What was the best era of comics?

[Dick Pontoon]

I started reading and buying off the spinner rack in the mid-70s, but the era and books I enjoy the most are 60s Marvels, from the pre-hero era on up. With Pre-code Atlas horror running a close second. And anything by Jack Kirby, who spans GA into CA.

[RCheli]

Isn't the best of anything from when you were 12-25?

[shadroch]

I like Bronze Age Avengers the best out of all Marvels, but there was a stretch where seemingly every other issue was a reprint because of blown deadlines.

Overall, I would say the mid to late 80s, when Independent companies really pushed the Big Two.

[Spidey-fan73]

Late 80's early 90s. Bats especially for me. DKR, DitF, Lonely Place of Dying, 10 Nights of the beast, KJ. Then every major character had 20 titles and it got expensive had to give it up. I liked Davids twist on Aquaman along with Martin Egelunds (sp?) art. Downers, the Spidey clone saga sucked, Venom became a good guy, Liefield. Some of the Bad Girls were/are cool. Lady Death, Dawn, Shi (still waiting Tia Carrere), Razor and Vampi of course.

[Artboy99]

The most likely response will vary from person to person but is most likely to be when they were younger in the 10-19 age group.

 

That for me is 1970's, when at the age of 8-10 I got a paper route and started buying comics with my own money and I did so until I was in my very early 20's.

 

The era i dislike the most is the 1990's, when they started putting out way to many titles for the same character and multiple variant covers. The McFarlane Spider-man #1 is the perfect example for me, so many different covers for the same book. I stopped buying comics and took a 14 year break.

[jsilverjanet]

for me was the bronze era - i collected spidey and read all the titles, peter parker, amazing, caught up with marvel tales on the early issues and also read the classic what ifs and marvel team ups. my brother who got me into collecting was reading byrne's x-men and millers daredevil so I got a glimpse of those books and it was heaven at the time

 

being exposed now to other stuff, the kirby 60's were very special.

[joe_collector]

Your 1961 scenario was my 90's scenario when Image comics came out and Jim Lee, Liefield, Keown, Silvestri, Mcfarlance created some very exciting books. Mind you, not the best reads, but for a 12 yr old, it was bad .

 

Wow, so if the 90's is old school to you, how old are you now, 8?

[bronze johnny]

Loved the late 70s and remember going to the news stand to buy my comics. Also love the early 80s when the Direct Market began. Always loved the "Marvel Comics Group" logo across the top of my Marvels.

[nearmint]

If you're talking about the best era for writing, I'd say now.

 

If you're talking in more general terms, I'd say 1941-1945, when comics reflected what was happening in the world, and were a part of America's war effort.

[joe_collector]

If you're talking about the best era for writing, I'd say now.

 

Certainly not mainstream comics from Marvel or DC - the writing is horrible.

 

Some indies and low-selling niche books, sure, but that's a small part of the market.

[Dale Roberts]

1968 - 1975.

[fmaz]

For me it was the mid 70's... but I do agree with whomever said that for everyone it's always whenever you started reading.

 

I was collecting by the early 70's and going to "comic book conventions" at the local elks clubs and holiday inns with my dad by the time I was 8 .... and I remember pulling Amazing Spider-Man 121 off the rack. I also remember the day I saw Superman vs. Spider-Man sitting there in the magazine section (too big for the spinners) and just a year later when What If #1 hit the stands with that crazy cover and every crazier story.

 

I loved going back and buying up all those wonderful silver age stories and still love them, but the ones you pulled off the rack yourself really stick with you.

[jimjum12]

I used to automatically say Silver Age.... but after removing the rose colored glasses, I have to admit that I don't look at it that way anymore. It's hard for me to ignore some of the PCH, the Claremont X-men and FF runs, Moore Swamp Things, Alien Worlds, etc., etc...... I guess today, I just like what I like and don't pay as much attention to the ages any longer. On the other hand, I DO enjoy the occasional debate about the beginning of the Silver and Bronze Ages. GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Crimebuster]

While it is usually when you started reading, it's not always. Even subjectively.

 

I started reading in 1984. But my favorite era is the late 90's, with a very close second being the late SA / early BA from say 1967-1974. I'm not even sure the mid-late 80's would be third on my list, but it wouldn't be any higher than that, even with nostalgia factored in.

[eriqui]

I really love the stuff from the early to mid 2000s. Daredevil, Ultimate Spider-man, Y the Last Man, New-X-men by Morrison and Quietly, Iron Man (extremis arc) were all such awesome reads.

[eriqui]

The best era, is when you first discover comics. For me it was the 60's, buying those 12 cent Marvels. DCs, Archies and more. That was the best. The local store never had the annuals until the late 60s, but I remember buying the early ones on the steamship to Nantucket and the Vineyard in the summer.

 

certainly true to some extent!

[Bosco685]

For me it was the late 80s and early 90s.

 

It was the period of highest circulation. Comics were around $1-2 each. McFarlane and Jim Lee were becoming known and superhero movies were comic out for the first time. There was a lot of junk put out but there was always something to keep you happy.

 

- Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, Rick Veitch, John Totleben

- Frank Miller, Klaus Janson

- John Byrne

- Chuck Dixon

- Mike Baron & Steve Rude

- James O'Barr

- Paul Chadwick

 

 

Loads of amazing work during this period.

[Davenport]

The mid-to-late-80's is an obvious choice because this was when the whole "comics for adults" shift started, but hadn't yet devolved into the fanboy stupidity of the 2000's. It was still fresh, and the best comic writers produced some truly compelling work like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, Sandman, Moore's Swamp Thing, Elektra: Assassin, Hellblazer/Constantine, Daredevil Born Again, Batman: Year One, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, etc., etc., etc. I've said it before, but this was the best time to be a comic reader, as the LCS scene was electric.

+1 Sums it up perfectly imho.

 

Personally, I think of that time-period as the actual 'Golden Age' of comic books, when the medium matured into the best of what it could be. An era of creative magic.

[Bosco685]

The mid-to-late-80's is an obvious choice because this was when the whole "comics for adults" shift started, but hadn't yet devolved into the fanboy stupidity of the 2000's. It was still fresh, and the best comic writers produced some truly compelling work like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, Sandman, Moore's Swamp Thing, Elektra: Assassin, Hellblazer/Constantine, Daredevil Born Again, Batman: Year One, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, etc., etc., etc. I've said it before, but this was the best time to be a comic reader, as the LCS scene was electric.

+1 Sums it up perfectly imho.

 

Personally, I think of that time-period as the actual 'Golden Age' of comic books, when the medium matured into the best of what it could be. An era of creative magic.

 

John Byrne's Fantastic Four is what brought me back to the title at this time. Amazing work!

 

[Artboy99]

The mid-to-late-80's is an obvious choice because this was when the whole "comics for adults" shift started, but hadn't yet devolved into the fanboy stupidity of the 2000's. It was still fresh, and the best comic writers produced some truly compelling work like Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, Sandman, Moore's Swamp Thing, Elektra: Assassin, Hellblazer/Constantine, Daredevil Born Again, Batman: Year One, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, etc., etc., etc. I've said it before, but this was the best time to be a comic reader, as the LCS scene was electric.

+1 Sums it up perfectly imho.

 

Personally, I think of that time-period as the actual 'Golden Age' of comic books, when the medium matured into the best of what it could be. An era of creative magic.

 

John Byrne's Fantastic Four is what brought me back to the title at this time. Amazing work!

 

 

I also liked all the mentioned titles of this period. great stuff.