What's Your Age?

[CrosshairCollie]

No, not your chronological age. What's your favorite 'Age' of comics to emulate when you play and run a game?

Me? I'm Silver Age all the way. Keep things light, the heroes are heroes, the villains are villains. Nice 'n' neat, but still with plenty of room for twists and turns.

[death tribble]

When we played it was 80s. So I voted accordingly

[Hermit]

I tend to waver between Silver and Bronze myself, it really depends on my mood. When asked this before, I jokingly refered to my style as 'tarnished silver'. I enjoy throwing a bit of a loop my players' ways just when they think it is all one way or another. I'm afraid I just don't care for 'Iron' or 'lead' or whatever they call it... I never saw the appeal of the trench coated infested angst fest that was much of those ages. I want heroes I can like, even outright admire, and frankly, many in that 'realistic' vein just seemed like total a-holes I wouldn't want to be near, let alone read about.

I do think that the recent troubles in the real world have driven me closer to the Silver side. Escapism being what it is, I find a simpler world of black and white more appealing now.

[Lord Liaden]

I started seriously collecting during the early Bronze Age in the mid-'70's, and perhaps that helped shape my preferences. I've never cared for really "dark" comics - I get enough dark in real life. While I enjoy the action and clarity of four-color comics, I also like some thought provocation, character conflict and growth, and a little gray mixed into the black and white, which I think is the Bronze Age flavor.

[Blue]

I like the bitter, Frank Miller "Dark knight" Batman, the "Iron Man" that was Tony Stark with a drinking problem... As well documented, I'm a big fan of "flawed" heroes. There's something more heroic about overcoming the negative that you start with; People who are heroic despite everything pushing them the opposite direction.

I guess it would have have been shorter for me to say, "I vote Bronze".

I like all the others. Difference between 80's darkness and 90's darkness being a matter of intent. The 80's guys had the darkness but strived for good. The 90's guys tend to revel in being in the gray zone, the ends justifying the means.

[Hermit]

Originally posted by Blue


I like all the others. Difference between 80's darkness and 90's darkness being a matter of intent. The 80's guys had the darkness but strived for good. The 90's guys tend to revel in being in the gray zone, the ends justifying the means.

Well said Blue. I guess that's my problem with the 90's grey guys. Yes, they're super, but there's very little heroic about them. Extreme generalization, I admit.

[Supreme]

Originally posted by CrosshairCollie
No, not your chronological age. What's your favorite 'Age' of comics to emulate when you play and run a game?

Me? I'm Silver Age all the way. Keep things light, the heroes are heroes, the villains are villains. Nice 'n' neat, but still with plenty of room for twists and turns.
I agree though most people put the Silver Age between 1954 (when the new Flash debuted in Showcase #4) and about 1970, or thereabouts (when social acitivists like the new Green Arrow hit the scene). Some also site the death of Gwen Stacy (early 70s some time) as the end of the Silver Age.

[CPaladino]

Again lil ole me and my minority vote for the brooding anti-hero... :)

[Hermit]

Originally posted by CPaladino
Again lil ole me and my minority vote for the brooding anti-hero... :)
Burn the heretic!

;)

[CrosshairCollie]

Originally posted by Supreme
I agree though most people put the Silver Age between 1954 (when the new Flash debuted in Showcase #4) and about 1970, or thereabouts (when social acitivists like the new Green Arrow hit the scene). Some also site the death of Gwen Stacy (early 70s some time) as the end of the Silver Age.

Yeah, I know, but I didn't want to spam the poll that badly. :) Besides, I'm sure we all own the Champions genre book by now. ;)

[RDU Neil]

Seems I'm with the majority on the "Bronze Age" thing... though I was pulled toward the '90s thing as well. Late '90s vs. the "chip on the shoulder, teeth gritted, gun shaped like a toaster, leaping into battle with my crotch exposed" early '90s crap. Image started out horribly, but when writers like Robinson and Moore took over books like WildCATS they gave the characters some personality and motivation that made them quite interesting.

I've always loved the '90s concept that Busiek really brought to fruition... of the "normal" in a "supernormal world." Marvels, Astro City were great, because they took a street level view of the Silver Age.

Also, it's tough to debate the Silver Age. Marvel Silver Age, as corny as it could be, was a SO much better than the downright silly-ness of DC Silver Age. At least Marvel stayed away from stupid super-pets and the like. They had internal conflict and human concerns.

The only thing I can say for the '90s anti-hero, is that a lot of people would take this role, if given super powers. Humans are selfish and close minded beasts, and given the power to be above your fellow man, I still believe most people would be very ugly and dangerous. Heck, I think most people would be out and out supervillains... the anti-hero is often a step up from that!

My games have always been about "people with powers" not necessarily heroes. What the player does when they have great power is very interesting, and sometimes evil, and that makes for very fascinating games... seeing where people draw their own line, rather than forcing a mold on them.

[FTJoshua]

I voted Iron. Our heroes -- if that's what they are -- are fairly dark in nature, there is no such thing as a CAK (there was one, once, but that time has passed). Vengeful, Vigilante Mentality, Casual Killer, Overconfidence rule the day.

I can easily see where it ain't everyone cuppa tea. In our group, we play <b>Good Vs. Evil</b> is black and white; but <b>Right Vs. Wrong</b> is never going to be so clear cut. Our catch phrase is, "We're just trying to do the right thing." But there's a lot of evil in the world, and sometimes, you have to dip into evil to destroy it. Of course, there are risks in doing so.

The thing I like about Iron Age is it allows me to play a little values clarification with myself, test those limits a little, that--God willing--will never come up in real life. Our campaign is a safe playground to find out what we're made of...or hope we're made of. There are many "issues" out there in the Real World that I never thought much about until a GM brought them up in a campaign, and I was forced to reckon with them. Very educational.

Plus, fighting is fun. :)

[RDU Neil]

Originally posted by FTJoshua
I voted Iron. Our heroes -- if that's what they are -- are fairly dark in nature, there is no such thing as a CAK (there was one, once, but that time has passed). Vengeful, Vigilante Mentality, Casual Killer, Overconfidence rule the day.

I can easily see where it ain't everyone cuppa tea. In our group, we play <b>Good Vs. Evil</b> is black and white; but <b>Right Vs. Wrong</b> is never going to be so clear cut. Our catch phrase is, "We're just trying to do the right thing." But there's a lot of evil in the world, and sometimes, you have to dip into evil to destroy it. Of course, there are risks in doing so.

The thing I like about Iron Age is it allows me to play a little values clarification with myself, test those limits a little, that--God willing--will never come up in real life. Our campaign is a safe playground to find out what we're made of...or hope we're made of. There are many "issues" out there in the Real World that I never thought much about until a GM brought them up in a campaign, and I was forced to reckon with them. Very educational.

Plus, fighting is fun. :)

Well, Joshua... sounds like you'd fit right in with our games. :)

[Dynamo]

I often find stories from the gold and silver ages somewhat corny and inconsistent, while the whole anti-hero thing from the iron age doesn't do much for me, so I guess that leaves me in the bronze age camp. Yeah, come to think of it, striving for something better while still dealing with a bit of tarnish makes for better stories in my opinion.

[nHammer]

Silver Age with a dash of Bronze, and a sprinkle of Iron.:D

[CPaladino]

Us too... Despite my blatant "pimping" of the Punisher, usually our Dark Champs are more like the X-Men movie, and/or Super-Powered X-Files.

The team is:
**Protector - Brick good-guy. Super-strength; Gliding (flying was too 4-color); High def so that normal guns don't hurt him (much). Very 4-color in personality. Always keeps his cool, always civil to normals and cops. Main weapon Punching. He may even have a CAK.
**Shadow(something) - (Sorry haven't played the campaign in like 2 years). Martial artist. Very quiet. Uses katanas on the tough guys, or normal martial arts on the normals.
**Triggerman - Sniper. Quiet, not much personality. Shoots bad guys.
**Cyberpunk - Belongs in a game of Shadowrun. Street punk w/ all kinds of cybernetic enhancements. Very mechanical, cocky, etc. (A mutant w/ a chainsaw held to a highschool girl's neck was demanding things... What's he do? Takes a shot at the mutant -- and MISSES. Take a guess what happened next...)

Very good vs. evil, but your methods are questioniable in 2/4 guys on the team.

[Kid Chaos]

I run something of a mix but I guess you would describe it more as a very 4 colour bronze campaign, with heavy shades of iron at times.

[Doug McCrae]

There were quite a few killer vigilantes in the Golden Age - The Comet, The Hangman, Flag Man, Hunchback, Laughing Mask, Mouthpiece, Spider, Witness. Even Batman and Superman did their share of killing, early on. See Jesse Nevins Golden Age Heroes Directory (http://ratmmjess.tripod.com/gold/page.html)

For maximum light/minimum dark, I think you want 50s DC. A period I'm a big fan of BTW. Marvel has tended to be darker throughout its history. Except John Byrne's She-Hulk.

[Doug McCrae]

Originally posted by RDU Neil
Also, it's tough to debate the Silver Age. Marvel Silver Age, as corny as it could be, was a SO much better than the downright silly-ness of DC Silver Age. At least Marvel stayed away from stupid super-pets and the like. Well, the comics were aimed at 8 year olds. Do you criticise Sesame Street for having a talking bird in it?

[Doug McCrae]

To answer the original question my games tend to be fairly light fare, with lots of superhero schtick elements, like acronymically named organisations. I guess that's Silver Age by your system, though they're usually set in the present day.

I've often thought the early 90s Image Era would be the best period to set a game for most players weaned on monster killing, treasure grabbing rpgs. I plan to do so at some point.

[Supreme]

Originally posted by RDU Neil
...Also, it's tough to debate the Silver Age. Marvel Silver Age, as corny as it could be, was a SO much better than the downright silly-ness of DC Silver Age. At least Marvel stayed away from stupid super-pets and the like. They had internal conflict and human concerns...

The super-pets were stupid, but were really a consequence of the decline in super-hero sales of the post-War/pre-Silver Age. From about '48 to '54 one of the big sellers in comics was not super-heroes, but cutesy animals. DC responded with Krypto the Superdog and Ace the Bat-Hound. DC's Silver Age also birthed a lot of great classic concepts: alternate Earths, sci-fi super-heroes like the Legion of Super-Heroes, etc.

Marvel (and when I say "Marvel" I mean Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby) improved upon DC's work, but it was still DC's work which laid the foundation for Marvel's. Without the Teen Titans, you wouldn't have the X-Men. Without the Justice League of America, you wouldn't have the Avengers. Without Green Arrow, you wouldn't have the Punisher.

[Doug McCrae]

Originally posted by Supreme
Without the Teen Titans, you wouldn't have the X-Men.How do you mean? AFAIK, the X-Men preceded the Teen Titans, though not by much.

[Killer Shrike]

I voted Iron, but I meant to vote Bronze (damn cliky finger!)

I tend to have a grittier, more fatalistic approach in most games (some have termed it 'brutal' --ahem), but I try to minimize that in a Supers game as it just seems out of place to me. I was a big Valiant fan (I really liked Eternal Warrior, XO Manowar, H.A.R.D. Corps and the Harbingers particularly), really like anything Ross has been involved in, and Earth X was really kewl, but my comics roots were in the Uncanny X-Men and sundry other Mutant titles from Fall of the Mutants on which I think qualifies as Bronze Age off the top of my head. I generally disliked Image comics, though I really wanted to like Wildcats, it was just too bad. I never liked Spawn and have never understood the appeal, and does anyone still remember Liefield? Why did people ever think he was good? I mean, come on.



Oh well, C'est la vie.

[RDU Neil]

Originally posted by Supreme
The super-pets were stupid, but were really a consequence of the decline in super-hero sales of the post-War/pre-Silver Age. From about '48 to '54 one of the big sellers in comics was not super-heroes, but cutesy animals. DC responded with Krypto the Superdog and Ace the Bat-Hound. DC's Silver Age also birthed a lot of great classic concepts: alternate Earths, sci-fi super-heroes like the Legion of Super-Heroes, etc.

Marvel (and when I say "Marvel" I mean Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby) improved upon DC's work, but it was still DC's work which laid the foundation for Marvel's. Without the Teen Titans, you wouldn't have the X-Men. Without the Justice League of America, you wouldn't have the Avengers. Without Green Arrow, you wouldn't have the Punisher.

I thought the X-Men was ripped off of Doom Patrol, actually.

Hey, don't get me wrong... I'm a major DC head... NOW. Have bought 75% of DCU comics published since Crisis in the '80s. Despite the awful Zero Hour era, I've found the DCU to have a more varied and mature universe, with at least an element of "legacy" going on. By this I mean, characters age and retire or die, and others take their place. I despise the "7 Year" concept in Marvel. I love the concept of Byrne's Generations... I just wish someone other than he was writing it... less goofy and melodramatic... and that the entire DCU would follow suit.

I've always wanted Batman to be the fourth person in the suit... Superman to be relatively unaging, and Lois to have died of old age in the '80s... etc. It'll never happen... except in MY gaming world. That's why I game... to do right what the comics get wrong! :D

[st barbara]

If Lois is dead, did Supes ever fall in love again or is he still pining for his lost love ? (Oh Lord ! Images of an angst ridden Superman leap to mind ! No thanks !)

[Superskrull]

Originally posted by Doug McCrae
How do you mean? AFAIK, the X-Men preceded the Teen Titans, though not by much.

Wrong.
The Teen titans were a 60's comic that stretched into the 70's. They were generally horrible for me even as a kid. At one point they even had the team outfought by a stinkin' jewel thief. This was team including Wonder Girl (superstrength and speed) Kid Flash (lightspeed-grade speedster) and Robin. Robin alone should stomp a mudhole in a jewel thief and walk it dry. He could deck adults at the tender age of 10. Anyway, after the 70's had passed and the X-men had been reinvented with newer characters by Len Wein & Dave Cockrum,Len Wein came back to DC as an editor. He & Marv Wolfman worked with George Perez to revamp the Teen Titans as the New Teen Titans. Worked like a charm, too.

[Superskrull]

Sadly, though I love the Golden and Silver ages, I can't seem to run a game without some blood spilling now and again, so I invariably degenerate to Bronze.

[Mutant for Hire]

Golden Age: late 30's-40's
Silver Age: 50's-60's
Bronze Age: 70's-80's
Iron Age: 90's

In general, the post WWII revival was the Silver Age and in fact I think that a lot of people consider the Silver Age to have ended in the 70's with Gwen Stacy's death in Spiderman.

If I had to give a year for the Bronze Age ending, I would give it to be around the time of the destruction of the New Mutants and the formation of X-Force (I freely admit the New Mutants were one of my favorite titles and I have never forgiven Marvel for what they did to it). It took some time for the damage to spread enough to be noticable, but that was the time the Bronze Age ended for me, so far as I was concerned.

Of course with the Iron Age its tricky since we've been seeing increased fragmentation of the comic book market. You have the heirs of Image selling books as well as the Astro City fans. And of course manga of all stripes is flooding into the country and that's having an influence as well. In fact you might even say the Iron Age has ended (each Age getting increasingly shorter since the SIlver Age) and we're now in a fragmented Age.

[Doc Democracy]

Originally posted by Superskrull
Sadly, though I love the Golden and Silver ages, I can't seem to run a game without some blood spilling now and again, so I invariably degenerate to Bronze.

I can usually avoid the spilt blood. I love the Golden Age - the archetypes and patriotism mean my players have to work hard to get those experience points. If they don't get the flavour they do badly XP wise.

Obviously the plots have to be slightly more demanding than the original JSA and stuff but the Roy Thomas All-Star Squadron stuff is a fantastic basis for this kind of game.

And if you feel the need to spill blood then put them on a battlefield somewhere - there was plenty of blood being spilt at the time.

[Supreme]

Originally posted by Doug McCrae
How do you mean? AFAIK, the X-Men preceded the Teen Titans, though not by much.
According to the Comic Book History Website (http://www.dereksantos.com/comicpage/silver2.html) the Teen Titans debuted in 4/58. The X-Men debuted in 9/63.

[Robert Harrison]

Originally posted by Blue
I like the bitter, Frank Miller "Dark knight" Batman, the "Iron Man" that was Tony Stark with a drinking problem...

Megadittoes. I would add "The Watchmen" to the above list of dark, compelling comics. In fact, my comic-book buying dwindled away to nothing shortly after I bought and read "The Watchmen" and Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" in '85-'86. No other comics I've bought or read since then have really done it for me like these two mini-series.

[SuperPheemy]

Like Hermit (get out of my head, Cap doesn't have Telepathy!) I'm partial to the transition from Silver to Bronze. Like in Iron Man after Tony kicked the booze, but still managed to get himself involved with a stalker girlfriend who ultimately gunned him down. On the one hand, we have the flashy, primary-color laden "Golden Avenger" squaring off against a "Spymaster" who wears a true blue and canary yellow outfit, yet on the other we have a recovering alcoholic shot in the spine by a jealous girlfriend. I really liked that mix.

[Hermit]

Originally posted by SuperPheemy
Like Hermit (get out of my head, Cap doesn't have Telepathy!) I'm partial to the transition from Silver to Bronze. .
But it's so comfy!
:)

I think, while a GM sets the 'age' for his games over all, sometimes Players define, by their very concepts, the age their specific character is in. I've seen games where a Golden Age Patriot type worked side by side with an Iron age vigilante while the rest of the team fell in between. It does not always work, but when it does, it can be interesting to say the least.

[Uncle Shecky]

Originally posted by Robert Harrison
... In fact, my comic-book buying dwindled away to nothing shortly after I bought and read "The Watchmen" and Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" in '85-'86. No other comics I've bought or read since then have really done it for me like these two mini-series.

I had a similar experience: read Watchmen and Dark Knight, and afterwards thought almost everything else was very weak in comparison. I stopped buying almost everything I'd been reading.

There were a lot of good comics in the late 80s and early 90s though, they just got buried under piles of X-crement. Some of my favorite titles (the Sandman, the Tick, the Maxx) appeared or were thriving during that period.

One great thing about comics now is the variation in tone: some are nearly Silver Age or early Bronze in tone, and would've been right at home in the mid 70s. I don't like these kind of comics anymore. I can't stand anything Geoff Johns writes. I don't like the really nihilistic pseudo-realistic comics either. (Mark Millar's Ultimates is probably my least favorite comic book ever. I'd rather read U.S. 1 Trucking.) But I'm glad those of you who like Johns and Millar can find those kinds of things to read. I think most readers can find some comic books that suit their tastes now, and that's a good situation for the industry.

[Blue]

This was gonna be a "me too post" about waning interest after the Dark Knight stuff, but a little research proved me wrong first. That was '86. I think I actually stopped collecting after Claremont left the Xmen as a regular writer ('91-ish). I'm such a continuity freak that I enjoy writers who pull in forgotten story threads, and Claremont ruled on that count. After that, I came back to comics for a little of John Constantine and a lot of Gaiman's Sandman. So I'm admittedly out of touch with the modern comic market.

Perhaps that's also why I'm in the Bronze age: A bad case of "golden oldies syndrome". You know how parents and such tend to idealize a partof their past. If I searched the market place I'd probably find something modern I liked.

[RDU Neil]

Originally posted by Blue
This was gonna be a "me too post" about waning interest after the Dark Knight stuff, but a little research proved me wrong first. That was '86. I think I actually stopped collecting after Claremont left the Xmen as a regular writer ('91-ish). I'm such a continuity freak that I enjoy writers who pull in forgotten story threads, and Claremont ruled on that count. After that, I came back to comics for a little of John Constantine and a lot of Gaiman's Sandman. So I'm admittedly out of touch with the modern comic market.

Perhaps that's also why I'm in the Bronze age: A bad case of "golden oldies syndrome". You know how parents and such tend to idealize a partof their past. If I searched the market place I'd probably find something modern I liked.

As someone mentioned above, the market is so fragmented these days that it is quite easy to find something for everyone... but not necessarily a LOT of anything except X-books. I've been collecting for a couple decades, and it just isn't the same, anymore. The idea of a company have a kind of style "Marvel vs. DC" kind of thing, is really past. Marvel puts out a purely superhero selection, but they range from Alias (not the show) to Ultimate Spider-Man... both by the same writer... but VERY, VERY different in tone.

DC is even more diversified, publishing the Thundercats and 100 Bullets and Action Comics to Astro City. Image has a wide variety of creator owned books... POWERS or Noble Causes are interesting looks at Supers, plus there is a lot more non-Super stuff out there.

Then there is CrossGen. Something for everyone here!

It's worth a visit to the comic store.:)

[zornwil]

I put Bronze as that seemed closest, I don't run stuff that's so gritty it's always grim, some elements are more daffy, something along the lines of a combo of Dark Knight and Flaming Carrot in some ways, though that overstates by far my case, I don't think my games are as good as those comics are, but along that vein in certain ways.

[Fry Daddy]

I love the Silver Age, but my campaigns usually are, like someone on here put it, tarnished Silver. There are some moral gray areas and the heroes do suffer defeats and consequences for their actions.

[Doug McCrae]

Originally posted by Supreme
According to the Comic Book History Website (http://www.dereksantos.com/comicpage/silver2.html) the Teen Titans debuted in 4/58. The X-Men debuted in 9/63. I couldn't find any mention of the Teen Titans on that page. 4/58 *is* the first appearance of the LSH however and the page contains the line, "April 1958 brought Adventure Comics No. 247 featuring the appearance of one of the most enduring teen superteams of them all, the Legion of Super-Heroes."

According to both Overstreet and Who's Who the Teen Titans first appeared in The Brave And The Bold #54 (6-7/64), the lineup comprising Kid Flash, Robin and Aqualad.

[Doug McCrae]

Originally posted by Superskrull
Wrong.
The Teen titans were a 60's comic that stretched into the 70's... Anyway, after the 70's had passed and the X-men had been reinvented with newer characters by Len Wein & Dave Cockrum,Len Wein came back to DC as an editor. He & Marv Wolfman worked with George Perez to revamp the Teen Titans as the New Teen Titans. Worked like a charm, too.
I disagree. With both the first and second 'coming', Titans followed X-Men.

Original X-Men - X-MEN #1 (9/63*)
Original Teen Titans - THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #54 (6-7/64)

2nd generation X-Men - GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1 (Sum, 75)
New Teen Titans - NEW TEEN TITANs #1 (11/80)

You could argue that in fact the Teen Titans were first cuz Robin appeared in 1940 and Speedy in 1941, but you're not, so let's forget about that.

I think the lineage of the X-Men flows originally from the ordinary teen comics of the 40s (like Archie) by way of Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. That's where you get the teen part. The hated/feared minority aspect looks a bit like Doom Patrol but I think the real inspiration were the Metal Men. Mutants = Robots. Both non-human. Both different. Both regarded as inferior. The way Dr. Will Magnus treated those robots was shameful.

*All dates from Overstreet

[Kevin Scrivner]

My campaigns are a mixture of Gold and Silver. The player-characters are expected to be heroic good guys, and there are consequences if they stray from the straight and narrow. ("Nice Thungarians don't." "Don't what?" "They just ... don't.") Villains are villainous because they choose to be; none of this "my mommy didn't treat me right so I'm entitled to be warped" nonsense. I tend to throw lots of robotic foes at my players; they can smash them without guilt about taking human life -- since they're Golden Age they don't worry about the nuances of destroying robotic life. Campaigns consist of colorful combats connected by shadowy schemes of a master villain who is often not written up until needed. The bad guy has henchmen that range from agent to superheroic level.

Unfortunately, while my players sometimes seek to recreate Golden Age characters they've seen in comics or movie serials, their playing style is firmly rooted in the Iron Age of 1990s rugged vigilante thuggery. Combat monsters are inherently ferrous in their role-playing. :(

[Arthur]

My genre of choice is the "real world plus powers" a la the Wild Cards books. After some deliberation, I decided that qualified as a vote for "Iron Age" (close enough). I stopped collecting comics in 1992, and have picked up just a few TPBs since then.

[Darkstar]

My campaign is definitely Bronze Age, mainly because that was the period when I was collecting comics (and when I started running Champions). However, I also do like the combination of heroes who still see themselves as following a heroic ideal and the shades of grey that they have to deal with. Since my campaigns also include a fair amount of Lovecraftian horror, there is a underlying darkness which I guess sets me in late Bronze age.

[tmutant]

I prefer a somewhat lighthearted campaign that is occasionally gritty. Too much realism can take the fun out of playing, not enough and there is no challenge for the players. I guess that qualifies as Bronze Age.

[st barbara]

To Kevin Scrivner It's an interesting thing about 'combat monsters". When I first created "St Barbara" I wanted a character that looked cute and had acrobatics, flight and ranged energy projection powers. What I have ended up with is that yes, but it also seems to be the teams "combat monster", with a whole load of psychological 'triggers' that send her feral ! Her energy blast being explosive can cause a lot of spectacular property damage ! This is a side effest of the game I guess, combined with the fact that i'm not sure that I WANT to buy off some of the psychological triggers that turn her into a "power blasting tigress" (That's a quote from aan old "X-Men", misquote actually because it refers to "cyclops"). I missed the game on saturday (largely because I did not want to play an "evil duplicate" of "St B"), but i'm told that the evil "St Barbara" caused a certain amount of havoc; largely because she was played like a "combat monster" rather than in my more careful, laid back style ! Hmmm ! Must give this idea some thought. (Insert evil smile here !)

[Tasha]

I actually like the late Bronze age on to the Iron age. I just want my character to feel like a real person. Most golden age and Silver age characters are not very accessable to me. Let me be a hero, but let me have real aspiration and motivations.

Tasha :)

[Tasha]

Originally posted by Blue
This was gonna be a "me too post" about waning interest after the Dark Knight stuff, but a little research proved me wrong first. That was '86. I think I actually stopped collecting after Claremont left the Xmen as a regular writer ('91-ish). I'm such a continuity freak that I enjoy writers who pull in forgotten story threads, and Claremont ruled on that count. After that, I came back to comics for a little of John Constantine and a lot of Gaiman's Sandman. So I'm admittedly out of touch with the modern comic market.

Perhaps that's also why I'm in the Bronze age: A bad case of "golden oldies syndrome". You know how parents and such tend to idealize a partof their past. If I searched the market place I'd probably find something modern I liked.

Right after Dark Knight and The Watchmen. I found myself attracted to the independants like First comics and Comico. I was reading Badger, Nexus, GrimJack, Elementals, and a bunch of others that I can't remember now. I was also caught up in Cerebus the Aardvark's Church and State story Arc. I still read the X titles until the mid 90s then I lost interest in collecting comics. I also had a long period of being poor enough to not be able to afford any Comics. So I really didn't start to pick up any comics till very recently. I noticed an X-men anthology that looked interesting. So I picked it up. So now I am somewhat hooked on Ultimate X-men and New X-Men. The characters were interesting, they didn't pull their punches to follow some corporate writing policy. The characters are fun, also I find them to still be "heroic". Unlike those ^%$^%$ Bastards in the Ultimates. Damn them for taking some of the most likable characters in the Marvel Universe and making all of them Unheroic and annoying. Hell, I still am annoyed with an Anti-Mutant comment that Cap made during the Secret Wars. So I dont' think that I will pick any more issues of The Ultimates up.

As I said before. I choose the Iron Age. Not because I like Angsty, Murdering, Bigoted, Wife beating bastards, but because I can see real people who have extraordinary powers trying to do the right thing. The feel human, Golden age Characters just feel like Toons, cardboard like and full of Cliche. Silver Age is somewhat better, but DC has forever messed up this genre with the Camp of the 70s. Bronze age is better, but still with artificial limits to how the characters would act. Late Bronze age and Iron age just feel freer.

Tasha :)

[Evil Toki]

Big fan of people with powers, kind of settings, and not so much superheroes... but I also mix, the silver-age in their for fun, and well I just mix things up, and try to produce a good story :)

I voted for Iron Age, overall currently reading Extreme X-Men, not so bad...

[Syberdwarf2]

I had to vote for the Iron Age. So much has happened to the genre since I started gaming back in Junior High that I'd like to keep up with the feel. That said; I like the feel of modern comics. Oh, don't get me wrong; I still enjoy many of the bits from the other 'ages', but the newer stuff is my favorite. I get to deal with the 'gritty' issues.

[Doug McCrae]

What would be the Age of an Astro City inspired game?

[Supreme]

Originally posted by Doug McCrae
What would be the Age of an Astro City inspired game?
It would the late reconstructionist age of the late 90s-early 00s. I call it the "Platinum Age".