Since those groundbreaking books from the reagan era, modern superhero comics have been perceived as more violent, pessimistic, and. To commemorate dc comics 50th anniversary, dc published crisis on infinite earths as a 12issue comic book event. The 8 ages of comic books by alex grand comic book. Welcome to cbh, today were talking about the 8 ages of comic books including the. Many people will tell you were still living in the dark age, as comics. The golden age of comic books describes an era of american comic books from 1938 to 1956. Something with a serious, more mature, and darker story in it. User account menu a hellspawn for a dark age spawn. Its sometimes also called the iron age of comic books, to follow the goldsilverbronze progression, but dark age is the much more common term usually characterized as a darker and edgier. Publishers wanted to eke out every last drop of profit they could, and comics were a way to keep presses running on weekends. Comic books are commonly categorized into four major ages based on when they were published. In this age comic character were more psychologically complex and were darker. Platinum age 18971937, golden age 19381947, atomic age 19481955. And if youre interested in selling your comic books, knowing what age they fall in is vitally important for valuing your comic books here are the four major ages for comic books in chronological order.
Top 60 most valuable comic books from the modern age. During approximately the first 15 years of this period, many comic book characters were redesigned, creators gained prominence in the industry, independent. These include the later 10 cent issues and all 12 cent issues. An alternative name for this period is the dark age of comic books, due to the popularity and artistic influence of titles with serious content, such as batman. Back then, the united states and the world was a drastically different place. Like antiques, comic books fall into periods known as ages. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. While the event comic first came about in the 80s with books like contest. The modern age of comics is a name for the age of comics from the mid80s to present. It tells the story of ana and gabe, the last two humans left alive in the galaxy. In that run, all the comic books except the one from april 1975 had the jeweler insert even though the april 1975 issue had the starshaped stamp on it.
The superhero archetype was created and many wellknown characters were introduced, including superman, batman, captain marvel, captain america, and wonder woman. I imagine most people say this age runs until 1986, a watershed year in comics. In this series, dc planned to clear up decades of plot inconsistencies, as well as bring. Silver age 19561969, bronze age 19701984, dark or copper age 19851991, extreme age. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. The dark age of comic books was the culmination of a gradual move towards an older audience for comic books, particularly those featuring superheroes that had started in the bronze age of comic books. The modern age is also sometimes referred to as the dark age, because gritty storylines came into vogue with both dc and marvel artists.
This period, which witnessed an explosion of englishcanadian comic book publishing, is now described as the canadian golden age of comics. Comic books are a reflection of modern society, so as society changed, so did the comic book plots, characters and themes. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The age of fire, he has also recently been writing a comic book series which is called void trip. Top 50 most valuable comic books of the bronze age. It follows the silver age of comic books, and is followed by the modern age of comic books the bronze age retained many of the conventions of the silver age, with traditional superhero titles remaining the mainstay of the industry. The bronze age of comic books is an informal name for a period in the history of american superhero comic books usually said to run from 1970 to 1984. Comic books covering superheros lost popularity towards the end of the golden age and the beginning of the silver age but quickly rose back to popularity once the content of comic books began to be more closely regulated in fear of spurring more juvenile delinquents from questionable content found in horror and mystery genres. The dark age of comic books was the culmination of a gradual move towards an older audience for.
Secondly, to explain, the dark age of comics is what i call the current trend in comic books to have serious, dark and gritty stories, often involving senseless and gratuitous violence or mature content, in increasing numbers. Collectors usually refer to comic books drawn after 1985 as modern age comic books. It will also feature the return of afterburn in an original short story just for fcbd. The dark ages introduces lord covenant, a 12th century knight killed in a holy crusade far from his homeland, who returns to earth as a hellspawn. The dark age is a magnificent look at the comic book industry of the late 80s through the mid 90s. Featured on free comic book day, from the creator of the rift. Rethinking the grim and gritty dark age of superhero. Mark jeweler variants in dc comics bronze age comic. If you want to start a mainthedarkageofcomicbooks page, just click the edit button above. The dark age of comic books was the culmination of a gradual move towards an older audience for comic books, particularly those featuring superheroes that. The dark age of comic books was the culmination of a gradual move towards an older audience for comic books, particularly those featuring superheroes, that had started in the bronze age of comic books. Free comic book day 2019 the dark age read free comic. It will feature the debut of the dark age by don dandfield, the cocreator of the rift. The dark age of comic books all the tropes wiki fandom.
The dark age book one 2005 in the wake of a global catastrophe during the early 70s, two brothers deal with family secrets and social upheaval, involving heroes from jackinthebox to the blue knight, newcomers like apollo eleven, and the unsettling events leading to the final. These events tended to wipe the slate clean and signal that comics had grown up. The importance of the dark age of comic books comics amino. As a plague of violence and turmoil cover the english countryside, the dark knight must choose whether to align himself with the innocent inhabitants of the oncethriving kingdom or with the. Written by series cocreator michael dante dimartino and illustrated by michelle wong. In the near future all metal on earth suddenly turns to worthless piles of rust and dust. This is the third article in our series, following from most valuable golden age comics and most valuable silver age comics here are the key issues to look for when youre at garage sales yes, they do turn up. Comic books began as collections of newspaper comic strips. Dragon age lead writer david gaider pens an exciting tale following king alistair as he discovers the fate of his father in the silent grove, those who speak, and until we sleep. Like a victorian era chair, the age that a book was printed in tells you a lot about the industry and environment of the time.
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. Be careful, though, the only things that go in the main namespace are tropes and should be created through the ykttw system. Then comics became too dark, there were only pouches and lots of teeth and heroes dying. The lessons learned in the dark age of comics in the 90s are just as. The 8 ages of comic books by alex grand comic book historians. Our free comic book day 2019 offering has been revealed. Down a bro, matt takes on one of the most perilous times in comic book history, the dark age of comics.
So im a returning comic book enthusiast, and im looking for something that is a bit more grown up. With no technology, no guns, no computers, humanity reverts to a violent feudal system. Biowares bestselling franchise dragon age lives on in these canonical comics from dark horse. Scott runs you through a brief history of comic books to dive into what makes the golden age, silver age, bronze age, and modern age so important to how comics and the industry are today. He has previously written many comic books, which include turncoat, eisenhorn, warhammer 40,000. A reddit for fans of comic books, graphic novels, and digital comics. 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. The dark age is a definitely dark and violent story as the onetime jsa member further descends into bloody darkness in his efforts, all the while outside forces attempt to stop him from doing so, as do the justice league and justice society. Kicking off the dark age of comic books was the publication of the monumental series crisis on infinite earths. Comic book value guide how to value your comics in 3 easy steps.
Its sometimes also called the iron age of comic books, to follow the goldsilverbronze progression, but dark age is the much more common term usually characterized as a darker and. In that year, dc swept away the vestiges of the silverbronze ages with crisis on infinite earths, frank miller redefined batman with the dark knight returns, and alan moore and dave gibbons did watchmen. 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 read below andor click to watch the video. Well, im up for the challenge to explain 79 years of comics. Comic books as we know them were first introduced in the mid 1930s. Only lesserknown comic publishers ever used these storylines, but now even superman plots incorporate this kind of material. The dark age of comic books useful notes tv tropes. See image below for example of the starshaped stamp and photos of the jeweler insert inside detective 472. We take a look at the innovations, but ultimately the major pitfalls that almost led to the. The ages of comic books explained people do mention the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age, and the modern age. Despite the connotations of its name, then, the dark age of comics ushered. An alternative name for this period is the dark age of comic books, due to the popularity and artistic influence of titles with serious content.
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