YOUR GOLDEN ERA

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:53

It's sometimes said that the best era for comics was when you were seven. (Meaning everyone's childhood comics seem best). Is this true? What do people here consider the best era? I say the sixties

Originally posted by Anonymous on the old forum on 26/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:54

I think that your right about the sixties being the best time for comics and so many other things. I completely understand how each generation thinks that their own is the best but I wouldn't have been born at any other time, consider: Great comics TV21, Lion, the dawn of Marvel. Music The Beatles Motown The dawn of Space travel. Some great TV Gerry Anderson, Star Trek, Land of the Giants, great ideas like Randall and Hopkirk. Honestly I'm a pop art production myself

Originally posted by Steve on the old forum on 26/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:55

yes i agree with you as well, the 60,s was a great time,i loved all of it. and the great comics,

Originally posted by John britton on the old forum on 26/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:55

Being slightly younger,it has to be the 70's.

Battle,Action,2000AD,Misty and Warlord built on the past and adapted to the modern times.
Valiant which was in a bit of rut had a burst of greatness before it was cancelled.

Unfortunately it was the time of fast rising prices and my pocket money could only go so far.

Originally posted by Brisey aged 42 on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:56

I prefer comics from the 50's, 60's and early 70's. However, I wasn't born until 1981.

Originally posted by David on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:56

Of course this is purely subjective, but for my part I would say the 1970s was a comics golden era. For example, Shiver and Shake, Monster Fun, Cheeky, Krazy, Cor!!, the list goes on. In the 70s, I used to get hand-me-downs of my cousin?s 1960s comics and I could never really relate to them. Not that they were bad, just not as interesting. To me, even then, it seemed that the 1970s ushered in a much more anarchic type of comic, which I personally found appealing. However, it must be said that there were some really poor comics in the 1970s, mentioning no names. We?ll leave that for another debate.

Originally posted by Pensky on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:57

Sorry, to answer the original post, yes I agree with your hypothesis. All of my favourite comics are from when I was aged between about 6 and 10. This especially applies to my two absolute favourites, Shiver and Shake and Monster Fun. I still love those comics today - aged 38! Ha ha ha.

Originally posted by Pensky on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:57

7 seems to be about right! I loved the likes of Monster Fun and Shiver and Sahke (that whole "monster" theme was really appealling at the time)....
Krazy was THE BEST when it hit the shops- I'm still kicking myself for missing the horror (halloween?) special.
and i'm still kicking my parents for disposing of my entire collection of fleetway comics when i went off to university.
from krazy, i followed the mergers (whoopee, whizzer and chips etc) until things started to go downhill (although this may have just been me outgrowing the comics).
it's only since my own kids have hit the comic-reading age that i've started trying to find out more about Frank McDiarmid, Tom Paterson, Leo Baxendale, J. Edward Oliver et al....
i'd always dipped into Spiderman every now and then when a series caught my eye.... then Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, then Maus, Daniel Clowes, etc etc
I've never stopped drawing though...

Originally posted by HighAndMighty on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 11:58

Yeah I think for UK kids comics 7 ish is about right - altho they say for Sci - Fi and US comics that the "golden age of comics is 13" meaning 13 years old - for me 1960 - 72 were the best years of comics and this era is partly before my time (for reading at any rate) I love those 60s UK books so much energy in them (so many books to choose as well) although I have ot say that in USA term some of todays books are simply amazing - UK comics are going thor major changes (magazine formats, good paper, new ideas and artist starting ot come through etc) so perhaps folk will look back on 2000 onwards as the start of a new era.

Originally posted by PMCS on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:00

"I prefer comics from the 50's, 60's and early 70's. However, I wasn't born untill 1981." Before I was born is my era. lol

Originally posted by David on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:01

The 80's is the best....The new golden age....Nutty, Beano, Dandy, Topper, Beezer, Wow, School Fun, Buster, Whoopee, Whizzer and chips, Jackpot, Oink, Hoot, Nipper... It had all the artists at there peak in characters and drawing...Tom Paterson Sweeny Toddler...Calamity James, Robert Nixon Ivy the Terrible...Roger the Dodger...Family Trees...Frankie Stein, Gordon Bell, J. Edward Oliver, Mike Lacey Sids Snake..Shiner, Reg Parlett...Buster, John Geering...Bananaman, Sid Burgeon...Joker, Terry Bave...Odd Ball...Toy boy...Double Trouble, Bill Ritchie...Baby Crockett, David Sutherland...did his best Dennis then and The Bash Street kids, Ian Knox Dreamy Daniel...Grans Gang, Lew Stringer, .........of course the 50's/60's had Leo Baxendale, Ken Reid and David Law. The 70's had Krazy, Sparky at its best, Plug, Monster Fun, Shiver and Shake.....I still say the 80's is the best....

Originally posted by Peter Gray on the old forum on 27/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:01

Mine would have to be the 1970's as it's when I first started buying comics on my own with out my parents buyng me Beano Topper Beezer Dandy or Sparky when they came home from shopping on a friday afternoon.My dad used to buy a Victor comic sometimes but I didn't like it as it seemed to full of war stories.JET/THUNDER/WIZARD/KNOCKOUT/COUNTDOWN.

Originally posted by Frog on the old forum on 28/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:02

"It had all the artists at there peak in characters and drawing... Lew Stringer, ........."

Lol. I'm not sure how it feels hearing that my peak was the decade I started in the business 20 years ago, but thanks anyway.

Originally posted by Lew Stringer on the old forum on 28/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:02

What about the wonderful drawings of Dicky Howett? What a standard he set for all to follow.

Originally posted by Hacker on the old forum on 28/1/2006

Old Forum Fella · Post by **Old Forum Fella** » 27 Feb 2006, 12:03

Lew,being a comics artist yourself,would you know where I could get hold of John Donnelly for a possible interview.He illustrated the centre pages for Toby comic in the 70's.I run a tribute site to that particular comic and can find no info on same on the net.

Originally posted by Captain Storm on the old forum on 28/1/2006