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"Age"? What's that?

Started by PovertyRow,

34 posts in this topic

PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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The recent Book that started the bronze age thread was yielding some interesting things but since a possible hijacking may be in the works there, and also since some of the conversation is not BA specific, I thought I'd narrow down a certain area and post it in General.

 

How do you define an "Age"? Do you think the term "Age" is even proper? Is it possible to have overlapping "Ages"? Is an Age really an Age if a few years have to elapse before we see a lot of books reflecting what the theoretical "First Book Of An Age" offered?

 

Things are getting strange in comicbookland - mainly because we are now in 2003. We have a luxury those who went before us did not have...to really sit down and look back over the years and see how the comic book market has sorted itself out. Not onl;y because this is 2003, but also because there are a lot more conventions, books, magazines etc about comics and their history available now.

 

The more I think about it, the the more I am getting disgruntled with the whole PA/GA/SA/BA/MA concept. It seems we are trying to take older definitions, apply them to newer areas, and then struggle wi6th definitions the way one of Sheena's enemies caught between Sheena, quicksand and a lion struggles for life.

 

If we could wipe the slate clean, forget everything we have been told ablout ages, and look back all the way to the Yellow Kid and up to today, examining the trends and the social implications, would we even be using single "ages" to define books?

 

I actually just started thinking about this today while talking about the impact of the Comic Code - and the possibility of the SA being delayed had the code not been enforced.

 

I think it is a fascinating quesiton. Right now my ideas are only half formed - but maybe some of you fold have more fully formed ideas - or maybe we can formulate as we go? Hope so.

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aardvark88

aardvark88

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Why don't we simplify everything by identifying comic by decade? eg. 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, etc. Would be easier for new ppl who wish to join our humble hobby to identify with. With all the comic movies coming out this yr & next, we need to GROW the hobby now. laugh.gif Make it accessible & understandable to the public.

The 10 point grading scale used for vintage or new toy, sports card & comic books makes it easier to grade collectibles. Ppl understand that 9 out of 10 means high grade.

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fantastic_four

fantastic_four

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That's certainly what I use when I talk to non-collectors, the decade the comics came out. I usually tell people I collect comics from the 60s and 70s, back when Spider-Man came out. That gives them a pretty good picture. Sometimes I throw Fantastic Four or Daredevil in the "back when XXX first came out" list, just to see if they recognize the non-megastars.

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PovertyRow

PovertyRow

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That's certainly what I use when I talk to non-collectors

 

That makes sense and I do that too with non-collectors - well - to START - then I slowly start to tell them about the various genres, ages etc...bwa ha ha!

 

But this topic is really meant for us folk who know comics! So what do you think?

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COI

COI

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What I wonder is what will happen 20 years from now. The "modern" age is already 20+ years old, so in 20 years then what? Will bronze e extended into the 80's? Or will Modern just start in the 80's and continue on?

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Kevin Boyd

Kevin Boyd

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Wasn't it suggested a few months back that Overstreet is going to redefine the post Silver-age era into some more definable "ages" in this year's price guide?

 

Modern Age is a term that should only apply to the books of recent vintage.

 

Where would you draw the line? When did the next age after bronze begin and how long did it last? When did Bronze end and the new period begin? Are there any interim periods?

 

Some people consider 1970-75 to be an "interim" era akin to the post-Golden age/ pre-Silver age years that have been called "atom" or "atomic" age books because sci-fi/horror/crime books were the predominant genres - superheroes were definitely on the backburner in the early 1950's. Superheroes weren't really on the backburner between 1970-75 though - even though Sword & Sorcery became a new genre and horror was allowed a new renaissance due to code revisions.

 

Golden age lasted roughly 14 years (1938-1952), so did the Silver age (1956-1970). If we defined Bronze as being a 14 year period that began in 1970 (1970-1984) then that would put the "key" book of the new "age" something that was published around 1984.

 

Personal favorites of mine as the starting point for the next age are Secret Wars (Marvel) and Crisis (DC), which were published in 1984/85 respectively. ( Marvel Superheroes Contest of Champions (1982/3?) was the prototype book). The next "age" post-Bronze was definitely the era of over-saturation and those books are great examples of a formula that would be applied to every comic company publishing superheroes over the following 14 years.

 

If 1984 was the accepted start, then that age ended around 1998. (Notice that we haven't really had the annual company-crossover since DC's Day of Judgment in 1999? Contest of Champions II doesn't count as a crossover as it was self-contained and had no major character "deaths").

 

Using that logic then the Modern Age began in 1998. The Marvel relaunches and Marvel Knights all correspond with that year. The successful JLA relaunch happened around that time.

 

So what would you call the 1984-98 "age"? The "copper" age? The "foil" era?

 

Kev

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Zonker

Zonker

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OK, here's an attempt to describe US commercial comic book history without using the word "A**."

 

1938-1941 Birth of the superheroes. Most icons introduced here.

 

1942-1945 World War II comics. A high-water mark of comics circulation and cultural awareness (at least among 8-year olds!)

 

1946-1950 Post-War comics. Decline of super-hero sales (but some great art as the 2nd generation creators come on line: Kubert, Infantino, Toth, Wood, Baker) and rise of alternate genres: Crime, Romance, Western.

 

1950-1955 New Trend. ECs dominate. Horror comics abound. Crime comics get bloodier.

 

1956-1961 Post-Code. DCs dominate. Antiseptic stories for kids.

 

1961-1969 First Marvel era. Comics pitched for slightly older audience, but still within the constraints of the Code. DC responds with mixed success (both artistically and commercially).

 

1970-1974 New wave. Comics' first self-conscious literary pretentions. The Academy of Comic Book Arts. GL/GA. Conan. Kirby Fourth World. Swamp Thing. Man-Thing. Manhunter.

 

1975-1985 X-era. Rise of the New X-Men leads to Marvel's utter dominance. Fuels comics shop Direct Sales market and catering to the fans. Most non-super-hero genres die out. Founding of Pacific Comics begets First, Eclipse, others.

 

1986-1991 Post-crisis era. Comics attempt mainstream acceptance with some success: Watchmen. Dark Knight Returns. Superman re-boot. First multiple-cover gimmicks (Legends of Dark Knight #1). Individual issues duplicate sales figures not seen since the post-War years: Spider-Man #1. X-Men #1.

 

1992-1996 Crash. Death of Superman peaks mainstream comics interest. Speculation-fueling gimmicks. Long sales slide begins. Most "independent" publishers fold up shop.

 

1997-2003 Renaissance. Unapologetic super-heroes make a come-back, but with a twist, typified by Morrison's JLA, Ellis' Authority, Millar's Ultimates.

 

Just some thoughts...

Z.

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Illiterati-migration

Illiterati-migration

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Wait, did we ever establish when "Ages" were first recognized? I mean, I don't think we hit January 1, 1977, woke up, and said "Damn, that was one fine Bronze Age." So is there an Ostreet or something that marks the first labeling of these periods?

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