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

[ThothAmon]

Variant Age.

[lizards2]

Chamberpot Age

[ygogolak]

Further reading:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=386752&fpart=1

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8446019&fpart=1

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9663030&fpart=1

 

 

Thank you!

[Comicopolis]

Poop.

[Black_Adam]

Worthless Age?

Overpriced Age?

Overproduced Age?

 

 

Overproduced? Aren't the print runs today far less than they were in the Golden and Silver Ages? Or maybe you mean in relation to demand...

 

Maybe it should be called the Age of Speculation (much like the baseball card bubble in the 1990s).

 

 

 

[joeypost]

I said it before, so I'll say it again. It needs to be called "The Variant Age".

[SquareChaos]

I always say this, no one ever agrees, but the Intellectual Property age - the age when the Big Two stopped writing stories primarily about characters and started featuring events primarily containing Intellectual Property.

[Aman619]

After bronze everything was labeled Modern. But too many decades passed so Copper was born. Clearly, as even more time has elapsed and -- NEWSFLASH -- will continue to fly by, we just need to follow the progression to an even cheaper metal..

 

No need to switch to denigration titles. We are collectors and stewards of the hobby, so respect must or should be paid. After all, many of us have already sneered at Bronze and newer books as cheese, and seen that over time, that that indeed come into their own as viable eras in the continuity.

 

 

But, ok, if we truly are ridiculously beyond the earlier Gold Silver Bronze etc. metal nomenclature for good, because it's all practically worthless, with only a handful of noteworthy books per decade nowadays, naming by decades is a good alternative labeling system.

[Ssantoss]

Copper age is 84-91 right? I would suggest we define the years of 1991 to 2002 as "The Crash Years", referring to the industry almost collapsing from collector speculations and overextending publishers.2002 is a turning point as it was the first time an old comic sold for over one million dollars. The collector market have rebound, but the after effects on monthly sales have left its mark.

 

From then on it's the modern era, an age where comics are mostly seen as a package of IPs to be made into box office blockbusters. *grumbles*

[rjpb]

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.

[ygogolak]

After bronze everything was labeled Modern. But too many decades passed so Copper was born. Clearly, as even more time has elapsed and -- NEWSFLASH -- will continue to fly by, we just need to follow the progression to an even cheaper metal..

 

No need to switch to denigration titles. We are collectors and stewards of the hobby, so respect must or should be paid. After all, many of us have already sneered at Bronze and newer books as cheese, and seen that over time, that that indeed come into their own as viable eras in the continuity.

 

 

But, ok, if we truly are ridiculously beyond the earlier Gold Silver Bronze etc. metal nomenclature for good, because it's all practically worthless, with only a handful of noteworthy books per decade nowadays, naming by decades is a good alternative labeling system.

 

+5,000

[SquareChaos]

The Aluminium Age... eh.

[1Cool]

I'd go with the Belly Fat Age - everyone has a bunch of it but only a few really wants any of it.

[SquareChaos]

I'd go with the Belly Fat Age - everyone has a bunch of it but only a few really wants any of it.

 

Can you mine that?

[telerites]

Worthless Age?

Overpriced Age?

Overproduced Age?

 

 

Overproduced? Aren't the print runs today far less than they were in the Golden and Silver Ages? Or maybe you mean in relation to demand...

 

Maybe it should be called the Age of Speculation (much like the baseball card bubble in the 1990s).

 

 

 

I'll be honest, I haven't bought a new comic since the mid to late 1980s as even then I thought they were too expensive and I wanted to focus on GA and SA books. My assumption was that then as today, for 99% of the books will have surplus supply over demand in my lifetime.

 

So some obvious facetiousness in my post but some presumed reality as well plus my total apathy for this era and somewhat for age naming in general. I like George's comment above about calling them by decade. So many discussions of identifying when a certain age starts because of one book or some thing or another. Sure it's fun to discuss but in the end I buy books based on my interests and this or most the "Copper Age" and beyond hold no interest for me, so somewhat inappropriate for me to offer my thoughts.

 

 

[G.A.tor]

I propose we name it the "nickel" age, since the majority of the books are worth 5c

[ThreeSeas]

I was thinking something along the lines of "Rebirth" when I read the thread title, but I do not know if that applies, well maybe it does from all the restarts the comic companies have put out.

 

The digital age makes sense, but I am more thinking to call it the "Dark Age" as there seemed to be some genuine concern that paper copies would still be around after everything seemed to be going digital.

 

What comes to mind when you think of comics from the 90's? The age of speculation? The Drek Age?

 

What about 2000 to 2010? The Survival Age?

 

Maybe we need to wait a few more years to determine the time period.

 

Many things to ponder.

[drotto]

I propose we name it the "nickel" age, since the majority of the books are worth 5c

 

You had a similar idea to me, but I was thinking tin.

[Black_Adam]

After bronze everything was labeled Modern. But too many decades passed so Copper was born. Clearly, as even more time has elapsed and -- NEWSFLASH -- will continue to fly by, we just need to follow the progression to an even cheaper metal..

 

The Rust Age

 

 

[Aman619]

heck, lets just keep it to Metal Men characters from now on. that will last until it doesn't matter anymore.

 

METAL MEN:

Gold, Lead, Iron, Platinum, Mercury, Tin.

 

EXISTING ERAS

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Copper

 

NEXT ERAS:

Lead or Platinum (because while Lead is cheaper, Platinum relates to 90s cover gimmicks well

 

Iron

Lead (if not used yet)

Tin (Mercury doesn't really apply too well, being a liquid at room temperature.)

 

AND, Finally -- because its already 2050...

Turn out the lights!