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Silver Age of Comic Books
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The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those which featured the superhero archetype. Lasting from 1956 to the years around 1970, it was preceded by the Golden Age of Comic Books and the brief interregnum Atomic Age of Comic Books, and was followed by the Bronze Age of Comic Books and the Modern Age of Comic Books. A number of important comics writers and artist contributed to the era, including writers Stan Lee and Denny O'Neil and artists Jack Kirby and Neal Adams.
Before the Silver Age, superhero comics had been in decline.
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Encyclopedia
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those which featured the superhero archetype. Lasting from 1956 to the years around 1970, it was preceded by the Golden Age of Comic Books and the brief interregnum Atomic Age of Comic Books, and was followed by the Bronze Age of Comic Books and the Modern Age of Comic Books. A number of important comics writers and artist contributed to the era, including writers Stan Lee and Denny O'Neil and artists Jack Kirby and Neal Adams.
Before the Silver Age, superhero comics had been in decline. The implementation of the Comics Code Authority, which regulated comic content, led to a resurgence in the genre, which began with the introduction of a new version of DC Comics's The Flash in Showcase #4 (October 1956). DC began publishing more superhero titles in response to strong demand, prompting Marvel Comics to do the same, beginning with Fantastic Four #1. Silver Age comics are collectible, and as of 2008, the most sought-after comic published during the era is the debut of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15.
An important feature of the period was the evolution of the character makeup of superheroes. Science fiction and aliens replaced gods and magic. DC Comics sparked the superhero's revival with its publications from 1955 to 1960. Marvel Comics then capitalized on the revived interest in superhero storytelling with sophisticated stories and characterization. In contrast to previous eras, Silver Age characters were "flawed and self-doubting". Young children and girls were targeted during the Silver Age by certain publishers; in particular, Harvey Comics attracted this group with titles such as Little Dot. Adult oriented underground comics also began during the Silver Age. There are several suggested endpoints for the Silver Age, including changes in the Green Lantern series and the death of Spider-Man's girlfriend in a 1973 issue of Amazing Spider-Man.
Origin of the term
Comics historian and movie producer Michael Uslan traced the origin of the term to the letters column of Justice League of America #42 (February 1966), which went on sale December 9, 1965. Letter-writer Scott Taylor of Westport, Connecticut wrote, "If you guys keep bringing back the heroes from the [1930s-1940s] Golden Age, people 20 years from now will be calling this decade the Silver Sixties!" According to Uslan, the natural hierarchy of gold-silver-bronze, as in Olympic medals, took hold. "Fans immediately glommed onto this, refining it more directly into a Silver Age version of the Golden Age. Very soon, it was in our vernacular, replacing such expressions as ... 'Second Heroic Age of Comics' or 'The Modern Age' of comics. It wasn't long before dealers were ... specifying it was a Golden Age comic for sale or a Silver Age comic for sale".
History
Background
The Golden and Atomic ages of comic books predated the Silver Age. The Golden Age occurred around the time of World War II, when comics provided cheap and disposable escapist entertainment. Soldiers for instance, could read and then leave behind their comics. The Golden Age spanned the late 1930s to the late 1940s. A number of major superheroes were created during this period, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain America. The Atomic Age of Comic Books was a brief interregnum between the Golden and Silver ages, occurring between 1945 and 1956.
In the years leading up to the Silver Age, comics had been blamed for a rise in juvenile crime statistics, although the rise was in direct proportion to population growth. When juvenile offenders "confessed" to reading comics, critics claimed it was a common denominator. One notable critic was Frederic Wertham, author of the book Seduction of the Innocent (1954). He attempted to shift the blame for the delinquency from the parents of the children to comic books, resulting in a decline in the comics industry. The Silver Age began as a result of the 1954 creation of the Comics Code Authority, whose purpose was to regulate and curb violence in comics.
DC Comics
The Silver Age began with the publication of DC Comics' Showcase #4 (October 1956), which introduced the modern version of the Flash. At the time, three superheroes still had their own titles: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. According to Will Jacobs, Superman was available in "great quantity, but little quality." Batman was doing better, but his comics were "lackluster" in comparison to his "atmospheric adventures" of the 1940s. Wonder Woman, having lost her original writer and artist, was no longer "idiosyncratic" or "interesting." Then Showcase #4 arrived on the newsstands, "begging to be bought." The cover featured an undulating strip of film and the Flash running so fast he came out of the film and at the reader. Editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino were behind the revitalization of The Flash.
Following the success of the Flash's revamp, several other superheroes from the 1940s were reworked during Schwartz's tenure, including Green Lantern, The Atom, and Hawkman, as well as the Justice League of America. DC artists who participated in this include Murphy Anderson, Gil Kane and Joe Kubert. Only the characters' names remained the same; their costumes, locales, and identities were changed. Imaginative science explanations for powers generally took the place of magic as a modus oparandi in the stories. For instance, the original Green Lantern, railroad engineer Alan Scott, possessed a ring powered by a magical lantern. His replacement, test pilot Hal Jordan, possessed a ring which was instead powered by an alien battery, created by an intergalactic police force. The inspiration for this change came from Schwartz, who was a lifelong science fiction fan. Before the Silver Age, DC's characters were depicted as living on a number of earths. Characters from the Golden Age through the mid-1950s lived on Earth-Two. The Silver Age stars lived on Earth-One. Writers later decided that the two realities were separated by a vibrational field, which could be breached whenever a superhero team-up required it.
Although the Flash is generally viewed to be the first superhero of the Silver Age, the introduction of the Martian Manhunter in Detective Comics #225 predates Showcase #4 by almost a year, and some historians consider this character the first Silver Age superhero. However, comics historian Craig Shutt, author of the Comics Buyer's Guide column "Ask Mister Silver Age", disagrees. Shutt notes that when the Martian Manhunter debuted, he was a detective who used his alien abilities to solve crimes. Although he did ultimately become a charter member of the Justice League of America, originally he was just a "quirky detective", like other contemporaneous DC characters who were "TV detectives, Indian detectives, supernatural detectives, [and] animal detectives." Schutt feels the Martian Manhunter only became a superhero in Detective Comics #273 (November 1959), when he received a secret identity and other superhero accoutrements. Said Schutt, "Had Flash not come along, I doubt that the Martian Manhunter would've led the charge from his backup position in Detective to a new super-hero age." Another hero that predates Showcase #4 is Captain Comet, who debuted in Strange Adventures #9 (June 1951). Comic Book Resources columnist Steven Grant considers him to be the first Silver Age superhero.
Marvel Comics
DC added to their momentum by introducing the Justice League of America in 1960, an all-star group consisting of its most popular characters, the success of which prompted rival Marvel Comics to introduce its own superhero team, the Fantastic Four. Timely and Atlas publisher Martin Goodman, a publishing trend-follower, aware of the JLA's strong sales, directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to create a comic-book series about a team of superheroes. Lee recalled in 1974 that, "Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called The [sic] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. ... ' If the Justice League is selling ', spoke he, ' why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?'"
This led to the era's rise of Marvel under the guidance of writer-editor Stan Lee and such artists/co-writers as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. Marvel introduced dynamic plotting and more sophisticated characterization into superhero comics, and began targeting teen and college-age readers in addition to the children's market. Based on the success of The Fantastic Four, Lee and his artists created eleven new series in the next two-and-a-half years, with Spider-Man and, after a slow start, the Hulk among the most popular new characters. Other significant and enduring Marvel heroes introduced during the Silver Age include Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, the X-Men, and Marvel's own all-star group, the Avengers. Captain America, a hero from comics Golden Age was revived in Avengers #4 (March 1964).
Comics historian Peter Sanderson notes that in the 1960s, DC was equivalent to a large Hollywood studio. Although DC reinvented the superhero genre in the 1950s and early to mid-1960s, they suffered a creative drought later in the decade. The audience for comics was no longer just children, and in the Marvel 1960s was the comic equivalent of the French New Wave, developing new methods of storytelling that drew in and retained readers who were in their teens and older. These older readers were the comics writers and artists of the future, influenced by this new style. Comics historian Craig Shutt compared the two styles. According to Schutt, DC heroes were straightforward in their support of each other, and quickly banded together to defeat an enemy. Marvel's heroes, in contrast, trusted each other less, and would frequently fight each other before a misunderstanding was resolved, and they joined together against a common foe. DC's approach detailed the differences between heroes without violence; Marvel's "addressed the age-old, little-kid question of which hero would win in a fight".
Other publishers
focused on children during the Silver Age with characters such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, seen here in a 1948 cartoon.]]
Harvey Comics was one of the top comics publishers in 1956. When the comics code was implemented, they discontinued their horror comics and changed their target audience. They began focusing on children six to twelve years of age, especially girls, with characters such as Richie Rich, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Little Dot. Many of their comics featured little girls who "defied stereotypes and sent a message of acceptance of those who are different." Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics also focused on young children and girls during the Silver Age. Although their characters have fueled a number of nostalgic movies and merchandise, Harvey comics are not sought after in the collectors market like the DC and Marvel titles.
The success of DC's and Marvel's Silver Age titles led Archie Comics to launch their own superhero comics. The Archie Adventure line (soon retitled Mighty Comics) included titles centered on The Fly, The Jaguar, and The Shield, a revamped Golden Age character. The success of The Avengers and the Justice League of America prompted Archie Comics to create their own team title, The Mighty Crusaders, where The Comet and Flygirl joined three characters with their own comics. The Archie series mixed typical superhero fare with 1960s Batman the television series style camp.
According to John Strausbaugh of The New York Times, traditional comic book historians feel that the Golden Age deserves study, and that the only noteworthy aspect of the Silver Age was the advent of underground comics. One possible reason that underground comics are considered legitimate art, is that they were typically written and drawn by one person. Also, while most comics of the era were pure fantasy, underground comics targeted adults and reflected the counterculture movement of the time. Artists like Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton produced comics that were raw and instinctual. Underground comics were printed by ad-hoc publishers, and distributed at head shops.
End
, who's work on Green Lantern is one possibility for the end of the Silver Age.]]
Multiple endpoints have been suggested for the Silver Age, one of which was the publication of the last 12 cent comics in 1969. Other theories have focused on Marvel and DC. According to Will Jacobs, the Silver Age ended in April 1976 when the man who had started it, Julius Schwartz, handed over Green Lantern to Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams in response to reduced sales. John Strausbaugh of The New York Times also felt the end of the Silver Age was connected to Green Lantern. In 1960, the character embodied the can-do optimism of the era, declaring "No one in the world suspects that at a moment's notice I can become mighty Green Lantern – with my amazing power ring and invincible green beam! Golly, what a feeling it is!" By 1972 he had become world weary; "Those days are gone – gone forever – the days I was confident, certain ... I was so young ... so sure I couldn't make a mistake! Young and cocky, that was Green Lantern. Well, I've changed. I'm older now ... maybe wiser, too ... and a lot less happy." According to Strausbaugh, the "Silver Age went out with that whimper." Comics scholar Arnold T. Blumberg felt that the Silver Age ended in June 1973, when Spider-Man's girlfriend Gwen Stacy was killed in the two part story The Night Gwen Stacy Died. According to Blumberg, the era was ended by 'the "snap" heard 'round the comic book world - the startling, sickening snap of bone that heralded the death of Gwen Stacy.'
Aftermath and legacy
The Silver Age was followed by the Bronze Age of Comic Books. What caused the shift from the Silver to the Bronze age is not clearly defined, but there are a number of possibilities. Scott of Comic Book Resources listed several commonly cited reasons involving changes in personnel of the publication of individual comics. Conan #1 (1970) and Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 (April 1970) "are often cited as the first books of the Bronze Age." Personel changes frequently cited for the change are Jack Kirby’s move from Marvel to DC (1970) and Mort Weisinger's retirement (1970). Other candidates are the return of horror comics and stories with increased social relevancy. Author and lecturer Arnold T. Blumberg has argued that the shift was a gradual process that lasted from the late sixties until 1973, ending with the death of Gwen Stacy, an "event that many name as the single most memorable moving moment in collective fan recall". He says that there was a willingness by creators and publishers to tackle more mature themes, even if they "were filtered through the somewhat simplistic lens of the superhero", and that brought to an end "the light-hearted, carefree Silver Age".
, who began the "neo-silver movement" with a 1986 Superman story]]
According to IGN columnist and comic historian Peter Sanderson, the "neo-silver movement" was a backlash against the Bronze Age, with a return to Silver Age principles. It began in 1986 with Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? by Alan Moore and Curt Swan. In Sanderson's opinion, each comics generation rebels against the previous, and the movement was a response to Crisis on Infinite Earths, which was an attack on the Silver Age. Comics creators in this movement made comics that recognized and assimilated the more sophisticated aspects of the Silver Age of Comics.
Artists
Arlen Schumer, author of "The Silver Age of Comic Book Art" singles out Carmine Infantino's Flash as the embodiment of the design of the era: "as sleek and streamlined as the fins Detroit was sporting on all its models." Other notable artists of the era include Gene Colan, Steve Ditko, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, and Curt Swan.
Two artists that changed the comics industry dramatically in the late 1960s were Neal Adams and Jim Steranko. Adams' breakthrough was based on layout and rendering. According to R.C. Baker of the Village Voice, Neal Adams is one of the country's greatest draftsmen. Adams is best know for returning Batman to his somber roots after the campy success of the Batman television show. His realistic depictions of anatomy, faces, and gestures changed comics' style in a way that is still seen in modern graphic novels.
Steranko's forte involved storytelling: he used a cinematic style, and was one of the few writer-artists at the time. He was one of Marvel's strongest creative forces in the late 1960s, his art owing a large debt to Salvador Dalí. Steranko started by inking and penciling the details of Kirby's artwork on Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. beginning in Strange Tales #135, but by Strange Tales #155, Stan Lee had put him in charge of both writing and drawing Fury's adventures. He exaggerated the James Bond-style spy stories. For example, introducing the Vortex Beam (which lifts objects), the aphonic bomb (which explodes silently), a miniature Electronic Absorber (which protected Fury from electricity), and the Q-Ray machine (a molecular disintegrator) all in his first 11 page story.
Top 20 comics
According to "The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #38" by Robert Overstreet, the following twenty comics were the most sought after by collectors.
| Title | Issue | Publisher | Relevance |
|---|
| Amazing Fantasy | 15 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of Spider-Man | | Showcase | 4 | DC Comics | 1st Appearance of Barry Allen as the Flash | | Fantastic Four | 1 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of the Fantastic Four | | Amazing Spider-Man | 1 | Marvel | Spider-Man gets his own series | | Hulk | 1 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of Hulk | | X-Men | 1 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of X-Men | | Showcase | 8 | DC Comics | Second Silver Age appearance of the Flash | | Journey Into Mystery | 83 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of Thor | | Showcase | 9 | DC Comics | Lois Lane stars in her own adventure | | The Flash | 105 | DC Comics | First Flash comic book since Flash Comics was cancelled with issue #104 | | Tales of Suspense | 39 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of Iron Man | | Brave and the Bold | 28 | DC Comics | 1st Appearance of the Justice League of America | | Adventure Comics | 247 | DC Comics | Superboy meets the Legion of Super-Heroes | | Justice League of America | 1 | DC Comics | First Issue | | Showcase | 22 | DC Comics | 1st Appearance of Silver Age Green Lantern | | Fantastic Four | 5 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of Dr. Doom | | Tales to Astonish | 27 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of Hank Pym | | Fantastic Four | 2 | Marvel | Second appearance of the Fantastic Four, 1st Appearance of the Skrulls | | Green Lantern | 1 | DC Comics | First issue | | Amazing Spider-Man | 2 | Marvel | 1st Appearance of the Vulture | |
See also
Footnotes
Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, Timely and Atlas publisher Martin Goodman was playing golf with either Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld of rival DC Comics, then known as National Periodical Publications, who bragged about DC's success with the Justice League (which had debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 (February 1960) before going on to its own title).
Film producer and comics historian Michael Uslan later contradicted some specifics, while supporting the story's framework:
External links
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- , Forbes.com, April 22, 2005
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