Favorite Comic Age of Superman

[boltmonster]

Which is your favorite Comic Age of Superman:

Golden Age (1933-September, 1956)
Silver Age (October, 1956-September, 1986)
Modern Age (October, 1986-November, 1999)
Birthright (December, 1999-April, 2006)
Post Infinite Crisis (May, 2006-October, 2011)
New 52 (November, 2011-May, 2016)
New 52: Rebirth (May, 2016-February, 2020)

[MRP]

Golden Age but ending earlier than the OP lists. I prefer Superman to leap buildings in a single bound not fly, and I think the character was fundamentally changed from its core concept before the 40s ended.

-M

[BBally]

The Bronze Age is my personal favourite followed by the Post Crisis era and aspects of both the Golden Age and Silver Age..

[SiegePerilous02]

Silver/Bronze, with a lot of respect for the Golden Age stories as well.

I'd rank New 52 behind them, but it's mostly one run (Morrison) and I'm either not fond or too familiar with everything else in that period.

[Jim Kelly]

By decade, it would be the 1970s, the 1960s, the 1940s, the 1930s, the 1980s, the 1950s, the 1990s, in that order. As far as the 2000s go, there are some runs and titles I liked but not a whole lot.

[Superfly Frankenstein]

Modern Age

[manwhohaseverything]

Golden Age but ending earlier than the OP lists. I prefer Superman to leap buildings in a single bound not fly, and I think the character was fundamentally changed from its core concept before the 40s ended.

-M

I have the same opinion as well.

given that WWII was a conflict with very clear lines between good and evil

I don't think the line was that clear. It was, decent to bad vs evil. That's generally it.

[Jon Clark]

I don't think the line was that clear. It was, decent to bad vs evil. That's generally it.

It was clear in the sense that one side was definitely closer to pure evil than the other. Sort of like the Churchill bit where if it's a choice between siding with Satan or with Hitler, Churchill would send British troops to defend Hell. You don't have to like America or any of the Allies to feel more sympathy for them than the guy who industrialized genocide. Even the 1938 Superman would se some light between corrupt businessmen and the guys behind The Rape of Nanking, the Bataan Death March, Auschwitz, and various medical experiments performed by Axis scientists..

[Johnny Thunders!]

Bronze Age is my favorite, the scale of the Superman legend is there but the supporting cast seem more fully realized and the entire tone is less goofball than the Silver Age, but come on let's hear it for the Silver Age. Braniac, Bizarro, Kandor, the Phantom Zone, the Parasite, The Justice League, the Legion of Super Heroes. Death of Superman Stories, Imaginary stories, weird struggles with identity and loss of power, is there any other time period that gave so much to the character that still endures to this day? After Bronze and Silver, I actually think I lean to the modern age. I like Superman back in the Golden Age but as I mentioned in another thread, it's tough for me to love the villains, especially when so many of them are grifters, swindlers, crooked big shots, and mobsters, they all seem anonymous. (I also think Jerry Siegel's best work is actually in the Silver Age. I oddly think the stories feel more personal then, even if they were dressed up in Mermaids and time travelers.)

[ngroove]

Bronze Age is my favorite, the scale of the Superman legend is there but the supporting cast seem more fully realized and the entire tone is less goofball than the Silver Age, but come on let's hear it for the Silver Age. Braniac, Bizarro, Kandor, the Phantom Zone, the Parasite, The Justice League, the Legion of Super Heroes. Death of Superman Stories, Imaginary stories, weird struggles with identity and loss of power, is there any other time period that gave so much to the character that still endures to this day? After Bronze and Silver, I actually think I lean to the modern age. I like Superman back in the Golden Age but as I mentioned in another thread, it's tough for me to love the villains, especially when so many of them are grifters, swindlers, crooked big shots, and mobsters, they all seem anonymous. (I also think Jerry Siegel's best work is actually in the Silver Age. I oddly think the stories feel more personal then, even if they were dressed up in Mermaids and time travelers.)

Personally, the villains, that it felt like Superman, for the first time, has been given a fully formed rogues gallery, is a major reason why my favorite Super-Age is the Bronze Age. Lex Luthor, in his green-and-purple supervillain costumes. Brainiac. Mister Mxyzptlk. Terra Man. Parasite. Toyman, and Toyman. Bizarro Superman No.1. Metallo, Roger Corben. SKULL. Phantom Zone Prisoners. Atomic Skull. Master Jailer. Along with Superman's just as memorable bouts against Gorilla Grodd, Star Sapphire, Amazo, and Solomon Grundy. And, not to mention Captain Strong, and Clark's friendly rivalry with Steve Lombard.

[Jim Kelly]

I like Superman back in the Golden Age but as I mentioned in another thread, it's tough for me to love the villains, especially when so many of them are grifters, swindlers, crooked big shots, and mobsters, they all seem anonymous. (I also think Jerry Siegel's best work is actually in the Silver Age. I oddly think the stories feel more personal then, even if they were dressed up in Mermaids and time travelers.)

Man, now I feel like I wasted my time on that other thread.

What's good about ne'er-do-wells that never break any actual laws--or at least can't be convicted--is they can keep coming back. And once the Code was in effect, every bad guy was supposed to be punished by the end of the story.

Crimes shall never be presented in such a way as to create sympathy for the criminal, to promote distrust of the forces of law and justice, or to inspire others with a desire to imitate criminals.
If crime is depicted it shall be as a sordid and unpleasant activity.
Policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions shall never be presented in such a way as to create disrespect for established authority.
Criminals shall not be presented so as to be rendered glamorous or to occupy a position which creates a desire for emulation.
In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.
Scenes of excessive violence shall be prohibited. Scenes of brutal torture, excessive and unnecessary knife and gunplay, physical agony, the gory and gruesome crime shall be eliminated.

In the case of Lex Luthor, once he was made into a corporate boss, his hands were clean of any overt crimes and therefore he didn't need to go to prison. But quite frankly the going to prison was some of the best action for Luthor--see the beginning of "Hercules in the 20th Century" (ACTION COMICS 267) for an example of what I mean.

I feel like Jerry Siegel was never more happier than when he was having a laugh. His best stories always have some hilarious edge to them. I enjoyed stuff he did for the Legion and for the Mighty Crusaders before I ever knew he was the writer.