Do we need a new age for comics?

[ed2962]

Ah. I noticed that. I'm not sure when it started, somewhere in the late 1990s? Early 2000?

It was one of the things that turned me off. I had to wonder if some artists were auditioning for storyboard work.

Oh, it's obvious that some people are hoping to movie deals from their comics.

[mathew101281]

I think the ages stopped after the Bronze Age. After 1985, decades are far more relevant than trying to create clever names to group eras into.

Also, you never create a name for an era in the time that it's happening. That stuff is left to people looking backward.

No way. There is a big difference between 80's and 90's comics and today's comics. I'd argue there is a bigger difference between today and twenty years ago then their is between the gold and silver ages.

[DrNewGod]

No way. There is a big difference between 80's and 90's comics and today's comics. I'd argue there is a bigger difference between today and twenty years ago then their is between the gold and silver ages.

In isolation, post-Crisis, you can track DC by reboot, even when it's soft. The industry as a whole is a bit messier.

[C_Miller]

No way. There is a big difference between 80's and 90's comics and today's comics. I'd argue there is a bigger difference between today and twenty years ago then their is between the gold and silver ages.

"Decades are far more relevant than trying to create clever names to group eras into."

[Mister Mets]

Many submissions I see here are about "what I read" with no thought about "why it happened."

These are posts on a message board, so people aren't going to go into that much depth.

Typically, the changes do have some kind of basis.

The Silver Age was largely an effort to tell inventive stories for all ages after Seduction of the Innocent.

There are some developments that have affected recent comics, including better printing quality (which allows for greater artistic detail), methods of allowing readers to catch up on earlier issues which allows for more complex stories, greater coloring, etc.

I was thinking mainly about how comics were done in a more cinematic style (maybe starting with Ellis, but I'm not sure who should be credit for starting it), not necessarily superhero movies.

Peter David described that change in his book "Writing For Comics."

It was a rather significant development, and I would agree that it kicked off a distinct age.

It probably started roughly when Quesada became Editor in Chief of Marvel, when he had a line of cinematic comics, and there was the assumption that all stories would be collected in TPB format.

[mathew101281]

These are posts on a message board, so people aren't going to go into that much depth.

Typically, the changes do have some kind of basis.

The Silver Age was largely an effort to tell inventive stories for all ages after Seduction of the Innocent.

There are some developments that have affected recent comics, including better printing quality (which allows for greater artistic detail), methods of allowing readers to catch up on earlier issues which allows for more complex stories, greater coloring, etc.

Peter David described that change in his book "Writing For Comics."

It was a rather significant development, and I would agree that it kicked off a distinct age.

It probably started roughly when Quesada became Editor in Chief of Marvel, when he had a line of cinematic comics, and there was the assumption that all stories would be collected in TPB format.

I would argue it started when manga started to influence western comics (which was the mid/late 90's).

[GOLGO 13]

1990s = Age of Excess

Ah, yes. Most commonly referred to as the "Brown Era" of comics. A shameful moment in time for the industry.