http://www.adamsavenuedesign.com/american-bronze/
American Comic Books: The Bronze Age Golden Age
When people ask me why I dedicated my site Steve Does Comics to Bronze Age comics and not to the more celebrated Silver or Golden Ages, I say the answer's simple. It's because, for me, the Bronze Age was the Golden Age of comics.
Admittedly, this may have something to do with my own vintage. I grew up in that self-same Bronze Age. However, thanks to Marvel UK's weekly reprints, I also grew up reading Silver Age mags and, thanks to DC's 100 page comics, Golden Age tales were always to hand.
It's true the Golden Age may have seen the peak of comic sales, with titles like Captain Marvel selling over a million copies a month, and super-heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman hitting the shelves for the first time.
The Silver Age may have been the form's renaissance, with the Marvel Age giving us the likes of Spider-Man, X-Men, Hulk and the Fantastic Four, as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby reinvented the form.
But, for me the true Golden Age of the American Comic Book fell between 1968 and 1978. Now, some may argue with those as the dates for the Bronze Age and I can understand that. It's always been a tricky time to tie down but I've always felt Marvel's expansion of 1968 and DC's implosion of 1978 are natural bookmarks to an era. It's a time when both Marvel and DC took the energy of their 1960s' revolutions and ran with it, taking comics into whole new directions. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee may have opened up new vistas in story telling but they were still operating with a relatively narrow palette.
It was in the Bronze Age when that palette widened. Suddenly, thanks to Roy Thomas, we had licensed characters like Conan the Barbarian, and, freed from the over-regulation of the Comics Code, Marvel saw the emergence of horror-based titles like Tomb of Dracula, Frankenstein and Werewolf by Night, not to mention their Black and White mags like Savage Sword of Conan, Tales of the Zombie and Monsters Unleashed.
Never ones to be left out, DC did horror too, with the likes of Weird War Tales, The Witching Hour, The Unexpected and House of Mystery. Some of these titles were launched before 1968 but there was always a sense the Bronze Age was their natural home.
Speaking of horror, we shouldn't forget those boys from Derby, Charlton Comics, still going strong in the Bronze Age and even giving us a bit extra with the likes of E-Man and John Byrne's Rog (2000).
But Charlton weren't the only independents around. We still had the likes of Dell, Gold Key, Skywald and - in the UK - Alan Class to choose from. In 1975, Marvel founder Martin Goodman even gave us a brand new comics company, by the name of Atlas. It might not've lasted long but, in its brief time in our world, it gave us yet another publisher whose titles we could collect.
1975 was clearly a special year as, besides the launch of Atlas, we saw the re-launch of The X-Men, an act that would have profound impact on the comics industry for decades to come. Following a couple of years on from The Amazing Spider-Man's Death of Gwen Stacy and a year after the intro of the Punisher, things were changing forever. As if to rub it in, we also got (1974)'s creation of Wolverine, (1976)'s epoch-making cross-over Superman vs Spider-Man, the afore-mentioned Tomb of Dracula, Jack Kirby's Kamandi, Michael Fleisher's Spectre and even Art Saaf's less ground-breaking but still-pleasing reinvention of Supergirl. And have there really been many comics better than Steve Gerber's Defenders, a saga of super-heroes who just didn't fit in?
So, when people say, "Steve, what's the big fuss about the Bronze Age when you could be celebrating the Silver or Golden Ages?" I have no hesitation in telling them that, sometimes, if you scratch away a surface of bronze, beneath it, what you find might be purest gold.
About the Author
Hi, I gave the world the blogs Steve Does Comics and Steve Does Everything, not to mention the novels Danny Yates Must Die and Mr Landen Has No Brain (still available from all good online bookstores), plus various other crimes against humanity that are too numerous and shameful to mention.
Tango Dance Patterns, American Bronze II
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Bronze Marble Statue Native American Indian Chief Horse Sculpture Art Decor LRGE $299.00 |
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Native American Art Indian Chief Bronze Bust Sculpture Statue 12 LBS NO RESERVE $99.95 |
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Magnificent Life-Sized Bronze American Bald Eagles $6,000.00 |
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York Wallcoverings American Legacy Textured Scroll Wallpaper PD1140 $82.00 |
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York Wallcoverings American Legacy Textured Scroll Wallpaper PD1140 $82.00 |
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Bronzed Finish Buffalo Statue American Bison $34.99 |
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1976 STATE OF MARYLAND AMERICAN REVOLUTION BICENTENNIAL BRONZE MEDAL $6.99 |
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ANTIQUE PAIR BRONZE AMERICAN INDIAN BOOK ENDS OR DOOR STOPPER $945.00 |
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AMERICAN BRONZE PLAQUE IN MEMORY OF CONNECTICUT 1775-1783 THE FIRST REVOLUTION $15.79 |
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Female Native American Indian Warrior bronze Sculpture Art Deco Figurine Figure $129.00 |
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VINTAGE SIZE #1 POST OFFICE BOX BANK, 1961 CAST BRONZE AMERICAN DEVISE K12 $32.50 |
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RBW American Sculpture Roman Bronze Works ID$ Art Book $89.95 |
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Signed Original Native American on Horse Bronze Marble Sculpture Statue Figurine $399.00 |
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Signed Original Native American on Horse Bronze Marble Sculpture Statue Figurine $299.00 |
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DALE EVERS BRONZE LTD EDITION SCULPTURE - AMERICAN LISTED ARTIST - VERY RARE $56.91 |
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American Indian W/ Bird Bronze Sculpture Figurine Signd Statue Art Figure Piece $219.00 |
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Bronzed Finish American Eagle Statue Outstretched Wings $49.99 |
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American Bronze Sculpture Statue Cowboy by F Remington $699.99 |
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American Bronze Sculpture Statue Cowboy by F Remington $299.99 |
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American Bronze Sculpture Statue Cowboy by F Remington $259.99 |
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American Bronze Sculpture Statue Cowboy by F Remington $2,299.99 |
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Signed Original Native American Man With Eagle Wings Bronze Marble Sculpture Art $249.00 |
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American Eagle Women's Pink Belt Genuine Leather Pink with bronze buckle $4.00 |
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Vintage Native American Indian Chief Bronze Book Ends Bookend $69.99 |
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SIGNED BRONZE SCULPTURE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN CHIEF STATUE ON MARBLE BASE LRGE $524.25 |
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ADMIRAL WILLIAM F. HALSEY 1882-1959 GREAT AMERICAN BRONZE MEDAL FRANKLIN MINT $4.99 |
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FIRST AMERICAN SPACE FLIGHT JOHN GLENN 1962 BRONZE MEDAL FRANKLIN MINT $9.99 |
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GARY COOPER 1901-1961 GREAT AMERICAN BRONZE MEDAL 1972 FRANKLIN MINT $4.99 |
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By Native American Navajo L. Begay~Bronze Infused Kingman Turquoise Pendant~ $67.50 |
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American Standard Jado Hatteras Roman Tub Set - 842/313/105 Finish: Old Bronze $139.99 |
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Old Abraham Lincoln Bronze Wall Plaque with American Flags Taken off building $177.50 |
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AFRICAN AMERICAN ART PRINT Bronze Buckaroos $20.95 |
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2 WWI AMERICAN EAGLE BRONZE BUTTON SCOVILL MFG $9.99 |
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VINTAGE 1925 AMERICAN LEGION SCHOOL AWARD MEDAL BRONZE MEDALLIC ART CO N.Y.-EUC $9.95 |
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New Smokey Bear/American Cowboy Belt Buckle - Solid Bronze, Gold & Silver Plated $60.00 |
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Great American Ball Park Bronze Infield Dirt Keychain $20.99 |
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1911 OLD MAGAZINE PRINT AD, NON-GRAN MOTOR CAR ENGINE BEARINGS, AMERICAN BRONZE! $12.99 |
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Pool Gasket & O-ring Kit American Ultra-Flo & Bronze $19.95 |
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By Native American Navajo Avin Joe~Bronze Infused Turquoise Pendant~ $99.50 |
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GERONIMO Indian Statue Sculpture Native American Real Bronze Hand Cast FIgurine $299.00 |
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American Eagle Outstrech Wing Pocket Watch Bronze Tone Free Gift Box WTP2002B $0.95 |
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Rosa Parks Bronze Medal African American Civil Rights $29.99 |
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Eagle 4x6 Picture Frame American Flag Bronze Plated 10H $69.00 |
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American Indian Figure Bronze Plated Statue Sculpture $72.00 |
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American Indian Warrior Remington Bronze Sculpture Statue Western Horse Indian $349.00 |
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1977 HORNORING THE AMERICAN VETERAN MEDAL 38mm bronze $0.99 |
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ER2519 Vintage Retro Style Bronze Tone American USA Flag Star Dangle Earrings $2.49 |
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ER2520 Red White Blue Crystals Bronze American USA Flag Star Dangle Earrings $4.99 |
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1947 Elgin American Silver Bronze Make-up Compact Valentine Gift Ad $9.99 |
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Doug Hyde Bronze Sculpture Edition 4 of 10 Native American Indian Artist 23" $12,000.00 |
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Bronze 18" AMERICAN EAGLE Art Deco Sculpture Statue NEW $84.99 |
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Metallic Bronze Shoulder Bag -for 18 inch Carpatina and American Girl Dolls $12.99 |
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1 Gram Bronze Bullion American Buffalo Bar/Ingot - AMAGI METALS $0.01 |
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USA AMERICAN BRONZE SWOOPING EAGLE HAWK BELT BUCKLE $12.49 |
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Cute European American Style Bronze Rhinestone Heart Lock Key Charms Necklace $2.34 |
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New European American Style Bronze Rhinestone Heart Lock Key Charms Necklace $2.34 |
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Retro European American Style Bronze Rhinestone Heart Lock Key Charms Necklace $2.34 |
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21 BRONZE RING "the AMERICAN EAGLE " WHOLESALE LOT NEW $129.00 |
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Bronze Native American Woman Statue-Indian-Figurine-Very Detailed-18"H $900.00 |
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Bronze Native American In Canoe Statue-Indian-Figurine-Very Detailed-12.5"H $800.00 |
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Bronze Indian Chief Statue-Native American-Figurine-Very Detailed $1,100.00 |
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Bronze Native American Statue-Indian-Figurine-Very Detailed-17"L 7"W 9"H $600.00 |
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32" HIGH BRONZE STATUE INDIAN CHIEF MOHICAN SCULPTURE NATIVE AMERICAN ART DECOR $349.00 |
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FRANCE UNION FRANCO AMERICAN AND ITS COLLABORATORS 1914-18 LARGE BRONZE MEDAL $39.52 |
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Antique Style Bronze Tone American flag Case Quartz Pocket Watch With Chain $0.01 |
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Miss Ruby's American Cooking by Ruth Adams Bronz $5.99 |
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Brand New European & American Style Vintage Summoning bronze night owl necklace $7.99 |
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1970S AMC & JEEP TOUCH-UP PAINT BURNISHED BRONZE $4.99 |
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FRANKLIN MINT BRONZE GREATER (S.Trepsiceros) KUDU BY AMERICAN SCULPTURE DON POLL $40.00 |
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AMERICAN VINTAGE 1950'S SOLID BRONZE "NUT SHELL" HINGET JEWERLY,RING BOX $29.99 |
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Large Crucifix Amulet By American Folk Artist Tom Cleveland Bronze and Copper $12.95 |
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Vintage American US Bronze Belt Buckle Template ~1960 $35.00 |
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Two Afghan Dog W/ American Indian Girl Bronze Sculpture by Seger Marble Statue $249.00 |
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Signed American Artist Fraser Indian Man on Horse Bronze Sculpture Marble Statue $349.00 |
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LARGE 1911 AMERICAN BRONZE BEARINGS AD BERWYN PA $6.99 |
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VETERANS CIRCA 1919 AMERICAN LEGION BRONZE MEDAL HUGE 3" "FOR GOD & COUNTRY" $44.99 |
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G.I. JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO # 3 Bronze Age Marvel Comic Book 1982 NM- $4.99 |
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L51 ANTIQUE BRONZE CAST AMERICAN EAGLE STAIR TOP FURNITURE TOP $45.02 |
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ROBERT FROST BRONZE MINT MEDAL JFK INAUGURATION GREAT AMERICAN POETRY $31.99 |
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Sign Original Native American Wise Elder Bronze Statue Sculpture Figurine Figure $149.00 |
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Elegant Classic Bronze Marble Statue Indian Native American Art Canoe Sculpture $129.95 |
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Amazing Swarovski & American Clay Shamballa/Tresor Style Bracelets UK Seller! $11.05 |
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Bronze AMERICAN BALD EAGLE pyramid US FLAG Base Raptor hawk memorial sculpture $439.00 |
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5 America's Medals - American Revolution Bicentennial - bronze gold plated $3.50 |
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*911 AMERICAN EAGLE ~ TWIN TOWERS ~ PENTAGON BRONZE MEDAL L@@K!* $9.95 |
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American Standard Jado 853/038/105 Victorian Roman Tub Set, Old Bronze $149.99 |
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Very Fine American Patinated Bronze Figural Architectural Element ca. 1900 $90.00 |
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EAGLE W/AMERICAN FLAG BRONZE PLATED STATUE/SCULPTURE $96.60 |
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Very Fine American Patinated Bronze Egyptian Revival Figure of a Queen ca. 1930 $70.00 |
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Native American Art Mohican Indian Warrior Spear Bronze Marble Statue 29" Signed $195.00 |
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c1900 AUSTRIAN BRONZE WESTERN AMERICAN HUNTING STATUE $950.00 |
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American Buffalo Bison Western Decor Bronze Marble Statue Sculpture Artwork Gift $249.00 |
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Native American Artwork Mohican Indian Warrior Chief Art Bronze Marble Sculpture $165.51 |
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Craftmade AT-TCS-OB Oiled Bronze TCS Hand-Held Control for American Tradition $89.00 |
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Craftmade AT-TCS-AG Aged Bronze TCS Hand-Held Control for American Tradition $89.00 |
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Craftmade AT-TCSPLUS-EB European Bronze TCS Plus Wall Control for American $94.00 |
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Craftmade AT-TCSPLUS-OB Oiled Bronze TCS Plus Wall Control for American $98.00 |
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Signed Original Native American Warrior Capture A Bear Cub Bronze Marble Statue $399.00 |
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Winged Native American Indian Art Legend Classic Bronze Marble Statue Decor Art $79.00 |
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Native American Art Bronze Marble Statue Indian Chief Mohican Portait Bust $179.51 |
