May 1969 at the spinner rack must have left some children with long faces. The same month that the Monty Python troupe formed, and Pirate Radio Station 259 went on the air, and the Apollo 10 crew returned to Earth, and Walt Disney World construction began, many comic books raised their prices from $0.12 to $0.15. The shock of not being able to buy two comics for a quarter and only six for a dollar must have been heart wrenching. I was too young to experience it, but that is my demarcation of the start of Bronze Age. Some people peg it starting at somewhere around 1970; I tend to be specific that it was the month DC, Marvel, and even Archie comics took a price increase. Around the same time comic rack offerings were increasing dramatically and the paper on which comic artists performed their work started shrinking in size, it started to cost 3 more cents to enjoy the superheroes. That may not seem like much but that is a 25% price increase. There is no definitive answer on the start of the Bronze Age, but that price change makes it easy for me to spot. These comics hit the shelves in May of 1969 and for Marvel that meant a cover date of August 1969.
Sixteen years later, in May of 1985, I say the Bronze Age ended. It lines up for me with a general peak of mainstream characters with darker personalities and is coincidentally the same month that I graduated high school. Others will surely define the Bronze Age differently than I have, but here at BitBA this will be the general timeline that I will adhere. That doesn't mean we won't talk about fantastic things from the Golden, Silver, or Modern Ages; it just means that my heart for comics resides during those 16 years and most topics will have some reference or touch point to that period.
Starting here today and in a series of posts yet to come, we will examine a series from the start of the Bronze Age and look at the title's covers year by year through the end of the era. It is interesting to see how much the characters and styles have changed over that time. To kick it off, we will gander at the granddaddy of Marvel Comics - The Fantastic Four.
Check out the covers below and you will see an evolution of styles, mastheads, logos, corner boxes (or circles), Sue's haircut, and artists from Jack Kirby to John Buscema to George Perez and John Byrne. It ends exactly where I would expect it to with Susan Richards, the Invisible Woman, transformed into Malice.
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| Cover Date: August 1969 (On sale May of that year) |
Cover Date August 1970, 1971 and 1972
Cover Date August 1973, 1974 and 1975
Cover Date August 1976, 1977 and 1978
Cover Date August 1979, 1980 and 1981
Cover Date August 1982, 1983 and 1984
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| Cover Date: August 1985 (On sale May of that year) |
- I enjoyed the first few corner boxes in which one of the four was full figure and below that the four heads appeared. I also liked the uniqueness of the heads in circles.
- I like the classic font that was used for the title at both the beginning and end of the run; conversely I found the 1972 through 1974 logo bland and generic.
- I have never been a fan of the 1972 cover window border and have found I have few issues in my collection from that era.
- I enjoy stories with Crystal on the team. I thought she added a nice element to the group (pun intended) and I actually like how Kirby drew her. I don't always like the blocky aspect of Kirby's women. Big Barda and Crystal however I like.
- John Byrne had some memorable covers in his run. There were some clunkers too. But generally he had interesting layouts that drew the reader in.
- The Thing and the Torch are visually appealing, and I expected even more Thing-centric covers throughout. I have to read some FF with the She-Hulk issues again and see if they hold up.
- I am curious to hear what you have to say about the evolution of the team through the Bronze Age. The Fantastic Four, unlike many other characters and teams, stayed relatively stable and consistent. Perhaps their longevity (and ultimate downfall) is the consistency of the characters that were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the beginning of Marvel.
I hope you have enjoyed this simple trek through time. If it is of interest to you I plan to tackle the Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man, the Justice League and others next. So please share your opinions. Cheers all.
21 comments:
Just my two cents here.., I started my plunge into the Marvel Universe in the summer of 1973, after having a few sprinklings of Steranko Cap and Romita Spidey before that.
There it was, on a long two week trip out west.., FF 138. Not considered a milestone in the FF's long history, but I devoured each and every panel out of sheer delight. Within months I was picking up MGC issues for glorious Kirby memories, but I liked the 70s team with Medusa and the red-costumed Johnny. It was somewhat flashy yet anachronistic in the creative approach to the 70s hipness around them, but it was very very cool. Many kudos to Buscema and Sinnott for drawing the dour Reed and probably the best Ben Grimm art, at least for a spell.
Who could have foreseen Reed having to zap little Franklin to nullify the cosmic ray buildup (or whatever it was) in issue 141..? Quite shocking.
After reading the Untold Stories, I still ponder what greatness would have occurred if Jim Starlin would have taken his Thanos chapters through FF and not Avengers, which apparently was talked about. Loved Starlin's art in Marvel Feature 11 and 12, I'd like to think with Starlin taking over reins, the '70s FF would have had a far more cosmic trip than just another bout with Doom or whomever.
Due to distribution issues in my neck of the woods, I stopped reading around ish 152-153 (plus the art/stories where getting dull), but I thoroughly enjoyed the trip up until then. The GS Superstars issue with the Thing-Hulk bout in the ring was certainly a high point.
Just a thought. Why does the term "Bronze Age" even exist ? I assume the Silver Age begins with Fantastic Four #1 (does it ?) so why doesn't the Silver Age just extend all the way till 1986 when there was an obvious change in direction, with comics becoming much darker and grittier. I suggest a new definition of the comic "ages":
Golden Age: Debut of Superman (1938) till 1961.
Silver Age: Fantastic Four #1 till 1986.
Bronze Age: 1986-1999.
Modern Age: Everything post 2000.
Before discovering Bronze Age Babies in 2013 I'd been unfamiliar with the term "Bronze Age" of comics. If I had heard it previously, it must have been so rarely that the term never stuck in my mind.
Of course, this means BiTBA would have to be re-named Back In The Silver Age :)
Nice article. I also hated those ugly window border box covers. They were very claustrophobic and greatly reduced the dynamic impact of the artwork.
I actually didn't read a lot of the FF stories throughout the Bronze-Age (at the time anyway). I had a very limited comic buying budget and I loved Spider-Man, so I used to buy a lot of ASM, MTU, and PPTSM. However, I did pick up a few issues of the good ol' FF on occasion.
I became a big John Byrne Fan at a pretty early age, and when he started on the book I became a regular reader. I loved his run, and pretty much quit the title after he left.
Which brings me to my next point. For me I think the Bronze-Age ended somewhere around the latter part of 1986.
Here's my reasoning. That was the year that John Byrne left the Fantastic Four, and around that same time Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz were fired (unjustly so) from Amazing Spider-Man. And to me neither title would ever be the same again.
It was also in 1986 that "Dark Knight Returns" and "Watchmen" were published. The two books that I (and most people) credit with ushering in the grim and gritty age of comics that is still going strong to this day.
So, for me 1986 was the beginning of the end of innocence for the comic book industry. As comics started to turn away from the more fun, adventurous and hopeful stories of the past, and started to try to appeal to a more "adult" audience with darker and more serious story-lines. Thus it was the end of an era. The Bronze-Age era.
Colin: The Silver-Age actually began with DC Comics, Showcase comics #4 (in 1958 I believe), which was the first appearance of Barry Allen as the Flash.
Thanks William. But I disagree that the grim and gritty era of comics is "still going strong to this day". I stopped reading comics in 1983 and returned in 2007 so I completely missed the period when comics were much more dark and violent but modern Marvel comics are not like that. I've just bought (downloaded) the latest volume of Guardians Of The Galaxy and I loved it. I've seen some of the violent stuff by Mark Millar which I hated but modern Marvel comics are not like that - I wouldn't read them if they were.
Great write-up Marti and a great idea for a continuing topic.
As to the FF - they were never one of my favorites. I only came to appreciate their position in the Marvel Universe in hindsight. I was really "into" comics from about 73-79 and although I bought all the FFs during that time I was much more into the Avengers and Defenders. It probably wasn't until the FF treasury editions and the Origins of Marvel Comics and reading MGC reprints that I gained some perspective on them.
I do have a few favorite Bronze Age stories - I liked that Reed saved Subby's life by designing his new suit. When Luke Cage joined for a while, that was fun. Also intrigued by the Franklin zapping.
Tom
I loved the John Byrne approach on the FF, which made nice nods to the original silver age run of Kirby/Lee. I especially liked how John Byrne returned the Thing to his original appearance between FF 238 and 245. That was such a nice reference to the roots of Marvel Comics.
https://flic.kr/p/UuzEB1
Storywise, the Trial of Galactus arc from FF 242 to 262 was pretty amazing. Also the 20th anniversary issue FF 236 is one of my favorite John Byrne stories, where Doom traps the Fantastic Four in Micro-Town Liddleville in bodies without powers as the ultimate revenge. To me this is also a nod to Kirby's worlds-in-worlds concept (be it the negative zone, the micro universe, etc.).
I've never been a huge FF fan, but there's some interesting stuff here. I always found Overmind tedious, but I love that Perez cover on #197 of Reed vs. Red Ghost. Was that the story where Reed had to go back to space to get re-exposed to the cosmic rays because his powers were waning, and Red Ghost stowed away? I liked that story. I also like the Byrne cover with the half-skull Galactus and Frankie Raye.
This is a cool idea; I'll probably have more to say when you get to Spidey, X-Men, and JLA. (Also, Batman and DD would make interesting additions to the list, as they both metamorphosed quite a bit over the years.)
Oh, as to the Silver Age/Bronze Age thing, I always consider DC's Bronze Age to end with Crisis in 1986, but Marvel's Bronze Age to go a few extra years, to about 1990 or 1991 with the rise of Image and the speculator market.
And since, as William pointed out, DC's Silver Age started a few years before Marvel's, each company has a span of about 30 years for the Silver/Bronze Ages (DC: 1956-1986; Marvel: 1961-1991). At least, that's my way of looking at it ... your mileage may vary :)
I liked the FF logo that ran from 1975-79 (or at least on issues 161-209 as pictured in the art samples today). For many of us, our entry point artist, characters, logo, etc. is what sticks with us. That was mine. In fact, #161 was among the first issues of FF I distinctly recall buying myself off a magazine rack at a drug store in Milwaukee.
FF was always on my buy list from the first time I laid eyes on it. After becoming a regular, I was able to go about a year back in time to catch up, generally through the comics of my friends -- so the Buckler run that eventually gave way to George Perez (1st time for Perez) and John Buscema (2nd time for Big John) was well known to me. I loved this book, and like many found the various tensions within the family dynamic to at times be jarring to this young man's soul. For me, it at times mirrored my own life and that could be disconcerting as I've always appreciated the escapist nature of superhero comics.
As I've said many times, I quit buying comics between 1980-85. Byrne's first run, as penciler, was just ending when I got out and I missed the bulk of his tenure as writer/artist. To this day I've not read all of that. No excuse why -- just have never made the time. Need to, as I have the files from the DVD-ROM. Therefore, Byrne's run does not impact me as it does many others. "My" FF is by Kirby (reprints are a wonderful thing), Big John, Buckler, and Perez. Byrne is off in the distance, sort of like that cousin you don't always think of.
Lastly, I have a nostalgic sense about the framed covers. I know most collectors/fans loathe them, and I understand the negativity. They were published right before I was a regular consumer of Marvels, but I still find that they are an anchor in time. They cry out "early Bronze Age!" as the Giant-Size books that soon begat the second coming of the Annuals scream "high Bronze Age!". That's why I kind of like them.
Doug
I was typing at the same time as Mike W., so I'll respond to his comments about the SA/BA parameters.
I like Martinex's demarcation of the price increase from 12c to 15c. However, for some reason I always neglect the 15c comics when I think of the Bronze Age -- though they are clearly within what I'm about to say:
I've always used Kirby's departure from Marvel and subsequent landing at DC in 1970 as my line between Silver and Bronze. But like most, I generally feel that the Crisis, TDKR, etc. heralds the end of the Bronze Age. But I won't quibble with those who like to package it a bit more neatly and say 1970-80 -- as Frank Miller got his Daredevil run going, one can start to see that "this isn't that" and sense changes afoot.
It's most likely a sliding scale company to company, with various creators and storylines causing the shift to be tough to pin down.
Doug
I started buying the FF around 115 with Doom and Richards fighting Overmind. I stopped about 3 years later, around 150 (Mr. Conway's divorce thing was a catalyst as I recall).
And that was basically that with the odd nibble here and there at comics, until I found this blog. Doug's (and others) enthusiasm for Byrne's FF got me to buy 1 or 2 archives at the C2E2 show a few weeks ago. I plan to crack that any day now!
Regarding Silver vs. Bronze vs. Copper, I'd been out of comics for 20 years before I first realized there was a demarcation in fandom. Mentally, I had always distinguished the 12 cent comics from everything else as a natural demarcation, silver vs. bronze if you will, but I never considered there was an end to the bronze age until I started reading this blog. I suppose that's not helpful to this conversation, is it? LOL.
And, I enjoy the art to all the covers shown. Nothing strikes my the wrong way. Thanks for uploading!
Cheers, Charlie
The 12 cents/15 cents discussion reminds me that when I started buying imported Marvel comics on a regular month-by-month basis in April 1980 (I'd previously been buying them sporadically since 1976) they cost 12 pence so I could get 8 for £1. But later in 1980 the cost jumped to 15 pence each so I could only get 6 for my £1. It was around this time that I was in a shop and there was a little kid wailing because his mother wouldn't buy him a comic - I noticed the comic he wanted was an imported Marvel comic. "I'm not paying 40 bloody pence for a comic !!" shouted the mother - but the comic was forty CENTS...the British price of 15 pence was printed smaller underneath the U.S. price. I felt sorry for the kid but I said nothing as the mother seemed like an ogre.
I started reading FF around the end of the divorce arc....near the end of Rick Buckler's tenure.....probably around #150 or so. In the meantime, I began collecting Marvel's Greatest Comics, which was reprinting the early FF. To be honest, I enjoyed those more at the time. Later, when George Perez started illustrating.....around the time of the Crusader/Hulk/Thing in a Suit era, I hung in pretty well until my local store stopped carrying comics. I wasn't able to pick it up on a regular basis again until the time when John Byrne took over the creative reins and I absolutely loved it because he went so retro on so many things, brought back so many characters from those early years. However, I could see why their popularity decreased over the years, because they really were, more than any of the others, a product of the era from whence they came. If you tried to change them, half their remaining fans would stop reading and there are too many other cool teams for newcomers to pick them up, too.
Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions and Bronze Age opinions - much food for thought for sure. In no particular order:
I liked FF 236 also. A perhaps under-appreciated but very interesting book. Red and I have discussed reviewing that one. Maybe some day.
Great suggestions on looking at Daredevil, Batman and others. We will definitely get to some of those.
I too agree that for the covers shown there were not really any clunkers that I would not consider going back to, even with Overmind, the kind of goofy Warhead, and Herbie - I still wouldn't mind revisiting most of these. The FF seems to have had a pretty solid Bronze Age run.
I think (as many probably do) that the Bronze Age really solidified as the fan generation took over the creative process. Roy Thomas for sure triggered much in that way, but all the way through Englehart, Byrne, Conway, Shooter etc - these were guys who liked early Marvel and were now putting their spin on it. I think the Age ended when Miller and Moore and others started to deconstruct that. The deconstruction is what I think kicked off what I call the Aluminum Age (because it is disposable or at least recyclable). I say that with tongue in cheek as there was still some good stuff but it turned into the violent event driven work that I did not like in the 90s. I know the Bronze Age actually probably ended a little later but I stick to 1985 as a marker in my collecting approach.
As a child I was a sucker for marketing. The FF had the braggadocious Lee designation as the "World's Greatest Comic Magazine" and as a 7 year old, I thought, "well, they must have won an award to call themselves that!"
Regardless, I'm glad I did as I collected the entire Kirby run from #29 -104' and then 141-245 or so. Loved Big John, Perez and even Buckler.
I loved the space adventures of the bickering foursome, just as I loved the XMen go cosmic from 100-137. The entire marvel universe sprung from their pages, enduring characters and a great sense of humor mixed with intense drama.
I loved Byrne with Sinnott inks, especially that Skrull/Sphinx/Galactus storyline, and was super excited when he took over after his XMen run concluded. Man was I disappointed. His style that was so fine and fluid and detailed with Sinnott and Austin looked both blobby and scratchy as hell when he did his own inking. The stories was single issue bottle episodes that had none of the heft of their traditional arcs. I see a lot of people think his run was second best of the series, and I cannot disagree more.
That being said, they will forever be my favorite team and book.
Yoyo
Long busy day and late to this party! Great topic, partner. And darn fine comments, everyone!
I loved the FF since discovering them via the 1967 Hanna Barbara cartoon series. Started buying them with issue 145, in the Buckler era. Kept buying it until Byrne left in 1986. And I did love those Buckler issues, and the Perez, and definitely the Byrne. Hope to see them back on the shelf one day, when the corporate suits grow up.
Mostly agree with Marti on the Bronze Age parameters: for me, it started in 1970 when Kirby left and Conan started. It ended with the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, end of 1985. But, it's an eternally debatable question...
And with that, a Good Night to you all.
Like Redartz, I discovered the FF via the '67 cartoon as well. I didn't like Buckler as much as others, since I really enjoyed Buscema/Sinnott the best during the '70s.
As for mastheads, I actually love the early '70s one found on ish 137 here and the next 20some issues. It contrasted well with the weird '60s one, it reflected more a majestic, powerful image, along with the Avengers masthead during that time.
Come to think of it, if you match up the '60s Avengers logo, it's pretty similar to the FF one during that time as well, so as in the 70's, they both reflected Marvel's changing style (a response to DC's JLA majestic masthead..?).
The one in 161 through the 200's seemed the most bland to me.
Nothing new to add, but, IMHO, the Golden Age began with Action Comics #1 (1938) and lasted until the end of WWII. The Silver Age started with Showcase #4 in 1956, and ended sometime around 1968-1970. Then the Bronze Age was until the mid-1980's, and probably ended with Crisis on Infinite Earths.
All of which sounds DC-centric, but they practically invented the costumed superhero genre, and then revived it in the Silver Age.
The Fantastic Four and Avengers were both created because Martin Goodman wanted something similar to DC's Justice League.
The price increase from 12 to 15 cents is as good a line of demarcation as any. It was also at about that same time that DC began emulating Marvel, with longer story arcs, more complicated plots, and more character development.
Of course, there was a price hike from 10 to 12 cents sometime around 1962, but the comics' content and style did not change, AFAIK.
(Late to commenting on this post but …)
I really loved this post. I’m a fan of cover logos and their evolution and you show a great range. I find each era logo to bring something different to the table and I appreciate each and every one…
issue 137 was the first issue of FF that I ever purchased and since I was mostly familiar with the animated version from Saturday mornings, I was surprised at the Medusa character, though I quickly grew to like her… the splash page of Doom’s castle was Buscema and Sinnott at the height of their talents for sure!
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