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Andrew Bitner Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 01 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 7488
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Posted: 20 April 2024 at 3:33pm | IP Logged | 1
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When was Marvel at its peak, creatively?Not necessarily individual runs on titles but overall, what period of time would we think might be Marvel's high-water mark in terms of storytelling, art, etc.? For me, I feel like it was the late 70s into the 80s. The new generation of writers and artists were expanding on the foundations Stan, Jack and Steve had laid down, new ideas were taking root, and some of the greatest stories the company had seen (or would see) were being told.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 132326
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Posted: 20 April 2024 at 3:47pm | IP Logged | 2
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Mid Sixties thru mid Seventies. Those years covered the laying of the foundations, the hardest part.
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Rebecca Jansen Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 February 2018 Location: Canada Posts: 4542
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Posted: 20 April 2024 at 4:26pm | IP Logged | 3
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There have been various peaks and valleys... I've been lucky enough to have read, besides reprints, a fair chunk of the '60s Marvels back when a lot of them could be had for affordable prices although it was hit and miss on what you could actually find of it. A high average in story and art I'd say was 1965-66, and again 1969-70... 1975-76... 1979-80... 1982-83... 1990-91... 1998-99. Just my experience and maybe trying to see better overall than there was to some extent; there would still be titles with less stability then that peaked at some other point, 1968 or 1981 were hardly 'bad' years.
As it was 1979 when I got hooked that's the most 'golden' year to me.
Edited by Rebecca Jansen on 20 April 2024 at 4:27pm
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Peter Martin Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 15812
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Posted: 20 April 2024 at 7:59pm | IP Logged | 4
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The creativity was at a peak in the 60s when they were mining gold. The art in the early 80s had moved on in terms of style to something that I prefer, but nostalgia plays a part in that. Styles moved on in the 90s and later also, though I would hesitate to call it better. It's just different, and I think what people prefer may reflect more about when they were young rather than being necessarily about quality.
The Marvel of the early 80s definitely has a special place in my affections, and objectively I think there was an upswing in quality around then, but hard to say it eclipses that fertile period in the 60s.
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Bill Collins Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 26 May 2005 Location: England Posts: 11250
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Posted: 21 April 2024 at 7:06am | IP Logged | 5
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Personally i think from about 1972 to 1981 was the pinnacle of art/story/creativity for Marvel.
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Craig Earl Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 July 2019 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 1251
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Posted: 21 April 2024 at 10:53am | IP Logged | 6
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If you look at the six or seven years that followed FF #1, it's hard not to see that as the absolute pinnacle. Hulk, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Thor, The X-Men, Avengers. Of course, this was coming from a handful of people in the early days.
For me, the much of the 70's was weaker on a lot of titles (although there was still some great stuff out there).
My vote goes for 1979 to around 1983 for another great period (when the 14 year old me was devouring the X-Men, DD, Avengers, Alpha Flight, FF, Iron Man...!)
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Michael Penn Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 12 April 2006 Location: United States Posts: 12448
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Posted: 21 April 2024 at 1:16pm | IP Logged | 7
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There were any number of peaks and valleys in the Marvel Comics story, sometimes at the same time. But I can't but think any other time than the 60s as the benchmark for the best.
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Doug Centers Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 February 2014 Location: United States Posts: 5481
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Posted: 21 April 2024 at 2:27pm | IP Logged | 8
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I agree that the mid '60's is where Marvel got their groove. Personally I love a lot of the story arcs from the early seventies, kind of hit or miss mid seventies, then just adore '77 thru '80.
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Peter Hicks Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 30 April 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 1891
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Posted: 21 April 2024 at 4:24pm | IP Logged | 9
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The pinnacle is whatever the time period was when you were a child and first started reading comics (and whatever Marvel was reprinting at that time). So for me, mid 60s to 1980.
I literally stopped buying and reading comics one issue before JB started on X-Men. I am still looking for his rather pricey first issue!
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Rodrigo castellanos Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 03 July 2012 Location: Uruguay Posts: 1464
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Posted: 22 April 2024 at 7:09am | IP Logged | 10
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From Fantastic Four #1 to Kirby's first departure.
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Andrew Bitner Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 01 June 2004 Location: United States Posts: 7488
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Posted: 22 April 2024 at 6:02pm | IP Logged | 11
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Great comments! And thanks to all for giving terrific reasons for every suggestion.I can readily agree that Marvel was amazing in its earliest days--that multi-year debut of heroes and villains might only be rivaled by the explosion of superhero storytelling that followed the creation of Superman and then Batman. I started reading comics in '72, around eight years old, and so I missed out on the early days. I caught up later but to me, when I started reading. Marvel was already post-Stan/post-Jack and, in retrospect, maybe feeling a sophomore slump by then. That said, catching up on the stories I missed confirms why Marvel caught on. It was so different from what came before, it really was a revolution.
Edited by Andrew Bitner on 22 April 2024 at 6:03pm
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