What are the definitive points/breaks in Copper, Bronze, and Modern?

[AshKenziePaul]

After reading the millionth post in the Copper and Bronze forums, it would be really nice if the comic book collecting community could come to a consensus on what the date or released book was, that is the definite changing point between ages.

 

So what are they? Can we all come to an agreement on something finally?

 

Bronze age?

 

Copper age?

 

Modern age?

 

 

 

 

[oakman29]

I really think there was no one book that changed an era or age,rather a gradual process.

For Silver people say Showcase #4, but isn't it fair to say the time between Showcase #4 and F.F #1 would apply as a gradual change.

For Bronze they say GL #76\ Conan#1 but the time between the comics code situation in ASM #97,98 to the advent of the horror genre could be noted.

As far as Copper is concerned I always saw the advent of the Copper age to be the B&W independents,such as TMNT#1( being the most famous)

 

Modern age to me is the dark ages of comics like Dark Knight returns,and Watchmen, V for Vendetta etc.

[Azkaban]

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Can we all come to an agreement on something finally?

 

Will never happen.

[Amadeus Arkham]

The Chromium Age started with Jim Lee's X-Men and ended around 1998, 1999.

[mrc]

After reading the millionth post in the Copper and Bronze forums, it would be really nice if the comic book collecting community could come to a consensus on what the date or released book was, that is the definite changing point between ages.

 

So what are they? Can we all come to an agreement on something finally?

 

Bronze age?

 

Copper age?

 

Modern age?

 

 

 

 

 

...there is no consensus, discussing it on the forum is the fun part!

 

 

 

[Legion HQ]

I believe a wide swath of the hobby consider this current age (really modern Modern?) to have begun with either Ultimate Spider-Man 1 or Walking Dead 1. I'd be happy simply to assign an official name to the age between Copper and this current age, generally speaking the 90s. Chromium Age seems to be the unofficial moniker?

[the blob]

no, we cannot

[kpaqu1]

What other dead horses have you beaten?

[jaeldubyoo]

Blind men describing an elephant...

[AshKenziePaul]

What other dead horses have you beaten?

 

Dead horses? The debate is alive and well in multiple threads it seems.

 

After reading the other replies, I do suppose part of the fun is debating it and not having everyone in agreement.

[oakman29]

Blind men describing an elephant...

 

Blind men? I think I have a little bit of an idea about this comic book thing,been doing it probably longer than you've been alive.

[kav]

I find Oakland's definition completely logical

[rjpb]

I really think there was no one book that changed an era or age,rather a gradual process.

For Silver people say Showcase #4, but isn't it fair to say the time between Showcase #4 and F.F #1 would apply as a gradual change.

For Bronze they say GL #76\ Conan#1 but the time between the comics code situation in ASM #97,98 to the advent of the horror genre could be noted.

As far as Copper is concerned I always saw the advent of the Copper age to be the B&W independents,such as TMNT#1( being the most famous)

 

Modern age to me is the dark ages of comics like Dark Knight returns,and Watchmen, V for Vendetta etc.

 

that would make the Copper Age about 5 years long.

[Bosco685]

I really think there was no one book that changed an era or age,rather a gradual process.

For Silver people say Showcase #4, but isn't it fair to say the time between Showcase #4 and F.F #1 would apply as a gradual change.

For Bronze they say GL #76\ Conan#1 but the time between the comics code situation in ASM #97,98 to the advent of the horror genre could be noted.

As far as Copper is concerned I always saw the advent of the Copper age to be the B&W independents,such as TMNT#1( being the most famous)

 

Modern age to me is the dark ages of comics like Dark Knight returns,and Watchmen, V for Vendetta etc.

 

that would make the Copper Age about 5 years long.

 

It started long before TMNT #1.

 

Transition points leading to what we know today as the Copper Age

 

[jaeldubyoo]

Blind men describing an elephant...

 

Blind men? I think I have a little bit of an idea about this comic book thing,been doing it probably longer than you've been alive.

 

No offense intended. I was just using as metaphor. I'm referring to the Indian fable of different blind men describing an elephant, each with a different description. I was just trying to illustrate the many differences in opinions.

 

BTW, I've been collecting off and on since 1973 when I was in college. I doubt you've been doing it longer than I've been alive.

[oakman29]

I really think there was no one book that changed an era or age,rather a gradual process.

For Silver people say Showcase #4, but isn't it fair to say the time between Showcase #4 and F.F #1 would apply as a gradual change.

For Bronze they say GL #76\ Conan#1 but the time between the comics code situation in ASM #97,98 to the advent of the horror genre could be noted.

As far as Copper is concerned I always saw the advent of the Copper age to be the B&W independents,such as TMNT#1( being the most famous)

 

Modern age to me is the dark ages of comics like Dark Knight returns,and Watchmen, V for Vendetta etc.

 

that would make the Copper Age about 5 years long.

 

It started long before TMNT #1.

 

Transition points leading to what we know today as the Copper Age

 

JC is a very knowledgeable guy, so I'll take his timeline as solid. Hopefully I at least have the silver and bronze age correct.

[Bosco685]

I really think there was no one book that changed an era or age,rather a gradual process.

For Silver people say Showcase #4, but isn't it fair to say the time between Showcase #4 and F.F #1 would apply as a gradual change.

For Bronze they say GL #76\ Conan#1 but the time between the comics code situation in ASM #97,98 to the advent of the horror genre could be noted.

As far as Copper is concerned I always saw the advent of the Copper age to be the B&W independents,such as TMNT#1( being the most famous)

 

Modern age to me is the dark ages of comics like Dark Knight returns,and Watchmen, V for Vendetta etc.

 

that would make the Copper Age about 5 years long.

 

It started long before TMNT #1.

 

Transition points leading to what we know today as the Copper Age

 

JC is a very knowledgeable guy, so I'll take his timeline as solid. Hopefully I at least have the silver and bronze age correct.

 

Where his focus was more on the Big Two, a few of us started looking at the entire period and what was going on across the years.

 

For me, it started around DC Comics Presents 26 (1980).

[shadroch]

For convenience sake, I classify any Indy book as Copper, and for the big two- when they went to sixty cents. Bronze starts when DC went to 25cent 52 page books and Marvels Bronze starts with their one month 25 cent books. Its far from exact but a border has to be established somewhere, no matter how gerrymandered it be.

When the Modern age starts I'll leave to those who collect it more than I do.

I go with Marvels purchase of Heroes world, but its not what I collect.

[rjpb]

I really think there was no one book that changed an era or age,rather a gradual process.

For Silver people say Showcase #4, but isn't it fair to say the time between Showcase #4 and F.F #1 would apply as a gradual change.

For Bronze they say GL #76\ Conan#1 but the time between the comics code situation in ASM #97,98 to the advent of the horror genre could be noted.

As far as Copper is concerned I always saw the advent of the Copper age to be the B&W independents,such as TMNT#1( being the most famous)

 

Modern age to me is the dark ages of comics like Dark Knight returns,and Watchmen, V for Vendetta etc.

 

that would make the Copper Age about 5 years long.

 

It started long before TMNT #1.

 

Transition points leading to what we know today as the Copper Age

 

Even if we limit the definition of comic book ages to "heroic ages" as was originally intended with Gold and Silver, there are no subsequent choices as obvious as Action #1 or even Showcase #4 that can be said to kick off an age, and it's probably best to look at it as transitional. The time line linked above is a great example, while few would argue that Miller merely pencilling DD starts a new age of comics, almost everyone would agree that by the time we get to TMNT, it is clearly the Copper Age, we are all free to pick the tipping point in between that suits our interests.

 

I don't see the point of trying to rush out of the Copper Age at the other end so quickly. Why not just include the whole chromium gimmick era and rise and fall of Valiant as the tail end of the Copper era? At the time the rise of Image and Valiant felt like the natural culmination of direct sales dominance and interest in indy titles breaking the stranglehold of the Big Two, not the start of a new comic "age".