What book started the Bronze Age of Comics???? 2 2

[supapimp]

CI, that's cold...and you wonder why you finished second to crusty in the recent poll. i still love you, but some people don't get your sense of humour (sarcasim) and take it the wrong way. i mean seriously, you think everybody agree's with your write up on your comicinvestor.com site? it's much easier to be the critic than the one being critiqued. so think about that next time before you make your judgements.

[Guest]

I'm going to try to word a reply to this thread that is quite delicate. Hopefully my keyboard skills can keep up with my rambling thoughts. I, prior to reading this, was a firm believer that GS X-Men 1 heralded the onset of the Bronze Age. Have I been shown the error of my ways? Yes.... and no.

 

If we accept that the Bronze Age was a superhero age (do we?), the publishing of GS 1 signalled the start of the age from a publishing point of view. With the re-invigoration of the X-Men title, superheroes became the focus of the market/readers to a greater degree, and the quality increased.

 

However, in hindsight, so many (all?) of the defining Bronze Age characters and many of the key Bronze Age books occured prior to GS 1. So from a collector/hobby point of view in 2K2, the Bronze Age must have started prior to GS 1. Where? I like the Marvel 25 center theory myself, having read the above posts, but would have a tough time debating some of the other theories.

[drbanner]

some people don't get your sense of humour (sarcasim)

 

Somehow, I don't think he was trying to be funny, or sarcastic. From the Omnipotent One's point of view, either you're with him, or as he's said many times before and again in this thread, you're a insufficiently_thoughtful_person. While I doubt the target audience for CBG is New X-men fans, it's all about conspiracies to suppress the ignorant, comic-collecting masses.

[comicinvestor-migration]

That's not quite true drbanner. I'm open to a great many Bronze Age Start theories, from Conan 1 to GL/GA 76, including the Marvel 25-centers and even HOS 92, the horror explosion (Vamp, Drac and Werewolf, etc.) along with many others.

 

What I am saying, is that if you believe that the Bronze Age started with GS X-men 1, which is a series that didn't even go MONTHLY until 1978, then you are a insufficiently_thoughtful_person and deserve the title.

 

All of the major Bronze Age characters appeared before this book was even released, making it a theory that disagrees with Einstein's own relativity theory. I'll side with Einstein over Mr. Silver Age any day of the week.

[comicinvestor-migration]

CI, that's cold...and you wonder why you finished second to crusty in the recent poll.

 

It may be cold, but if I picked up a Geography text (supposedly written by an "expert") and it stated that the Earth was flat, you could expect the same sort of response.

 

His claims are illogical to the extreme, not to mention unyielding. Plus read his comments on our own postings and see how he bends the words and comes off a real tyrant.

 

Now re-read my comments, and you'll see that I don't paint it in black and white, but rather keep my mind open to a great many theories, assuming they're based in reality and stay within the know rules of time and space.

 

All the major Bronze Age characters appeared between 1970 and before the release of GS X-Men 1, but according to Mr. Silver Age, GS X-Men 1 was the start of the Bronze Age.

 

I bet he doesn't take cruises either, for fear of dropping off the edge of the world!

[jordanabigail]

Very tough call about the one particular book that started the Bronze Age.

Why is Action Comics 1 considered the start of the Golden Age?

Why is Showcase 4 considered the start of the Silver Age?

Is it because both comics had a tremendous influence of everything that came after it?

I'm a huge Conan fan and a huge GL 76 fan and a huge Weird War Tales 1 fan, not to mention a huge Giant Size X-Men fan and I think I've read a variety of articles discussing the pros and cons for why any one of those 4 books is the beginning of the Age. I honestly don't know. If you look at those 4 (and others from that era), definitely the Giant Size X book has had the most staying power. Conan was a successful book for years but died. Weird War Tales was around for years and then died. Green Lantern is still around...but the X book in my opinion defined a generation of readers and brought the superhero book back into the limelight just when all the horror/monster/war books were doing well.

 

Tough call.

 

 

[Kevin Boyd]

I don't think that anyone is disputing the staying power and influence of that particular book. The book that started any particular age does not have to be the one that is most successful in the long-term!

 

If that was the case, then AF15 or FF1 would be considered the start of the Silver age since Showcase 4 and the Flash were not as successful in the long run. While that book may have kicked up a revival of superheroes (even though Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were always around), the Marvel books, especially Spider-Man have kept generations enthralled.

 

But we accept Showcase 4 as the start because of it's influence at the time, not for it's staying power. Same goes with the Bronze age, X-Men were a product of what had been occurring for 5 years prior to GSXmen1's publication.

Kev

[comicinvestor-migration]

I think what's you're getting at is the "Most Important Bronze Age Book", to which I agree is Giant Size X-men 1. But to say that a book printed in 1975 started the Bronze Age is quite ludicrous to anyone who actually bought comics during that period of time.

 

Or to put it a different way, does anyone think Wolverine, Punisher, Ghost Rider, Deathlok, etc. are Silver Age characters?

[Guest]

Good point.

 

The more I think about it, the more I slightly lean towards Conan #1. Before Conan came out, the Silver Age was mostly about "superheroes". Conan was and is definitely not a "superhero" in the tights/flying around/super strength definition of the word. Conan opened up the door to a whole slew of new and non-superhero books that came after it - all the Tomb of Dracula/Werewolf by Night/Weird War Tales/etc...books.

 

 

[comicinvestor-migration]

Conan 1 works on multiple levels: anti-hero who kills, incredibly violent, horror themes, non-superhero characters, monsters, etc., all of which were prevalent in the Bronze Age and really helped differentiate it from the Silver.

[mr_highgrade]

Enough of this nonsense!

I am now gonna make it official...THE START OF THE BRONZE AGE IS...(drum roll please)

 

 

X-MEN # 67 Dated 12/70 (52 pages) and the start of the reprints that led to...(drum roll please...again)

 

GIANT SIZE X-MEN # 1 & X-MEN # 94

 

Nuff Said!!

[comicinvestor-migration]

Let's check the EBay listings:

 

Golden Age (1938-55)

Silver Age (1956-69)

Bronze Age (1970-79)

 

Action Comics #1 - 1938 (check)

Showcase #4 - 1956 (check)

Conan #1 - 1970 (check)

 

Heck, even your X-Men reprints match up, as do a few other books. All I do know is that the Bronze Age did not start in 1975-78, when New X-men moved from low-seller to an actual MONTHLY comic.

 

 

[PovertyRow]

>>hmmm....superman still going strong, flash still going strong, x-men still going strong....conan dead, tomb of dracula dead, werewolf by night dead, howard the duck dead before it even started, deathlok...never got started, other so called "bronze age" title still in current running, dead...nuff said <<

 

Hmmmm - Mister Mystery, Marvel Tales, Spellbound, Tales From The Crypt, Uncanny Tales, This Magazine Is Haunted, Eerie...other so called "atomic age" titles dead...nuff said. Guess the Atom/Atomic Age never existed.

 

The Bronze Age is OVER. The fact that titles no longer are being printed has absolutely nothing to do with a past age. Now shall we examine many of the Golden Age and Platinum Age titles that also are dead? Does that mean those ages didn't exist?

 

Dagnabbit!

[comicinvestor-migration]

Don't worry about pimpy, he's just got the hots for Mr. Silver Age and refuses to examine alternative evidence. X-Men is the hottest comic now, so naturally it must have been the hottest and more influential then.

 

This kind of thought process comes from people I guarantee were not buying comics off the stands from 1970 to 1977. Otherwise, they'd have some point of reference rather than using today's sales totals.

[PovertyRow]

>>This kind of thought process comes from people I guarantee were not buying comics off the stands from 1970 to 1977.<<

 

Well, truth be told, I started collecting in 1980. My godson said "let's collect comic books" and I said "ok". I started out buying new books from that period, using my godson as a guide so we could discuss the books. Then, at Million Year Picnic, I found a racked Doctor Strange 169 - still in NM condition, for $5. Bought it, read it, loved it and started going backwards in time. Started with Silver Age, getting large runs of the mainstream Marvels. Ultimately got tired of Peter Parker's 327th fit of angst and went back to Gold Age getting more and more intriqued. Then a leap ahead to the Atom age and simultaneously to Bronze (the 1970 Bronze!). I found myself getting different reactions. The then-modern books were leaving me cold - too much "too much" (I'm too X-Men for my X-Men kind of thing). The Golden Age was a bit too old for me (was born in 1950). The Atom Age ultimately proved perfect. They slotted in beautifully with the 50's upbringing (yes, I used to hear air raid sirens and would do drills etc). But, and this is interesting, I found myself reacting to Bronze Age (starting 1970) very much as I did the Atom Age. There definitely WAS an edge to these books. Lots of horror, lots of anti-heroes.

 

Something like GS X-Men I see more as a continuation of the Silver Age with impacts from the 1970-on harsher reality books. Definfitely PART of the Bronze age but certainly not the main influence.

[Darthdiesel]

The Bronze Age of Comics began with the advent of sexy female heroes starring in their own titles...Dazzler #1, Savage She Hulk # 1, Spider-Woman # 1, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) # 1

 

These are the only comics worth looking at from the 70's....

[PovertyRow]

>>Dazzler #1<<

 

Was 1981, not a 70's

[Darthdiesel]

I was 6 years old...and in first grade...couldn't tell time back then...not sure if I can tell time correctly now Thanks!

 

Dazzler rocked anyway and should have been a 70's Roller Girl...ahh Boogie Nights....maybe I'm thinking Dagger from Cloak and Dagger?

[supapimp]

i hear you smackin, but where's your proof for a debate? it's easy to jump on the bandwagon, but if you have no input in the debate, then your cause is irrevalant....oh CI, he's got his ear's plugged, and if your not on his bandwagon then your not intelligent to commincate on this debate. wha-...i thought so, case closed. bring it on dazzler # 1 was a joke, obviously you didn't get it.

[Darthdiesel]

actually my whole post was a joke..maybe I'm losing my edge