Or maybe we’re in the "Downloadable Torrent Age."
Whenever the new Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide arrives, as the 38th annual edition did this week, my usual ritual is to go immediately to the House of Secrets listing and see what #92, the first Swamp Thing, is up to.
$1,000 in Near Mint. Hokey smokes.
Haven’t had much time to peruse the rest of the book, but, boy, it does seem larger. And heavier. The print doesn’t look any smaller.
I did look in the glossary, if only because I happened to flip right to it when I was glancing through the volume. I know I’ve spoken about this before, but I remember when Overstreet used to say that “Bronze Age” was…well, let’s refer to the glossary in the 28th edition from ten years ago:
“Non-specific term not in general acceptance by collectors which denotes comics published from approximately 1970 through 1980.”
There ain’t no “not in general acceptance” qualifier in the new guide, which means that “Bronze Age” has been used in enough ads as a marketing term that everyone’s finally used to it, I guess. We’ve even used it around the store once or twice, without any measure of sarcasm. But I’m resisting “Copper Age” (allegedly books from about ’84 to ’92) with all my might.
“YOUNGBLOOD #1 Liefeld art – Key book from Copper Age” – Sounds more impressive that way, doesn’t it?
Anyway, here are the generally accepted “ages” of American comics, and my entirely unfair definitions that I’m sure somebody will take offense to even though I’m obviously speaking tongue-in-cheek:
Victorian Age/Platinum Age (sometime in the 1800s or so, running until Superman came out): nobody cares.
Golden Age (1930s – about the mid ’50s): the stuff you can’t afford, which is okay because a lot of it isn’t as good as you seem to think it is. And that stuff that is good you really can’t afford, so don’t even bother.
Silver Age (mid ’50s ’til about the late ’60s): the origin of 90% of scans on blogs. Remembered by the general public via the Batman TV show from this period.
Bronze Age (’70s, more or less): the other 10% of blog scans. Also, you can’t believe that comics from this period are being priced this high. I mean, who’s gonna pay more than a dollar for Stalker? I mean, honestly.
Modern Age (’80s onward): all that crap everyone’s got too much of. Has the virtue of finally lumping Watchmen and Deathmate into a shared category, aside from “Things Made of Paper.”
And there have been other “ages” to divvy up the Modern Age stuff even further, like the aforementioned “Copper Age,” and some wag came up with “Polybag Age,” plus there’s “Chromium Age” which may have existed only in my head, but it’s oddly appropriate. If you’re cynical, like I know I am, “Final Age” may be a good one, too.
Er, anyhoo…I’m gonna try to finally sit down and give the new Overstreet a good goin’ through in the next day or two, and see if there’s anything else of note I can bring up.
Hmmmm…how much are all those Nancy and Sluggos now…?
