Claude Teacher writes…
I'm a long time reader (started following you when you started doing POV in the CBG), but first time caller. Here is my question for discussion: at what point in the 1970s is the end of the Silver Age?
I've been taking part in a Marvel Reading club where we have been going through Marvel year by year and recently went through the early seventies. A lot of comic book historians debate the point, citing events and trends. So I wonder, as someone who is familiar with a large number of the creators from that period, do you have any insight on the topic?
Yes. My insight is that there are no rules for this and anyone can set the years of the Golden Age or the Silver Age or any other age wherever they want to. In fact, you can just make up your own rules if you like. Personally, I say the Silver Age ended in 1970 and the event that ended it was that I got into the business that year. That's when a certain generation of quality ended.
And really, that's as good a marker as anything. For the end of the Silver Age, you can select the years that DC and Marvel had corporate takeovers, the year Kirby left Marvel for DC, the year Carmine Infantino took over and started a major revamp of DC, the year Marvel changed distributors and doubled the size of their line, the year they started beating DC, the year comic book prices went up to 15 cents, the year the standard size of comic book original artwork was reduced, the year Marvel launched the Conan the Barbarian comic, the year DC put out Green Lantern-Green Arrow, the year the San Diego Comic-Con started or several other events.
That gives you a range of about 1967-1971. I'd still opt for 1970, the year I got in. It's been all downhill since then.
