Silver Age of Comic Books
The
Silver Age of Comic Books is an informal name for the 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 followed 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 a superhero's
mythos as super powers and epic adventures.
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.
 |
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 Mort Weisinger, 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 â€" including
Archie Comics,
Charlton Comics and
Dell Comics â€" 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.
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!" 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 expessions 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."
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. The Superman titles were divided among several editors, including Julius Schwartz, Murray Boltinoff, E. Nelson Bridwell, Mike Sekowsky and, briefly, Jack Kirby.
* 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 first updating of the
Comics Code in the early 1970s, which led to a wave of horror comics such as
Ghost Rider and
Tomb of Dracula.
* The death of
Gwen Stacy, the girlfriend of Peter Parker (
Spider-Man) in
The Amazing Spider-Man #121, 1973 ("
The Night Gwen Stacy Died").
* 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.
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Typical Marvel Silver Age cover: silent action and floating heads. Iron Man #18 (Oct. 1969), art by George Tuska. |
After a brief period dominated by horror and fantasy 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
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 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.com 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.
Certain styles and conventions were generally common to titles during the Silver Age.
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 â€" 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.
During this period in mainstream companies, artists, especially at Marvel, began to play an increasingly important role as story co-plotters.
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The groundbreaking Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961). Cover art by Jack Kirby (penciller) & Dick Ayers (inker; unconfirmed). |
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Eastern mysticism meets American sideshow: Deadman in Strange Adventures #207 (Dec. 1967). Art by Neal Adams. |
Editors
*
Dick Giordano*
Stan Lee*
Jack Schiff*
Julius Schwartz*
Mort WeisingerWriters
*
Otto Binder*
John Broome*
Arnold Drake*
Gary Friedrich*
Joe Gill*
Archie Goodwin*
Bob Haney*
Robert Kanigher*
Stan Lee*
Dennis O'Neil*
Jerry Siegel*
Jim Steranko*
Roy Thomas*
Marv WolfmanPencilers
*
Neal Adams*
Murphy Anderson*
Jim Aparo*
Dick Ayers*
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*
Jim Mooney*
Mike Sekowsky*
John Severin*
Marie Severin*
Jim Steranko*
Curt Swan*
Herb Trimpe*
George Tuska*
Wally WoodInkers
*
Jack Abel*
Dan Adkins*
Murphy Anderson*
Dick Ayers *
Vince Colletta*
Joe Giella*
Sid Greene*
George Klein*
Paul Reinman*
George Roussos*
Joe Sinnott*
Chic Stone*
Unca Cheeks' Silver Age Comics Site*
Alter Ego-Magazine Devoted to Golden & Silver Age Comics Edited by Comics Writer/Editor Roy Thomas*
Golden Age of Comic Books*
Bronze Age of Comic Books*
Modern Age of Comic Books*
Alter Ego Vol. 3, #54 (Nov. 2005), p. 79
* Ibid.
