The Essential Bad Silver Age

[FenrisUlf]

Others elsewhere have asked what made for the very worst Iron Age titles and tropes. I'm curious: what do you consider to be the very worst Silver Age titles and ideas? Being a SA fan myself, I would like to hear what many of the far-better informed folks on these boards think.

 

Though the Flash getting his powers from Binky the Magic Goblin sounds like a Grade-A stinker to me. And almost anything Batman did in his 'Bats imitates Superman' phase has a certain odor about it.

[Enforcer84]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I saw once a website that showed all of the stupid Silver Age 'Superman tricks' where his powers expanded every issue...and he once mopped the floor with his own head...

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Dunno about specific titles, but...

 

*Nearly non-existent continuity. "Origin - met villain/person first time - present" is about as deep as it got a lot of times. Prior encounters, experience often had little specific effect. No real extended plot lines, just the same constantly recurring sub-plots.

 

*Comics-code-ism. The heroes have no real failings, win in the end regardless. Never do anything that might really have negative consequences. No tough choices.

[Iuz the Evil]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Any of the myriad titles (Avengers did this a lot) which depicted "our heroes" as being menaced by gun-wielding thugs... when you knew there was literally as much menace there as from a band of angry kindergarteners, actually probably far less.

 

Matter-Eater Lad... nuff said.

 

The recurrent "this issue a(n) Avenger Dies!" (insert X-Man, JLA, what have you) where that was rarely the case and when it was they returned almost instantaneously through some miraculous deux ex machina. Death is still something rarely handled well in comics, but they hit some impressive lows during the Silver Age that only are matched by the similar (if opposite) excesses in the Iron Age.

 

The Dr. Strange issues where he battles Eternity. Not sure how that's supposed to happen.

 

The Dazzler as first introduced... /shudder. Yes, shamelessly cash in on the disco craze! Yes! YES!!

[Brandi]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

While not as much fun to read as the Truly Awful Comics review, this Quarterbin column might provide a good springboard:

 

Unnecessary Vices of the Silver Age

 

Also, look for Cheeks the Toy Wonder's Silver Age pages, which seem to be mirrored haphazardly across Geocities, Tripod, and Fortunecity; the Hall of Shame sections should be plenty of ripe fodder.

[Lightray]

Matter-Eater Lad... nuff said.

[OddHat]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

While not as much fun to read as the Truly Awful Comics review, this Quarterbin column might provide a good springboard:

 

Unnecessary Vices of the Silver Age

 

Also, look for Cheeks the Toy Wonder's Silver Age pages, which seem to be mirrored haphazardly across Geocities, Tripod, and Fortunecity; the Hall of Shame sections should be plenty of ripe fodder.

 

Repped.

 

That article touched on some of the Silver Age conventions I dislike the most:

1) Insane moral codes. Reed Richards saving the life of Galactus so as to allow Mr.G to go on killing billions of innocent people ranks high up there, as does Superman's one-time refusal to kill the Joker (iirc), despite the fact that doing so was the only apparent way to save all of existance. Also witness Batman and the Joker, etc, etc.

 

2) Evil psychotic Secret Identity fetishism. Heroes who supposedly stood for all that was Good and True would constantly lie to and humiliate their friends and loved ones, even to the point of brainwashing, in order to protect secret identities that a ten year old could figure out in under five minutes. I understand that DC has continued this.

 

I also dislike the entire "I can't possibly directly help myself or my loved ones with my powers" convention, though that is just as strong now as it was then (witness Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Most Supers should be earning amazingly good money with their abilities, even if they do maintain a secret identity. Instead, to allow fans to identify with them, most would rather let a loved one be put out on the street for lack of rent than take a job that calls on their powers.

 

Pathological respect for authority was annoying, and has now been largely replaced by pathological hatred for authority (or, on the Hero boards, hatred of The Authority). It would be nice to see government agents and agencies represented as government agents and agencies, neither angelic nor hopelessly corrupt.

 

"Funny" villains being forgiven for crimes that should have resulted in massive loss of life alwys bugged me, as did revolving door prisons. Court cases where Supers were allowed to testify in masks(?) without revealing their identities even to the court(!?!) made me ill.

 

That about covers it for now.

[Egyptoid]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

=The recurrent "this issue a(n) Avenger Dies!" (insert X-Man, JLA, what have you) where that was rarely the case and when it was they returned almost instantaneously through some miraculous deux ex machina. Death is still something rarely handled well in comics, but they hit some impressive lows during the Silver Age that only are matched by the similar (if opposite) excesses ...YES!!

 

Blame the lawyers on this one.        

Comics must protect its intellectual properties.

If a dead hero idea laid around too long,

some punks could claim it.

So we must rehash and republish eveything

no matter how dead or how trite.

 

Even Power-Pack   

[lemming]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I wish I had the Thor that a bunch of bank robbers that were unstoppable because they built a tank or some other machine from Adamantium.

Ok, if you have the resources to build this, you're going to have to rob a lot of banks to pay for it...

[OddHat]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I wish I had the Thor that a bunch of bank robbers that were unstoppable because they built a tank or some other machine from Adamantium.

Ok, if you have the resources to build this, you're going to have to rob a lot of banks to pay for it...

 

G_d yes. That kind of drek always bugged me. Spending millions of dollars to perform crimes that could at best get you a coulple hundred grand...of course, that's also an action movie trope.

 

Viper, which is better than it has ever been, still annoys me becase of that.

 

Technology with patent rights worth billions, and (figuratively) they're using it to knock over liquor stores...

[Starlord]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Super-powered pets.

Stereotyped minority heroes/villains.

Weak, 'damsel-in-distress' superheroines.

[assault]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Super-powered pets.

 

I object!

 

This is a feature, not a bug.

 

Unlike the other things you listed.

 

 

---

Hmm... Bad Bronze Age might be a laugh too... "Brother Power, the Geek".

[OddHat]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I object!

 

This is a feature, not a bug.

 

Agreed. Super-Pets rock.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I wish I had the Thor that a bunch of bank robbers that were unstoppable because they built a tank or some other machine from Adamantium.

Ok, if you have the resources to build this, you're going to have to rob a lot of banks to pay for it...

I used to have that one. It was a rocketcar thingy. This issue almost singlehandedly turned me against Thor forever.

 

In Astro City there was a great story arc (That might even be finished by now ) featuring the villain Steeljack as he confronts the near psychosis of black masks that spend fortunes on gadgets ad nauseum, never able to enjoy their money, the supposed goal.

[OddHat]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I used to have that one. It was a rocketcar thingy. This issue almost singlehandedly turned me against Thor forever.

 

In Astro City there was a great story arc (That might even be finished by now ) featuring the villain Steeljack as he confronts the near psychosis of black masks that spend fortunes on gadgets ad nauseum, never able to enjoy their money, the supposed goal.

 

It's in the Tarnished Angel TPB. Great story.

[TheEmerged]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I forget the exact issue number, but THE classic bad Silver Age issue is an issue of The Brave and The Bold that has Wonder Woman and Batgirl fighting over Batman -- and Batman complaining about it.

[Brandi]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Agreed. Super-Pets rock.

 

So whaddaya think of the Krypto cartoon?

[Brandi]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Hmm... Bad Bronze Age might be a laugh too... "Brother Power' date=' the Geek".[/quote']

 

Two things spring quickly to mind for Bad Bronze Age:

 

1) Angry Black Heroes. The original version of John Stewart comes quickly to mind:

 

 

but for real badness you should be looking more to Brother Voodoo.

 

2) Painfully earnest-- and usually lefty-- politics. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow "On the Road" story arc was actually a good and groundbreaking example of Bronze Age politicking, but the imitations it spawned were often annoying or goofy. (If you've got a Steve Ditko fan in the group, try some painfully earnest Objectivism on 'em! )

[OddHat]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

So whaddaya think of the Krypto cartoon?

 

Haven't seen it, but I support it in principle.

[Korvar]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I forget the exact issue number' date=' but THE classic bad Silver Age issue is an issue of The Brave and The Bold that has Wonder Woman and Batgirl fighting over Batman -- and Batman complaining about it.[/quote']

 

Oh thank heavens someone else remembers this - I thought I'd imagined it or something!

 

I remember wondering why they were competing for his love by bringing him more absurdly unobtainable trophies, rather than, say, setting up an intimate dinner date or something.

 

I want to see that issue again... just one more time

[st barbara]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

I always had trouble with the badly designed villains whose only "schtick" was that they had an attack that would kill people if it was ever delivered properly. "Marvel" seemed to be particularly guilty of this with characters like "The Melter" and whoever that guy was with the whirling buzz saw blades on his wrists ! As a result they could never be shown to act intelligently ! Th e "scientific" super villains who could use technology in amazing ways but who insisted on spending their time fighting the heros annoyed me as well. If you can conquer gravity like "The Wingless Wizard" or magnetism like "Dr Polaris" why would you bother to spend your time comitting petty crimes and fighting "The Human Torch" or "The Flash" ? A sensible super genius would patent their inventions and retire rich !

[assault]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

2) Painfully earnest-- and usually lefty-- politics. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow "On the Road" story arc was actually a good and groundbreaking example of Bronze Age politicking' date=' but the imitations it spawned were often annoying or goofy. (If you've got a Steve Ditko fan in the group, try some painfully earnest Objectivism on 'em! )[/quote']

 

I really don't think that any of the early Bronze Age writers had any real understanding of the politics they were supposed to be working with. Almost all of their stuff feels like they had had it all explained to them secondhand.

 

Except Ditko. You could probably have fun with some of Ditko's stuff. He was a True Believer - and was not above telling you about it.

[Superskrull]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Transformations. That's the worst of the Silver Age to me. If it wasn't Flash turning into a puppet, Superman's exposures to Red Kryptonite, Spidey growing extra limbs and character's costumes getting up and dancing around menacing things, it was the sidekicks, hangers-on and assorted love interests getting turned into various one-story-long freakazoids. Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane were the worst of the lot but it seemed a favorite thing for a writer to grant temporary super-powers they'd lose after 15 minutes or have taken away 'cause they couldn't play nice with them. Just how often is it necessary to prove that Lois can't handle Kryptonian powers 'cause she's an icky girl? Mysogyny, anyone?

Then, there's the whole 'drinking of chemicals and playing with the glowing rocks' problem. Who in their right mind willingly chugs down a sparking/fizzing/luminescent/reeking test tube of what may well have been C'thulu snot just cause the wacky scientist guy is telling them it's safe. Do any of you think you'd touch or even come within visual range of glowing space rocks or devices that seem to consist of a 360 degree rotating raygun and a big red on button?

Hell, even archeology takes on a sinister note in a superhero world as you never know if that mummy is looking to get hitched, waiting to kill you or has shiny cursed items that will fill you with vast power and a side order of megalomania?

These guys are like that Simpsons episode where Lisa uses electric shocks on Bart to condition his behavior, except Bart will eventually go into a fetal position from the trauma and these guys are always raring to go right back to licking at the radioactive waste.

 

Makes my head hurt, it does.

[BlackSword]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Super-powered pets.

Not necessarily super-powered pets, but the super-family. Batman included:

Batman

Robin

Batwoman

Batgirl

Bat-mite

Ace, the Bat Dog

 

All this for a chacter who is a 'loner.' Also there was the almost painful (and often poorly edited) attmept to remove any hint of sexuality from the comics. On the Batman side, one of the early complaints was Batman and Robin living together, how homoerotic is that? So they tried to fix it so added Batwoman and Batgirl to the mix. But now we come in contact with 'anti-sexuality' clause, so Batman has to act so chaste around the females involved in his series that it forces a subconcious question of "What does go on in stately Wayne Manor?"

 

Another example I saw was on one of the cable channels Superheroes show. The hero (forget the series, but it was a spy series) was going to get the girl. The artist was simply going to draw a shirt hanging on the back of a chair. Nope, too racey. So the comics code forced him to change the drawing so that it was a shoulder holster hanging on the back of the chair, with the gun, snugly fit into the holster. No imagery there, none at all.

[BlackSword]

Re: The Essential Bad Silver Age

 

Transformations. That's the worst of the Silver Age to me.

Yeah, I picked up the history of Batman book by Les Daniels. Off the top of my head we have, Zebra Batman, Giant Batman, Alien Batman, Baby Batman. I have not doubt there were many others.