What will they call the next "era" of books?? 0

[comicquant]

Contemporary Age? Not to stray too far off target but the bigger question is, what happens to collectibility? After the copper age if its not a variant its essentially worthless. To the point of many in this thread, the content of comics today isn't to build on a character or team of characters, its to push as much out as possible and hope it catches. First appearances are ho-hum because so much junk is printed then cut after 12 issues. So it really is the "variant age" but the consequences seem far reaching. From a hobby perspective, the further away we get from the copper age the harder it will become for the average person to collect for collectibility's sake.

[Martin Sinescu]

The broadest definition of the Golden Age covers about 20 years, for the Silver it's around 15 ( 1956-1971), for Bronze another 15 at most, Copper, only about a decade, and that's all if you overlap the ages. By most accounts the "modern age" is closing in on 25 years, so it probably is a good time to start thinking about what the era after copper should be.

 

...if all we're concerned with here is a passage of time, then grouping by decade is probably the best way...... the Golden Age and Silver Age achieved their respective titles because of what had been produced during that period.... the material created the parameter for classification, it wasn't just applied randomly or haphazardly because there was nothing better to do. It was "earned" if that is even the right word. Maybe "deserved" is more accurate. I can't remember the last time a noteworthy change occurred in comics..... it's been the same 'ole same 'ole since the Walking Dead over a decade ago, and that was more a crystallization of themes and ideas that had been gestating since the late 80's. The fact that no one seems to be able to make anything stick seems to illustrate my point. If I had to come up with something, 1990-2000 would be "Chromium" and 2000 -2010ish would be "variant"...... GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

 

I think Jimbo is exactly right, and I have felt this way since '70s books began to be referred to as Bronze. There are two important historical eras of greatest significance in the hobby; the rest is labels for decades, varying levels of minor importance aside. (This does NOT, to my thinking, diminish major singular events/appearances in those later eras. Like many of you, I can articulate and support the arguments for the importance of GL76, ASM96, Hulk 181, independent publishers, direct distribution, etc.) Not every timespan needs an "era" label, but we've got them so we use them out of convenience and common nomenclature. It is telling that we are going on 25 years and no new designation is catching on.

 

...I want to clarify one thing about my post.... I don't mean to imply that comics from the last couple of decades are devolving or somehow substandard.... in fact, I feel they have highlights that are as good as it gets. My point is that, to me, the medium has fully evolved and the application of further categorization is meaningless, except where historical overtures are influential, which tends to apply more to marketing issues and those relationships..... like the emergence of variant rarities to service the slabbing demands of the last decade or so..... As for Bronze Age, perhaps an argument for it's intrinsic relevance is the loosening of the Comics Code and the wave of fresh material that ensued..... unfortunately, that "freshness", again, to me, seemed to quickly become gratuitous. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Excellent points. The original 'ages" were a response to the rise and fall and then rebirth of superhero comics. Even when we can retroactively discern a shift in the medium dramatic enough to define the start and end of a new "age", it is far more a progression than a completely new cycle. I don't know when "Bronze" became the preferred term for comics of the 1970s, but I do recall that in the middle of the decade there was little thought as to whether the Silver Age had actually ended, even though it was clear the comics of 1975 were different from the comics of 1965. Most of the titles and characters introduced in the previous twenty years were still running, so it hardly felt like an era was over.

 

My experience too; and once again Jimbo nails it. Jimbo, I agree the relevance of the Bronze is the loosening of the CCA; I don't mean to diminish that. In fact, as the silver ushered back (and more importantly reinvented) the golden age milieu of heroes, the bronze, by loosening the CCA, brought back most of what was important and new about 1950s non-hero genres (often in superhero books too).

I think it's a diminishment of the silver age to refer to it simply as the return of the heroes. The real genius of the era was in how the superhero was reinvented and fleshed out.

The bronze took back the ground lost in the 50's, minus the most egregious visuals that led to Wertham's and Kefauver's witch hunts. And there's the importance of ASM 96, GL76 et al; they kicked the doors back open, and a decade or so later much of what the independents did was possible. (With steps in between, of course, but I'm summarizing the arc, not writing a history book in one post.)

 

....I always felt that an entire decade for Bronze was about it....... and let's face it, the 70's were an entirely different animal than anything before or after, as evidenced in other media such as music, TV, and movies. The Copper Age found it's roots with the advent of the Independent Publisher, like Pacific, Eclipse, and Aardvark..... all around the early 80's. One thing I've come to accept is that some books can almost exist in two ages.....catalysts, so to speak..... because people will always view the "Phoenix from the Ashes" type of publishing event in their own ways.... often dependent on what age they were when the events occurred..... that's why I try to tread carefully in these debates. I know that one of the major sign posts for me at the beginning of a new age is the "revamp"..... these are usually a response to pent up market demand. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

Sorry to quote the long posts, but meaningful, thought-provoking discussions like this are why I enjoy hammering out the various ages and their defining qualities.

[shadroch]

1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s.

 

Why make up a name for dates that requires explaining the dates? Just use dates.

 

 

Huge difference between early 80s books and later. Marvel and Dc had next to no competition at the start of the decade.

Same with the 90s. Early 90s books were vastly overproduced. A far cry from their late 90s cousins. I don't know the 2000s market enough to comment on it.

That's why early 80s books are Bronze Age while later are Copper.

[jimjum12]

I could not disagree with you more as far as early 80's goes...... those books are about as far removed from the bronze age of the early to mid 70's as could be. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[ygogolak]

Contemporary Age? Not to stray too far off target but the bigger question is, what happens to collectibility? After the copper age if its not a variant its essentially worthless. To the point of many in this thread, the content of comics today isn't to build on a character or team of characters, its to push as much out as possible and hope it catches. First appearances are ho-hum because so much junk is printed then cut after 12 issues. So it really is the "variant age" but the consequences seem far reaching. From a hobby perspective, the further away we get from the copper age the harder it will become for the average person to collect for collectibility's sake.

 

Contemporary is books now.- belonging to or occurring in the present. Modern is a period.

 

There are a lot of non-variants that I will take off of your hands after the Copper age. Shall I make a list or do you want to?

[Ken Aldred]

I could not disagree with you more as far as early 80's goes...... those books are about as far removed from the bronze age of the early to mid 70's as could be. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

There is quite a difference. Never could get my head around the idea of a typical, mainstream comic from 1983 being Bronze Age.

 

 

[valiantman]

1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s.

 

Why make up a name for dates that requires explaining the dates? Just use dates.

 

 

Huge difference between early 80s books and later. Marvel and Dc had next to no competition at the start of the decade.

Same with the 90s. Early 90s books were vastly overproduced. A far cry from their late 90s cousins. I don't know the 2000s market enough to comment on it.

That's why early 80s books are Bronze Age while later are Copper.

There's no consensus on where the Bronze Age ends, and there probably never will be.

However, there is 100% agreement on what 1980s comics means.

 

[VintageComics]

Here is the deal.

 

The overstreet advisors have a responsibility as the leaders of this hobby to move it forward not just financially but historically as well. For over 20 years, the overstreet advisors have been focussing on pricing of comics and forgetting about their other duties as historians. There have been some great historical articles in the Overstreet Price Guide by individuals over the last 20 years but as a collective (overstreet advisors) they have failed or neglected with historical progression of this hobby.

 

I am hoping by the 50th Overstreet Price Guide that all the overstreet advisors spend a few days or a weekend and tackle the historical part of this hobby.

 

This includes;

1. Designation of the Chromium Age (1993 - ?),

2. Emergence of the Digital or Silicon Age (i.e. Movies, TV, internet, digital comics, etc..)

3. Designation of new classic covers (i.e. Hulk #340, X-Men #141, Batman #251, etc..)

4. New or updated definitions (i.e. 1st Appearance, cameo, variant, restoration, conservation, etc...)

5. Misc. (i.e. Foriegn Editions, Newsstands, grading, etc...)

 

Note: It is almost universally accepted now that the next age will be "Chromium Age" (1993 - ?) due to the foil, holofoil, hologram, chromium & variant covers that dominated the age. With the next being "Silicon Age" due to emergence of comics in popular culture through movies, TV, internet & digital comics.

 

Modern Age should always be used for the current age until it is designated by the overstreet price guide as something else.

 

I tend to agree with most of this.

[Glassman10]

I'd call them "Tinsel". But, if it's like the "Chrome" I see corroding off of modern pickup trucks, I can see Chrome. It's just not like the Chrome on a really old Mercedes grill.. That was chrome.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Glassman10

[comicquant]

Contemporary Age? Not to stray too far off target but the bigger question is, what happens to collectibility? After the copper age if its not a variant its essentially worthless. To the point of many in this thread, the content of comics today isn't to build on a character or team of characters, its to push as much out as possible and hope it catches. First appearances are ho-hum because so much junk is printed then cut after 12 issues. So it really is the "variant age" but the consequences seem far reaching. From a hobby perspective, the further away we get from the copper age the harder it will become for the average person to collect for collectibility's sake.

 

Contemporary is books now.- belonging to or occurring in the present. Modern is a period.

 

There are a lot of non-variants that I will take off of your hands after the Copper age. Shall I make a list or do you want to?

 

I should've clarified but thats exactly what I was getting at... Anything after the last defined age would be within the contemporary age. Always moving to accommodate the leftovers. While they mean the same thing, syntactically contemporary seems more appropriate.

 

I certainly don't feel like making a list but would love to see one. I'm always looking for books to buy.

[kav]

Pretty sure it will be the Iron Age

[Readcomix]

Pretty sure it will be the Iron Age

 

After all the pressing? (Ironing)?

[Readcomix]

Seriously, on bronze I agree with Jimbo and Ken that it doesn't go much past 1980, if that. But I would pick 1980 based on the launch of the New Teen Titans, DC's for way toward the mid-Bronze model set by the new X-Men. I do agree that much bronze significance is front-loaded in the first half of the 70s -- Conan 1, Adams/O'Neil GL and Bats, ASM drug issues, Hero for Hero #1, Marvel Spotlight 2, etc.

[gyro-1]

1990 - 2015 slab age

[Readcomix]

 

 

There are a lot of non-variants that I will take off of your hands after the Copper age. Shall I make a list or do you want to?

 

As someone who quit buying new titles a while ago, I would sincerely appreciate that. I mean, of course I've seen the walls with #1's of Saga, Chew, Invincible, etc. I know of the Walking Dead craze, but I do not know to distinguish the keys with staying power on pure content/character-driven supply and demand only, absent any variant status, from books not likely to stand the test of time and give us the next cross-generational characters. Maybe that's it's own thread, but I Could sure use it.

[ygogolak]

As someone who quit buying new titles a while ago, I would sincerely appreciate that. I mean, of course I've seen the walls with #1's of Saga, Chew, Invincible, etc. I know of the Walking Dead craze, but I do not know to distinguish the keys with staying power on pure content/character-driven supply and demand only, absent any variant status, from books not likely to stand the test of time and give us the next cross-generational characters. Maybe that's it's own thread, but I Could sure use it.

 

Contemporary Age? Not to stray too far off target but the bigger question is, what happens to collectibility? After the copper age if its not a variant its essentially worthless. To the point of many in this thread, the content of comics today isn't to build on a character or team of characters, its to push as much out as possible and hope it catches. First appearances are ho-hum because so much junk is printed then cut after 12 issues. So it really is the "variant age" but the consequences seem far reaching. From a hobby perspective, the further away we get from the copper age the harder it will become for the average person to collect for collectibility's sake.

 

Contemporary is books now.- belonging to or occurring in the present. Modern is a period.

 

There are a lot of non-variants that I will take off of your hands after the Copper age. Shall I make a list or do you want to?

 

I should've clarified but thats exactly what I was getting at... Anything after the last defined age would be within the contemporary age. Always moving to accommodate the leftovers. While they mean the same thing, syntactically contemporary seems more appropriate.

 

I certainly don't feel like making a list but would love to see one. I'm always looking for books to buy.

 

 

Haha, I was suggesting I will make a list if you are willing to unload them since they aren't worth anything.

 

 

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by ygogolak

[Readcomix]

As someone who quit buying new titles a while ago, I would sincerely appreciate that. I mean, of course I've seen the walls with #1's of Saga, Chew, Invincible, etc. I know of the Walking Dead craze, but I do not know to distinguish the keys with staying power on pure content/character-driven supply and demand only, absent any variant status, from books not likely to stand the test of time and give us the next cross-generational characters. Maybe that's it's own thread, but I Could sure use it.

 

Contemporary Age? Not to stray too far off target but the bigger question is, what happens to collectibility? After the copper age if its not a variant its essentially worthless. To the point of many in this thread, the content of comics today isn't to build on a character or team of characters, its to push as much out as possible and hope it catches. First appearances are ho-hum because so much junk is printed then cut after 12 issues. So it really is the "variant age" but the consequences seem far reaching. From a hobby perspective, the further away we get from the copper age the harder it will become for the average person to collect for collectibility's sake.

 

Contemporary is books now.- belonging to or occurring in the present. Modern is a period.

 

There are a lot of non-variants that I will take off of your hands after the Copper age. Shall I make a list or do you want to?

 

I should've clarified but thats exactly what I was getting at... Anything after the last defined age would be within the contemporary age. Always moving to accommodate the leftovers. While they mean the same thing, syntactically contemporary seems more appropriate.

 

I certainly don't feel like making a list but would love to see one. I'm always looking for books to buy.

 

 

Haha, I was suggesting I will make a list if you are willing to unload them since they aren't worth anything.

 

 

 

Phew! It IS a barren wasteland! And I thought I was missing something and should be open-minded. Thanks, this is much easier!

[kidcolt]

Next era should be chrome.

[ygogolak]

Phew! It IS a barren wasteland! And I thought I was missing something and should be open-minded. Thanks, this is much easier!

 

Good place to start:

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9734378#Post9734378

[slym2none]

So we have Golden, Silver, Copper, Bronze and Modern age books.

 

I suspect "Modern" is here to stay with us but what will the books that are currently know as "modern" become next??

 

Brass, Zinc, Aluminum??

 

"."

 

 

 

-slym