Modern art vs. goldenage art

[dwy...@hartwick.edu]

It seems to me that most comic lovers obey popular oppinon and state that the
goldenage of comics was the most interesting and had the best art. I have
many goldenage stories, a few are very well done and the stories are first
class, but on a whole I think the modern society of comic artist have brought
comics into another realm of being. The art, thanks partly to the artist is
much more exciting than the art of the old days, and the stories now beat the
"attack of the killer tomato" stories of old. Comics like everything has
improved and it is because of the golden age comics that there exists the
comics of now but to blindly say that goldenage comics were superior is simply
a falsehood in evolutionary terms. If they were better comics they would still be
like that today.

[Pedro Passaporte]

I agree. But don't forget that most modern artists have goldenage influences,
which is great, as it means comics are always improving. My own opinion is
that there are great goldenage stories, and that there are great modern ones,
and if I had to choose...Well, I hope I don't have to.

[dwf...@dpcmail.dukepower.com]

There's really two points to be made here:
1. The golden age books brought a sense of simplicity to the story. It was basically
the "television" of modern time. The reader didn't have to think too hard (i.e., just
like a sit com) to be entertained.

2. I think what you are seeing with the advent of "modern" comics is a more elaborate
and challenging medium. The challenge being to compete with other modes of
entertainment such as video games and, yes, even television. Readers
(and viewers) require more in order to think less. We ask that these forms of
entertainment "challenge" our imaginations to the point we don't use our imaginations;
someone is forming this for us.

I find myself harkening back to the simple years. I can become weary of the challenges
of a complex crossover plot with too many characters and sub-plots to be entertained.
That's why I'm enjoying books like Dr. Wonderful by Dick Ayers and Big Bangs Captain
Knightwatch. I also think Impulse and Untold Tales of Spiderman provide the simple
yet entertaining theme that drew me in as a child to comics... and what I long for again
as an adult.

Dave "ah, to be young again!" Frye

[Phant153]

dwy...@hartwick.edu writes:
> It seems to me that most comic lovers obey popular oppinon and state
that the
> goldenage of comics was the most interesting and had the best art. I
have
> many goldenage stories, a few are very well done and the stories are
first
> class, but on a whole I think the modern society of comic artist have
brought
> comics into another realm of being. The art, thanks partly to the
artist is
> much more exciting than the art of the old days, and the stories now
beat the
> "attack of the killer tomato" stories of old. Comics like everything
has
> improved and it is because of the golden age comics that there exists
the
> comics of now but to blindly say that goldenage comics were superior is
simply
> a falsehood in evolutionary terms. If they were better comics they
would still be
> like that today.

I think the evolution of Golden Age art towards the modern era can been
seen in
a similar light to the rise of impressionism and post-impressionism in
painting. Up to
that point (and I'm really not an art historian, so I don't claim any sort
of expertise
on this) the primary instinct had been toward developing art to a
photographic level
of reality--Rembrandt and Ingres and others produced paintings that looked
so real
it felt like you could reach out and touch them. Then Impressionism and
Expressionism
developed new ideas for painting, and changed the focus of what was
considered
"state of the art". As far as realism goes, there's obviously still a lot
of people who
love realism more than (say) cubism, so for them, they might look at
paintings
produced since 1900 or so by Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian or whoever without
much
interest.
For a lot of people the Golden Age of comics provided, as another
post stated,
a level of simplicity and almost naivete which a lot of readers find
charming. I adore
the 1950s EC comics, they're some of my absolute favorites of all time,
for that reason.
On the other hand, I fully recognize that the 1950s was a long time ago in
the evolution
of comics, and a lot of powerful ideas have come around since then.
Side-by-side with
the EC comics I have shelves and shelves of CEREBUS, WATCHMEN, Crumb,
Kyle Baker, and so on--I feel a thrill when I read WEIRD FANTASY or THE
HAUNT
OF FEAR, but I feel a much different thrill when I read CEREBUS. I
appreciate
both, and don't necessarily think older comics are "better".

I hope I can always maintain an attitude of openness toward the
current state of
the medium of comics, and not turn into an old man sitting on a stoop
saying "Aw,
things have gone downhill ever since CEREBUS #300. They just don't make
'em
like they used to." I believe there's always going to be fabulous
creations in this
medium, although they won't necessarily be on the top sellers list.

Jeff Coleman
"I got a letter from the government the other day. I opened and read it,
it said they were suckers" --Chuck D, "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos"