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From: ciaraldi@rochester.UUCP (Mike Ciaraldi)
Newsgroups: net.comics
Subject: Re: Golden Age of DC
Message-ID: <6556@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Feb-85 14:42:28 EST
Article-I.D.: rocheste.6556
Posted: Sat Feb 16 14:42:28 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 18-Feb-85 08:44:59 EST
References: <1632@pur-phy.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 37

> 
>    In many of the articles discussing the current Crisis mini-series
> being published by DC reference is often made to the "Golden Age".
> Could someone please mention what this term means.
> 		D. Bartholomew

The "Golden Age" is usually defined as starting with the
rise of comic books that featured all-new stories rather
than reprints of newspaper comics strips.
Thus, it could be considered to start around 1935 (which
DC is considering its company's starting point) or maybe
1938, the first appearances of Superman and Batman.

The Golden 
Age ended when comics began to retreat from their
importance in popular culture, under the onslaught of television.
Many experts say it ended when All-Star Comics, home of the JSA,
became All-Star Western, with issue #58 (I Think), in
1949 (or maybe 1950 or 1951?).

Anyway, after that time the only DC characters with their own
magazines were Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
In 1956 the Silver Age began with the revival of old
characters (often in modified form) and the introduction of new ones.
The first was The Flash, quickly followed by Green Lantern,
Hawkman, the JLA, etc.



The Golden Age of Science Fiction is usually considered to be the
1920's.  I think it was Isaac Asimov who said, 
"The Golden Age is whenever you were 13 years old."
Seems about right to me.

Mike Ciaraldi
ciaraldi@rochester
seismo!rochester!ciaraldi