Comic books as we know them were first introduced in the mid 1930s. Back then, the United States and the world was a drastically different place.
Comic books are a reflection of modern society, so as society changed, so did the comic book plots, characters and themes. Because of this, comic books are generally categorized into different ages based on when they were published:
- Golden Age (1938-1956)
- Silver Age (1956-1970)
- Bronze Age (1970-1985)
- Modern Age (1985-Present)
In this article
The Modern Age Of Comics
The Modern Age Of Comics generally starts in 1985 as the Bronze Age wraps up. During the Bronze Age, we saw the end of the Comic Code, which opened up all sorts of plot and character possibilities for publishers. This gave way to darker plots addressing serious issues in society such as drugs and poverty. We also see a more diverse group of characters.
The Modern Age definitely continues that trend– we continue to see more complex personalities and twisting plots. This gave way to the morally ambiguous “anti-heros” we know today, which diverge from the typical warm-hearted utopian hero we typically think of. Examples of anti-heros introduced in the Modern era are Hellblazer, Cable, Venom and Spawn. This also gave way to “supervillains” such as The Joker.
This isn’t to say that the happy-go-lucky comics disappeared completely in the Modern Era. For example, Ultimate Spider-Man #1 was a refreshing look back towards earlier, happier plots.
The nearly undisputed most popular comic book of the Modern Era may very be X-Men. The franchise really defined itself in the Modern Era to the point where others began attempting to copy it’s storylines and success.
Buying And Selling Modern Age Comics
Sparkle City Comics generally prefers purchasing Golden Age comic books, but we’ll always take a look at what you have to sell! If you’re interested in selling your comic books, give us a call at 800-743-9205 or you can fill out our seller inquiry form and we will reach out to you as soon as we can!
