A lot changed from the golden age of comics to the silver age of comics. This is understandable considering the cultural changes that occurred between the two periods but most of the changes go beyond cultural and fall into other realms. Without the golden age of comics none of this would have started but the silver age of comics was the period were comics really began to find themselves.
We’re going to juxtapose golden age comics vs silver age comics and take a look at some of the changes and also why they may have occurred.
We will explore their differences in relation to their historical context, popular genres, famous characters and creators, artistic style, storytelling, themes, character development, reception, and legacy.
Golden Age Vs Silver Age Comics
First a little bit more about what defines these two eras from each other. The golden age of comics gave birth to the comic book industry and is generally considered to have begun in 1938 with the first appearance of Superman which was in Action Comics #1 (1938). It’s end is more of a subject of debate and the answers range from late 40s to mid 50s. During this time comic books became an essential part of popular culture in the United States.
The golden age saw the introduction of some of the most iconic superheroes, including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. These characters became household names and paved the way for the entire comic book industry.
The silver age on the other hand, began with the first appearance of the second Flash in Showcase #4 (1956) and ended in the early 1970s. It was this era that revived the superhero genre after it had pretty much died out following the end of World War II. Many classic characters were reinvented during this period, and new heroes were introduced to the world.
Format & Style
The first thing you’d probably notice when comparing golden age vs silver age comics, is the difference in format and style. Everything from the number of pages, dimensions of the pages and even the style of art itself changed moving from the golden age to the silver age.
Number of Pages
During the golden age of comics, comics were much longer than they are now. Most comics were on average 68 pages long. However, starting in the silver age of comics we saw the average number of pages cut down to 36 pages. Which is something that stuck as an industry standard and has done so to this day.
Page Size
Not only the number of pages changed but also the sizes of the pages themselves. Golden age comics were usually 7 3/4 x 10 1/2 inches (19.7 x 26.7 cm). This lasted until 4 years into the silver age of comics (1960) when they changed the size to 7 1/8 x 10 1/2 inches (18.1 x 26.7 cm). Of course, this is just a general rule of thumb and sizes aren’t always consistent.
After the silver age of comics, the industry standard for page size has continued to fluctuate and change over the years.
Art Style
The golden age of comics had an art style that didn’t venture far from their newspaper predecessors. Images were laid out in basic storyboard format and the images themselves were flat and lacking in detail. They weren’t very imaginative as (for the most part) comic books had not yet attracted the attention of the ardent artists that would later define the medium. There was also a lot more dialogue than illustrations.
During the silver age of comics, however, the art came to be prioritised a lot more. Comics became more experimental and creative. They began to take key points from historical art movements, especially surrealism which was used to depict the supernatural settings within which the stories took place.
At this point comics had been proven a highly profitable venture so a lot more money was put into hiring artists. This resulted in the inclusion of artists like the late great Jack Kirby, who was known for his dynamic, energetic style, which was very different from the more static style of the Golden Age.
The use of colour within comics also became more sophisticated, with artists using a wider range of colors to create more dynamic and expressive artwork. With these changes the art within comic books became an insightful representation of the other worldly characters that graced their pages and the strange worlds they populated.
Historical Context
Before we dive into the differences between storytelling, genres, character archetypes and themes explored, we first need to add some historical context to better explain what influenced these changes. So here’s a rundown on the factors that affected all of these things.
Comics Code
Near the end of the golden age, in 1954, Dr. Frederic Wertham wrote a book entitled Seduction of the Innocent taking aim at the comic book industry. His book blamed comics for juvenile delinquency, and although he did also make claims against superhero comics, his main gripe was against the violence, sex and gore found in crime and horror comics. This created a mass hysteria and turned the public against comic books.
To combat this, the comic book industry created the Comics Code Authority. So, with pretty much all of the themes (including werewolves, zombies, vampires and even just showing evil triumphing over good in any way) contained within horror and crime comics being banned they were no longer possible to create. Meaning the only feasible option for comic book creators was to double down on superheroes and reinvent the genre. This had many effects on silver age comics including the style of stories told. But more on that later.
Science of the Times
Another factor that affected the comics was the progression of science. Things like radioactivity, particles and mutations had become the world’s new found obsession. Naturally, this was reflected through the entertainment of the time. The emergence of television also had an impact on the popularity of comics, as many superheroes were adapted into television shows.
The Birth of Marvel Comics
Whilst working for Atlas Comics in 1961, the now legendary, late great Stan Lee had the idea to revamp their classic heroes for a modern audience. Instead of telling childish tales they would focus on a more mature audience. To do this he decided that their heroes should be flawed and more relatable to the audience. So, they rebranded the company to Marvel Comics and followed this plan. This was a massive step in evolution for comic books that would go on to influence the whole genre.
Civil Rights
Finally, we have the civil rights movement. The silver age of comics occurred in a time of great social change. The civil rights movement and the feminist movement both influenced the content of comics during this period.
Popular Genres
Whilst the superhero genre did dominate the majority of the Golden Age of Comics, near it’s end, other genres had begun to take over. The powerhouses like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Captain America were still thriving but some of the less popular characters had begun to fall out of favor with the audiences that once championed them.
This was mainly due to the fact the war had ended and escapist fantasies were no longer needed. Life had returned back to normal and more realistic, grounded stories began to rise in popularity. Not only this but the genre had become formulaic and repetitive with the same plots and character archetypes appearing time and time again.
This led comic creators to turn their gaze towards other genres such as horror, crime, and romance. Ironically, it was actually this genre switch that went on to solidify superheroes dominance of comic books for evermore.
The graphic nature of the horror and crime genres that dominated the twilight of the golden age led Dr. Frederic Wertham to write Seduction of the Innocent. Which in turn, resulted in the creation of the Comics Code Authority who banned nearly all of the themes contained within these genres.
And it was this sequence events that left comic creators with only one option, double down on superheroes. However, to do this, they had to reinvent the genre and bring it new life, so let’s take a deeper dive into what that meant…
How Superheroes Saved Comics
Now that comic book creators had come to the conclusion that superheroes were the only thing that could save them, they had to figure out a way of bringing them back to popularity. The genre had obviously lost popularity for a number of reasons so they had to reinvent the genre and address these problems. A lot had changed since the golden age of comics and they needed to bring them up to date.
In the golden age, the world war dominated the themes of the entertainment at the time. Comics were no exception. Superhero comics were a cheap, fun way of boosting morale amongst soldiers and civilians alike by showing good triumphing over evil. The themes explored were pretty simple and that’s all that was needed at the time. They were used as a tool to boost morale and if we’re putting it bluntly, spread propaganda. Many of the stories showed golden age superheroes fighting in the war against the Axis powers.
Another observation to be made is that the origins of most of the superpowered golden age characters revolved around gods and magic. It wasn’t until certain scientific discoveries were made that science would start to become the inspiration for the origins of many comic book characters.
By the dawn of the silver age, the atomic era and the civil rights movement were upon us. So, when reinventing the superhero genre, it was a no brainer that DC Comics and Marvel should focus on what was relevant to the current time. They also made their characters more relatable, giving them real world problems that the readers could related to. This added much needed depth to the genre.
Let’s look at a few examples of how both companies did all of this.
Marvel
X-Men – Perhaps the most creative way of bringing these theme together was what Marvel did with the X-Men. They took the world’s new found obsession with science and the rise of the civil rights movement and brought them together. Being mutants, the X-Men were victims of racism at the hands of the non-mutant humans who feared them for being different.
This was the perfect parallel to draw between comic and reality with what was going on in the real world with the rise of the civil rights movement.
Being a group of schools students, X-Men not only explored these topics but also delved into many other relatable issues that made them easier to connect with teens.
Spider-Man – As most will already know, he got his powers after being bit by a radioactive spider. At the time he was a ground-breaking character who represented a new kind of superhero. Peter Parker was a relatable teenager dealing with everyday problems whilst juggling his responsibilities as a superhero.
Hulk – A scientist who developed his powers after being exposed to gamma radiation. The depth and complexity of his character was previously unseen in comic books. Constantly addled by the inner conflict of his two personas, one being a genius scientist and the other a giant, green raging monster with a penchant for destruction.
Fantastic Four – Led by scientist, Mr Fantastic, they got their powers after being exposed to cosmic rays in space. With their inclusion Marvel explored familial dynamics and interpersonal relationships, giving them a more complex and human dimension.
DC Comics
DC Comics had massive success with the superhero genre during the golden age but now that was over, they decided their best play was to reinvent some of their popular mid-tier characters and give them new identities that satisfied the criteria needed to connect with audiences of the time.
The Flash – The Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, was a reinvention of the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. While Jay Garrick’s Flash was a college student who gained super-speed through the inhalation of “hard water” vapors, Barry Allen’s Flash was a forensic scientist who gained his powers through a chemical accident involving lightning and chemicals. The Silver Age Flash brought a more science-fiction approach to the character’s powers and became the definitive Flash of the DC Universe.
Green Lantern – The Silver Age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, was a reinvention of the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Alan Scott’s Green Lantern used a magical ring powered by a mystical green flame, while Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern was a member of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic police force empowered by the Guardians of the Universe. Hal Jordan’s version embraced science fiction and space opera themes, bringing a more cosmic scope to the character.
The Atom: The Silver Age Atom, Ray Palmer, was a reinvention of the Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt. While Al Pratt’s Atom was a college student with enhanced strength and agility, Ray Palmer’s Atom was a physicist who discovered a way to shrink himself to subatomic size using his white dwarf star material belt.
Summary
In summary, pretty much everything that could possibly change within comics did so from the golden age to the silver age of comics. This was mainly because the superhero genre had to be reinvented and updated in order to save comics from their declining popularity caused by their outdatedness and the attacks made on them by Dr. Frederic Wertham.
FAQs
What Does Golden Age Mean in Comics?
There are many different reasons why they are known as “Golden Age Comics”. The term first arose as a term of fondness for the comics of the period. But over time the term has grew new meanings. We actually wrote an article that went into depth exploring what the term “golden age of comics” means.
When Did Comics Peak?
Comics are generally thought of as having piqued during that lapsed from 1938 through to the mid 1940s. Monthly sales for most popular titles at the time fluctuated around the 100,000 mark. However, the most popular titles Captain Marvel, Superman and Batman regularly sold a whopping amount that fell in the range of around 1.5 million copies a month!
What is the Rarest Comic Ever Sold?
The rarest comic in the world is quite a hard thing to pinpoint since it’s so hard to know the numbers that are existence. What we do know is the most expensive comic ever sold was a copy of Spider-Man’s first appearance, Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962). It had a CGC score of 9.6 and sold for $3.6 Million.
Are Comics a Good Investment?
Comic books often see a rise in value, especially the most scarce and sought-after ones, which can experience a substantial spike in their worth. However, if you decide to explore comic book investing as a viable option, it’s crucial to immerse yourself in knowledge about the inner workings of the business and stay updated with the current market trends.
What Age of Comics Are We In Now?
The current age of comics is known as “the modern age of comics”. This period is said to have begun in 1985.
