What Period Does GA Begin and End For You For Collecting... 2 2

[PDGray]

I guess I have taken the classic view:

1938-1956 (AC1-SC4) 

     Possible sub-category of PCH and/or Atomic Age

1956-1970 (SC4-GA76)

1971-1985 (GA76-DK1)

 

The case could certainly be made for an "Atomic Age" during the early 50s.  And I really look at anything between 1956 (SC4) up through around 1964 as being transitional between the GA (or Atomic Age) and the Silver age.  They have a writing/art style difference that I think we all agree on, and those are the turning points in my mind.  The appearance of caped super-heroes (Phantom anyone??) would certainly be a change point or the implementation of the CCA would certainly trigger some changes as an example.  

 

 

PDG

[Professor K]

On 11/3/2023 at 2:06 AM, Cat-Man_America said:

Normally, I refer to all 10 cent or more comics produced before the CCA as the golden age. But just for the sake of all my fellow obsessive folks ...a category in which many collectors find or lose themselves... just for the sake of ridiculousness, I've broken the GA into smaller groups that are about as anally retentive in the extremis as I can make them: 

Funny Book or Platinum era: Comics produced between 1934 and 1938 (before Action #1 changed the trajectory of comics; Sunday comic reprints and variety ruled)

Gen-U-wine GA (pre U.S. entry into WWII; oversize books; costumed heroes introduced, featured and flourish; with rare exception variety was the filler): 1938-1942 (early)

Men in Tights Age (WWII era, economic tightening, dimensions and page count downsize as paper is rationed; colorful costumed heroes ruled): 1942-1945 (mid/late)

Nuclear Nookie Age (atom bomb and bombshell era; decline of the superhero, blossoming of teen romance, crime and GGA ruled): 1946-1949

Wertham Age: 1950-1954 (aka Pre-code Horror...vampires, ghouls and skeletons and psychiatrists concerned about juvenile delinquency reigned supreme)

 

Hey that's a really good categorization there. Love the names you assigned, other than Wertham Age. That fool doesn't deserve his name on anything other than a list of well known individual_without_enough_empathys .

I wanted to say something pretty much the same in my little post before but I didn't have the mental capacity to word it and sort it out in a way that would make any sense.  I was kind of hung up on how to classify the early pre war type Funny books. Books in those years kind of seem to have over lapped each other in a "category" type manner. I didn't think that stating for example "Pre- Action 1" would be accurate. I haven't read all these so I can't know for sure but it seems to me books/series like Funny Picture Stories 1 (1936) and Detective Picture Stories, and maybe 1 or 2 others like pre Sup DC's, although pre Action 1, kind of seem more at home in the Gen-U-Wine Ga group. 

But man I really do like how you worked that out up there. Perfect.

 

Edited November 3, 2023 by Professor K
grammar correction

[Krydel4]

On 11/3/2023 at 8:01 AM, buttock said:

A few thoughts on 'ages'.  

1.  Ages don't necessarily start and stop consecutively.  i.e. it's not the case that the GA stops on 12/31 and SA starts on 1/1.  I think there are a few cases where the start is obvious (Action 1, Showcase 4), but more where an age evolved slowly, both beginning and end.  So to try to define them with an absolute date or issue is impossible.  

2.  Ages don't apply across the board for publishers, titles, or characters.  Showcase 4 in 1956 is obviously silver age, but Batman from the same month still feels like the doofy 50s Batman rather than the one that changed in 1964.  You can say that the GA ended with WW2, but I think the later All Stars, Flash, Superman, Batman, etc., still feel very GA.  Timely and Nedor, on the other hand had clear changes as the war ended since their covers were almost exclusively war-related.  So a 1947 DC might seem very GA, but a 1947 Timely doesn't.  Similarly the SA is very different for DC vs. Marvel.  The Silver Age begins with Showcase 4 in 1956, but for Marvel it doesn't really start until FF 1 in 1961.  Therefore a 1957 Marvel (which would be Atlas at the time) isn't viewed as SA, while a 1957 DC might be SA.  Further, Showcase 4, while being clearly the start of the SA, doesn't mean that all DCs after Showcase 4 are SA.  Is All Star Western 89 not SA, while 91 is SA?  No, it took some time for the whole comic book field to evolve into the SA.    

3. The definitions of an 'age' aren't consistent.  GA and SA conventionally refer to superhero comics.  The Golden Age started with Action 1 and the Silver Age started with Showcase 4.  Those terms are used broadly in society, but there aren't societal equivalents for Bronze, Copper, etc.  Those terms then followed to refer more to eras than actual events, which is why there is so much debate over when the BA started.  There isn't a singular book like Action 1 or Showcase 4 that defined the change, nor was there a tapering out of the preceding era to make such a singular book stand out.  In this case it's more that things shifted over time with things like GL 76, the Spidey drug books, etc., that were reflective of a societal shift rather than an event in the history of comic publishing.  So GA and SA refer to one type of change, while BA refers to another and CA yet another.  Then throw in things like "atomic era", "pre-code", "pre-hero Marvel", etc., and things get really confusing because you're referring to different framing points in different genres, publishers, titles, and characters (e.g. nobody talks about pre-code Disney).  

I agree with this, however, I think we've entered a period where we've stopped naming ages. The "Modern Age" has been around for about 35+ (longer than GA& SA combined, no matter what date you use to delineate) and still going (or 48 years if you use CGCs criteria). Are the comics produced during the late 80s that different from the ones today that the modern needs to be separated out into different ages than just "Modern"?

[JollyComics]

Golden Age Era

From 1650 to 1720, the glory days for all pirates.

Spoiler

I know this is... but I played with GA stuff. 

 

[jimbo_7071]

The "Golden Age" is short for the "Golden Age of Superheroes." 

For me that's June 1938 (Action 1) through Octoer 1945 cover dates (i.e., the books that were on the stands when WWII ended).

Superheroes were fading fast by the late 40s.

November 1945 through February/March 1955 (pre-code) covers dates are clearly Atom Age. 

I don't know how to classify CCA-stamped books that pre-date Showcase 4.

Edited November 3, 2023 by jimbo_7071

[shadroch]

On 11/3/2023 at 7:43 AM, Robot Man said:

Yep. I believe mine was green and had a shifter on the top bar. Me and my brother would make custom bikes from parts from the dump and trash. Had a cool one with a raked chopper style front that we made from parts. Also mini bikes with old lawn mower motors. Had the need for speed at an early age! 

Christmas 1965, I got a metallic blue Royce Union Five-speed sting ray type bike.    Many kids in my school got the same model, only in yellow.  The gear shifter and the air brakes broke almost instantly, but that didn't stop me from riding it all out.

[Vintage_Paper]

There's always the bag test. If it doesn't fit in a Silver Age bag then it's a Golden Age book.

[fifties]

On 11/16/2023 at 12:40 PM, Vintage_Paper said:

There's always the bag test. If it doesn't fit in a Silver Age bag then it's a Golden Age book.

Not too sure about that, if you go by Overstreet's definition of GA years.   After the inflation of 1951, a number of publishers put out narrower books, including Harvey, Ajax-Farrell, CDC, Minoan, Fawcett and others that easily fit into Silver Age bags, as they were all 7" or less in width.

[Vintage_Paper]

On 11/16/2023 at 6:28 PM, fifties said:

Not too sure about that, if you go by Overstreet's definition of GA years.   After the inflation of 1951, a number of publishers put out narrower books, including Harvey, Ajax-Farrell, CDC, Minoan, Fawcett and others that easily fit into Silver Age bags, as they were all 7" or less in width.

Easy peasy. Those are silver.

[Book Guy]

When I started collecting in the early/mid 70's I picked up via osmosis that books from the earliest American Comic Book (MOTION PICTURE FUNNIES from 1937?) to 1946 were Golden Age Books. Silver Age began with the reboot of the Flash. The years in between were somewhat indeterminate as far as era name. I heard mostly 'Fifties Books' even though half of that time is comprised of the late '40's. Some people claimed the GA went to 1950. I never heard Atom Age until much later. I always liked the name and that's how I think of Books between 1946 and 1956. The Golden Age reflect the Pre-War and especially Wartime years and those from '46-'56 certainly mirror the Post War changes in America and deserve the honor of a separate 'era'!. As far as when the Silver Age ended some said 1969, others 1970 and others whenever Marvel and DC prices changed from 12 cents to 15 cents. All are fine with me! I agree that books in all the eras sometimes seem more like books from a different era as far as subject matter, general tone, art work etc, but we're really trying to hash out a simple structural time line, so exceptions are not what's important here. When Comic Code Issues appear also seem to mark a natural break in eras.

[fifties]

On 11/16/2023 at 4:35 PM, Vintage_Paper said:

Easy peasy. Those are silver.

Not in either my view or what seems to be generally accepted by many.  AFAIAC the Golden Age ended in 1955.  Your definition is apparently different.

[Vintage_Paper]

On 11/16/2023 at 10:37 PM, fifties said:

Not in either my view or what seems to be generally accepted by many.  AFAIAC the Golden Age ended in 1955.  Your definition is apparently different.

Please stop your attempt at trying to bully me by shoving your viewpoint down my throat as if you are the arbiter of truth. You sure didn't make any comments when I gave my strict viewpoint on the subject on the first page of the thread. Take your toxicity elsewhere.

[fifties]

On 11/16/2023 at 8:08 PM, Vintage_Paper said:

Please stop your attempt at trying to bully me by shoving your viewpoint down my throat as if you are the arbiter of truth. You sure didn't make any comments when I gave my strict viewpoint on the subject on the first page of the thread. Take your toxicity elsewhere.

I'm not here to get into a war with anybody; just expressing my viewpoint.  Nothing says that you or anyone else has to agree with it.

And don't presume to tell me what to do.

[jimjum12]

Who says the Golden Age ever ended? GOD BLESS ....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

... doing difficult right, since 1958

[Sauce Dog]

Golden Age ends as soon as the books i'm buying can be affordably found in high grade