What do you like about the various ages of comics?

[nexus]

Hopefully, a more positive thread than the other. What are some of the things you like about the various ages of comics and how they relate to campaign styles?

[Doug McCrae]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Everything.

 

I'd be happy to run games in any or all of the periods. My favourites are probably the Golden Age, DC Silver Age, 70s Marvel and the Iron Age.

 

Sometime I'd like to run a game set in the late Golden Age, post WW2, cause I don't think it's been done much, if ever. The 70s is another road less travelled, as is British comics, any era but probably the 80s (Captain Britain, Marvelman, Zenith). I was pondering a Kingdom Come inspired Iron Age game at one point too.

 

The main superhero thing I'm working on for when my current modern day campaign finishes will be one set in the modern period but with a strong emphasis on investigating/interacting with the history of the previous decades. A bit like Planetary but not so dark.

[nexus]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

I like the Golden age for its sense of wonder and innocence (and by golden age I mean the classic four color style). Heroes were heroes, villains were villians (but -too- terribly bad). You could relax and just enjoy fantasy. It was simpler style of storytelling that still holds some appeal to the kid inside. Sure, it seems dated and corny to modern sensibilities, but there is a nice feeling of nostalgia in there.

[Evil Toki]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

I like Iron Age because it is the style I am most familiar with particularly Teen Heroes... I love the angst, the drama and the fun... I don't collect many comics, so those I get are usually recent ones, since I like the artwork in the more recent stuff then the older stuff...

[Doug McCrae]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

I like the Golden age for its sense of wonder and innocence (and by golden age I mean the classic four color style).

Innocence!? There was some pretty spicy stuff in the Golden Age. The Spirit's femme fatales, Torchy, bondage covers, jungle queens and BDSM amazons.

 

I'd have said the Golden Age was an era of two-fisted gonzo adventure and lurid thrills. DC's Silver Age was more about wonder and innocence.

[nexus]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Innocence!? There was some pretty spicy stuff in the Golden Age. The Spirit's femme fatales' date=' Torchy, bondage covers, jungle queens and BDSM amazons. [/quote']

 

I did say the "Classic" ideal of the Golden Age. The comics, not so much the pulp tales that inspired them.

 

And anyway you slice, there is s certain naieve innocence in those hints of sexuality compared to some of the full own perversity and eroticism you see in modern comics.

 

I'd have said the Golden Age was an era of two-fisted gonzo adventure and lurid thrills. DC's Silver Age was more about wonder and innocence.

 

Fair enough. Everyone's definition is slightly different.

[nexus]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

I like the Silver/Bronze age because the stories are bit more complex, the characters a little deeper but there is still that inherent morality. Heroes are still icons, but they have failings that make them more accesible. Spiderman is somewhat easier to relate to than Superman for me. Striving against one's failings and personal demons while trying to make a difference is very heroic.

[Doug McCrae]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Golden Age - The two-fisted action, creativity and everything-including-the-kitchen-sink approach

DC's Silver Age - Modern mythology

Marvel's Silver Age - The characters, particularly The Thing

70s Marvel - Dumb fads and a touch of darkness

Iron Age - Retro/postmodernism

[nexus]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

DC's Silver Age - Modern mythology

 

DC's characters do seem more "Mythic" don't they?

[TheEmerged]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Golden Age -- That it's not as silly as the Silver Age. Heroes could and did kill.

Silver Age -- That it ended. Sorry, I have some stated biases here.

"Bronze" Age -- Return of the real world to comics.

"Iron" Age -- Writers that stopped being afraid. In fairness, maybe they should have kept some of the fear

[nexus]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Golden Age -- That it's not as silly as the Silver Age. Heroes could and did kill.

Silver Age -- That it ended. Sorry, I have some stated biases here.

"Bronze" Age -- Return of the real world to comics.

"Iron" Age -- Writers that stopped being afraid. In fairness, maybe they should have kept some of the fear

 

Well...so much for keeping it positive.

[assault]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Golden Age: they were making it up as they go along. Characters like Superman and Batman were new, and still being invented. The pulpish bits are particularly interesting - mysteries are fun.

 

Silver Age (DC): the stuff I read as a kid. Classic sense of wonder coolness. And some good silly fun.

 

Silver Age (Marvel): a new beginning, heroes with problems, etc.

 

Bronze Age (DC): an interesting combination of Silver Age (Marvel) and Silver Age (DC). Some of the attempts to deal with "real issues" are hilarious in their cluelessness. And others worked very well. By the end of the period, "Marvel-style" titles like the New Teen Titans.

 

Bronze Age (Marvel): continuation of Silver Age (Marvel), mainly. "When the X-Men were good"!

 

Bronze Age (minor publishers): sometimes excellent. Sometimes hopeless. Often pushed the envelope beyond where the majors could go.

 

Iron Age: Difficult to define. Really a continuation of the (late) Bronze Age. The prevalence of graphic novels and reprints probably makes it easier than before to appreciate the full range of all previous periods.

 

Unfortunately, "Iron Age" tends to be associated with a small number of mean-spirited and generally inane titles. I would tend to dismiss them as an aberration, except that their "creative teams" seem to be the stars of the industry at the moment, and will be emulated. Still, a broad spectrum of titles are being produced, so the nasties are only a small part of it.

 

In other words, the Authority sucks, unlike four-colour titles like Catwoman.

[Theron]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

I've never been able to wrap my head around the term "Iron Age". Years ago, Peter David referred to it as the "Lead Age" and that's what stuck.

[zornwil]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Hmmm, a few near-random thoughts on this...it's not something I think of so consciously in campaign design, as I tend to be more overtly influenced by elements of various ones then distilled through specific characters and settings from other fictions...

 

Golden Age - the sense of JUSTICE and of RIGHT vs WRONG

Silver Age - the elaborate sci-fi trappings; the "bigness" of it all; the one era where supers seemed truly larger than life itself

Bronze Age - thematic characters that have not only high internal consistency but actually manage to express sophisticated themes rather easily - that was developed to a true art with Spiderman during this period

Iron Age - serious treatment of supers in a real world; more of a relevance to "the common (not-so-heroic) man"; mature themes

 

I don't really have a strong bias for or against any age, but I do tend to favor elements of the Iron Age, if we're talking Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns.

 

But what do you call Flaming Carrot?

[FenrisUlf]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Well, for me, the best thing about the Golden Age would have to be that everything was new. That, and the plain and straightforward morality -- it might beorny by modern standards, but sometimes I swear it feels like a breath of fresh air.

 

Silver Age -- For me, it's all about Marvel. Heroes with problems, wahoo settings, and a perfect combo of 'sense a' wonda' with the 'real world'.

 

Bronze Age -- Real world issues get handled, sometimes even intelligently. And the X-men were still cool.

 

Iron Age -- Two words: Astro City

[Hermit]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Hopefully' date=' a more positive thread than the other. What are some of the things you like about the various ages of comics and how they relate to campaign styles?[/quote']

 

Golden Age- Gratitude for the roots, for the taking of Pulp and Sci Fi and combining it to form the first super heroes. I enjoy the 'cheesy' aspect of 4 color people often equate with Golden Age even if that wasn't as much the case as folks think Oh, and super heroes punching out Nazis.

 

Silver Age- The impossible made easy, or at least doable. The wonderful formation of the cliches one can either embrace or later move away from ("He's fallen into the Volcano! NO ONE COULD SURVIVE THAT!" ... next issue, he's back) The "science" that truly proved Ignorance can be bliss....if you don't know real world science, you're not constrained by it's petty rules

For marvel at least, more human characters.

 

Bronze- Even more human factors in our heroes, the real world intrudes but is not unbearably doomed to eternal darkness no matter what the heroes do. Villains become even more three dimensional or even sympathetic, but still have to be stopped. Wow, our heroes can actually have a few vices without the Comic's Code ripping them a new one.

 

Iron- My least favorite, but there is no denying it gives new context to evaluate the other ages by comparison. Since it has so few (or no) limits or restraint, a GM can use this as a gauge on what restraints he DOES want to put on it.

 

The Age we're in now, Call it Steel if you like, may in some ways be the best blend of all options. Occaisionally you still get some that should have been tempered more before being released, but nothing's perfect.

[zornwil]

Re: What do you like about the various ages of comics?

 

Golden Age- Gratitude for the roots, for the taking of Pulp and Sci Fi and combining it to form the first super heroes. I enjoy the 'cheesy' aspect of 4 color people often equate with Golden Age even if that wasn't as much the case as folks think Oh, and super heroes punching out Nazis.

 

Silver Age- The impossible made easy, or at least doable. The wonderful formation of the cliches one can either embrace or later move away from ("He's fallen into the Volcano! NO ONE COULD SURVIVE THAT!" ... next issue, he's back) The "science" that truly proved Ignorance can be bliss....if you don't know real world science, you're not constrained by it's petty rules

For marvel at least, more human characters.

 

Bronze- Even more human factors in our heroes, the real world intrudes but is not unbearably doomed to eternal darkness no matter what the heroes do. Villains become even more three dimensional or even sympathetic, but still have to be stopped. Wow, our heroes can actually have a few vices without the Comic's Code ripping them a new one.

 

Iron- My least favorite, but there is no denying it gives new context to evaluate the other ages by comparison. Since it has so few (or no) limits or restraint, a GM can use this as a gauge on what restraints he DOES want to put on it.

 

The Age we're in now, Call it Steel if you like, may in some ways be the best blend of all options. Occaisionally you still get some that should have been tempered more before being released, but nothing's perfect.

I like your "Steel Age" idea. The real thing is, comics are so young that for us to divide the last 70 years into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Iron is presumptious at best. I bet some 100-200 years from now the perspective will be...very different! Not to say I know what that will be in detail.

 

As to your point, I think comics are just now getting REALLY good on the BETTER end of them (such as Stray Bullets, just to name one), while of course there's tons and tons of unfortunate dross.