Are you considering the "Atomic Age" as a thing? 7 7

[VintageComics]

On 9/10/2024 at 2:32 PM, jimjum12 said:

As a friend, I believe you're overthinking this. It's really not that important.

One perspective is that nothing that happens on a comic book forum is really that important. It's all just funnybooks.

But also in that same reality, what happens here eventually trickles out there into the rest of the hobby.

This place is the primary hobby influencer. 

And we're here to have discussions, right?

So why say "it's not that important" and why not have the discussion about how to dissect the traditional Golden Age, which parts make it up and why the title was changed?

I mean, why else are we even typing into the reply box if not for some intelligent, open discussion?

On 9/10/2024 at 3:11 PM, Joseph Ragno said:

I also think many here are getting upset because they feel some of their Goldens have just lost some of the "luster".

Who is getting upset?

How about just some reason and logic, rather than using a dartboard to make decisions?

That's all I want. 

Or are reason and logic extinct qualities now?

If someone doesn't want to discuss something, don't discuss it.

But you can't stop people from wanting to have discussions. As communal creatures, that's pretty much the end of civilization as we know it, if that happens. 

[Joseph Ragno]

As a matter of discussion, do I think the Atomic Age is a thing... yes.

Do I think the name of this forum should change and/or go to a vote... don't care.

But... I do see that renaming this forum "Golden and Atomic Age" is a nice way to recognize 2 possible ages, but keeping it into one forum, and blending the best of both worlds.  Once again, as a matter of discussion, I'm in favor of the name change and keeping it one forum.

Edited September 10 by Joseph Ragno

[Robot Man]

“The end of civilization as we know it”…

[VintageComics]

On 9/10/2024 at 3:48 PM, Joseph Ragno said:

As a matter of discussion, do I think the Atomic Age is a thing... yes.

Do I think the name of this forum should change and/or go to a vote... don't care.

But... I do see that renaming this forum "Golden and Atomic Age" is a nice way to recognize 2 possible ages, but keeping it into one forum, and blending the best of both worlds.  Once again, as a matter of discussion, I'm in favor of the name change and keeping it one forum.

[Hap Hazard]

I vote for Atomic Age comics!  as a subset of Golden age Comics.

Edited September 10 by Hap Hazard

[sfcityduck]

On 9/10/2024 at 11:05 AM, Joseph Ragno said:

It appears you have a problem with the term "Atomic or Atom" to describe that time period.  Fair enough.  Then you should have a problem with the term "Golden".  Was gold found?  Were there a lot of "Gold" titles?  Look, a huge event occurred in our world that changed history, the dropping of the atom bomb and the ending of WW2, and it happened to change the role of the superhero in comics.  If you would prefer a different name for that era, let's hear it.  It's an accepted term, whether you like it or not.

I like Golden because comic collectors were using that term as early as 1948 to refer to the post-Action 1 time period. It came into general comic collector usage in the very early 1960s because those guys were obsessed with the age following the birth of superheroes and the age that had begun with the revival of superheroes (mainly DC).

[sfcityduck]

On 9/10/2024 at 12:11 PM, Joseph Ragno said:

 I also think many here are getting upset because they feel some of their Goldens have just lost some of the "luster".

The only comment we have here on that is to the opposite effect. Based on the pricing, it is clear that Golden Age comics have a lot more value than Atomic Age comics. So I'd guess that folks might be concerned that their Atomic Age comics could lose value if not called Golden Age. For me, that issue doesn't bother me. 

[sfcityduck]

Many think that Richard Lupoff was the first person to use the term "Golden Age" to refer to the post-Action Comics 1 era. To my knowledge, he certainly was the first to use the term in a comic fanzine all the way back in 1960/61 almost 65 years ago. And undoubtedly that's how the term caught on and got traction. I'm fine with honoring a tradition that old.

But, the term "Golden Age" (typo'd as "golden aga") was used by Dave Wigransky as early as in 1948, 76 years ago, in a letter to Basil Wolverton which was of sufficient quality it could have been published as an article by an early 1960s fanzine:

Dave Wigransky's rationale for why that Golden Age should be deemed to have ended in 1942 may have been spelled out by him in a 1946 newspaper article - likely the first newspaper article about a comic collector - which stated:

Quote

 

"Comic books started in 1933," David recited. "They were at their best in 1941. They dropped off in 1943." 

"Why," he was asked. 

"Due to three main points, which apply to all of them," said David. "The size of the books was cut one-eighth to one-half due to paper shortage. Introduction of advertising for miscellaneous products I am not interested in meant a further cut. And some of the best artists went into military service." 

 

Pretty sophisticated analysis for 1946.

Dave Wigransky knew other comic collectors in 1946, in fact he was doing research on comic history for 5 cents a question (the topic of the newspaper article) and was likely introduced by Basil Wolverton to fans further afield who were also corresponding with Wolverton in 1948. In fact, one of those fans was Ron Graham, who was himself a notable collector who stayed active in comics until at least the early 1960s. That Graham and Wigransky knew each other is proved by the letter pages of Alter-Ego and Xero. Graham had written a letter to Alter-Ego talking about very early comic history on Fox Publications. Richard Kyle read the letter and asked Ron where he got the information because he needed it for an article he was doing for Xero. Graham referred Kyle to Dave Wigransky. Small world. Even smaller when you realize that Richard Lupoff - the guy who first used the term "Golden Age" in a fanzine - was the publisher/editor of Xero.

 

Edited September 10 by sfcityduck

[vheflin]

On 9/10/2024 at 4:10 PM, Hap Hazard said:

I vote for Atomic Age comics!  as a subset of Golden age Comics.

Those are Atomic Age Atomic Age comics.*

*during the Atomic Age

and now for some music. . .

 

[grendel013]

So it's confirmed. GA 1939-42.

[shadroch]

On 9/10/2024 at 12:11 PM, Joseph Ragno said:

Hate to break it to you, but Overstreet has been using the term Atomic Age since the early 1990s.  A bureaucrat did not suddenly decide this.  I also think many here are getting upset because they feel some of their Goldens have just lost some of the "luster".

Overstreet????????? Didn't they devote an entire section to Platinum Age books while leaving AA as a sub-heading??    

[shadroch]

On 9/10/2024 at 4:28 PM, grendel013 said:

So it's confirmed. GA 1939-42.

And anything after 1979 is Modern.

[sfcityduck]

On 9/10/2024 at 4:28 PM, grendel013 said:

So it's confirmed. GA 1939-42.

As seen back in 1946. In early 1960s became 1938 to 1956. Now, some people want it 1938-1945 or 1946 or 1948 or 1950. 

I'm going with what folks thought back when this activity really started soaring: It was all about superheroes and superhero revivals.

Edited September 11 by sfcityduck

[sfcityduck]

The more I think about this, I feel a lot better about ditching "Ages" altogether than I do about retconning what the founders of modern (1960- ) fandom thought. 

So if you want to change the forum labels, let's just go with soft dates:

pre-1933 (devoted to the various odd format books with comics)

1933-1955 (year of birth of the modern format comic book to year EC abandons comics due to CCA)

1956-1970 (year of first DC revival of GA hero to commencement of the 70s a decade of great comic change)

1970s (a decade worth talking about)

1980s (another decade where things happened)

1990s (a bad decade)

2000-present (more decades I just can't think of any reason to separate them)

 

[vheflin]

1938-1940 Golden Age

1940-1945 Propaganda Age

1946-1949 Noir Age

1950-1955 Nuclear Age

1956-1960 Chapter 11 Age

1961-1970 Space Age

1971-1983 Disco & Inflation Age

1984+ Post-Industrial Digital Information Age (and slabbing too)

[adamstrange]

On 9/10/2024 at 3:11 PM, Joseph Ragno said:

I also think many here are getting upset because they feel some of their Goldens have just lost some of the "luster".

I hope not. 

Wouldn't kicking out the Atomic Age comics make the Golden Age comics even specialer   more special.

Realistically, I wouldn't expect any change in value or  perception of the comics just because of the name change. 

[sfcityduck]

Yep, once you start slicing and dicing it quickly gets out of control.

[grendel013]

On 9/10/2024 at 7:48 PM, vheflin said:

1971-1983 Disco & Inflation Age

[CGC Mike]

Like I said when I changed the title, I can change it back to the way it was.  However, I am not sure that is what the majority of people want.  I am watching this thread.  I am also making sure that the title isn't crashing the value of books.  

[VintageComics]

I just started a poll.

Put your money where you mouth is, folks.