DC Comics Switch from Golden Age to Silver Age help 0

[Dogsupreme]

DC Comics Switch from Golden Age to Silver Age help

Ok. I need help. With so many various and conflicting sources I am at my wits end.

I have started collecting DC comics again and need help in finding when certain DC Characters went from Golden Age to Silver age.

Aside from the obvious ones:

FLASH, HAWKMAN, GREEN LANTERN

what comic did the following make the switch from GOLD to SILVER?

WONDER WOMAN

AQUAMAN

GREEN ARROW

SUPERMAN

BATMAN

SPECTRE

PHANTOM STRANGER

DR.FATE

Any help would be appreciated. I am trying to collect the silver age switches.

 

[jimjum12]

No one seems to be able to agree about this..... no real consensus..... so I don't concern myself with cut off dates. For characters that were still being published at the time..... I always notice the issues with the "5000 prizes" banner at the top of the cover as a distinctly silver age concept.GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Edited April 30, 2017 by jimjum12

[KirbyJack]

Each collector has his or her own rules for this, it seems. I do not believe there is a single, definitive answer.

[paul747]

Most of your list is hard to nail down.  Lots of debate. Here is a little help.

 

WONDER WOMAN---------  #98 or #105

AQUAMAN------ Showcase #30  Adventure Comics #260 and some say BB #28

[tabcom]

Having documented the evolution of the silver age Wonder Woman in detail, I would select Wonder Woman #99 as the first full Silver Age issue.

 

 

[Dogsupreme]

1 hour ago, tabcom said:

Having documented the evolution of the silver age Wonder Woman in detail, I would select Wonder Woman #99 as the first full Silver Age issue.

 

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I had always heard that WW #105 was the one since it contained her new origin.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Dogsupreme

[Bomber-Bob]

13 minutes ago, Dogsupreme said:

Thanks for the recommendation. I had always heard that WW #105 was the one since it contained her new origin.

I always thought the new WW origin was 3 parts.  It started in 98, continued in 99, and was retold and finished in 105.

[Dogsupreme]

 

1 minute ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I always thought the new WW origin was 3 parts.  It started in 98, continued in 99, and was retold and finished in 105.

So you think W #98 is the starting point? Its very confusing. Since I am sure these are scarce issues and are high $ I want to be sure to get the right one before I plunk down some serious moola.

While on the subject of WW, what issue is the official 1st appearance of WONDER GIRL. I know that the Donna Troy version appears in BRAVE and BOLD but is that her first appearance?

 

[tomo]

I know that Showcase #4 hit in late mid-to-late 1956, but 1958 seems to be the magic year for the Superman family of books.  There's no real line-in-the-sand demarcation from the Gold to Silver, but it just seems like a wave of new creativity hit that year for them.  I, myself, like big bold beginnings so I always instinctively think of these as the starting points for the silver age...

Adventure Comics #247 (04/58) - 1st Legion of Super-Heroes.  Within a year, Red Kryptonite will follow.

Action Comics #241 (06/58) - re-introduction of the classic Fortress of Solitude.  Within a year, Brainiac, Kandor, Supergirl, and Metallo all follow.

Superman #123 (08/58) - prototype Supergirl issue.  Within a year, Titano, and Lori Lemaris all follow.

Superboy #68 (10/58) - 1st Bizarro.  Within a year, Beppo the Super-Monkey!!

World's Finest Comics is a wild card, as I'd put the first Silver Age issue at #71 from 1954, as this is the when Supes and Bats start teaming up in the same story.  Maybe it's a phototype Silver Age issue!  Yeah, that't it.

Anyways, I'm sure I'm a party of one with my picks, but that's how my train of thought works!

YMMV

Edited May 2, 2017 by tomo

[OtherEric]

Some people point to Superman #128 as, if slightly late to call the last Golden Age issue, the last issue with the Earth-2 Superman as the main character rather than the Earth-1 version.  The Superman Versus the Futuremen story in that issue only works if Superman was never Superboy.

[tabcom]

21 hours ago, Dogsupreme said:

 

So you think W #98 is the starting point?

Having read dozens of these late GA stage WW stories, other than the revamped origin element (I liked) of WW#98, the plots are not much different from what came before. Giant eagle, menacing fish, enemy sub attack , lovestruck Steve Trevor (getting stale), magical conclusion for the sake of helping kids. 

 

What set this issue apart from previous stories are two things. The 25 page format is more fluid then the previous 3 story format. The art is much improved. WW doesn’t feel like a static wood carved stencil. I like her straight hair vs. the old fashion curly doo.

WW#99 is a clean break from her GA past.

You need to think of SA WW as an evolution rather then a wholly created entity.

Edited May 2, 2017 by tabcom

[Silver]

My own rule of thumb for my collection was the Comics code seal. The whole finding a particular issue of each run thing didn't work for me, this was cleaner. 

[Dogsupreme]

Thanks for all the helpful information. I guess getting a particular issue on some characters may be very daunting. Here is what I have narrowed it down to but I admit my info could be spotty:

DETECTIVE 327-Start of the "NEW LOOK" Batman. While really late in the silver age this was the start of the new, modern, looking Batman. Agree or disagree? Others point to DETECTIVE #225 1st John Jonzz but that is more a 1st appearance rather than Batman's switch to Silver age.

ADVENTURE #250-Some have pointed out that this is the start of the silver age GREEN ARROW.

ADVENTURE #260-Some say this is the start of silver age Aquaman. While SHOWCASE #30 is the more in demand and higher valued book though.

WONDER WOMAN #98-I have always thought that #105 was the start but no I am beginning to think it might be #98.

Now SUPERMAN is harder to narrow down. I suppose his switch would have happened in the mid-1950s but what particular event or issue would it be?

 

[Silver]

I own or have read all of the Superman books from the SA. If I had to narrow down a specific book, I would probably have to go with Action 254/255 and tie it in with Superboy 68. Or...Action 242.  There are a number of key events in the Superman storyline that actually started first in Superboy... Superman robots, the Legion of superheroes, Krypto, Pete Ross, Bizarro, Phantom Zone, etc. other than Krypto (Jimmy Olsen 29) I don't remember when anything that started in the Superboy moved over to Superman so quickly as Bizzaro.

Pretty much from that time forward it seemed like all of the Superman titles became somewhat interconnected and shared storyline concepts with each other.

I think it's really hard to put in perspective today just what a juggernaut the Superman comics line were in the mid to late 50s. In one form or another Superman was appearing in Action, Adventure, Superman, Superboy, World's Finest, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.  No other superhero at the time even came close to doing what Superman was doing. 

You really can't nail down which issue it was it began the silver age for Superman and I know that it was a gradual progression, not a makeover. However I do believe that the first appearance of Bizzaro was far more important a book than it's even given credit for today. All the attention seems to be on Action 242 and Brainiac but let's get real, Braniac didn't even have a second appearance till Lois Lane 17 which was years later and that wasn't even on the cover. His second cover appearance is Action 275.  Bizzaro was all over the place almost immediately.

Just my 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Silver
Typo

[Dogsupreme]

Very informative. I suspect that you are correct that since SUPERMAN was selling well there was really no need to "up-date" him. It is is hard to pinpoint a specific event that would have Superman enter the "silver age". Perhaps his joining the Justice League perhaps?I agree that the SUPERBOY #68 is a greatly over looked book since Bizarro has been such a popular foil for Superman. I suspect though that once DC makes some annoucement using Bizarro his first appearance will sky rocket for an already scarce book.

[Moondog]

4 hours ago, Dogsupreme said:

Very informative. I suspect that you are correct that since SUPERMAN was selling well there was really no need to "up-date" him. It is is hard to pinpoint a specific event that would have Superman enter the "silver age". Perhaps his joining the Justice League perhaps?I agree that the SUPERBOY #68 is a greatly over looked book since Bizarro has been such a popular foil for Superman. I suspect though that once DC makes some annoucement using Bizarro his first appearance will sky rocket for an already scarce book.

I agree.  I believe Superboy 68 has the greatest upside potential of any SA book.  In the right hands a Bizarro film will kill.

[Dogsupreme]

This maybe the issue that switches BATMAN from Golden to Silver age.