The Heroic Age / Neo-Silver Age - seriously WHY?

[Nave 'Torment']

The Modern Age is Dead, and no, it will not come back in the end of the low-sales backlash so that yet another soap-operatic cringe-device is used to milk that ever sagging, anthrax-infested MAD cow.

The Modern Age is Dead, and the mainstream publishers have spoken. Marvel is gearing up to explore its all new 'HEROIC AGE' while DC Comics succumbs ever so slowly into the hands of Grant 'GOD OF CONTINUITY' Morrison (with help from Bob, Jim and Geoff!) I am not belittling the comic book industry, but simply saying that the time for 'Dark and Gritty' comics is gone and people have shed little tears. Why tears? Because along with that darkness we have to say good bye to realism as well. And while realism should not be the only mode of art-representation, when it comes to comic books, it's always lead to a path toward more matured narratives. It's a good thing that the Neo-Silver Age (as Alan Moore coined all those years ago) is trying to find new ways to tell good stories other than the gritty and realistic ground; but it's sad that in order to get there the mainstream editors think that the only way FORWARD is to go BACK.

The Neo-Silver Age is NOT a renaissance, but people seem to like it any way. They love the fact that Bruce Wayne now has 4 different side-kicks, that he's jumping through the time-stream claiming to evoke the history of comic books (while messing up character and style); that Batman is funny and Robin is grim; that Superman has an entire race of families with Kryptonians alive; that Brainiac is once again a Kandor-based vile, that Diana finally got a black jacket (echoing the I-Ching era); that Steve Rogers doesn't need to wear a mask any more. You get my point. But I don't get theirs. Why is the Neo-Silver Age so alluring all of a sudden when in fact it is riddled with BAD TERRIBLE STORY ELEMENTS?! Some of that has even rubbed off on the adaptations - there are less 'all-age' or 'mature' animated depictions than the 90s, Superman Returns was neo-Silver Age, The Incredible Hulk reboot was Neo-Silver Age, even the upcoming X-Men First Class will be borrowing sentiments from the 60s comics.

Now I know this provides a great and welcome contrast with the overtly 'gritty' and reboots, but to what end?

In all the hubub, even Marvel's ULTIMATE UNIVERSE seems to be a much greener shade of sanity than the technicolor Hero Ups we're getting today. What have you got to say about it, o fearless observer of the ages?

 

[bored]

I think that people read superhero comic books for big, epic action stories with all kinds of heroes, some dark, gritty, and "realistic" (subjective term, oddly enough), and some big, bright, and outlandish. That we'd need to see the whole "grim and gritty" crap in every single title, with every single hero, was grating to those of us that just wanted big, fun stories. It's a little forced on Marvel's side, but at least they're trying.

 

[Nave 'Torment']

I agree with you that not all characters should be dark and brooding, but some of the outlandish stories are not exactly fitting for their respective titles either. Let's take Superman for instance - we have our archetypal super hero complete with secret identity and a powerful human foe - Lex Luthor - but back in the Silver Age we see Luthor less as a businessman and more as the purple/green mecha-mad-scientist figure. I personally like the capitalist Luthor over the scientist Luthor, but is that what they're going for in the Neo-Silver Age? Also, the entire business regarding the New Kryptonians, maybe I'm too restricted, but that seems to be cheating with the character itself - Kal's supposed to be the LAST son of Krypton. JMS seems to agree there as he's trying to 'de-Superize' the Man of Steel with this new long-march run (though admittedly that tale has it's flaws too).

What I really liked about Marvel Comics' plan was that they actually admitted it - even going as far as what, turning Daredevil, the darkest character to date, into a villain. Not a bad take for their universe IF THEY ARE GOING TO DEFINE IT.

To be honest though, it'd be best if both companies simply left out this entire "New Age" business through another crisis and simply let everything work it's way into the books - implemented the change through evolution instead of revolution. That way, the books that needed to retain their "realism" could've retained it, while the more fantastical ones could've gotten better reaction from the fans as "being true to it's core".

The Modern Age had it's (shamefully large) share of flaws - it became downright juvenile save for a few arcs here and there, but now we have an entire consensus where they are once more 'redefining' the characters. And frankly, I think it's something we no longer need.

 

[bored]

See, I think DC's doing it better, where yeah occasionally Lex will go out all-out supervillain again, but it's always well-written (which is what I care about more than anything). And Marvel, in all honesty, is only applying this whole approach to the Avengers line (even if the tag is being slapped on half the other books). I agree that it could be done in a more subtle way, of course. But under Quesada, Marvel doesn't really go for subtlety.

 

[Nave 'Torment']

Yes! What matters truly is if the book is well-written; in the hands of a capable writer it would work wonders. Alan Moore is the first one credited to the Neo-Silver Age MOVEMENT (if it can be called as such) with Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? And I loved it - but the take didn't apply to the entire universe, and I would never want a book that works better in the 'modern' age like Batman to be depicted as a Neo-Silver character.

I am not so sure about Marvel being limited to The Avengers alone - the Ultimate Universe started off well but it just bombed in the end, and what is to say that the same wouldn't be happening with the Heroic Age - that they would NOT stick to the Avengers and impose that throughout the other titles in the near future? DC's having a blast reviving Hal Jordan - railgunning him all the way into Hollywood, that the other GL's are all but forgotten. The same with The Flash (and I liked Wally better). But it's like you said - some of these elements work for certain characters and books, and not for others. I am saying that most of the publishers fail to understand that important element. I think it's high time that the comics industry should just embrace Post-Modern art - formless, meaningless, and deliberately left undefined in terms of any particular movement. In the industry today, with such excellent and experimental creators around (Age of Bronze by Eric Shanowar comes to mind), it should not be limited to one 'movement' alone. Kurt Busiek's Astro City or even Moore's Supreme (albeit a few years old now) were really original takes on the superhero genre.

That's one reason above all else that I still respect Grant Morrison's writing even if I don't particularly like it (and downright hate it at times) - he is not afraid to experiment. But ever since the JLA relaunch back in the 90s , all he seems to be experimenting on is the Neo-Silver Age (down to the JL membership, up to his current 'Return of Bruce Wayne' run).

One would then argue as to what the original Silver Age meant for the big two companies - certainly it was NOT the same for DC as it was for Marvel or vice versa.