Different comic book ages

Lisa rojany buccieri has written and ghostwritten more than 100 childrens and grownups books, both fiction and nonfiction, including board books, picture books, and young adult series. Throughout the history of comic books, publishers have made comics is different sizes. For the purpose of bag and board sizes, bcw has simplified the sizes into three groups, or ages. The graph presents data on the age at which comic book readers started reading comic books as of june 20. Comic books are a reflection of modern society, so as society changed, so did the comic book plots, characters and themes. The bronze age of comic books is an informal name for a period in the history of american. Jun 11, 2014 you may have heard terms like the golden age of comics or silver age tales, but what exactly are all the different ages of comic books, and what do they represent. These eras include the golden age 19381950, the silver age 19561970, the bronze age 19701985, and the modern age 1985present.

I dont know how much this is going to apply for current younger generations who grew up on videogames, tv, the internet and movies based on comic books as opposed to comic books. Silver age key comic books, variants, pressing and cleaning services. Mar 02, 2016 comic books are commonly categorized into four major ages based on when they were published. The amazing stylistic history of comic books 99designs. Comic book ages 1897 1937 platinum or pregolden age. There are many more examples of platinum age comic books like this. The ages of comic books explained people do mention the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age, and the modern age. Age at which readers start reading comic books 20 statista. Tracing the evolution of comic books by looking at the pictures, panels, and text that brought them to. You may have heard terms like the golden age of comics or silver age tales, but what exactly are all the different ages of comic books, and what do they represent. There was a time, not so long ago, when youd have been hardpressed to find more than a handful of allages comics on the shelves of your local comic shop. There may even be something that you might like to get into yourself, or. Jul 17, 2016 the ages of comic books explained people do mention the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age, and the modern age. Remember, these are generalizations since there are a lot of comics made during these ages that have nothing to do with superheroes or movies, etc, but once we define the golden and silver ages by flavor of specific superheroes, then that starts to define the other ages.

The golden age of comic books describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956. This comic book starts what is now called the platinum age of comics. The four ages of comics including silver age dc comics for sale. May 26, 2017 so what are the different ages in comics. The 8 ages of comic books by alex grand comic book. Pop culture palace presents episode comic book ages part. Atomic age 1946 1956 the beginnings of the cold war, expansion of world communism, and reactionary rise of mccarthyism in america along with the fears and paranoia that coincided with this era saw the demise of the superhero genre and in its place the ascendancy of crime, romance, and horror genre comic books. Oct 06, 2016 this ends my introduction to the comic book ages.

Until then, the golden ages uncomplicated right and wrong still echoed if just subtly updated to suit the times. Starting with supermans first appearance in 1938, super hero comics have been going for almost threequarters of a century. The different comic book ages and what they brought. Blaine dowler and brian zino join me as we wrap up our epic discussion to determine what exactly makes up the different ages of comics.

Werthams book misrepresented the industry and was inherently biased, but. During a survey, 60 percent of respondents stated they started reading comic books. Age dc comics, used superheroes but they were different in that they. Well, im up for the challenge to explain 79 years of comics. Jun 19, 20 the graph presents data on the age at which comic book readers started reading comic books as of june 20. Comics historians divide the history of american comic books into ages. Peter economy is a bestselling author, coauthor, and ghostwriter of more than 55 books, including several for dummies titles. The super hero genre is bestknown in the medium of american comic books. Following the golden age of comic books and an interregnum in the early to mid1950s, the silver age is considered to cover the period from 1956 to circa. Marvel now allnew, all different marvel marvel now. Now, its true that comic strips began being compiled into pulp reprint books and later original content before the debut of superman in 1938. Apr 03, 2011 starting with supermans first appearance in 1938, super hero comics have been going for almost threequarters of a century. Free comics are typically all ages material meant to promote something.

These eras include the golden age 19381950, the silver age 19561970, the. The steel age of comics is a working title for the comic books that came out between 2011 and 2026. Here, writers threw all of it out the window and showed us that a comic book heros world was just as gritty as the enemies he faced. Here are the four major ages for comic books in chronological order. They arent perfect, of course, and we still have a ways to go, but at the end of the day, comics are a much more diverse, inclusive and representative. The modern age of comic books is a period in the history of american superhero comic books which is generally considered to have begun in the mid1980s and continues through the present day. Back then, the united states and the world was a drastically different place. Welcome to cbh, today were talking about the 8 ages of comic books including the. And if youre interested in selling your comic books, knowing what age they fall in is vitally important for valuing your comic books. Newsstand comics are usually serial and designed to get you to come back and buy the next one. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history. Over the years, comic fans have come up with different ages of comics to reflect how the style and content of comics has changed over the years. A debate of the ages comic book speculation and investing. The ages begin with the golden age of the 30s, 40s and early 50s, followed by the silver age late 50s and 60s, the bronze age.

The modern age of comic books 19962000 dc new 52 2011 dc you 2015 dc rebirth 2016 dc universe 2018 marvel. Fans more than likely know about the golden and silver ages. Throughout the history of comic books, publishers have made comics is different sizes learn more. In 1899 a funny folks comic book came out, taking a close first stab at a format for many platinum age comic. The ages are related to comic book grades in that they help determine the relative price based on the period. The five ages of comics introduction pointless ephemera. With soti and the creation of the cca the golden age came to a halt.

Just make sure that youre standing well back and wearing protective clothing when you do, though although many comics historians will point to european broadsheets of the sixteenth century as the ancient precursors of. Jan 29, 2003 the ages discussed in this node refer directly to north american comic book publishers, as different worldwide comic book publishing industries experienced different defining eras. In 1899 a funny folks comic book came out, taking a close first stab at a format for many platinum age comic books. The ages of comics specific periods comic book plus. The ages discussed in this node refer directly to north american comic book publishers, as different worldwide comic book publishing industries experienced different defining eras. Started in 1933 when jerry siegel and joe shuster created superman and sold the character to dc comics. The bronzeage also started a new and different distribution method for comics. In looking for a new way to write about comic book history, i discovered comic book stories differ quite a bit depending on where and how they are being sold. The awesome benefits of comic books for children the.

With soti and the creation of the cca the golden age came to a. The death of superman was one of the rare comic book events that actually become a pop culture phenomenon. The majority of comic books arent really aimed at all adults, but at hardcore comic book fans of all ages who grew up reading comics and simply never stopped. Because of this, comic books are generally categorized into different ages based on when they were published. Comic strips 15001650 pioneer age 16501800 victorian age. This 40 year period from 18971937 is marked by different attempts to. The ages are related to comic book grades in that they help determine the relative price based on the period that they represent as well as the age of the book. What evidence does coutu use to support her claim that improvisation requires resilience. Age of comics or silver age tales, but what exactly are all the different ages of comic books. Each issue has an overarching plot broken up by one or twopage comic strips depicting the shows different sketches.

I have chosen to break comics into 5 different phases called ages that represent different major trends in comics. The silver age of comic books began in 1956 with a resurgence of interest in superheroes. Oct 25, 2015 what are the different ages of comic books. Fun, lighthearted, romantic in the old sense of the word, and optimistic stories wherein heroes are heroes and villains are villains, and which are also devoid of any moral ambiguity, were once upon a time decoded as positive portrayals of humanitys highest aspirations. That being said, the intent of the discussion is on comic book ages and wondering what the next officially recognized period will be. What size of bags and boards do i need to protect my comic. American comic books predate the appearance of superheroes by nearly a century. Apr 18, 2020 the majority of comic books arent really aimed at all adults, but at hardcore comic book fans of all ages who grew up reading comics and simply never stopped. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. I am not a comics historian or an expert on the different ages, but from my average collectors point of view i feel there has been a paradigm shift in comics and collecting in the past decade. The names are the golden, silver, bronze, iron, and the modern age. Instead of being sold at news stands they would start to be sold at special comic shops.

An extremely fast and loose definition of comic book ages greater. Marvel and dc took different approaches during the silver age. Comic books are commonly categorized into four major ages based on when they were published. The thing about the comic book ages and any historiography, is that its entirely subjective.

Each age has had its own good and bad qualities, its. Comic books and graphic novels are spread across many different genres, including comedy, drama, scifi and fantasy, and there is bound to be something to suit all tastes, ages and reading levels. Most people begin this in 1938 with supermans debut, but would the actual debut of comic books with original content in, what, 1935. During approximately the first 15 years of this period, many comic book characters were redesigned, creators gained prominence in the industry, independent comics flourished, and larger publishing houses. The superhero archetype was created and many wellknown characters were introduced, including superman, batman, captain marvel, captain america, and wonder woman. Most people begin this in 1938 with supermans debut, but would the actual debut of comic books with original content in. The different characteristics of each age are partly because of changes in how comics were made, but also the result of changes in wider popular culture and society. The silver age of comic books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream american comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Comic ages timeline i grew up accepting the traditional gospel that the superhero genre dictated the ages, but lately ive been leaning towards classifying the ages based on the inception and subsequent changes to the comic code authority. Nov 04, 2016 unlike the actual dark ages, this era was where comic books achieved enlightenment. Fans use these ages to categorize the different eras of comic books based on times in history that share concerns, storytellings, techniques, marketing strategies, styles of writing and art, and approach genre conventions. Reading is the core skill behind almost all facets of learning.

But even there, its fortunes have gone up and down, and this has influenced the perception of superheroes in general. An extremely fast and loose definition of comic book ages. Platinum age 18971937, golden age 19381947, atomic age 19481955, silver age 19561969, bronze age 19701984, dark or copper age 19851991, extreme age 19921998, movie age 1998 2016. With dc rebirth and all new all different marvel, the tone of the comic book genre has been a little more brighter and easier for everyone to love. Different historians and scholars view events in different ways all the time, and theres often little thats universally agreed upon in terms of historical time markers. Although a platinum age of comic books is recognized, it was. So lets break down the generally accepted ages of comics before moving on to speculation. Silver age marvel comic books for sale we cant get enough of. The 8 ages of comic books by alex grand comic book historians.