Age Defining Charcters

[kaholo1256]

Who are your's?

 

Spinning from mre1129's conversation of The Walking Dead I thought we would have another on what some of us believe is each Generations defining Characters or comic titles. While I believe the Golden Age would be pretty set and or defined by a single character, Superman, I also believe there are still some who would dispute that Captain Marvel, Archie, or even The Spirit depending on how they perceived these comics. I believe every other Age of Comics would have multiple listings from each of those who stand behind their favorites. So what are yours and most importantly why?

 

Mine:

Golden Age -- Superman, I'm not a DC fan nor a Superman fan but by far this one character to me cemented his place atop this list and has been the reigning champ since 1938. Action Comics #1 is by far the ultimate Holy Grail of comics. Not simply of mine or anyone else's but THE Holy Grail. It's one of those things that when we as collectors go into a yard sale or an attic we would die happy men or women knowing we had held and owned a copy of this.

 

Silver Age -- This one can be a tossup depending on which side of the comic coin of DC and Marvel you prefer. DC fans would stand behind The Flash or the Justice League. Marvel may stand behind the response of the Fantastic Four, X-Men, or the Hulk. But I stand firm behind Spider-Man and what I believe every Marvel Holy Grail would be Amazing Fantasy #15. It was this character that made simple everyday kids believe they too could be heroes. They didn't need to be aliens or rich but simply average.

 

Bronze Age -- For DC this was a time when to me there really wasn't an, oh my god I need to get that issue new character. It was more of the Batman, Superman, Green Lantern stuff but nothing really big. Aside from the Teen Titans who were a response to Marvel's new X-Men set I think this was both industries time of either Team-up's or dipping into Sci-Fi. As for Marvel it's hard but simply due to my own bias of a character. I would like to jump up and down and shout Wolverine but honestly his popularity didn't really take off till the end of the Bronze into the Modern Age where he now blankets everything Marvel. For me the defining character for both though would be Luke Cage. Not a popular character by any standards right. But he is the first African American hero I believe to ever have held his own series. This would have to be one of those defining character times where a characters significance dominates his actual presence. A runner up though to me would then be drama. I know not an actual character but with death being pretty prevalent in comics such as with Aquaman's and Spider-Man's series and the issue of drug's coming up in major titles I think the added drama may be noted.

 

Last but confused how we start to separate this one out -- Modern Age -- While I think we are coming up to a point where we need to cut it off and call it something else the Modern Age would be the time of the Independent and of Wolverine as I previously stated. For Marvel Wolverine would have to be the defining character. Why? most would ask. Because I rarely see a comic now a days where he isn't a part of the cover or the team included. He's by himself, a principle in another, against the X-Men in another, an Avenger, a Dictator in one, oh yeah apart of the Fantastic Four, and then anything else he makes a cameo in. For Marvel the only thing left is to give him cosmic powers and send him to space... oh yeah Annihilator's Earthfall already did that. My point is Marvel has placed him pretty poignantly as there go to character. As for DC, there 80's and 90's saw a resurgence of Superman again with his death and rebirth and changing him different colors but again, I'm not a DC fan and probably need to be educated on this one. As for Independent, Spawn was big in the 90's. He was the go to and if we stopped the age at 2000 then I think we would have a winner there but as of late the Walking Dead has shown it is this generations go to. As with the other journal, prices have soared and in all honesty it is the comicbook Holy Grail for the younger crowd. But this is where I think we can also attempt to draw a line in the sand and name the past Age one thing and this current Age the Modern Age. Maybe call it the Adamantium Age off of its defining character.

 

So what are your defining characters and most importantly why?

 

Thanks for Reading

 

K

 

See more journals by kaholo1256

[Ronnylama]

Green Lantern Green Arrow (Neal Adams first issue) #76 is one of the top books from the era. High grades even go fast. I like that you mentioned Luke Cage...Power-Man is one cool hero (The number 1 issue still goes for way beyond Overstreet value)

[kaholo1256]

Ronnylama - You have by far placed yourself high upon my list of favorites with your quick post. Neal Adams is by a large margin my favorite artist and this is actaully an issue from DC that I do plan to own. Simply because it was his. That and Batman 232 featuring Ra's Al Ghul first appearance. Both to me while DC are issues that I save away for so that one day I may own a copy of each in 9.8. Looking at current prices, I may be doing this for some time.

 

 

K

[miraclemet]

Enojoyed you post and reading your thought process..

 

I agree with you on Spider-man for Silver Age. The aspect of him that I thought pushed the medium forward was how Lee/Ditko positioned him as the atypical superhero. One not loved by the public, one conflicted by his own wants/needs, one with his own weaknesses. He's the antithesis of Superman who is a superior version of a human, Spidey is the strength of humanity and the frailty all wrapped up into one. Making superheros HUMAN was not common place, or at least not the standard. After Spidey no one could create a superhero without addressing the totality of the character.

 

Bronze for me was Green Lantern and his buddy Green Arrow. O'Neil & Adams pushed the genre forward addressing serious topics in serious ways (as opposed to Lee's approach to giving lip service but never taking a stance out of concern that it would hurt sales). Both in the realism (for the time) of the content, dialogue and Adams's ability to mirror the depth with his art, GL/GA is the cornerstone of what pushed comics into the Bronze age.

 

more thoughts later... love to hear what others think.

[Brandon Shepherd]

I'm a DC guy and often think of the Flash in Showcase and the Justice League, but I agree with Spider-Man for the Silver Age. Miraclemet hit it with the observations about the atypical superhero. As for the Bronze, I think of Conan the Barbarian #1 as the beginning. While Conan was not exactly a new property, this was outside the superhero genre and set the tone for darker and grittier comics to follow, such as Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil's work on Batman. The writing of Roy Thomas and the art of Berry Windsor-Smith was amazing and set the standard for the Sword and Sorcery books that would follow in the '70s also.

 

As for the Modern Age, I think the Death of Superman would be a good start. This, I believe was the first time were retailer incentives appeared, with Superman #75 and Adventures of Superman #500 Platinum Editions. It also seemed that after this, every storyline had to be a multiple title crossover with the intention of making headlines. I remember watching Entertainment Tonight where they mention an upcoming storyline about the Death of Clark Kent, similar coverage followed when Superman's costume was changed, this hype and storyline structure defines much of the '90s for me.

 

This is only a very brief explanation for my thoughts.

[kaholo1256]

So based off of feedback from Ronnylama, Miraclemet, and Mr. Shepherd is it safe to say maybe that the defining character of the Bronze age wasn't a character but possibly a creator in Neal Adams? He did breathe life into the Green Lantern and Green Arrow Series, as well as Batman, Conan, Avengers, X-Men, and a few others during this time period I think. And again while not a DC fan he made me enough of a fan that two of my personal Holy Grails out of three are DC.

 

Miracelmet – I couldn’t have put it better in reference to your outlook on Spidey. It’s his humanity that I think drew us all in during that point of comic lore.

 

Mr Shepherd – As this was the only DC at the time period that I read this really was something that brought so many in to the excitement of comics and the thought train of what could possibly happen next. Between the Death of Superman series, the revamp of the X-Men, and the revamp of the Spider-man series at the time I think this was the beginning of the Variant Age. Maybe at that one point in time that’s where we can start that Age as soon to follow many others jumped the band wagon as well on doing this and selling not just to fans of comics but gearing themselves towards collectors and completionist’s as well.

 

[Brandon Shepherd]

With Neal Adams, there was also an attempt to reinvent Superman in 1971 with Superman #233 (Jan. 1971) that some would say was the beginning of the Bronze Age for the Man of Steel. I agree with you on the Variant Age, you also said the Death of Superman was the only DC you read at the time, that was the story that started me on comics. I was also thinking about the Spider-Man and X-Men revamps of the early '90s as well when I was typing up my first response to your journal.

[Ronnylama]

In my opinion...as it is here...I feel Neal Adams felt more restrictions with Marvel and less restrictions embellishing DC. Makes sense to me. Although I collect more Marvel I find DC is more intensely representative in their more humbling approach.

[Ronnylama]

Getting on to coolness.....Captain Marvel, swamp Thing, Firestorm and Nova are way cool

[Tnerb]

All interesting points. I'll just ramble and hope I hit on the points that others mentioned before me.

 

Golden age. I'm still looking to buy my first one and agree that SuperMan, Batman, and Captain America are pivotal creations of the super-hero genre but please let's moy forget All Star Comics #8 with the first appearance of Wonder-Woman.

 

Although the two books I want are both from Marvel they were reprinted in Fear #8, a book I think I first read when I was eight.

 

Of course the Silver age started before I was born and I didn't start to get them until I was well involved in their modern age counterparts. Marvel broke out with the silver age with the creation of the majority of their universe. My favorite would have to be Daredevil. The creators of Marvel under Martin Goodman's direction came up with idea after idea. To mention some others besides those that started in their own titles were Galactus, Silver Surfer, Black Panther, the Inhumans, and they are just the ones from the Fantastic Four.

 

On DC's side, the first silver sge appearance of R'as Ah Ghul. Did I spell that right is indeed a book I clamor after. Neil Adams Green Lantern/ Green Arrow cover #76 is a beautiful classic I fear I will never own. Of course this one should be placed below the next sentence.

 

The bronze age starting decidedly in 1970. Conan the Barbarian had a great part in this. Thus decade also saw many creative input from many creative artists. How could you not add Howard the Duck. Even though the popularity of Wolverine did not exploded until much later he almost didn't make the cut. I heard a story that he was one of the ones slated for demise instead of Thunderbird. Marvel would have been a different world. Oh, and almost like an afterthought, how could we forget Phoenix.

 

Then there is the copper age, an age of comics I don't believe you referred to. How can I not pick the New Mutants. This in essence was the first X-Men spin off. Alpha flight was under John Byrne's direction as well as the Fantastic Four and who can forget Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars and Crisis of Infinite Earths. The copper age ushered in the mini and maxi series.

 

The dark age which some unknown entity referred to the year of comics between 91/92 until 2000 was all about the gimmick or the variant, but it also brought about Image and Valiant. So yes I agree that Spawn was an important character with crossovers between Batman and him, Valiant gave us modern day versions of golden/silver age counterparts Magnus Robot Fighter/Turok/ and Solar, man of the Atom, but they also gave us X-O Manowar.

 

Currently... That's tough because who can say will still be here twenty years from now...

 

And to mention about Luke Cage because if you mention him you also need to mention Iron Fist and the Night Nurse....

 

Ok, I am sitting in a diner after eating and cracking two slabs. I hope I gave enough for my two cents.

 

Tnerb

[Marty Mann]

I would venture to say my age was defined by the collecting

of CAPTAIN MARVEL, BATMAN and SUPERMAN...after that

it was first any new comic character I saw like STUNTMAN...

The ATOMIC THUNDERBOLT...FUNNYMAN...ATOMAN...

then there were the FOUR-COLOR'S like FLASH GORDEN...

RED RYDER...SUPER COMICS...DISNEY'S COMICS &

STORIES. Add in a variety of TIMLEY'S...NEDOR'S...

QUALITY'S...HARVEY'S...etc, and after that just about any

thing on the newsstand...if I had a dime.

It was the GOLDEN AGE of buying and collecting.

 

mm

[Ogami]

I was thinking about this topic the other day and it greatly interests me.

 

Short version for now is

 

GA Superman

SA Spider-Man

BA Wolverine

CA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

MA not sure, maybe Harley Quinn?

 

Edit

 

MA The Walking Dead?

[seanfingh]

 

MA: Rick Grimes

[Ogami]

Yes, I went back and edited that in without seeing your reply.

 

Super secret pyschic friends connection working as intended.

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

This is not news to anyone I'm sure, but for me and my friends at the time, these two limited series reinvigorated and defined comic collecting going forward. All of a sudden the LCS became swamped with new people: some enthusiastic fans of adult-oriented material, others were pure investors hoping to cash in on all the media hype. This ushered in a new age of collecting with many benefits and correlating harmful side effects to a hobby that would never be the same.

 

CA: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen

 

 

[Ogami]

This is not news to anyone I'm sure, but for me and my friends at the time, these two limited series reinvigorated and defined comic collecting going forward. All of a sudden the LCS became swamped with new people: some enthusiastic fans of adult-oriented material, others were pure investors hoping to cash in on all the media hype. This ushered in a new age of collecting with many benefits and correlating harmful side effects to a hobby that would never be the same.

 

CA: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen

 

 

I would consider those, "age defining works".

[Ditch Fahrenheit]

This is not news to anyone I'm sure, but for me and my friends at the time, these two limited series reinvigorated and defined comic collecting going forward. All of a sudden the LCS became swamped with new people: some enthusiastic fans of adult-oriented material, others were pure investors hoping to cash in on all the media hype. This ushered in a new age of collecting with many benefits and correlating harmful side effects to a hobby that would never be the same.

 

CA: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen

 

 

I would consider those, "age defining works".

 

Much like your "The Walking Dead" submission Mister Smartypants.

 

Besides, I didn't know what a "Charcter" was.

[Ogami]

This is not news to anyone I'm sure, but for me and my friends at the time, these two limited series reinvigorated and defined comic collecting going forward. All of a sudden the LCS became swamped with new people: some enthusiastic fans of adult-oriented material, others were pure investors hoping to cash in on all the media hype. This ushered in a new age of collecting with many benefits and correlating harmful side effects to a hobby that would never be the same.

 

CA: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen

 

 

I would consider those, "age defining works".

 

Much like your "The Walking Dead" submission Mister Smartypants.

 

Besides, I didn't know what a "Charcter" was.

 

Fair enough.

 

Then, we're probably back to "Rick Grimes" but I'm not sure he's the most important single Modern character.

 

I will continue to cipher on the MA character.

[Ogami]

You guys agree with my BA and CA choices?

[Ogami]

Nope, staying with "The Walking Dead" as a troupe, much like I chose TMNT as a group.