A new comic age?
Someone over at Newsarama posted a question on if we have entered a new comic age with DC's mega-super-jumbo events that have lead from Identity Crisis, to Countdown to Infinite Crisis to 52 and to whatever 52 leads into. http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=101016
I was just wondering where others consider the Ages to begin and end and if there can ever be a consensus. The original thread was also only factoring in DC which I don't think you can do. I also think it's impossible to name an age without the benefit of being able to look back. The retrospective aspect is important I believe and some time should be given. it's not like people were saying "We're in the silver age of comics!" in the 1960's.
Overstreet lists the first age as the Victorian Age, then the Platinum Age, then the Golden Age... but things get murky after that.
Victorian Age - 1828-1883
Platinum Age - 1883-1938
Golden Age - 1938-1945 (first Superman to the decline of superhero comics)
Atomic Age - 1945-1955 (The radiation era and the fall of superheroes and rise of horror/romance etc.)
Silver Age - 1955-? This is where it gets muddy. Some count the first Silver Age comic as Detective #255 with Martian Manhunter or Showcase #4 with Barry Allen's Flash or 1961 with the introduction of the Fantastic Four. The usual date of acceptance for the start of a new age was Conan #1 in 1970 but some consider the Spider-Man drug issues or Giant Size X-Men in 1975 to be the start or the influx of horror books like Tomb of Dracula in the early 1970's.
Bronze Age - ????-???? Many people consider the bronze age over and a new age started with the formation of Image Comics in the early 1990's, while others think Watchmen/Dark Knight Returns/Daredevil ushered in a new "grim and gritty" age.
The present? Who knows?
Have we exited the Image/Grim and Gritty Age already? Would the most recent age be defined by massive sales stunts (foil and variant covers) and mega-event crossovers?
When did the new one start or did it yet? Are we in between ages now?
It all depends on when something ends and something new begins... but that ending and new beginning must have HUGE significance to justify its place and that's where the problems lie. What is more important? The return of Superheroes in Detective #255? The first appearance of a new character based on an old one? Or the complete overhaul on how comics were written with FF#1?
Decisions... and I don't think that anyone anytime soon will agree on a consensus... so I hope Overstreet does something and gets it in writing.
Just some random thoughts.
I was just wondering where others consider the Ages to begin and end and if there can ever be a consensus. The original thread was also only factoring in DC which I don't think you can do. I also think it's impossible to name an age without the benefit of being able to look back. The retrospective aspect is important I believe and some time should be given. it's not like people were saying "We're in the silver age of comics!" in the 1960's.
Overstreet lists the first age as the Victorian Age, then the Platinum Age, then the Golden Age... but things get murky after that.
Victorian Age - 1828-1883
Platinum Age - 1883-1938
Golden Age - 1938-1945 (first Superman to the decline of superhero comics)
Atomic Age - 1945-1955 (The radiation era and the fall of superheroes and rise of horror/romance etc.)
Silver Age - 1955-? This is where it gets muddy. Some count the first Silver Age comic as Detective #255 with Martian Manhunter or Showcase #4 with Barry Allen's Flash or 1961 with the introduction of the Fantastic Four. The usual date of acceptance for the start of a new age was Conan #1 in 1970 but some consider the Spider-Man drug issues or Giant Size X-Men in 1975 to be the start or the influx of horror books like Tomb of Dracula in the early 1970's.
Bronze Age - ????-???? Many people consider the bronze age over and a new age started with the formation of Image Comics in the early 1990's, while others think Watchmen/Dark Knight Returns/Daredevil ushered in a new "grim and gritty" age.
The present? Who knows?
Have we exited the Image/Grim and Gritty Age already? Would the most recent age be defined by massive sales stunts (foil and variant covers) and mega-event crossovers?
When did the new one start or did it yet? Are we in between ages now?
It all depends on when something ends and something new begins... but that ending and new beginning must have HUGE significance to justify its place and that's where the problems lie. What is more important? The return of Superheroes in Detective #255? The first appearance of a new character based on an old one? Or the complete overhaul on how comics were written with FF#1?
Decisions... and I don't think that anyone anytime soon will agree on a consensus... so I hope Overstreet does something and gets it in writing.
Just some random thoughts.
posted by He Said... She Said at
1:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home