Bronze Age 1970-1984 Appreciation Thread

[Buried Alien]

Definitely my favorite era of comics, both DC and Marvel.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Buried Alien]

This was the Justice League:



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Air Wave]

1975

Screen Shot 2020-04-24 at 9.38.13 AM.jpg

[Air Wave]

1976

Screen Shot 2020-04-24 at 9.39.45 AM.jpg

[Air Wave]

1977

Screen Shot 2020-04-24 at 9.42.21 AM.jpg

[Air Wave]

1978

Screen Shot 2020-04-24 at 9.43.59 AM.jpg

[Vampire Savior]

Some really great artists came out of this period. Neal Adams, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bernie Wrightson, Mike Grell. Some of my top favorites, actually. And even some guys you don't hear about nearly as much, like Keith Pollard.

[DrNewGod]

I personally link it with the writer purge of 1968 where all the Silver Age writers were pushed out. It definitely contributed to the creative shift in storytelling at DC.

That would be a good marker for DC, but what about for comics as a whole?

[K7P5V]

Another favorite would be "The Last Bounty Hunter" (a sad tale of the final days of Jonah Hex):

[Lee Stone]

That would be a good marker for DC, but what about for comics as a whole?

Most point to the death of Gwen Stacy.

But something happened at Marvel in 1968 also...
1968 is when Marvel began licensing deals and introduced ‘Marvel Time’ which was designed to keep the characters from changing too much (for their IP value).
Marvel learned there was gold in using the characters outside of telling stories in comics.
Here’s an exploration of 1968 at Marvel that gives more reasons why 1968 was a pivotal year for them.

[DrNewGod]

Most point to the death of Gwen Stacy.

But something happened at Marvel in 1968 also...
1968 is when Marvel began licensing deals and introduced ‘Marvel Time’ which was designed to keep the characters from changing too much (for their IP value).
Marvel learned there was gold in using the characters outside of telling stories in comics.
Here’s an exploration of 1968 at Marvel that gives more reasons why 1968 was a pivotal year for them.

You sold me. When the SA fully transformed into the BA may still be a bit squishy, but 1968 is when the transition began in my book.

[DrNewGod]

This was the Justice League:



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Lacking only Hawkwoman, that's "my" JLA.

[Lee Stone]

Lacking only Hawkwoman, that's "my" JLA.

An edited version I made a while back that included Hawkwoman, but also added Vixen to the image.
I figured that if JLDetroit hadn't happened, Vixen would've most likely been the next Satellite member, considering she was a Conway character and he was wanting to bring her back.

[Lee Stone]

The book I checked out the most from my school library:



And the Bronze Age books it reprinted:

[DrNewGod]

An edited version I made a while back that included Hawkwoman, but also added Vixen to the image.
I figured that if JLDetroit hadn't happened, Vixen would've most likely been the next Satellite member, considering she was a Conway character and he was wanting to bring her back.

Now we're talkin'!