The Daring & The Different

I have a genuine fondness for the DC comics of the 1967-74 years, a transition period of sorts between the Silver and Bronze Ages. The art and the stories were actually better in many ways than the Golden and Silver Ages, as the comics industry was starting into its 3rd generation of talent. Don't get me wrong though, the Golden and Silver years were raw, bold, colorful, and wonderful — with a huge nostalgic factor. 

Below is a tribute by Nick Cardy, one of the 2nd generation artists that was at the top of his game during this period. I have bittersweet memories of this time, as it bookended my high school years into my army years, when I was still collecting as I could, attending early comicons and such, and seeking out my favorite creators to shake their hands.

Nick Cardy — Comic Book Artist — 1999

A Saga

Oh, hey! Happy birthday to Joe Kubert, whose gold, silver and bronze age work brought so much enjoyment to so many people!

I bought ANYthing with a Kubert cover!

Joe Kubert — Showcase #82 — May, 1969

From the Ah, If Only Dept.

These 2 pages, drawn by Curt Swan, helped usher the Silver Age of DC into the Bronze Age. There's a lot of nostalgia for Gold and Silver Ages, but a lot of that stuff was pretty lame and silly. The Bronze Age of the super heroes was pretty good stuff, still a little silly, but not so obviously.

Ah, if only I could go back to '71, the things I'd do differently. For one thing I would appreciate that time more than I did the first time around. Also I'd spend a little more dough, collecting stuff—and hanging on to it!

Checkerboard Phase

I have sincere nostalgia for DC's 'go-g0' checkerboard phase of the silver age. Comic books were fun and DC books were easily spotted in the spinner racks. At 12 cents apiece I could usually afford to grab most every comic I wanted. But it was usually the Kubert, Infantino and Kane books I wanted. I bought each of these Detective Comics thinking, oh joy, Kubert stories, but oh well, at least he did the covers.

Across the Ages

I have a love/hate attitude toward the Silver Age of comix. Much of it has little appeal for me, but some of it still feels good—none more so than Joe Kubert's take on Hawkman.

Here is an across-the-ages special panel that Kubert drew, during the bronze age, of the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkwoman battling the Golden Age Gentleman Ghost.

Bridged the Ages

Al Williamson's comix art bridged the ages, bringing Golden Age excitement into the more refined aesthetic of the Silver and Bronze Ages.

Deadlines

I feel strangely compelled to tell the truth that I'm tied up with deadlines—like in a major way. See you again in a few days.

(I love the spin Jaime Hernandez can put on silver age motifs. Sure wish he coulda done some mainstream superhero stories in a Love and Rockets mode. Boy I'd buy those books in a heartbeat.)

Hey Look! Steranko Covers!

It was such a treat, back in the late 60s, to come up to a comic spinner in the drug store and find comics with Steranko covers. Of course it WAS still the Silver Age, so there would also be covers by Neal Adams, Joe Kubert, Gil Kane, Curt Swan, Jack Kirby, Infantino, on and on (SWEET Sixties). But covers by Jim Steranko were more rare than the others and they always compelled me to buy the comic without even looking inside. And sometimes it was a double treat to find Steranko art inside, such as the X-Men comic shown below.

Steranko was a huge fan of the golden age, and he brought much of those qualities, with improvements, to us monkeyboys of the 60s.

Treasure Planet

It's taking a real effort to stay away from 'blogging. Case in point, here I am again. I've really got to focus on other stuff, but my collection of images has a siren's call to my inner blogger.

Wasn't there a Diz animated movie called Treasure Planet? Well, I've heard that you can't copyright a title, but this short story emanates from the DC Silver Age of sci-fi. It's weakly derivative of EC sci-fi, but it's always fun to see work by Gil Kane, this time aided by Bernard Sachs. Gardner Fox is always fun too.

Selina Kyle Wayne

My favorite image of the Catwoman character, the Earth-2 Selina Kyle Wayne, rendered by Dave Stevens. Sigh. Comics would have been the better for it if only Stevens had done mainstream stories.

Besides which, I miss the original Earth-2 concept, blending from the Silver to Bronze Ages.

A Post Post

This post of a comic by Howie Post is purely nostalgic for me. I bought this comic off the spinner in the winter of '68, weighing in just at the tail end of the Silver Age, according to the reckoning of some, just before the demise of the 12 centers.

Anthro was edited by Joe Orlando, who also edited some of the other non-mainstream titles (I'm only guessing here, so don't yell at me if I'm wrong—maybe BatLash, Angel and the Ape, the DC mystery titles?). Anyway Carmine Infantino was the DC editorial director at the time, and all the titles at that time seemed fun and enticing to read. I've gotten rid of most of those comix over time, but for some reason I kept this one.

Howie Post had a style that some would not enjoy, being anything but Kirby, but to me seemed refreshing. Around that time he was also a newspaper cartoonist, drawing The Dropouts, of which I will show some samples soon.

Bring to Life

Joe Kubert was my comic book idol in the Silver and Bronze Ages. I collected everything he did, not matter how minor (read ads for toys and ads with Ed McMahon in 'em). He has been part of all the ages us geeks worship. Not all his stories were super wonderful, but his art made 'em seem that way. As he says in the promo directly below, he had the pleasure to bring cartoon characters to life.

Here he introduces Firehair in a couple of promos, and then below those is a short Firehair story from one of the Son of Tomahawk issues.

OK Yes, Gil Kane was the Silver Age TOO

And bunches more people too. Anderson, Sekowsky, Andru & Esposito, Mooney, on and on. Love em all. If you couldn't tell by now, I was primarily a DC kinda guy .*blush*

Alright, So Joe Kubert Was the Silver Age. . .

AND the Golden Age, AND the Bronze Age, AND the Diamond Age, AND the Digital Age, AND...what age is it right now?

OK OK Curt Swan was ALSO the Silver Age

Another case of remembering exactly where when and how I bought this comic in the summer of 1963. I remember the weather, the time of day. Geez, it's like a #@*$%# time machine!

Infantino WAS the Silver Age

How the heck did Carmine Infantino know what I looked like in the Silver Age?