The Bronze Age of Comics

<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

From Superman Vol. 1 #297. One night in Clark's apartment. The next day, Lois comes to work in the same dress as the day before.

The Bronze Age of Comics was an era of comics beginning in the early 1970s. This marks the time when mainstream comic book creators began writing for a slightly more sophisticated audience. Instead of targeting the elementary school and middle school level children, for the first time comics seemed more for high school and college age readers. While nothing graphic was shown, it was hinted at that comic book superheroes began to have actual sex lives. In Superman Vol. 1 #297, it was implied that Lois and Clark spent an amorous night at Clark's apartment. The next day, Steve Lombard remarks to Lois that she is wearing the same dress as she did the day before.

This was the time when comics took on social issues like drugs and racism that were "relevant" to young Americans. In Spider-Man, Stan Lee decided to defy the Comics Code Authority and do a storyline about drug addiction. This led to Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams doing a story in Green Lantern/Green Arrow having to do with Green Arrow's former sidekick Speedy becoming hooked on heroin.

This was also a time when horror comics became darker and more adult, with the Swamp Thing and House of Mystery at DC Comics, and a Marvel Comics comics series like the one starring the vampire Dracula and a new character called Ghost Rider who's origin involved selling his soul to Satan.

This was the era when villains like Doctor Doom and The Joker got their own (though, admittedly, short lived) comic book series. Heroes that did not share Superman's code against killing, like Jonah Hex, Conan the Barbarian, Wolverine (Marvel Comics), and The Punisher, became popular.

Another hallmark of this era was Jack Kirby leaving Marvel Comics to develop the New Gods characters, including the villain Darkseid, for DC Comics.

Superheroes from this era are often called "Bronze Age Heroes". When distinguishing between the Superman the 1970s from the Superman of today, we would call the older character the "Bronze Age Superman".

The Bronze Age is said to have ended in 1986 when DC Comics restarted its continuity with the event Crisis on Infinite Earths.

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