AGES OF COMICS 13
comics and further refi nement of generic conventions. In 1954, the Comics Magazine
Association of America (CMAA) created the Comics Code as a means of regulating
violent and sexual content in comics. Another starting point for the Silver Age was the
introduction of a new incarnation of the Flash in DC’s Showcase #4 in 1956. A wider
range of superheroes appeared as the genre regained popularity, including Marvel’s
Th e Fantastic Four , which premiered in Th e Fantastic Four #1 in 1961, and Spider-
Man , which premiered in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. DC also introduced Th e
Justice League of America in Th e Brave and the Bold #28 in 1960. Th ese and other
characters helped to create many now familiar genre conventions: scientifi c explana-
tions for superpowers, residence on alternate earths such as DC’s Earth-One, and
moral confl icts and disagreements among the members of superhero teams. Many
publishers of comics understood their audience to be primarily adult and began to
focus on more complex storylines and subtle ethical questions. However, a few pub-
lishers, such as Harvey Comics, targeted young children with titles like Richie Rich
and Casper the Friendly Ghost. Th e Silver Age, whose many popular titles and iconic
heroes spawned a host of collectors’ items, ended in the early 1970s with milestone
events that challenged the genre’s previous optimism, including the death of Spider-
Man’s girlfriend Gwen Stacy and the redefi nition of Green Lantern as a more jaded
hero.
Such darker and more pessimistic storylines heralded the beginning of the Bronze
Age, a period lasting from the 1970s through the mid-1980s. While the popularity of
Silver Age superheroes persisted through this era, its negative themes laid the ground-
work for the dystopias prevalent in the more recent Modern Age. Bronze Age storylines
typically centered on urban unrest and real-world issues such as illegal drug use, racism,
poverty, and social injustice. Many heroes experienced the eff ects of these social prob-
lems on a personal level. Several ethnic minority characters appeared, including Marvel’s
Luke Cage , who debuted in Luke Cage: Hero for Hire #1 in 1972, and the African
American Green Lantern, John Stewart, who debuted in Green Lantern volume 2 #87
in 1971.
Th e Modern Age, also known as the Iron Age or Diamond Age, began with the
publication of Frank Miller’s Batman: Th e Dark Knight Returns (1986) and Alan
Moore’s Watchmen (1987, with art by Dave Gibbons ). Th is period’s comics are char-
acterized by morally and structurally complex storylines in both independent titles and
traditional superhero comics. Both Moore’s and Miller’s work focused on the concept of
the anti-hero in protagonists who, despite their superhero status, were fl awed and vul-
nerable both morally and physically. Th e theme of vengeful justice, pursued by heroes
lacking in superhuman abilities, is seen frequently in the actions of this age’s increasingly
violent characters, such as Wolverine, Th e Punisher , and Todd McFarlane’s Spawn.
Even Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, the third landmark work of this age, is premised
on the title character’s initial desire for revenge against both his captors and lost loves.
During this period, artists such as Art Spiegelman and Scott McCloud theorized
about comics as a medium capable of handling more mature content and complex
