Well, im up for the challenge to explain 79 years of comics. We have such a wide selection that the comics are broken out by letters. Many editors, writers, pencillers and inkers participated in. The silver age lasted from 1956 note to about 1972 although some people count everything up until 1985 as part of it, folding in the the bronze age of comic books.
Silver age 195669 by the mid1950s, the comicbook industry was imperiled. Comicconnect is the do it yourself place where you can sell comic books and buy comic books from other collectors who are selling golden age and silver age comic books. It should be required reading for anyone who ever aspired to work in the medium. Comic book are a field of collection that require very specialized knowledge to accurately assess value. Welcome to superworld comics silver age comics browsing page.
Many iconic characters were introduced in this time period and became part of american culture at a very interesting point in our history. As collectors, we are the first arbiter of any term associated with comics. Because we became concerned with comics history before the industry did. Following the golden age era, dcs silver age is largely recognized as beginning with the introduction of the barry allen incarnation of the flash in showcase v.
Pack rat comics has subscription services and promotions for new randy bowen comic book hero statues. I remember when the artists were just a page, or a few boxes, ahead of the writer. As you can see, comic books have gone through a clear evolutionary path to get us to where we are today. Superheroes were passe, except for the man of steel, a media star thanks to the adventures of superman 195357, a syndicated program appearing on the medium that had robbed comics of much of its audience.
The golden age of comics comics have been in existence since the end of the 19th century, but it was after the depression that the popularity of newspaper cartoons expanded into a major industry. For some more nonfiction reading on the subject, check out the tencent plague by david hajdu, kirby. Oct 12, 2015 the silver age of dc comics chronicles it all, right down to the wacky shenanigans of televisions batman, which made him the embodiment for the camp sensibility of the 60s and further immortalized the dark knight as a pop culture icon for generations to come. In 1956 rival company dc comics ushered in the socalled silver age of comics by reintroducing superhero titles with significant commercial success. The silver age of comic books useful notes tv tropes. In 1956, julie schwartz started the silver age of comics. Chad busby, the owner of busby antiques, has worked in this area of collecting for over 32 years, and has that knowledge. The silver age was a time of talking gorillas and superpowered pets, of covers that were created before the story and seventeen types of kryptonite. Personally, i like the art and spending money on something that not only do i like the history story behind, but. For this episode kriss and dpalm do something a little different and instead of focus on a particular character, theyre breaking down the history of.
The amazing stylistic history of comic books 99designs. The collections timespan ranges from the late 1930s through to the early 1960s, and includes many thousands of comic books in the superhero, scifi, and horror genres. This page is all about the great comic books that came out in the silver and bronze ages. The silver age of comics refers to an era that ran from 1956 to the early 1970s. Under schwartzs editorial direction, dc entered the silver age with many classic characters revitalized with new origins and updated identities tuned to the modern audience of the 50s. During this era, superhero comic books initially lost steam letting stories of horror, romance, and crime grow in popularity before emerging triumphantly once more with characters like spiderman and the flash. In many cultures the metal silver is generally valuable but less so than gold.
King of comics by mark evanier, and the silver age of dc comics by paul levitz. Dc comics may have launched a wave of new heroes, but one of the most expensive issues to own is the launch of lois lanes comic book series, which gave focus to supermans girlfriend. Best silver age long term investments on a budget i know most people collect comics for art, stories, or for other reasons. Established in february 1991, in queens, ny, weve got a fantastic collection of vintage books, as well as the latest new releases. Enough about marvel, whats up with dcs silver age by. Comic book haul comic pickups comic monday horror comics bronze age silver age mystery box finds duration. Includes all comic books published during the period of 1956 to 1970.
Note that this is the period that spawned the adam west batman series and the superman broadway musical, and no, this is not a coincidence. The silver age of comic books all the tropes wiki fandom. The collectors first appearance and advice apr 21, 2020 the collector is an elder of the universe from the silver age of marvel. There is an interesting interview with neal adams and snippets from other dc paul levitz turns his archivist eye to the silver age of dc, beginning in the mid 1950s to 1970. When you are browsing the racks at your local comic book store and happen upon silver age comic books for sale, you may wonder just what it is that makes them silver. The silver age of comic book art is a beautiful, brilliant work of love and true passion. People do mention the golden age, the silver age, the bronze age, and the modern age. January 21, 2017 weve spent alot of time talking about various factors behind marvels silver age, but we forget that dc was a company with characters that started off the superhero golden age and found some new traction in the 1950s and 1960s that. The history of silver age comic books cosmic comics. Free shipping on many items browse your favorite brands affordable prices.
The comics code authority was created in 1954 to counteract the criticism that comics led to juvenile delinquency. To commemorate dc comics 50th anniversary, dc published crisis on infinite earths as a 12issue comic book event. Silver age comics is one of nycs oldest comic shops. The industry went back to their roots, revived some fan favorites and. Browse comics comic books and pop culture items at silver age comics. 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 1970, and was succeeded by the bronze and modern ages. Strong anecdotal evidence appeared first on gocollect. In the early 1950s, interest in comic book superheroes waned. The silver age was a creative and commercial renaissance period for the comics medium. Apr 03, 2017 technically, the golden age of comics took place between 1938 and 1956. The silver age of comics is marked with a returned focus towards superhero comics. Hey folks the silver age forum has been slow too much tryptophan in the turkey, so ill throw out another thread. The current list of the most valuable silver age comics.
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. Im sure that ward had to scrounge everywhere to find that many comics featuring the man of steel. Feb 07, 2019 the first character corner of 2019 is here. It is an important book in providing the background details of the industry and also in its portraits of the creators of the various comic books. Thus, comic books of the silver age explained superhero phenomenons and origins through science, as opposed to the golden age, which commonly relied on magic or mysticism. Silver age comics shop our large selection superworld. The above is an incredibly truncated and simplified history of an era of comics whose importance is almost impossible to overstate. In another post on high grade ffs, talk turned to some comparisons between ff and asm in terms of importance to the marvel universe and comics in general. Select the range of silver age comic books by making your choice above. The silver age is the informal term applied to a specific period of comic book publishing history. In the marvel age of comics 19611978, legendary writer and editor roy thomas takes you to the heart of this seminal segment in comic history. Crime and horror, romance, western, and other genre gained market share.
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. Hence each comic is considered to be silver age if it is dated from october 1956 to december 1969. Comics historians divide the history of american comic books into ages. In this article, all dates given for various ages are approximate. Top dollar paid for bronze, silver and golden age comics. Get the best deals on superman dc silver age comics 1956 1969 when you shop the largest online selection at. The comic books above are some of the most valuable from the period, but there are many other books from the time that command a massive premium, listed below are some more valuable silver age 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. A lovingly crafted tribute to the superhero comic of the 1960s, the silver age of comic book art revised edition recaptures the fourcolor visionary surge of the era, its jetage psychedelic rush of imagination and the titanic, luminous figures, both. Available in 2 sizes so you can now fit your thickest silver comics into the appropriate bag.
These eras include the golden age 19381950, the silver age 19561970, the. Silver age comics at atkins library is an exhibit of superhero comics published by dc comics and marvel comics during the silver age 1956 c. A silver age is a name often given to a particular period within a history coming after a historical golden age whereby the silver age is a replication, being similarly prestigious and eventful but less so than the prior golden age. Dale roberts comics buys and sells comic books from the 1930s current. Apr 12, 2020 in it, there was a short essay by golden and silver age artist paul reinman, which first appeared in alter ego 4 oct 1962.
Best silver age long term investments on a budget silver. Back issue comics find vintage golden and silver age books. In this series, dc planned to clear up decades of plot inconsistencies, as well as bring together conflicting characters from the golden age and the silver age. Following world war ii, the popularity of superheroes as comic protagonists was in decline and the major comic companies switched to a number of alternative genres such as horror, romance and crime. The silver age lasted from 1954 or 1956 to about 1970 though some people count everything up until 1985 as part of it, folding in the the bronze age of comic books. Similar to the digital comic museum, which we wrote about last week, comic book plus contains a near inexhaustible quantity of golden and silver age comic books. Under schwartzs editorial direction, dc entered the silver age with many classic characters revitalized with new origins and. These eras include the golden age 19381950, the silver age 19561970, the bronze age 19701985, and the modern age 1985present. A occurred in april of 1970 when the green lantern w.
Comic book readers of the silver age were more scientificallyinclined than previous generations. Which gave early collectors carte blanche over the coining of terms, such as the golden age of comics and the silver age of comics. In it, there was a short essay by golden and silver age artist paul reinman, which first appeared in alter ego 4 oct 1962. Use this item to protect and store your collectible silver comics. Enough about marvel, whats up with dcs silver age by alex grand created. While there might not be any mutants or doomsday weapons in the actual history of comics, its panels are every bit as unpredictable. Centering mostly on reproductions of covers, interior art, merchandising, pop culture, and of course thr batman tv show, this book is a wonderful trip down memory lane. A brief history of comic books the pioneer 15001828, victorian 18281883 and platinum 18831938 ages please note.
The silver age was a true pivot point for the history of comics. Nov 04, 2016 the history of comic book styles is one as dynamic as the stories they contain, shaped not only by the hands of countless writers and artists but by millions of readers across nearly a century. Personally, i like the art and spending money on something that not only do i like the history story behind, but something that will only gain value with time. We maintain a wide selection of golden age, silver age, and bronze age comics and collectibles. Without the success of the flash, publishers might have given up on superheroes, leading the genre into extinction. The bcw silver comic bags are an acid free, archival quality product made of crystal clear polypropylene. Of the many great titles produced by marvel during the 60s, which deserves to be top of the rankings. Gerard jones and will jacobs have written a wonderful history of comic book heroes from the silver age late 50s to the present mid90s.
If you want to learn how to do basic grading on vintage comic books then here is a simple tutorial for you. May 01, 20 paul levitz turns his archivist eye to the silver age of dc, beginning in the mid 1950s to 1970. May 30, 2017 the above is an incredibly truncated and simplified history of an era of comics whose importance is almost impossible to overstate. Second, this was before there were comics shops, before there were the yellowcolored ads offering back issues for sale. Dcs silver age focused a lot around superman and his supporting characters, making a lois lane series all but inevitable. When did the bronze age of comic books begin and end. 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. Silver age comics provide you with a look into the past, taking you to an era of books that spanned from 1956 to 1969. In the early 1960s atlas changed its name to marvel comics. The book is not arranged chronologically or by topic, but meanders through the silver age, stopping to touch upon the very diverse dc line of the time.
With the exception of the beginning of the golden age and the beginning of the silver age, little consensus exists on startingending dates. The silver age is commonly considered to have begun in 1956 and to have lasted until about 1975. First, i estimate that there were about 960 comics featuring supermansuperboy or his friends, so its almost 60% of the total. For several decades marvel and dc were the top companies in the industry. Sparkle city comics is most interested in purchasing comic books pre1985, so if youre interested in selling your golden age, silver age or bronze age comics, give us a call at 8007439205. It follows the silver age of comic books, 3 and is followed by the modern age of comic books. Something reinman wrote reminded me of that account from sterankos history of comics. Many comics historians who are fond of the golden age and silver age of comics particularly those who hold the silver age as the marvel age have held forth that very little produced by marvel in the bronze age was quite as significant as the decade prior.
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