Do 15¢ Comics Belong Here in Silver?

[Flash105]

April 1970 is a good marker and GL 76 is a 15 cent issue. I agree with Jim, I have favorites in every age Gold to Moderns. Each age has things I like about it. But of course since I was a child of the late 1970s so I have a special place in my heart for everything 1976-1986.

 

Adams, Miller, Byrne, Claremont, Perez

[jimjum12]

April 1970 is a good marker and GL 76 is a 15 cent issue. I agree with Jim, I have favorites in every age Gold to Moderns. Each age has things I like about it. But of course since I was a child of the late 1970s so I have a special place in my heart for everything 1976-1986.

 

Adams, Miller, Byrne, Claremont, Perez

 

..... This is such a crucial point...... the nostalgia factor is a powerful force. Marvelmaniac cuts at the '68 premieres.... and he started a bit earlier than I...... and the House of Ideas was definitely striving for evolution at that point.... I can see were he's coming from.... those 3 double header anthologies (TTA, TOS, and ST) were definitely a serious footnote. I just can't let go of the SA as long as Kirby is still at Marvel.....I suppose it's an "inner child" thing. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Hepcat]

Some probably do.

 

When DC went from twelve to fifteen cents the look of its comics didn't otherwise change from one issue to the next. A more noteworthy change at DC occurred in October 1970 when the bullet logo DC had been using since the forties was dropped:

 

 

 

 

[rodan57]

So I was reading a recently purchased Avengers #79 (newsstand/June 1970) ...

 

 

 

... and I ran across this Bullpen Bulletins page.

 

 

I can see the shifting sands as the Silver Age wanes -- Kirby leaving and Conan on the horizon. And the last issue of the Silver Surfer came out this month.

[Dale Roberts]

To me, the Silver Age extends to the end of the 15 centers. The books still have a silver age feel to them. Once you get to the 25 cent square bounds in the Marvels and the 25 cent 52 pagers in DC, the books just have a different feel to them.

 

These are my favorite books by the way. The art was at its best, printing had improved, covers looked great, and feature some outstanding artists.

 

[jimjum12]

To me, the Silver Age extends to the end of the 15 centers. The books still have a silver age feel to them. Once you get to the 25 cent square bounds in the Marvels and the 25 cent 52 pagers in DC, the books just have a different feel to them.

 

These are my favorite books by the way. The art was at its best, printing had improved, covers looked great, and feature some outstanding artists.

 

Pretty much my take as well..... with one exception..... and this is just my opinion of course...... I consider all the D.C Horror books beginning around HOM 174 to be Bronze, despite the 15 cent covers. Dennis' post above is also excellent..... it's a very concise and compelling argument for those who recognize the Kirby/ Conan bridge. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

..... as a newsstand buyer at the time, even though I'm a Marvel dude for the most part, the most significant event at the beginning of the Bronze Age.... the catalyst for permanent change as it were, was GL/GA 76. I had friends who normally didn't even read comics who were flipping over those Adams GL/GAs........

[PovertyRow]

Pretty much my take as well..... with one exception..... and this is just my opinion of course...... I consider all the D.C Horror books beginning around HOM 174 to be Bronze, despite the 15 cent covers.

 

That is an excellent point! DC did a turnaround from their Atom Age stance, where they had the a very few (like three) horror titles while continuing with their heroes.

 

With HOM 174, two hero stories (Martian Manhunter and Dial H for Hero) were replaced by horror. Over time successive publication of DC Horror like Witching Hour, Secrets of Haunted House, etc.appeared.Definitely a marker in DC's history.

 

[jimjum12]

I've always felt that D.C. nudged Marvel into the Bronze Age......after Kirby jumped ship, Marvel HAD to do something..... that, coupled with the emergence of Rock and Roll, Civil Rights, and the Viet Nam war..... change was on the wind.... America had lost her innocence and was hungry for something new. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

 

....in a way, Jack wanted to bring on the Bronze Age and Stan said no..... Jack said, "You don't tell me no "

[rjpb]

HOM 174-180 had 12¢ covers.

[jimjum12]

HOM 174-180 had 12¢ covers.

 

.... point taken...... still Bronze to me..... but one thing I learned a long time ago, no one, and I mean NO one, gives a ratz arse what I think..... and I've just learned to live with that....... a lone ship wreck survivor on a treacherous sea I also subconsciously lump all the Adams B&B's (79-86) into the Bronze Age.....while oddly enough, consider his X-Men run to be still SA GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[PovertyRow]

HOM 174-180 had 12¢ covers.

 

.... point taken...... still Bronze to me..... but one thing I learned a long time ago, no one, and I mean NO one, gives a ratz arse what I think..... and I've just learned to live with that....... a lone ship wreck survivor on a treacherous sea I also subconsciously lump all the Adams B&B's (79-86) into the Bronze Age.....while oddly enough, consider his X-Men run to be still SA GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

I do feel the price is not the definitive marker for an age. Platinum, Gold, Atom and Silver all shared 10 cent cover prices. I feel the content and direction is more important. You could put a 15 or 20 cent price on those early horror HOMs without blinking an eye.

[electricprune]

HOM 174-180 had 12¢ covers.

 

.... point taken...... still Bronze to me..... but one thing I learned a long time ago, no one, and I mean NO one, gives a ratz arse what I think..... and I've just learned to live with that....... a lone ship wreck survivor on a treacherous sea I also subconsciously lump all the Adams B&B's (79-86) into the Bronze Age.....while oddly enough, consider his X-Men run to be still SA GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

jimjum, I think many people value your opinion. You're very knowledgeable, probably bought many of these books when they came out, and present your opinions in a gentlemanly fashion.

 

That being said, let me twist this in a different direction. If Conan can be considered a major candidate for the beginning of the Bronze Age, shouldn't Brave and the Bold 1 be a strong candidate for the beginning of the Silver Age?

 

They both have characters that really didn't have super powers. Then after BB1, came Martian Manhunter and The Flash, all in close to one year. It really started a change at DC to add more heroes, both with super powers and without.

[jimjum12]

HOM 174-180 had 12¢ covers.

 

.... point taken...... still Bronze to me..... but one thing I learned a long time ago, no one, and I mean NO one, gives a ratz arse what I think..... and I've just learned to live with that....... a lone ship wreck survivor on a treacherous sea I also subconsciously lump all the Adams B&B's (79-86) into the Bronze Age.....while oddly enough, consider his X-Men run to be still SA GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

jimjum, I think many people value your opinion. You're very knowledgeable, probably bought many of these books when they came out, and present your opinions in a gentlemanly fashion.

 

That being said, let me twist this in a different direction. If Conan can be considered a major candidate for the beginning of the Bronze Age, shouldn't Brave and the Bold 1 be a strong candidate for the beginning of the Silver Age?

 

They both have characters that really didn't have super powers. Then after BB1, came Martian Manhunter and The Flash, all in close to one year. It really started a change at DC to add more heroes, both with super powers and without.

 

.... I'm with you on that one, bro...... never could consider B&B 1 anything other than SA ...... That title was a real crucible of change. I'm the same with Showcase..... that title certainly didn't automatically switch to SA with issue 4 .....and it was obvious that D.C.'s intent from the very beginning (#1) that they were going to start scratching the surface. I consider MGA 1 and TOTU 1 to both be squarely SA as well....... D.C. always was a trendsetter. What I don't consider to be SA is the Atlas hero revival.... although I'm tempted. I do, however, consider Yellow Claw to be the first thematically SA type book from Atlas.... although I think it was more by accident than design. These "ages" have beginnings and endings that are cusp oriented in my book...... and thankfully, I love them all.... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[rjpb]

HOM 174-180 had 12¢ covers.

 

.... point taken...... still Bronze to me..... but one thing I learned a long time ago, no one, and I mean NO one, gives a ratz arse what I think..... and I've just learned to live with that....... a lone ship wreck survivor on a treacherous sea I also subconsciously lump all the Adams B&B's (79-86) into the Bronze Age.....while oddly enough, consider his X-Men run to be still SA GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

I'd say more agree with you than not on most points. I tend to think you're one of the most astute board members precisely because we do agree so frequently .

 

And I totally get your view of Adams' DC work vs. X-Men, though I suspect this is largely because the X-Men title got cancelled when still arguably in the Silver Age, and when folks speak of Bronze Age X-Men they tend to mean the newer version of the team.

[jimjum12]

.... I think that's a fair assessment ...... probably the reason with X-Men, even though those Adams Thomas issues have a decidedly BA feel to them...... although I think Roy was subconsciously steering towards the BA almost from the beginning. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[shadroch]

I keep Marvels 15 cent and the one month 25 cent 52 pagers in my SA boxes.

Out of curiosity, when did the BA books become thinner than their SA brethren. They seemed to lose a quarter inch along the way.

[Ghost Town]

Out of curiosity, when did the BA books become thinner than their SA brethren. They seemed to lose a quarter inch along the way.

If by "thinner" you mean narrower width-wise, I think it's February 1975 for Marvel books. ASM #141 is definitely narrower than #140.

[rodan57]

I keep Marvels 15 cent and the one month 25 cent 52 pagers in my SA boxes.

 

I do the same but add the one month 20¢ circles to the mix.

[VintageComics]

...... sounds like me...... to some extent. I consider NO 20 cent comics to be Silver..... but 15 centers are the buffer zone, going both ways. Conan was a milestone of change for me as well. Kirby's Fourth World and GL/GA 76 (both 15 cents) were notable evolutions also. That's how it hit me at the time. It's different for different people though. ASM 101 begins the BA for Spidey in my book for example. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

I agree very much that 15 cent is a buffer zone (nice term) and individual books need to be looked at. I am a believer that we can have more than one criteria for an age. My opinion,. for example, of the Atom Age differs from some others here I respect. My opinion for the Silver Age requires Marvel to have a different start than DC. Fantastic Four #1 is, to me, the start of the Marvel SA. Prior to that Marvel/Atlas was post-coding the pre-codes.

 

 

..... and for some publishers, Harvey for example, the SA never really ends. I think the biggest obstacle to consensus is the insistence on establishing a starting point, rather than determining just exactly what typifies each era (and this, unfortunately, seems to vary from person to person). Insisting on a set timeframe always struck me as disingenuous..... when to me it was always about theme and direction. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Jimbo, I'm with you on this.

 

On the surface, because of the cover layout and feel of the books I still consider 15 cent books to be Silver Age but depending on content, you can see they were transitioning.

 

I'm a firm believe that no Age started or stopped at one issue but that there are many reasons to support that all ages transitioned over time.

 

If you need a simple answer, I'd group 15 cent books with SA, but my longer answer is above.

[jimjum12]

...... sounds like me...... to some extent. I consider NO 20 cent comics to be Silver..... but 15 centers are the buffer zone, going both ways. Conan was a milestone of change for me as well. Kirby's Fourth World and GL/GA 76 (both 15 cents) were notable evolutions also. That's how it hit me at the time. It's different for different people though. ASM 101 begins the BA for Spidey in my book for example. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

I agree very much that 15 cent is a buffer zone (nice term) and individual books need to be looked at. I am a believer that we can have more than one criteria for an age. My opinion,. for example, of the Atom Age differs from some others here I respect. My opinion for the Silver Age requires Marvel to have a different start than DC. Fantastic Four #1 is, to me, the start of the Marvel SA. Prior to that Marvel/Atlas was post-coding the pre-codes.

 

 

..... and for some publishers, Harvey for example, the SA never really ends. I think the biggest obstacle to consensus is the insistence on establishing a starting point, rather than determining just exactly what typifies each era (and this, unfortunately, seems to vary from person to person). Insisting on a set timeframe always struck me as disingenuous..... when to me it was always about theme and direction. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Jimbo, I'm with you on this.

 

On the surface, because of the cover layout and feel of the books I still consider 15 cent books to be Silver Age but depending on content, you can see they were transitioning.

 

I'm a firm believe that no Age started or stopped at one issue but that there are many reasons to support that all ages transitioned over time.

 

If you need a simple answer, I'd group 15 cent books with SA, but my longer answer is above.

 

.... like the changing of seasons..... steady but gradual.... some leaves still green while others have turned. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)