The "worst" decade for comics?

[Goggindowner]

We have a female Thor, an Asian Hulk and no Fantastic Four currently.

No Fantastic Four because Marvel doesn't own the film rights and can't cross promote them. I'll give you Asian Hulk as a variation, but I really don't know that much about that. As for female Thor, teen girl Iron Man, and the multiple Captain Americas, I would argue that those characters are being used to setup casting changes in the films for when the long used actors don't renew contracts. Easy to slide the new version with a totally new cast right in to replace them.

Wolverine?

Same as above, but it already happened. X-23 is the new movie Wolverine....

[jeanvaljean]

No Fantastic Four because Marvel doesn't own the film rights and can't cross promote them. I'll give you Asian Hulk as a variation, but I really don't know that much about that. As for female Thor, teen girl Iron Man, and the multiple Captain Americas, I would argue that those characters are being used to setup casting changes in the films for when the long used actors don't renew contracts. Easy to slide the new version with a totally new cast right in to replace them.

That's highly doubtful. Horrible timing, too, with a Thor movie coming out that features a different Thor than the one who's been in the comics for what, almost two years now?

[CliffHanger2]

I'd say the 2000s the era of "big nothing" stories and dirt bag superheroes. Bendis Avengers,Millar's Ultimates, OMD everyone out of character horrible. Things started to turn around during the late 2000s but it was really bad for awhile.The 90s had a lot of good consistent comic runs by artists and writers and the indy explosion.

[numberthirty]

Same as above, but it already happened. X-23 is the new movie Wolverine....

For what? X-Men movies that will be taking place before she is born?

[numberthirty]

I don't think Wonder Woman even has a status quo anymore.

Certainly not since 2007. That's before you even think about the film.

[ed2962]

It's only a status quo if the next writer keeps it.

And I know it's quite good. It's Rucka. But the last time he built a status quo for Wonder woman it was wiped away as soon as he left.

This has been the problem with WW for almost 40 yrs...whenever a new team comes on, they ignore what the previous creators did and try to start over.

[ed2962]

That's highly doubtful. Horrible timing, too, with a Thor movie coming out that features a different Thor than the one who's been in the comics for what, almost two years now?

They're still using man-Thor in the comics, so it won't be a problem. I'm sure around the time the movie comes out he'll have a bright shiny new #1...that cost $5 and has multiple variants.

[ed2962]

No Fantastic Four because Marvel doesn't own the film rights and can't cross promote them. I'll give you Asian Hulk as a variation, but I really don't know that much about that. As for female Thor, teen girl Iron Man, and the multiple Captain Americas, I would argue that those characters are being used to setup casting changes in the films for when the long used actors don't renew contracts. Easy to slide the new version with a totally new cast right in to replace them.

Same as above, but it already happened. X-23 is the new movie Wolverine....

Thor, IM, and Cap have been replaced multiple times since the 80's. I don't think it's about movies. When the current actors get old or just move on to other projects, they'll just get new actors. We've already had 3 Banners, we're going to have our third Peter Parker...

[heretic]

I have to agree that the damage done to the comic book industry in the '50s was far bigger (more genres smashed than survived that period) than any bouts of editorial incompetence and speculation since.

[Mister Mets]

I'm torn between the 50s and 90s.

The 1950s had some developments that were destructive for comics including the destruction of mature comics with The Seduction of the Innocent, the infantilization of the art form with the Comics Code,and the sales failure of Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book.

The 1990s had the speculator bubble, and a lot of dreck.

I guess it comes down to a comparison of the best comics.

The 50s had EC Comics, Silver Age DC, and a good chunk of the Carl Barks duck stories.

The 90s had Sandman, Preacher, the conclusion of Maus, some of the best Love and Rockets sagas (Flies on the Ceilings, Poison River), Bone, From Hell, Kingdom Come, Marvels, Astro City, Earth X- I'm going with the 50s as worst decade.

[Kuwagaton]

50s.
90s was the best tbh

I'd honestly say this. The problem with the '90s was that there were so, so, so many comics. But not a lack of good ones at all. I can easily do a "top 5 from 199_" with any of the years.

Meanwhile, while many comics from the '40s and '60s have aged decently, the '50s not so much.

[comicscollector]

I voted the 90s.
Because of the Clone Saga,Heroes Reborn,Teen Iron Man and so on.
There were cool comic books in the 90s,but there were much more lousy comics.

[jeanvaljean]

Why not list the 1940's in the poll?

Anyways, I vote for 1950's, because of the Comics Code Authority that restricted the creativity in every way possible.

I'm more like "Why even include the 60s?"

The 40s and the 60s gave the world some of the most enduring characters. Properties that have become cultural icons that are present on every continent. Only silly trolls would vote 40s or 60s.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

40's may have seen the debut of some of the most popular comic book characters like Superman, Captain America, Captain Marvel (Fawcett) and Archie. But most of the 1940's comic books have awful and crude artwork and mediocre stories. Racism and stereotypes are also prevalent in the 1940's comics.

And perhaps nowhere was that more prevalent than in how the Japanese were portrayed in comics after the Pearl Harbor attack.

[ouroboros]

40's may have seen the debut of some of the most popular comic book characters like Superman, Captain America, Captain Marvel (Fawcett) and Archie. But most of the 1940's comic books have awful and crude artwork and mediocre stories. Racism and stereotypes are also prevalent in the 1940's comics.

One can find elements of racism in great authors-- Poe and London for two-- and their stature remains significant, far more than a lot of modern writers who tout themselves as paragons of tolerance, but are instead merely practitioners of reverse racism.

I could also reel off a lot of artists from the period who put out quality work, but the names wouldn't mean anything to most people here. I imagine that if you've seen one crummy Human Torch story-- and yes, Carl Burgos was not one of the better artists-- that will pretty much decide most people on the quality of the decade.