David Johnston
Jul 4th, '06, 12:05 AM
I dug up this old post of mine from elsewhere after taking another look at the Champions timeline.
Golden Age: Almost every hero is Doctor Something, or Mister Something or Captain Something or Somethingman, or the Colour Name Something. Namor is very much ahead of his time in that regard. Despite the image of the Golden Age as being innocent, many characters are very casual about killing the bad guys. Racial stereotyping is incredibly unsubtle and the bad guys tend to be forgettable goons, evil scientists or deformed freaks. Boy sidekicks are common under the mistaken theory that the children reading want someone to identify with (and because the radio heros needed someone to whom they would have to explain everything they were doing.) Most characters are relatively powerless, just athletic people with costumes and a usually gun-like gimmick. Female superheros tend to get captured and tied up a lot. The most common power origins are random accidents with chemicals, visits to secret societies, usually in Tibet, and stumbling across an ancient magical artifact. Batman is a two-fisted clean living avenger of the night.
In between the Golden Age and the Silver there was actually a bit of a hiatus, caused by the collapse of superheros. In the 50s, once you leave
out DC's Big Three, what you see are mostly horror comics and giant monster comics. Batman becomes very silly and fights in settings with many over-sized props.
Then in the Silver Age: The upper levels of power available to the most powerful superheros go off the charts. Characters can fly at interstellar speeds, move planets or transform them into lime jello. The most common origins are being an extraterrestrial, being exposed to radiation,
getting an extraterrestrial's junk, or inventing a costume or belt that gives
you powers. Interstellar travel becomes a common event in the lives of major heros. Heroes stop killing bad guys, even the forgettable bad guys. Teenage sidekicks go out of style. (Yay). Teenage teams or solo heroes take their place as writers realise that nobody wants to fantasize about being a second banana. The idea that the public will regard the superhuman as being dangerous freaks is introduced (mostly in Marvel comics). Batman becomes a super brainy master detective in the second half of the Silver Age. And a truly amazing number of apes are encountered, particularly in DC comics. When Gwen Stacy comes to an abrupt halt...so does the Silver Age.
Then in the Bronze Age: The rule saying that the hero must always save the girl no longer applies. From then on the hero just may find his girl in the refrigerator when he comes home. Heros still have a rule against killing but some anti-heros appear as opponents. The Punisher for example first showed up as a vigilante trying to kill Spiderman for killing Gwen Stacy and Wolverine showed up as a remarkably stupid Canadian attempt to kill the Hulk. Patriotic heros start to be deconstructed. The most common origins are being magically cursed by sinister supernatural forces, finding or making a costume with circuitry built into it, being rebuilt by secret government programs into a living weapon, deliberate genetic engineering. Many of the stronger characters are depowered. Batman turns into a creature of the night, emphasising stealth and intimidation. When the Punisher and Wolverine get their own comics that's the end of the Bronze Age.
Then in the Iron Age: "Heroes" who are or pretend to be ruthless killers become increasingly common, as are heroes who hold themselves above mere mortal authorities. Identity crises become more commmon with the older characters reinventing themselves in new identities or having their old identities usurped by unfit pretenders for extended periods of time. Heros frequently find their powers going on the fritz or turning on them. Batman becomes a deranged petty tyrant. I'm really not sure whether the common origins have changed much.
Golden Age: Almost every hero is Doctor Something, or Mister Something or Captain Something or Somethingman, or the Colour Name Something. Namor is very much ahead of his time in that regard. Despite the image of the Golden Age as being innocent, many characters are very casual about killing the bad guys. Racial stereotyping is incredibly unsubtle and the bad guys tend to be forgettable goons, evil scientists or deformed freaks. Boy sidekicks are common under the mistaken theory that the children reading want someone to identify with (and because the radio heros needed someone to whom they would have to explain everything they were doing.) Most characters are relatively powerless, just athletic people with costumes and a usually gun-like gimmick. Female superheros tend to get captured and tied up a lot. The most common power origins are random accidents with chemicals, visits to secret societies, usually in Tibet, and stumbling across an ancient magical artifact. Batman is a two-fisted clean living avenger of the night.
In between the Golden Age and the Silver there was actually a bit of a hiatus, caused by the collapse of superheros. In the 50s, once you leave
out DC's Big Three, what you see are mostly horror comics and giant monster comics. Batman becomes very silly and fights in settings with many over-sized props.
Then in the Silver Age: The upper levels of power available to the most powerful superheros go off the charts. Characters can fly at interstellar speeds, move planets or transform them into lime jello. The most common origins are being an extraterrestrial, being exposed to radiation,
getting an extraterrestrial's junk, or inventing a costume or belt that gives
you powers. Interstellar travel becomes a common event in the lives of major heros. Heroes stop killing bad guys, even the forgettable bad guys. Teenage sidekicks go out of style. (Yay). Teenage teams or solo heroes take their place as writers realise that nobody wants to fantasize about being a second banana. The idea that the public will regard the superhuman as being dangerous freaks is introduced (mostly in Marvel comics). Batman becomes a super brainy master detective in the second half of the Silver Age. And a truly amazing number of apes are encountered, particularly in DC comics. When Gwen Stacy comes to an abrupt halt...so does the Silver Age.
Then in the Bronze Age: The rule saying that the hero must always save the girl no longer applies. From then on the hero just may find his girl in the refrigerator when he comes home. Heros still have a rule against killing but some anti-heros appear as opponents. The Punisher for example first showed up as a vigilante trying to kill Spiderman for killing Gwen Stacy and Wolverine showed up as a remarkably stupid Canadian attempt to kill the Hulk. Patriotic heros start to be deconstructed. The most common origins are being magically cursed by sinister supernatural forces, finding or making a costume with circuitry built into it, being rebuilt by secret government programs into a living weapon, deliberate genetic engineering. Many of the stronger characters are depowered. Batman turns into a creature of the night, emphasising stealth and intimidation. When the Punisher and Wolverine get their own comics that's the end of the Bronze Age.
Then in the Iron Age: "Heroes" who are or pretend to be ruthless killers become increasingly common, as are heroes who hold themselves above mere mortal authorities. Identity crises become more commmon with the older characters reinventing themselves in new identities or having their old identities usurped by unfit pretenders for extended periods of time. Heros frequently find their powers going on the fritz or turning on them. Batman becomes a deranged petty tyrant. I'm really not sure whether the common origins have changed much.