Why is the copper age only 8 years??

[shadroch]

That's a different issue.

Without the direct market, comics would have died. There just wasn't any profit in them. A candy store could sell a magazine for $1.50 or 35 cent comic. What would you display?.

Another factor rarely discussed was the growing number of adult magazines gaining widespread distribution.

It was easier for many places to simply stop selling comics then to police the racks, keeping kids from checking out Penthouse or Oui.

In the end, the direct market saved comics for one generation, but may have ruined it for the next.

[joe_collector]

By the way- Stan moved to California in the Spring of 1980, so you don't even have that.

 

What's your source for this? I've read many Marvel books and tell-alls and each time, it's stated that Stan took over the Marvel Studios/Movies/TV branch in California in 1981.

 

Even wiki lists it as such:

 

He moved to California in 1981 to develop Marvel's TV and movie properties.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee

 

Are you saying Stan took over the Marvel Movie/TV arm in 1980?

[Gatsby77]

At a certain point I think folks may have to accept that Bronze extends into the early 80s, as both Overstreets and eBay have accepted 1970-1983 as Bronze, with TMNT 1 / Secret Wars starting Copper in 1984.

 

In my world that's roughly $.15 covers (1969-$.50 covers). $.60 covers-$1.50 covers = Copper.

[Lazyboy]

 

eBay's definitions are 100% irrelevant to the hobby.

 

Overstreet seems to be heading the same way. Despite publishing in a ridiculous, nearly irrelevant annual format, the OPG is still full of stuff that's years out of date. Basically anything post-1980 is disrespected and ignored as much as possible.

 

[Peter G]

Because this is a comic book board. And that's the kind of insignificant stuff that gets discussed on comic book boards.

 

So true

[valiantman]

That's still a mouth full,

I have noticed over 50 or so posts there is no real consensus on either the start (1978, 1981, warrior, TMNT, secret wars, crisis) or end ( image, death of superman, valiant, wizard) of the copper age, how is that? Every one has there own time frame.

...and yet, the "1980s" has a start and an end that everyone agrees.

 

So, forget "Copper" and just call them "1980s comics".

 

I'm also of the opinion that Bronze Age is unnecessary as well... if you say you collect "Bronze Age comics", then someone will ask what that means, so you'll answer "Comics from the 1970s".

 

Why not just start with the answer?

[jaeldubyoo]

That's still a mouth full,

I have noticed over 50 or so posts there is no real consensus on either the start (1978, 1981, warrior, TMNT, secret wars, crisis) or end ( image, death of superman, valiant, wizard) of the copper age, how is that? Every one has there own time frame.

...and yet, the "1980s" has a start and an end that everyone agrees.

 

So, forget "Copper" and just call them "1980s comics".

 

I'm also of the opinion that Bronze Age is unnecessary as well... if you say you collect "Bronze Age comics", then someone will ask what that means, so you'll answer "Comics from the 1970s".

 

Why not just start with the answer?

 

+1

 

I've always advocated using decades, rather than any one comic that starts an age. Everybody seems to have their own ideas about which comic started a certain age. Not all comics fit neatly into a designated age. Some comics have characteristics of a different age than the one it was published in.

[ttfitz]

That's still a mouth full,

I have noticed over 50 or so posts there is no real consensus on either the start (1978, 1981, warrior, TMNT, secret wars, crisis) or end ( image, death of superman, valiant, wizard) of the copper age, how is that? Every one has there own time frame.

...and yet, the "1980s" has a start and an end that everyone agrees.

 

You'd be surprised. Ever since people discovered that 2001 was the start of the 21st Century and not 2000, there have been folks that think "the 80s" runs from 1981-1990.

 

[valiantman]

You'd be surprised. Ever since people discovered that 2001 was the start of the 21st Century and not 2000, there have been folks that think "the 80s" runs from 1981-1990.

"Think" does not belong in your last sentence.

[shadroch]

By the way- Stan moved to California in the Spring of 1980, so you don't even have that.

 

What's your source for this? I've read many Marvel books and tell-alls and each time, it's stated that Stan took over the Marvel Studios/Movies/TV branch in California in 1981.

 

Even wiki lists it as such:

 

He moved to California in 1981 to develop Marvel's TV and movie properties.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee

 

Are you saying Stan took over the Marvel Movie/TV arm in 1980?

 

In Lee's autobiography,page 202 he writes. " .... the Lee's finally moved west in 1980 and Stan became the creative head of Marvel Productions in Hollywood.

[ComicConnoisseur]

That's still a mouth full,

I have noticed over 50 or so posts there is no real consensus on either the start (1978, 1981, warrior, TMNT, secret wars, crisis) or end ( image, death of superman, valiant, wizard) of the copper age, how is that? Every one has there own time frame.

...and yet, the "1980s" has a start and an end that everyone agrees.

 

So, forget "Copper" and just call them "1980s comics".

 

I'm also of the opinion that Bronze Age is unnecessary as well... if you say you collect "Bronze Age comics", then someone will ask what that means, so you'll answer "Comics from the 1970s".

 

Why not just start with the answer?

 

+1

 

I've always advocated using decades, rather than any one comic that starts an age. Everybody seems to have their own ideas about which comic started a certain age. Not all comics fit neatly into a designated age. Some comics have characteristics of a different age than the one it was published in.

+1

Just do it that way or the modern era will end up being larger than the golden,silver,bronze and copper ages combined eventually!

[shadroch]

That's what is scary for me. When I started collecting, many Golden Age books were less than twenty years old.

We now have modern era books older than that.

[Neeidea]

Acquired from a website:-

...

1970's - The Bronze Age

1980's - The Dark (Copper) Age

1990's - The Chromium Age

2000's - The Plastic (slab) Age

2010's - The Digital Age

 

[the blob]

1992-2003: Chromium Age/Dark Age/Dreck Age

 

Not that it was worse than what has been done after 2003, honestly. It just appears "better", but in the end there were a number of titles with valid stuff in these years as well.

 

a lot of stuff from 1998 - 2003 might be drek, but in terms of collecting it is a whole different species than stuff from 1992-1994 given that print-runs had gotten to their lowest levels in ..ever?

[the blob]

I've always considered it (rounding by year)

1939-1945 Golden Age

1946-1955 Atom Age

1956-1969 Silver Age

1970-1978 Bronze Age

1979-1990 Copper Age

1991-Present Modern Age

 

Other than your bizarre proclivity to determine eras based on when DC Comics changes their price tags I would agree with this.

 

But again, 1981 seems to be the major shift in industry trends (indie explosion, new EIC at both DC and Marvel, Direct Market takes off, horror/cartoon/reprint titles cancelled, magazine lines cancelled, etc.) so I'm sticking with that for Copper.

 

1981 does seem to make sense.

 

Although when I am selling I will push it as far into 1984 as i can.

[ttfitz]

By the way- Stan moved to California in the Spring of 1980, so you don't even have that.

 

What's your source for this? I've read many Marvel books and tell-alls and each time, it's stated that Stan took over the Marvel Studios/Movies/TV branch in California in 1981.

 

Even wiki lists it as such:

 

He moved to California in 1981 to develop Marvel's TV and movie properties.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Lee

 

Are you saying Stan took over the Marvel Movie/TV arm in 1980?

 

In Lee's autobiography,page 202 he writes. " .... the Lee's finally moved west in 1980 and Stan became the creative head of Marvel Productions in Hollywood.

 

But doncha know, if Stan says something, given his infamous bad memory, it couldn't possibly be true?

 

Also keep in mind that during the '80s there was no reliable method of communication between the East and West Coast, so the move meant Stan had to give up his iron fisted control.