SILVER AGE OF COMIC BOOKS

''Showcase #4'' (Oct. 1956), generally considered the start of the Silver Age. Cover art by Carmine Infantino & Joe Kubert.

The 'Silver Age of Comic Books' was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly in the superhero genre, that lasted roughly from the late 1950s/early 1960s to the early 1970s. It is preceded by the Golden Age of Comic Books.
During the Silver Age, the character make-up of superheroes evolved. Writers injected science fiction concepts into the origins and adventures of superheroes. More importantly, superheroes became more human and troubled, and since the Silver Age, character development and personal conflict have been almost as important to the image of a superhero as superpowers and epic adventures.

Contents
Events leading to the Silver Age
History
Origin of the term
End of the Silver Age
Subsequent eras
Stylistic conventions
Comic book covers
Noted Silver Age talents
Editors
Writers
Pencilers
Inkers
Key Issues of the Silver Age
See also
Footnotes
External links

Events leading to the Silver Age


Following World War II, superheroes faced a steady decline in popularity. Their development was complicated by the rise of gritty horror and crime comic books, as well as by national parental concerns ignited by Dr. Fredric Wertham's influential book ''Seduction of the Innocent'', and fanned by U.S. Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency. In response, the comic book industry implemented the Comics Code, which forbade gore, sexual suggestiveness, and disrespect of authorities, among other tenets. This made certain genres more difficult to publish, though comic books, like the similarly constrained media of film and television, of necessity, developed new means of storytelling and new types of stories.

History


''Amazing Fantasy #15'' (1962), the debut of one of the Silver Age's most significant superheroes. Art by Jack Kirby & Steve Ditko.

The beginning (as well as the end) of the Silver Age is cause for debate, but it is generally agreed that the period began with DC Comics’ ''Showcase'' #4 in 1956, which introduced the modern version of the Flash. Under editor Julius Schwartz, the Flash was the first of many old characters revised as streamlined, science fiction-influenced models. Others included Green Lantern, the Atom and Hawkman. DC also introduced The Justice League of America, an all-star group consisting of its most popular characters.
The success of these series meant DC had found a viable format that could make for successful properties under Comics Code Authority restrictions. This helped breathe new life into the medium and sales began to recover.
The period also saw the rise of Marvel Comics, under the guidance of writer-editor Stan Lee and artists/cowriters Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, who introduced more sophisticated characterization and dynamic plotting into superhero comics. The most popular and influential Marvel character of this period was Spider-Man. Other significant and long-lasting Marvel heroes introduced during the Silver Age include The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Daredevil, The X-Men, and Marvel's own all-star group, The Avengers. After an initial period of hesitance, DC began to adopt some of Marvel's creative approaches.
The resurgence of superheroes proved so influential that publishing houses not known for such characters — including Archie Comics, Charlton Comics and Dell Comics — attempted their own superheroes, but met with limited critical and popular success. Tower Comics was an exception with the well-received if short-lived T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents series by Wally Wood.
In addition, new artists, many of whom grew up with comics as well as being formally trained, began to expand the mainstream medium into new art styles. Major examples include Neal Adams who introduced naturalism with his illustrative style, and Jim Steranko who introduced op art, touches of Surrealism, and graphic design elements.
The period hit its commercial peak in 1966-1968 with the popularity of the Batman TV series, which both heightened interest in comics and damaged their public image as a legitimate artistic medium.
Underground comics got their start during the 1960s portion of the Silver Age. However, because the artistic content, goals and marketing of these comic books were so different from the mainstream companies, it is generally considered a separate movement in the medium.

Origin of the term


The Silver Age gets named in a letters column: ''Justice League of America'' #42 (Feb. 1966}; art by Mike Sekowsky (penciler), Murphy Anderson & Bernard Sachs (inkers)

Comics historian and movie producer Michael Uslan traced the origin of the term to the letters column of ''Justice League of America'' #42 (Feb. 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!"[1] The natural hierarchy of gold-silver-bronze, as in Olympic medals, also took hold, and as Uslan writes, "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".1

End of the Silver Age


The precise end of the Silver Age is in some debate. Candidate periods include:

★ Jack Kirby's departure from Marvel Comics to produce Fourth World titles at DC Comics (1970).

★ The retirement of Mort Weisinger, long-time editor of the Superman family of comics for DC (1970). The Superman titles were then divided among several editors, including Julius Schwartz, Murray Boltinoff, E. Nelson Bridwell, Mike Sekowsky and, briefly, Jack Kirby.

★ The change of rules to the Comics Code Authority which allowed for more controversial topics to be discussed (1971). This led to a wave of horror comics such as ''Ghost Rider '' and ''Tomb of Dracula''.

★ When Stan Lee stopped writing for Marvel Comics, at the same time stepping down as Editor-In-Chief (1972).

★ The advent of darker superhero stories in the early 1970s. During this time, Batman returned to his roots as a dubious vigilante, and Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams started the gritty, urban-themed series ''Green Lantern/Green Arrow''

★ The death of Gwen Stacy, the girlfriend of Peter Parker (Spider-Man) in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #121 ("The Night Gwen Stacy Died") (1973).

★ The debut of the "All-New All-Different" X-Men in ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 (1975), restarting a franchise that would dominate subsequent decades.
In summary, by any standard, the Silver Age of Comics ended in the early to, at the very latest, mid-1970s.
Typical Marvel Silver Age cover: silent action and floating heads. ''Iron Man'' #18 (Oct. 1969), art by George Tuska.

Subsequent eras


After a brief period dominated by horror and fantasy titles (such as DC's 'House Of Mystery', 'House of secrets', 'Ghosts','Witching Hour', 'Unexpected', etc, and Marvel's 'Crypt of Shadows', 'Vault of Evil', 'Dead of Night','Chamber of Chills', etc., plus various Warren and Charlton mystery titles) a third period of superheroes (commonly referred to as the Bronze Age) began, with a new wave of creators including writers Steve Englehart, Mike Friedrich, Steve Gerber, Don McGregor, Doug Moench, and Len Wein, and artists such as Rich Buckler, Marshall Rogers, P. Craig Russell, and Bernie Wrightson.
The period after that is variously referred to as the Modern Age of Comic Books, the Dark Age of Comic Books (referring to both a decline in the industry and the popularity of grim titles such as Frank Miller's '' and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' ''Watchmen''), the Iron Age of Comic Books, or the Diamond Age of Comic Books (suggested by Scott McCloud, with the different facets signifying the current diversity in the medium).
The term "Neo-silver", (a term many attribute to IGN columnist Peter Sanderson) has been used as of late to describe comics such as Kurt Busiek's ''Astro City'' that attempt to return to the lighter, more noble aspects of Silver Age comics while retaining the maturity and complexity of later ages.
The state of the comic book industry as of February 2007, especially that of DC Comics, has been labeled by fans as a second silver age, due to the return of several of the concepts prevalent in the first silver age.

Stylistic conventions


Certain styles and conventions were generally common to titles during the Silver Age.
It was common for the first page (also called the "splash page") to serve as a second cover, giving a tease to what was to come later in the issue. Most stories actually started on page two.
Comic book covers

DC covers of the Silver Age are notable for the abundance of speech balloons. Marvel, after its first year or so, generally opted for an action scene or a dramatic tableau, frequently with such symbolic elements as floating heads watching and reacting, and only returned to speech balloons occasionally toward the end of the era — creating controversy among Marvelites at the time. Speech balloons eventually fell out of favor and are rarely seen on covers today, except as homage or parody.

Noted Silver Age talents


During this period in mainstream companies, artists, especially at Marvel, began to play an increasingly important role as story co-plotters.
The groundbreaking ''Fantastic Four'' #1 (Nov. 1961). Cover art by Jack Kirby and unconfirmed inker.

Eastern mysticism meets American sideshow: Deadman in ''Strange Adventures'' #207 (Dec. 1967). Art by Neal Adams.

''Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' #7 (Dec. 1968): signature surrealism by Jim Steranko.

Editors


★ Dick Giordano

★ Stan Lee

★ Jack Schiff

★ Julius Schwartz

★ Mort Weisinger
Writers


★ Otto Binder

★ John Broome

★ Arnold Drake

★ Gary Friedrich

★ Joe Gill

★ Archie Goodwin

★ Edmond Hamilton

★ Bob Haney

★ Robert Kanigher

★ Stan Lee

★ Dennis O'Neil

★ Jerry Siegel

★ Jim Steranko

★ Roy Thomas

★ Marv Wolfman
Pencilers


★ Neal Adams

★ Murphy Anderson

★ Jim Aparo

★ Dick Ayers

★ Wayne Boring

★ John Buscema

★ Sal Buscema

★ Nick Cardy

★ Gene Colan

★ Dan DeCarlo

★ Steve Ditko

★ Ramona Fradon

★ Stanley Goldberg

★ Don Heck

★ Carmine Infantino

★ Gil Kane

★ Jack Kirby

★ Joe Kubert

★ Sheldon Moldoff

★ Jim Mooney

★ John Romita, Sr.

★ Mike Sekowsky

★ John Severin

★ Marie Severin

★ Jim Steranko

★ Curt Swan

★ Herb Trimpe

★ George Tuska

★ Wally Wood
Inkers


★ Jack Abel

★ Dan Adkins

★ Murphy Anderson

★ Dick Ayers

★ Vince Colletta

★ Joe Giella

★ Sid Greene

★ George Klein

★ Paul Reinman

★ George Roussos

★ Joe Sinnott

★ Chic Stone

Key Issues of the Silver Age


'DC Comics'
TitleIssuePublisherRelevance
Adventure Comics247DC ComicsSuperboy meets the Legion of Super-Heroes
Brave and the Bold28DC Comics1st Appearance of the Justice League of America
Detective Comics225DC Comics1st Appearance of Martian Manhunter
Detective Comics327DC ComicsNew Direction for Batman
Detective Comics359DC ComicsThe New Batgirl
Doom Patrol121DC ComicsEntire team dies, a first in comics history
Flash123DC ComicsBarry Allen meets Golden Age Flash
House of Secrets92DC Comics1st Appearance of the Swamp Thing
Justice League of America1DC ComicsFirst Issue
Our Army at War81DC Comics1st Appearance of Sgt. Rock
Showcase4DC Comics1st Appearance of Barry Allen as the Flash
Showcase9DC ComicsLois Lane stars in her own adventure
Showcase22DC Comics1st Appearance of Silver Age Green Lantern
Showcase34DC Comics1st Appearance of Ray Palmer as the Atom
Superman233DC ComicsClark Kent becomes a television reporter
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen1DC ComicsJimmy Olsen gets his own series
World’s Finest Comics71DC ComicsBatman and Superman learn each other’s secret identities

'Marvel Comics'
TitleIssuePublisherRelevance
Amazing Fantasy15Marvel1st Appearance of Spider-Man
Amazing Spider-Man1MarvelSpider-Man goes solo
Amazing Spider-Man3Marvel1st Appearance of Dr. Octopus
Amazing Spider-Man14Marvel1st Appearance of Green Goblin
Amazing Spider-Man39MarvelUnmasked by the Green Goblin
Amazing Spider-Man50Marvel1st Appearance of Kingpin
Amazing Spider-Man96MarvelAnti-drug theme, no Comics Code approval
Avengers4Marvel1st Silver Age Appearance of Captain America
Daredevil1Marvel1st Appearance of Daredevil
Fantastic Four1Marvel1st Appearance of FF
Fantastic Four4Marvel1st Silver Age Appearance of Sub-Mariner
Fantastic Four5Marvel1st Appearance of Dr. Doom
Fantastic Four48Marvel1st Appearance of Silver Surfer
Fantastic Four52Marvel1st Appearance of Black Panther
Hulk1Marvel1st Appearance of Hulk
Journey Into Mystery83Marvel1st Appearance of Thor
Marvel Super-Heroes12Marvel1st Appearance of Captain Marvel
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.1MarvelJim Steranko artwork
Strange Tales110Marvel1st Appearance of Dr. Strange
Strange Tales135MarvelNick Fury as lead character
Tales of Suspense39Marvel1st Appearance of Iron Man
Tales of Suspense59MarvelCaptain America and Iron Man have their own series
Tales to Astonish27Marvel1st Appearance of Hank Pym
X-Men1Marvel1st Appearance of X-Men

See also



★ Golden Age of Comic Books

★ Bronze Age of Comic Books

★ Modern Age of Comic Books

Footnotes


1. ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #54 (Nov. 2005), p. 79

External links



★ Unca Cheeks' Silver Age Comics Site

★ Dial B For Blog

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