Why did Wonder Woman Turn Into a Tree?
A brief history of superhero comics
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I ran a poll a few weeks ago and one of the questions had to do with comic book ages. I asked because each age has its own tone of storytelling. I did expect substackers to be unfamiliar with these “inside baseball” terms. These “ages” refer to the history of comic book publishing. An overview of this topic will provide some illumination into the now mega-popular superhero genre of storytelling.
The Golden Age (1938 - 1956) - This is where it all started. The father of all Superheroes is Superman. He was created by Jerry Siegel (an aspiring writer) and Joe Shuster (an aspiring illustrator). After having their comic strips rejected by newspapers for being unsensational, they created Superman. A hero with super-sensational powers who fights crime. History proves their idea was great! Superman was a hit and he eventually appeared in comic magazines at the publisher who would become intellectual property juggernaut, DC Comics.
Because the first appearance of Superman in a comic magazine is in 1938, the Golden Age is considered to start at that point. This era of superhero comics is a continuity of the pulp heroes that precede them.
In 2014, a copy of Action Comics #1 sold at auction for 3.2 million dollars.
Classics from the Golden Age are:
Origin of Superman (Action Comics #1) - DC Comics
Origin of Batman (Detective Comics #33) - DC Comics
Origin of Wonder Woman (Sensation Comics #1) - DC Comics
The Silver Age (1956 - 1971) - I recently wrote an article about the Comics Code Authority. The CCA was the comic publishers cracking down on themselves as a reaction to the ill-will the buying public had towards comics. You can read the article here. The Silver Age is the era after the implementation of the CCA and its start is marked by the relaunch of The Flash in Showcase #4.
DC Comics stories from the silver age era are very different in tone to the Golden Age. Because of the long list of restrictions created by the CCA, Silver Age stories became far-fetched and zany. The Silver Age is the era of madcap stories like the Justice League getting turned into trees or The Flash having to solve the problem of his inflated cranium.
This era is especially noteworthy because it births the universe of Marvel heroes. Whereas DC was being a bit goofy, Marvel chose another route. Foreshadowing the next age of superheroes, Marvel’s Silver Age stories feature more down-to-earth heroes with relatable problems; such as Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man) a nerd who is awkward around girls.
Classics from the Silver Age are:
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four - Marvel Comics
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man - Marvel Comics
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The Bronze Age (1971 - 1986) - This is the era where comic books grew up to keep up with the comics buying market. The Bronze Age starting point is not as clearly defined. Many mark it with the release of Green Lantern #85 in 1971. It’s a story that tackles social issues head-on. This contrasts sharply with the kookiness of the Silver Age.
It is during this era that the comics market changes from the newsstand distribution model to the direct market model; ie. comics sold in specialty shops. This distribution model has suffered severe attrition in the last decade. We may be on the cusp of a sea change.
Classics from the Bronze Age are:
Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing (DC Comics)
The Phoenix Saga (X-Men - Marvel Comics)
First Appearance of The Punisher (Amazing Spider-Man #129 - Marvel Comics)
Death of Gwen Stacy (Spider-Man - Marvel Comics)
The Modern Age (1986 - 2008?) - In 1986, two comics were published which set fire to the eras preceding them. One was Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns; a story about about a grizzled, elderly Batman who has retired from crime-fighting. It’s a grim, angry, violent take on the Batman myth with scraggly artwork to match the tone.
The same year, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons released their first issue of Watchmen which would end up being another masterpiece. Watchmen matched DKR’s grimness and paired it with a literary voice. The dark heart of superheroes was now on full display and many writers plumbed its depths for good and maybe some not so good stories.
This era also features what has come to be called “the Image Revolution”. In the 1990s comics became very popular due to a speculator bubble. At this point comics had become collectables. People were lined up to buy comics on the speculation that they would be worth a lot of money some day. The speculator bubble burst (that’s what bubbles do) but for a time comic artists were riding high on riches, fame and cocaine. A number of these comic book mega stars noticed that they were selling a lot of Spider-Man and X-Men comic books but didn’t own those properties. So they founded a comics publishing company called Image. All comics published by Image were “creator-owned”. From the Image Revolution we get popular characters like Deadpool and Spawn.
It all eventually came crashing down so badly that even Marvel barely hung on. They declared bankruptcy in 1996. Marvel and the market in general clawed its way back to solvency but it was all a very wild ride.
There is no consensus to when the modern age of comics ends. But I propose it ends in 2008 with the release of Iron Man in movie theatres. This event marks a shift away from the comics medium to the dominance of superheroes on the screen. Storytelling in the comics reflects this shift as stories are often written like movie/TV pitches.
Classics from the Modern Age are:
Batman Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean (DC Comics)
The Punisher: Max by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon (Marvel Comics)
Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee (Marvel Comics)
Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli
Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
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