But comics retained their youthful streak in the 1960’s. During this time of increased counter-culture, Marvel Comics rose to go head-to-head DC’s traditional line-up, emphasizing heroes like Spider-Man and the X-Men, who appealed to young teenage readers as opposed to ideal citizens like Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. Many experts believed the Silver Age kicked off with the publication of Fantastic Four in 1961 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Spider-Man creator Stan Lee did run inadvertently into a stand-off with the Code in 1971, when the Department of Health, Education and Welfare wanted the webslinger to tackle drug use. The Code objected to even an anti-drug issue, but Lee, backed by Marvel publisher Martin Goodman, ran the issue without the Comic Code, whose authority was more or less broken, and continued to diminish in the decades to follow
DC wouldn’t stay out of this naturalistic approach to superheroes for long. Though Marvel made its everymen a virtual trademark for years to come, DC would also release “Hard-Travelling Heroes”, a socially conscious run on Green Arrow/Green Lantern which found the two mystery men fighting racism, corruption and even the drug addiction of Green Arrow’s sidekick, Roy Harper during the early seventies. Leaving Marvel, “Fantastic Four” creator Jack Kirby would also create the compelling space fantasy “The Fourth World” for DC, whose titles laid a similar foundation to “Star Wars”. In addition, DC would also pitch many of their once-campy sidekicks into serious superheroes with “Teen Titans”, which competed directly with Marvel’s juggernaut X-Men in the 1980’s.
Just as there is some disagreement about when the Silver Age began, there is also contention over when it ended. Some argue for a Bronze Age of Comics for the 1970’s and 80’s, while others recognize the Silver Age as still in effect during this period. One thing is for sure though – the start date for the Modern Age, whether proceeded by Bronze or Silver, was thoroughly cemented as 1986 – a year that would revolutionize comic books forever.
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