how comics have changed

[daz71]

i just got a book about the avengers and characters associated with them and it shows pictures of how the characters looked in the silver/bronze age and how they look now and what a disappointment,some characters are completely unrecognizable.the mandarin now is just a man in shirt ,tie and suit and maximus has gone from having a great red & yellow costume to what looks like a dressing gown .the colours have lost their vividness and everyone looks so grim and miserable.when did this happen 90's or early 2000's.

[MIB41]

I grew up in the 60's and 70's when comics were like soap operas. It was one continuous storyline where writers took pride in continuity. Today's comics are all about WHO is wearing the costume, not why. They seem aimless, pointless, and constantly get rebooted to prompt new sales. From my perspective, they are pretty lifeless.

[Hedji]

I think computer coloring is a big part of it. There's a tendency to make things look less vivid and colorful. Most comics now are... brown. There are some wonderful exceptions out there but, it parallels the unnatural color grading you see in a lot of movies these days. Too much cyan, too much teal, too much orange... just not natural.

The good news is there are plenty of reprints of brightly colored, plucky heroes to pick up and enjoy. My brother got me the Superman Man of Tomorrow vol II hardcover for Christmas, and it's a hoot!

[daz71]

yes the computer colouring makes things seem dreary when you look at the new disney films and compare them to the classics they seem the same.i know what you're saying about modern movies too they have a greyish washed out look when you look at 60's tv things like batman,star trek and the man from uncle the colours were so rich.

[Hedji]

I like superheroes who are so darn good at what they do, they can't help but smile, and sometimes even break the 4th wall and wink at the reader.

[palitoy]

I wonder if in the 60s, there were Golden Age fans ragging on the Silver Age incarnations. Comments like "That's not the Flash, Jay Garrick is the one true flash!" must have happened right?

[thunderbolt]

I wonder if in the 60s, there were Golden Age fans ragging on the Silver Age incarnations. Comments like "That's not the Flash, Jay Garrick is the one true flash!" must have happened right?

probably, there were no places to post rants like this back in the day, just the letters pages of the comics. I do wonder tho, there was a long period where characters like the Flash and GL were out of publication, so maybe the fan base moved on. Unlike now where the Fantastic Four has been an active title since '61, and some of the readers have been in place for nearly the entire time.

[VintageMike]

I wonder if in the 60s, there were Golden Age fans ragging on the Silver Age incarnations. Comments like "That's not the Flash, Jay Garrick is the one true flash!" must have happened right?

No doubt. My I have very few 60's DC comics to verify, I have enough 70's Marvel to see that exact thing in the letters pages. Lot of people writing in to the FF comic in the 70's pining for 60's FF.

[daz71]

I wonder if in the 60s, there were Golden Age fans ragging on the Silver Age incarnations. Comments like "That's not the Flash, Jay Garrick is the one true flash!" must have happened right?

probably i think it's usually a case of what you see first ,like the fisrt dr.who,the first bond and the first sherlock holmes tends to be your favourite although it's not always the case.

[Hedji]

I wonder if in the 60s, there were Golden Age fans ragging on the Silver Age incarnations. Comments like "That's not the Flash, Jay Garrick is the one true flash!" must have happened right?

Oh absolutely. It's all when you grew up. This forum just happens to have a demographic of forty-somethings who wish comics were like they were when Megos could be found in stores. I prefer to celebrate the old rather than moan about the new, although I'm as guilty as anyone for criticizing modern trends and being an old man. I think there's a certain acceptance that you have to have that things will never quite be what they were, and that's okay. I only have so much time and money for funnybooks anyway. That's why I gravitate towards Marvel Masterworks and the like.

[palitoy]

Interesting, I was sincerely curious. While everyone's reasons are personal, my own interest in comic books really waned in my mid 30s. I couldn't quite put my finger on it either.

While some of it could be blamed on things like me finding many tonal changes were crass exploitation as opposed to artistic choice, fatigue to "events" etc, I do somehow wonder if it isn't tied into music, fashion, comedy etc that you just sort of "drop off" at a certain age and go back to what brought you there in the first place....

[daz71]

Oh absolutely. It's all when you grew up. This forum just happens to have a demographic of forty-somethings who wish comics were like they were when Megos could be found in stores. I prefer to celebrate the old rather than moan about the new, although I'm as guilty as anyone for criticizing modern trends and being an old man. I think there's a certain acceptance that you have to have that things will never quite be what they were, and that's okay. I only have so much time and money for funnybooks anyway. That's why I gravitate towards Marvel Masterworks and the like.

funny thing is i've asked quite a few people of all ages what they liked and disliked in the book and not one person picked one of the modern pictures as one they liked when i asked why the younger ones said the older pictures looked like super heroes and the modern ones looked like emo or goth books.i've no idea what an emo book looks like though.

[Starroid Raiders Dagon]

there was a long period where characters like the Flash and GL were out of publication, so maybe the fan base moved on.

I seem to remember them being changed as they were out of publication for some time like Thunderbolt said. But, those are brand new characters with the same superpower as the originals. I hated seeing guys like Luke Cage in the Avengers with t-shirt and jeans instead of a costume. Trying to think of some others that have changed to regular clothes but only Cage seems to pop to my mind, right now.

[daz71]

I seem to remember them being changed as they were out of publication for some time like Thunderbolt said. But, those are brand new characters with the same superpower as the originals. I hated seeing guys like Luke Cage in the Avengers with t-shirt and jeans instead of a costume. Trying to think of some others that have changed to regular clothes but only Cage seems to pop to my mind, right now.

i think the costumes are probably what attracted us all to them in the first place there is a character called gauntlet in the book who's a dead ringer for the vest and jeans luke cage.

[thunderbolt]

Most of us read comics in the 70s and some still continue. To expect them to be exactly the same as they were 40 years ago is a bit absurd. Even if the changes aren't good, there has to be some sort of growth or they get stagnant.