2020: 50th Anniversary of the Bronze Age 1 1

[bronze johnny]

Less than two months away, 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of the beginning of the Bronze Age of the American Comic Book!

An era that gave rise to:

Comic book realism/social relevance (see Adams/O'Neil Green Lantern run and Iron Man 128 alcoholism)

Diversity of characters representing the growing diverse population of comic book readers: Luke Cage, Shang Chi, Red Wolf, Deathlock, John Stewart, Black Lightning, X-Men's New Team, etc.

Marvel Comics surpassing DC is comic book sales - November 1971-January 1972 

The Mutant Age of Comics: Wolverine and the X-Men

The Overstreet Price Guide

Cerebus by David Sim: The independent comic book

Star Wars

Jack Kirby's Fourth World and Darkseid

Conan and the Sword and Sorcery genre: Warlord, Kull, and Red Sonja (also see Barry Windsor Smith's classic Conan the Barbarian run 1-24).

Thanos in Iron Man 55

Jonah Hex: Last great creation of the western comic book genre

Neal Adams Batman run

Bernie Wrightson's classic mystery-horror art (see House of Secrets 92 and 100)

Last era of the romance genre

DC 100 pagers

Treasuries: Marvel & DC

Magazines: Skywald, Eerie Publications, and Curtis/Marvel 

Last great era of the war genre: Sgt. Rock, Unknown Soldier, and Sgt. Fury

Atlas-Seaboard

Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and Hulk on prime time television

Return of C.C. Beck's Original Captain Marvel

Death issues: Gwen Stacy & Green Goblin

The Punisher

Frank Miller's classic Daredevil run starts with issue #158

DC's Power Girl

Cancelled Comic Cavalcade

Moon Knight (yes, Moon Knight)

Iron Fist 

Marvel's Tomb of Dracula run

Marvel Picture Frames

DC 52 Pagers

DC's Sandman: Simon and Kirby's last collaboration

Steranko's History of Comics

Fireside Books

The Antihero

Direct Market

Spiderman drug issues- no Ccomics Code Authority seal

Pacific and Eclipse Comics: Creator control of original artwork

DC & Marvel crossovers: Superman v. Spiderman; X-Men & New Teen Titans

Revival of the Teen Titans (New Teen Titans)

What an age of comics it was!

-john

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shiverbones]

All great points, but I would expand the nod to Wrightson as a move back into horror overall, as the anthologies sold strong until the end of the Bronze Age, and horror crept into superheroes in a way not seen in decades.

[shiverbones]

I guess Kung fu also became a thing first in the Bronze Age with Shang chi, iron fist and several lesser characters. 

[bronze johnny]

21 minutes ago, shiverbones said:

I guess Kung fu also became a thing first in the Bronze Age with Shang chi, iron fist and several lesser characters. 

 

[bronze johnny]

24 minutes ago, shiverbones said:

All great points, but I would expand the nod to Wrightson as a move back into horror overall, as the anthologies sold strong until the end of the Bronze Age, and horror crept into superheroes in a way not seen in decades.

I'm a big fan of Wrightson but have to also give a nod to Neal Adams for the move back into horror. Let's not forget Kaluta, Ploog, Sparling, Colan, and the legendary Gray Morrow for their respective roles. Still, I can't help but think Myron Fass at Eerie Publications and the guys at Warren and Skywald for having a role in the second great age of horror. I like to think Bernie was the Ghastly Graham of the second great age of horror- I would also argue that the Bronze Age of Horror required a greater level of creativity thanks to the restrictions required by the CCA. The genius of Wrightson is that he achieved greatness within the censorship of the Bronze Age. And he did it when Fass, Warren, and Skywald were essentially precode horror books taking advantage of the freedoms of the magazine format. FM radio first hit the airwaves along with Eerie Publications and Skywald. Bernie and the great artists I mentioned above were doing the unthinkable: making "Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath music" on the restricted airwaves of "AM radio!" 

[shiverbones]

Yeah I think the mags were first, but the mainstream breakthrough came from the dc anthologies and books like asm101, spotlight 2 and 5, tomb of Dracula 1 and the like, which is why I call it for the Bronze Age. Dc was first with things like enchantress and Deadman, but it really took off as the code eased and monster superheroes, or at least feature characters, were a very Bronze Age marker.

[MGsimba77]

22 hours ago, bronze johnny said:

Hulk on prime time television

Bill Bixby = the perfect David Banner in every way! It was an amazing show especially the first two episodes!

Morbius is another noteworthy character symbolizing the end of silvery puritanism 

[Ken Aldred]

If discussing horror, Richard Corben deserves a mention.

Up there with Wrightson as the two standout horror artists of that time.

[aardvark88]

5 hours ago, Ken Aldred said:

Up there with Wrightson as the two standout horror artists of that time.

BA heavily influenced by introduction of R.E. Howard characters like Conan, King Kull, Red Sonja, Solomon Kane by writer/adapter Roy Thomas. Also 1st app. of King Kull by Wrightson released before HoS #92 Swamp Thing so seems under priced:

[johnenock]

Everything I own seems underpriced. Everything I want seems overpriced!

[shiverbones]

2 hours ago, aardvark88 said:

BA heavily influenced by introduction of R.E. Howard characters like Conan, King Kull, Red Sonja, Solomon Kane by writer/adapter Roy Thomas. Also 1st app. of King Kull by Wrightson released before HoS #92 Swamp Thing so seems under priced:

Great point! Sword and sorcery was another huge genre in bronze

[Ken Aldred]

There's also Starr the Slayer, promoted as the "Conan tryout" from Chamber of Darkness 4...

 

Edited November 12, 2019 by Ken Aldred

[bronze johnny]

A Golden Age Anniversary for the beginning of the 1970s and a new era for the comic book! 
50 years ago around this time, this book has hit the newsstands and is making waves with a realism DC tried in its war comics. The Bronze Age begins...