman) and that age ran right into the 1960's with only a change in the secret identities.

[MrBedrock]

Marvel Tales (?)

I don't really consider any of them golden age, but when I was doing the complete Timely thing I did include 93-97, mainly because Sun Girl appeared in 97.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Marvel Tales (?)

I don't really consider any of them golden age, but when I was doing the complete Timely thing I did include 93-97, mainly because Sun Girl appeared in 97.

 

Thanks!

 

Anyone else...? Help...?

 

 

[Junkdrawer]

I collect Famous Funnies, as I am sure you are aware they are the first title to reach 100 issues. Lets just say they paved the way from the Platinum Age, thru the Golden Age, and right on into the Silver Age. Typically when you think of golden age comics, you think thicker book & wider and silver age, not so thick, not as wide, right? Well in the Famous Funnies run, at issue #115 this is the last of the streotype golden age sized book 7.25" wide and dated Feb 1944. March 1944 issue # 116 went to 6.75" wide. My issue 115 has a stacking curl created obviously from the smaller sized 116 book sitting on top of it. I doubt I could say where to draw the line between the silver and golden age, but there is definatly a line drawn here.

Here is my 115

Here is my 116 Crippen Copy