As I've been working my way through the second half of my first draft of
Cold Steel Wardens, I decided to devote an entire chapter to the various eras of comics, focusing particularly on the Iron Age itself. In order to understand a run a game dedicated to this specific period, it's important for a gamer to be able to identify their source material!
So, enjoy this preview, friends and neighbors! Alpha playtesting starts next week!
The Iron Age: With the rejection of Silver Age optimism, the fall of the
Comics Code Authority, and the Bronze Age’s focus on societal issues, the stage
was set for a new era of comics to begin.
As the 1980s dawned, comics began to evolve from simplistic superheroism
into deep, nuanced literature.
At its core,
the Iron Age of Comics began to apply a level of realism to the timeless
archetypes established of the Silver Age, while maintaining the social
consciousness of the Bronze Age. Frank
Miller’s immortal Batman storyline, “The Dark Knight Returns” deals with the
simple question of what would happen as Bruce Wayne ages and enters the modern
era. Alan Moore’s masterpiece,
“Watchmen” directly took elements and characters from DC-subsidiary Charlton
Comics, dropping them wholesale into the Cold War-era paranoia of 1983. Mike Grell’s “Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters”
re-established Green Arrow as a lethal vigilante who narrowly avoids costing
partner/girlfriend Black Canary her life, as he uses morally questionable means
to get to the bottom of a drug ring.
Heroes, as such, became less black and white in nature, often taking on
violent, even sociopathic methods for just aims. Rorschach, from “Watchmen” epitomized this
tendency, following an absolutist view of morality, yet inflicting horrific
violence against his foes, as he sought out the “cape-killer”.
As one can
imagine, the foes for Iron Age storylines were not the gimmicky villains of the
Silver Age. Rather, over the top plots
for world domination were replaced by insidious smuggling rings, arms deals,
and other true-to-life crimes. Iron Age
villains only rarely showed overt super-powers, and were often simply mob
bosses, corporate CEOs, and corrupt politicians. Iron Age villains with superhuman abilities,
however, were forces to be reckoned with, wielding their powers ruthlessly and
with incredible lethality. Venom, one of
Spider-Man’s best known foes, was created during the Iron Age, becoming known
for its utter brutality and hideous appearance.
In several cases—most notably the maiming of Batman at the hands of
Bane, a steroid-enhanced mercenary—these villains bested and even killed the
heroes that attempted to bring them to justice.
Other heroes, such as Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Iron Man, turned on
their former comrades, in the “Parallax” and “Armor Wars” storylines,
respectively.
One of the
visual representations of the Iron Age’s move towards realism came through
superheroes’ costumes. In previous eras
of comics—particularly the Silver Age—superheroes’ costumes tended to be
flashy, colorful affairs, usually with capes.
In the Iron Age, this shifted dramatically. Costumes began to emphasize function over
fashion, with armored black bodysuits replacing colorful spandex and capes
going the way of the dodo.
Accompanying
these cosmetic changes came weapons.
While Silver and even Bronze Age heroes rarely used weapons against
their foes, Iron Age heroes brought firepower to their crusade against
crime. High caliber firearms became the
norm, brought into vogue by Marvel’s Punisher and The Comedian from “Watchmen”. Even Frank Miller’s Batman, while still
eschewing firearms, rolled a tank through Gotham City in an effort to take it
back from The Mutants gang.
As the Iron
Age focused more and more on realism and depth in technique, authors and
artists began adding in additional themes and ideas usually reserved for
discussions of classic literature. Neil
Gaiman’s “Sandman” explored a surreal dreamscape, in which nearly every
character represented a metaphysical force.
Grant Morrison’s “Arkham Asylum:
A Serious House on Serious Earth” provided a harrowing spiritual journey
into insanity, using symbolism and mythology in ways that echoed Umberto Eco’s
“The Name of the Rose”. Symbolic
elements, which include mythic and spiritual references, also permeated Denny
O’Neil’s run on “The Question”—a resurrected Charlton Comics character who
served as the inspiration for Moore’s Rorschach, in “Watchmen”.
However,
this symbolism and depth was not limited to Western cultural elements. Rather, the Iron Age saw a rise in interest
in Eastern mysticism and martial arts.
Ninja and yakuza became common adversaries, complete with esoteric
martial arts and exotic weaponry. Even
already established minor characters like Black Canary became known as masters
of the martial arts, learning bizarre and deadly techniques to take down their
foes.
The Iron Age
of Comics also began to see the rise of superhero comics publishers outside of
the DC/Marvel clutches. Many writers and
artists grew frustrated with the “Big Two”, seeking out companies like Dark
Horse and Image Comics. Both grew in
popularity on their hit titles “Hellboy”, “Spawn” and “Witchblade”, among
others, providing alternatives to the more mainstream titles.
All
companies, though, saw the value in unifying their heroes through ‘crossover’
events. Marvel’s “Secret Wars”, DC’s
“Crisis on Infinite Earths” and other events drew in readers in droves. Such events brought heroes together from all
parts of their respective universes to face some massive cosmic threat. Readers ate these events up, and the “event
model” dominates the comics industry to this day.
Unfortunately,
the success and depth of the Iron Age proved to be its own undoing. As comics grew in depth, they grew in
popularity. Comics companies began to
establish an artificial scarcity in their comics, releasing numerous variant
covers in the hopes to drive up sales.
Unfortunately, while this led to increased sales and profits for both
publishers and retailers through the early ‘90s, the speculators’ market
crashed in 1996, driving Marvel Comics into bankruptcy.
Further, as
the Iron Age rolled on, many authors and artists began to equate realism and
depth with simple mindless violence.
“Gritty” became an excuse for writers to settle for simplistic, violent
storylines with no greater meaning, and artists to put out poorly drawn, rushed
material simply to keep up with demand for additional covers.
With Marvel
declaring bankruptcy and many of the classic Iron Age writers and artists
creating their own companies, the Iron Age came crashing down. In its place, though, a new age began to
rise.
Above all
else, the Iron Age is marked by a move towards realism in terms of aesthetic,
themes, and concepts. While marked as
cynicism by detractors, the Iron Age marked a darker and more philosophical turn
in comics, meant for a more mature, adult reader, rather than the
child-targeted books of the past. Iron
Age comics are marked by a depth and a complexity that had never been seen
before in comics, but was inevitably undone by continual drive for profit and
sales. Luckily for all of us, the comics
industry wasn’t done yet…
