The decade of the 1970s began a period of transition. Total annual sales figures can no longer be used to help determine when an "Age" might begin or end. Once sales fell to around 3 million in 1970, that's where they stayed for the entire decade. I'm not sure when the term "Bronze Age" was first coined (I suspect it was coined by over-eager fans as soon as they realized the Silver Age had come to an end), but I'm pretty sure it was at some point in the '70s. For my own part, I didn't begin using the phrase "Bronze Age" until decades later; for me it was "Golden," "Silver" and "Modern."
Just as "common knowledge" held that Showcase #4 ushered in the Silver Age, so too was it commonly accepted that the so-called "Bronze Age" began with with Conan #1 in 1970. With 275 issues and several spin-off series, it was probably the 1970s first big success, but it didn't inspire and "Age" of barbarians the way Action Comics #1 inspired an "Age" of superheroes in 1938. There were some, sure, but even if one folds in other "pulp" characters (such as Tarzan and the Shadow), such characters hardly dominated the field.
I've seen many comics nominated as signaling the end of the Silver Age or the beginning of the Bronze, but many of those choices are emotional rather than rational. I see "Ages" as being defined by reality, not in-story developments. For example, I see Stan Lee stepping down as writer of Spider-Man as being more significant than the death of a supporting character. Similarly, Kirby's departure from Marvel for DC is more significant that the "Fourth World" titles themselves. But none of those things signaled the beginning or end of an "Age" but rather a period of transition.
THE LOOSENING OF THE CODE: In 1970, Stan Lee was approached by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare about publishing a comic book story concerning drug abuse. Lee agreed, but the CCA refused to grant approval, so Spider-Man #96–98 were published without the seal. This action led the CCA to revise the Code to permit the depiction of "narcotics or drug addiction" if presented "as a vicious habit," which in turn allowed DC to publish as similar story (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85) the following year.
Around this same time, the Code was loosened to allow for vampires, ghouls and werewolves when used in the "classic tradition" (whatever that means). This paved the way for series such as Marvel's successful Tomb of Dracula, but also titles such as Werewolf by Night, Swamp Thing and Ghost Rider. (It always seems to come back to the Code.) Also during this time, "relevancy" became a hallmark of these transition era comics.
Although I never thought of the comics of the '70s and '80s belonging to a particular "Age" when I was younger, I did eventually latch on to the idea of superheroes experiencing a surge in popularity every 20 years or so, and I certainly accepted such titles as John Byrne's Fantastic Four, Wolfman & Perez's New Teen Titans, Frank Miller's Daredevil and Walt Simonson's Thor (among others) as being representative of comics' "third heroic age." But when did this trend begin?
The Bronze Age [1975 through the mid-'80s]
- Comics' "Third Heroic Age" - (Giant-Size X-Men #1, 1975)
Again (as with the Silver Age), I see the Bronze Age as having a clear beginning, but tapering off a decade or so later, with any individual title entering and/or leaving the Age at varying times. As far as DC is concerned, I see them entering the Bronze age when the Legion of Super-Heroes took over the lead in Superboy's book (Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #197, 1973). That "presages" my "official" start of the Bronze Age by two years, but LSH had more in common with the New X-Men than the same artist. I don't give LSH #97 co-equal credit for beginning the Age in this case because GS-XM #1 was so influential, but it deserves a mention at least.
[Continued from "The Silver Age of (Superhero) Comics"; continued in "The Independent and Modern Eras"]
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