Money age of the comics

In the field of the Comics, the Age of money is the name given to the period located between end of the year 50 and beginning of the year 70. It succeeds the golden age

For this period, the tone is marked by the Science-fiction, that it is in the stories or the origins even of the heroes. The social life of the heroes takes a more important place.

Events leading to the money age

After the Second world war, the comics of superman knew a decline of popularity. Their rise was slowed down by the success of the comics Policier and horror. Certain parents were also frightened by what they off read in the book Seduction the Innocent of Dr. Fredric Wertham. One showed also the comics to be at the origin of the juvenile delinquency. To calm the spirits, the industry of the comics established the Comics Codes, which prohibited the bloody images, the images with sexual character, the insult with the authorities, etc

That caused to make even more difficult the publication of certain stories, although the scenario writers had more freedoms than in others Média S such as the Cinéma or the Télévision.

This censure caused the closing of many companies and obliged the editors to seek other kinds likely to attract the public. The supermen had gradually passed from mode since 1945 and only Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman had remained popular. As the supermen were the kind which had made the comic books very popular at the end of the Thirties, certain editors wanted to return to this kind. Thus, at the end of 1953, Stan Lee try ressusciter the three supermen most known of Marvel Captain America, Human Torch and Sub-Mariner. That shows a failure. It will be necessary a certain time before the editors find a formune which causes the enthousiame readers.

History

The beginning (and end) of the money age make debate, but one generally admits that the period began in 1956 with Showcase #4 from cd. Comics, in whom appears the modern version of Flash. Indeed, Flash was one of the first heroes whose stories took this turning SF. This resumption of the name of the one of the characters of the golden age, accompanied by a modernization of its origin is a recurring phenomenon in the world of the comics and corresponds to the will of the editor to maintain to the interest of successive generations readers. After Flash, helping success, there was Green Lantern, Atom and Hawkman. It is at this time there that cd. created the Ligue of Justice of America. The arrival of Mort Weisinger at the station of leading person in charge of Superman was going to announce a reinforced continuity and the most creative period for the character.

The success of these series establishes a formula to be followed for cd. vis-a-vis the restrictions of the Comics Codes Authority. They injected a puff of fresh air in the comics and that felt in the sales and was noticed by their competitors.

This period saw the emergence of Marvel Comics under the impulse of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko which introduced characters who broke with the traditional image of the superman so much so that some (The Thing, Hulk, Spider-Man) can be regarded as the first popular anti-heroes. Thus came the famous Four Fantastic, Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man which were going to become the most popular character of the time, Iron Man, Daredevil, X-Men and the Avengers. Cd. will adopt a vision close to that of Marvel only well after this time.

The return of the supermen on the front of the scene was so important that even of other publishers - archie Comics, Charlton Comics and Dell Comics - tested themselves there. However, they did not have a great success. Tower Comics was an exception, because their short series T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents of Wally Wood had a favorable reception.

The culminating point of this period was 1966-1968 with the televised series Batman, which helped to popularize the comics near more many people.

Moreover, towards the end of this period, new artists tested themselves with included other forms of art in the kind. For example Neal Adams put keys of naturalism, and Jim Steranko tried to add COp art, Surréalisme and elements of graphic design.

The Comics underground transfer the day during the money age. However, because of their contents and their marketing, they had a parallel development which cannot be compared with that of the superman kind.

Origin of the term

The historian of the comics Michael Uslan tried to off recall the origin of the term in the letters to the Editor of Justice League America #42 (February 1966). A reader had written " If you continue ressusciter the heroes of the golden age of the years 1930-1940, in 20 years people will call this decade money Sixties! ". This is a reference to the hierarchy of the Olympic medals . Uslan indicates that " the fans monopolized continuation this term, and spoke more distinctly about an age of Argent , thus replacing expression such as “Second Heroic of the Comics” or “Old Era Modern of the comics”. Thus, even the retailers spoke about age or golden age about money of sale of the comics."

End of the money age

The end of this period makes also debate. However there exist certain benchmarks which are the following:

  • When Kirby Jack leaves Marvel to create Fourth World at cd. Comics (1970).

  • When Marvel starts to publish Conan, first mark of a tendency to move away from the supermen and to take as a starting point other media (1970).
  • When Dead Weisinger, person in charge of the Superman titles, share with the retirement (1970).
  • When certain heroes take a darker turning with the beginning of the year 1970. For example Robin leaves Batman to enter to the university and Batman takes again its role of vigilant, or the very urban series of Green Lantern/Green Arrow realized by Dennis O' Neil and Neal Adams.
  • When Stan Lee exceeds the Comics Codes in Amazing Spider-Man 96-98 to speak about drug (1971).
  • When the Comics Codes is revised for the first time (1971), allowing the editors to off carry out comics of horror like Tomb Dracula and Ghost Rider .
  • When Gwen Stacy dies in The Amazing Spider-Man #121, 1973
  • When the team of the X-Men is radically changed in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (1975).
  • (For those which consider that the money age continued longer) When cd. Comics publishes Crisis one Infinity Earths . This series puts a final point at the continuity of the money age. It is following this series that many characters were completely changed.

The continuation

After one short period dominated by the titles of horror and fantasy, a third period of superman (called Bronze Age of the comics) started, in particular thanks to the arrival of creators such as the scenario writers Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, Mike Friedrich, Marv Wolfman, Steve Gerber, Don McGregor, Doug Moench, and Len Wein, and of the draftsmen like Rich Buckler, Marshall Rogers, P. Craig Russell, and Bernie Wrightson.

The following period knows various names: one refers there as a modern age of the comics, even the dark age of the comics, because of the decline of the sales, but also of the popularity of the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns of Frank Miller and the Watchmen of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons). Other names are the iron age of the comics, or even the diamond age (as Scott McCloud suggests it, explaining why the comics have many facets).

Conventions stylistics

Certain conventions of styles were implicitly established on the titles of the money age.

For example, it was frequent that the first page (called " splash page") serf of second cover, giving a first impression of what it was going to occur in the next number. The majority of the stories started on page two.

Covers

The covers of the money age at cd. comics are recognized for their abundance of bubbles. Marvel, as for them, adopted cover representing of the scenes of action, or a dramatic image, and called upon the bubbles only on rare occasions. It is rare nowadays to see bubbles of dialog on covers, except in the event of homage or of Parodie

Talents of the money age

Many artists of talents (especially at Marvel) played a big role in the development of the stories.

Editor associations

Scenario writers

  • Otto Binder
  • John Broome
  • Arnold Drake
  • Gary Friedrich
  • Joe Gill

Draftsmen

  • John Romita, Sr.
  • Mike Sekowsky
  • John Severin
  • Marie Severin
  • Jim Steranko
  • Curt Swan
  • Herb Trimpe
  • George Tuska
  • Wally Wood

Inking

  • Jack Abel
  • daN Adkins
  • Murphy Anderson
  • Dick Ayers
  • Vince Colletta
  • Joe Giella
  • Sid Greene
  • George Klein
  • Paul Reinman
  • George Roussos
  • Joe Sinnott
  • Smart Stone

Key numbers of the money age

cd. Comics

Marvel Comics

External bonds

  • Site on the money age

  • Alter Ego-Magazine devoted to the comics of the golden age and the money age

Refer

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