Marvel Comics Silver Age - What Made There Superheroes Like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk Great!

I was thinking about 1960?s Marvel Comics and what made that foundation of a comic book universe great, why those characters and books got popular, and I came up with 3 concepts which I will expand upon:

1. Community

2. Lack of Space Alien Origins

3. Relatable Heroes 

1. Community

The Marvel Heroes lived mostly in the same real world city and connected together and ran into each other. With DC Comics for example, it seems that every hero lives in their own fictional city made just for them. Batman has Gotham City. Superman has Metropolis. Green Lantern has Coast City. You get the idea.

With Marvel Comics, most of them occupied New York City. For readers, this made for a relatable setting. Where you as a reader could believe such meetings could take place. And even better was, as a writer setting up a situation to make heroes living in the same city meet is not that difficult.

2. Lack of Space Alien Origins

This was a key factor overlooked by most anyone I hear mention Marvel's success. Outside of the Silver Surfer and Thor, EVERY Marvel superhero made then was just a human being. They did not get their powers from some outer space creature, or some other unrelatable idea.

I think the whole "alien origin" aspect dilutes a character into that of "just another silly comic book character" from the mainstream public viewpoint. A regular person on the street can't relate to that. And having an alien origin just seems silly to a non comic buyer.

Now sure you can say: Is getting hit with a gamma bomb? Or a bite from a spider more relatable? I hear what you are saying, and you are right, but also wrong. I think the elements like the above are more plausible and believable for a comic book setting. The whole "suspension of disbelief" thing. But something like an alien origin is too over the top.

Check out the Spider-Man movie or the X-men movie for example. Their origins sound plausible enough on the surface that the public can accept it. Now say in the above movies, a space ship drops down and zaps a guy who then becomes Spider-Man. That sounds rather silly doesn't it? Or a space ship drops down and zaps a guy turning him into the Hulk. Not as cool an origin right? And that's my point. Whether by planning or random luck, Stan Lee and company avoided the alien origins idea.

As for Thor and the Surfer, they didn't spoil the whole thing because it was just a few that had alien origins and therefore can still fit in.

Also Thor was made very human first by Stan Lee. He was really a human who acquired Thor's power. That human base really anchored Thor as a character.

And the Surfer brought about and was used as an outside observer of humans. Looking at us from a viewpoint that we could never see. Telling us how basically how our world was a paradise. If only we would stop destroying each other and live in peace, could we see this world for the gift it really is.

3. Relatable Heroes

This is why those Marvel heroes got popular as well. These Marvel heroes had problems and situations we could relate to. Despite their fantastic powers and battles, they were also down to earth. They had anchors that made us relate or feel sorry for them. These were not invincible heroes, like DC comics had. The DC Heroes being mostly perfect and in essence rather shallow when you peeled back the layers. The Marvel Heroes were given a depth and understanding that DC did not have.

For example, with the exception of Iron Man, everyone else had financial problems. And you really did not want to be Iron Man, who had to suffer in secret.

Spider-Man had relationship, financial, and school problems.

The X-men had trouble fitting in with society, yet at the same time an obligation to protect us.

In Closing

I think these three factors were the keys that made Marvel Comics the successful universe that it is today. And the reason why back then readers picked up the books in the first place. Even today I notice many creators DO NOT use these same rules. For example when I read Image Comics Savage Dragon and the Pitt with their alien origins. My feel for them as a character got disappointed. They just lost a relatable factor with me.

Or you have generic Punisher knock offs, who are blood thirsty heroes. Yet their is no emotional origin for these heroes to make me care for them or their situations.

Making a successful comic book universe today is difficult, if not all but impossible. But I think if you stick to the above three principles, you won't be steered far wrong.

Rob is a long time comic book fan, collector and commentator. He likes to share his thoughts, opinions and ideas about comic books and related pop culture media.

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Top Five Tips For Collecting Silver Age Comic Books (1955 - Early 1970s)

The Silver Age of Comic Books ran from 1955 to 1970. It was a time period when superhero books become popular. There are several tips and techniques to collecting this period. But to understand these tips, you first need to know about the history of this imaginative art form.

Comic books in the United States first started appearing in the early 1930s. These early comic books were just collection of newspaper strips. Then, in the late 1930s, comic books started creating their own characters - most notably Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. By World War 2 (1939-1945) there were hundreds and hundreds of superhero comics. (Most of them forgotten to today's audience ). This time period was considered the Golden Age.

Superhero comics disappeared after the war. The public was more interested in crime, romance, and horror. For a variety of reasons, however, Superhero comics came back in the late 1950s. In 1956, DC brought back an old character - the Flash - but reinvented him. He was no longer the same person (or the same looking character) as the Golden Age Flash.

Showcase #4 - the first appearance of the Silver Age Flash - spawned a new generation of superhero comics. DC reinvented most of their popular characters. Marvel followed suit. And other publishers did the same. The Silver Age of Comic Books had begun!

If you are interested in collecting comic books from the Silver Age, here are my top 5 tips.

Tip #1 - Make sure that you have the proper size bag and board to protect your investment. Not all bags and boards are created equal. Basically, comic books have been shrinking since the 1930s. Golden Age books are the widest; Modern books are the skinniest. And Silver Age Comic Books are right in between. So make sure you buy the right bags and boards or you'll ruin your comics. (They should be labeled "silver age" bags and boards).

Tip #2 - A quick way to determine whether a comic book is from the Silver Age is to look at the original cover price. If the price is 12 to 15 cents, it is probably from the silver age. Ten cent comic books were generally from the Golden Age (pre 1950s) and 25 cent comics were from the Bronze Age (1970s).

Tip #3 - Quality is extremely important! If you look at a price guide for a specific comic - you might see that the price ranges from $6.00 to $600.00. The spread is a result of condition. If the book looks pretty beat up - as if 10 or 20 people have already read it - then it is probably going to be worth the $6.00. (And you might be able to find it at a convention or store for $1.00 or $2.00). If instead, the book is mint - as if nobody has every touched it before or read it - then the comic might be worth the $600. Condition is one of the main drivers of value. (The other two drivers are scarcity and popularity).

Tip #4 - The best place to get silver age comic books is usually at a convention or through the internet. There are fewer and fewer stores that sell books from this time period. Most stores make their money on new stuff and don't want to take up floor space with older items. So if you want to find the best deals on the internet, use a search engine to search for "silver age comic books" and see what you can find. Or look for comic book conventions in your area to buy your comics.

Tip #5 - The most expensive Silver Age books are from DC and Marvel and tend to be superhero books. This is due to the fact that DC and Marvel have been publishing continually until the present day and have thus developed a large fan base for their characters (Batman, Superman, X-Men, Iron Man, Avengers, Hulk, Wonder Woman, etc). However, if you want to start your collection without paying an arm and a leg, you might try collecting other publishers besides Marvel and DC (Harvey, Dell, Gold Key, Charlton Comics) or try other genres besides superhero comics (Horror, Crime, Romance).

Mick Davin has been collecting comics since he was 10 years old. He used to own a comic book store but closed it recently. He now sells at conventions. Mick also runs a resource website devoted to Silver Age Comics.

To find out more about silver age comic books, please go to his website at http://www.silveragecomicbooks.org/

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The Noble Silver Surfer

The Silver Surfer is one of the most famous and loved Marvel Comics superheroes. The character first appeared in a 1966 issue of The Fantastic Four. The space traveler riding on a surfboard, turned on his master, Galactus, to defend the planet Earth.

The Silver Surfer was given limitless cosmic powers by Galactus. His main duty was to look for planets for his world-devouring master to feed on. When he got to planet Earth, he came across the Fantastic Four and subsequently, Alicia Masters. Touched by the nobility of the Fantastic Four, and the passion of Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress who awaken his own innate nobility, he chose instead to rebel against his own master preventing him from consuming the planet Earth. The stories depict him as lonely entity, though possessing immeasurable powers, he lacked the humanity that exists in planet Earth. He lacked the understanding of things like beauty and love. But that was before he met a certain earthling. He then slowly developed compassion along with other human traits though the frail Alicia Masters.

The story of the Silver Surfer portrays the importance of nobility for mankind's survival. And it also depicts how even in a powerful character as the Silver Surfer who acme with a mission to annihilate the human race, there exist in him innate nobility.

The reason for the creators of the Silver Surfer from Marvel Comics for choosing 'silver' may not really be to represent pureness, strength, or nobility. But the association of silver with nobility, and of course also with pureness and strength has quite a history in itself. Most gifts and awards given for one's nobility have always been made of silver. The Silver Award, the Silver Cross, the Silver Star, all shows the connection that 'silver' has with nobility and honor. And of course, it can also be topped up with a little love as the Silver Surfer did.

Anyone interested to see the latest in sterling silver jewelry, can go to newoutlet.com where you can view a matchless collection of sterling silver ring, sterling silver earrings, and sterling silver necklaces.

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