Why did the Copper Age last such a short time? 0

[sfcityduck]

3 hours ago, DavidTheDavid said:

One can dream.

Dreams come true.

https://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2018/08/23/murphy-brown-targets-trump-latest-promo/

[DavidTheDavid]

@sfcityduck You wrote, "Some folks propose an Atomic Age defined by the use of the Atomic Bomb.  This is not even a comic related event."

I haven't researched the naming origin of the "Atomic Age," but I guessed that it had more to do with the cultural implications of the atomic bomb and the years following WWII, especially in regards to literature, cinema, sci fi, and the like. Not just atomic paranoia, but the cultural expression of that through creative arts. Is that the case at all?

I do see your larger point though, and it makes sense to me. Pegging ages to certain comics, genres, and titles builds its own narrative and isn't representative of the totality.

As for collecting purposes, it seems handy, no? An easy way to communicate interest, market books, and so on?

[sfcityduck]

On 8/25/2018 at 10:43 PM, DavidTheDavid said:

 

As for collecting purposes, it seems handy, no? An easy way to communicate interest, market books, and so on?

It does have that utility. Which is why folks probably go the trouble.

But, personally, I find it a lot easier to understand what people want when they say "pre-Code" horror or romance or crime; or "pre-War" superheroes; or WWII era comics; or 40s; or Barks' Ducks; or St. John Romance; etc.    My own favorite time period is late 40s to mid-50s, but I would not call that the "atomic age" because 1945 is too early to start and the atomic age from a cultural perspective kept going into what we call Silver Age.  

Frankly I lose the thread once we reach the end of the SA (when is that again?  When I started collecting there was no Bronze Age yet), and I really have no idea what the copper or modern ages are supposed to be about.  Far easier for me to say I want 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s books, with qualifiers by mentioning DC, Marvel, or independents.  

I do think GA and SA are great historical terms for use in discussing superheros, especially DC superheros.  But even that gets tricky because folks like to argue that the SA started at different times for different DC heroes (conflating SA with Earth-1).  

[divad]

NEWSFLASH! There is only one Earth . . . and it's flat! 

[JollyComics]

Maybe it has to do with the inflation.

Bronze age started in 1970, Copper Age went through 1984 until 1991 before Modern Age began.

More information here - Look at Comic Prices Inflation.

Edited September 8, 2018 by JollyComics

[Lazyboy]

On 8/23/2018 at 11:01 PM, sfcityduck said:

I'm not sure it tells us that much about trends because the coiners of the first two terms used - the Golden Age of Superhero Comics and the Silver Age of Superhero comics - were really primarily focused on just one genre (and mainly one publisher)  As used originally, those terms referred to the emergence of Superman, and by extension other superheros, and the emergence of a rebooted Flash, followed by other reboots of GA DC characters that had gone out of print.  That doesn't really tell us much about the things you mention.  It does tell us a lot about DC and DC's subsequent convoluted continuity. 

The Platinum Age used to be defined by emergence of the "comic book" format for presenting comics - many of which were reprints of comics originally printed in a different format.  But, now, it appears to be defined as just whatever happened before Action 1 - a period of time that is far larger than the present Modern Age.

While the Golden Age is defined by emergence of a new type of literary character - the superhero, superhero comics were only the majority type of comics produced in 1940 and 1941.  In all other years of the Golden Age (meaning until Showcase 1), superhero comics were not even the majority genre and yet that's how we define the Golden Age?  Heck, after 1946, superhero comics were not even the biggest genre.  The term tells us nothing about the many other genres and the trends in the comic industry.

Some folks propose an Atomic Age defined by the use of the Atomic Bomb.  This is not even a comic related event.

The Silver Age is commonly defined by the first revamp of a DC Golden Age hero - the new Flash - in 1956.  But that year was actually the nadir of superhero comics.  There were actually more revivals of Golden Age superheros in 1954 (HT, CA and Subby) than 1956.  The focus on the Flash has actually created a lot of misinformation about the state of superhero comics in the 1950s.

I don't know if there is any agreement on how to define the Bronze, Copper, and Modern Ages.  

To me, the things you mention (printing practices, editorial shifts, artistic trends, etc.) are all worth exploring.  The focus on ages, though, does not help explore these subjects.  It actually obscures a lot of these topics.  Far better, if you want to discuss the emergence of independent publishers, to focus on the timeline of that topic without recourse to "ages" which don't really help the analysis.  Ditto for Romance Comics, horror, etc.  Likewise for an examination of the selling trends.  

All the "ages" do is create some watercooler talk and help dealers organize their inventory.  They could do that better just by using decades, or references like pre-WWII which reflect relative scarcity, pre-Code which reflect content, etc., I think.

Showcase 4 is pointed to as the book that began the Silver Age, but what really defines the Silver Age are SOTI and the Code. That's what enabled superheroes to make their resurgence (by eliminating competition) and reclaim their domination of the industry, which they did not relinquish after a relatively brief period like they did in the GA.

The Bronze Age is primarily defined by the pushback against the Code.

Copper is defined by the rise of the Direct Market, which enabled the proliferation of indies, the limited series, and new formats.

[sfcityduck]

On 9/8/2018 at 4:05 PM, Lazyboy said:

Showcase 4 is pointed to as the book that began the Silver Age, but what really defines the Silver Age are SOTI and the Code. That's what enabled superheroes to make their resurgence (by eliminating competition) and reclaim their domination of the industry, which they did not relinquish after a relatively brief period like they did in the GA.

The Bronze Age is primarily defined by the pushback against the Code.

Copper is defined by the rise of the Direct Market, which enabled the proliferation of indies, the limited series, and new formats.

Everyone, it seems, has a perspective.  Which, again, is why I think the "ages" terms are far less than helpful.

For example, you state that Showcase 4 is commonly viewed as the book that began the Silver Age, but then take the contrary position that what really defines the Silver Age are SOTI and the Code.  However, the guys who came up with the concepts of the "Golden Age" and "Silver Age" would not agree with you.  Those terms were coined to discuss the "golden age of superhero comics" starting with Action 1 and the "silver age of superhero comics" referring to the revival of DC golden age heros starting with Showcase 4.  SOTI and the CCA had no relevance to the original intended meaning of the GA and SA terms.  And the CCA was formed in 1954, two years before Showcase 4.

I dunno, I prefer Pre-Code if your focus is on how pre-CCA comics differed from post-CCA comics.  That term, however, doesn't work for all genres (most notably superhero comics) and all publishers (Dell).  It's better used to describe a part of the universe of comics, which I think is more helpful than claiming there is such a thing as a comic "age."

[divad]

On 9/8/2018 at 4:05 PM, Lazyboy said:

Showcase 4 is pointed to as the book that began the Silver Age, but what really defines the Silver Age are SOTI and the Code. That's what enabled superheroes to make their resurgence (by eliminating competition) and reclaim their domination of the industry, which they did not relinquish after a relatively brief period like they did in the GA.

The Bronze Age is primarily defined by the pushback against the Code.

Copper is defined by the rise of the Direct Market, which enabled the proliferation of indies, the limited series, and new formats.

Although not entirely incorrect, you'd only get a C+ in my class if this was the thesis of your essay on the topic . . .

 

(and that would be you starting grade.)

 

Edited September 13, 2018 by divad