Sequential Reaction: A History of the American Comic Book – A Review

Ever wonder about the history behind the American Comic Book and how comics relate to the history of America and American culture?  Well, wonder no more, as comic book historian and scholar Andrew Wahl put forth an informative and in-depth presentation on this topic at the 2014 Jet City Comic Show in Tacoma, Washington.

Andrew Wahl-Bronze Age Expert

Wahl, a former news editor and political cartoonist turned college instructor and scholar, is a certified expert in the history of comic books, with his area of specialty being the Bronze Age of Comics.

So, you may ask, what is the Bronze Age of Comics?   That topic and more were ably covered by Wahl in his PowerPoint presentation and lecture.

Wahl’s presentation divides naturally by the so-called “Ages” of comic book history:

Golden Age (1938-1945)

Atomic Age (1946-1956)

Silver Age (1956-1970)

Bronze Age (1970-1984)

Copper Age (1984-1992)

Modern Age (1992-Present)

As Wahl worked through each age, he examined each period of time using a logical structure, including the following elements in each: The Larger Historical Context, Business and Distribution, Trends, Racial Elements, the Role of Youth, and finally, Checking in with Cap.

For each of the ages, Wahl presented quite a bit of information, but his work as a college instructor stood him in good stead, as he knows how to work an audience.  He frequently asked questions of the members of the audience of his well-attended talk, and often the answers to those questions provided worthwhile teachable moments for Wahl to add further detail on whichever era of comics he was discussing.

For this reviewer, the structure Wahl used made for an easy way to follow along and learn more about the topic.  The background information on Historical Context, for example, set the societal tone for each age (Golden=World War Two, Atomic=Cold War, etc). while the Checking in with Cap(tain America) provided a touchstone for seeing how a character in the comics changed with the times and indeed, actually reflected the times in which he “lived.” Captain America fought the Axis in the Golden Age, while he fought Communists in the Atomic Age, and became disillusioned in the Bronze Age.  Captain America’s reaction to the Watergate scandal during  the Bronze Age was to quite being Captain America. (Hey, if the President can quit, why can’t Cap?)

Despite that flip aside from our loopy reviewer, the point was, that Captain America was fed up enough with the current situation in America in 1974 that he actually threw away his star-spangled shield and assumed a more nomadic identity (as…Nomad!).  Wahl’s commentary that Stan Lee at Marvel had a pretty good feel for public sentiment in each of the “Ages” in which he wrote and edited comics is quite insightful.

Captain America #176 Cover-Cap Quits

Two other points Wahl made about the Bronze Age stand out as especially relevant to the comics fan: The rise to creative power of kids who grew up as comics fans and whose career goal was to create comic books (Neil Adams and Roy Thomas in particular), and the death of the Comics Code Authority and the “drug issues” in both Amazing Spider-Man and the Green Lantern/ Green Arrow series. In the Spider-Man book, the government asked Stan Lee to publish an anti-drug storyline (and Stan complied, showing Peter Parker’s pal Harry Osborne as a pill-popping addict). In the Green Lantern/ Green Arrow books, Green Arrow discovers that his sidekick Speedy (Roy Harper), is a heroin junkie.  Comic books were definitely tackling “grown-up” issues directly at this point in history.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow #5 Cover-Speedy is a Junkie

Other key points in the Bronze Age include the advent of the new X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men # 1 and Uncanny X-Men #94, and the famous work of creators such as Chris Claremont and John Byrne.

Without going through his entire lecture in this article, this reviewer can say that any fan of comic books or geek culture should attend Andrew Wahl’s presentations.  His information is accessible and easy to understand.  Mr. Wahl also explained that he belongs to an organization called Humanities Washington that sends speakers like him out to rural areas to give talks to folks who may not have the same access as people in more urban areas.

Oh, and what exactly makes Wahl an expert on the Bronze Age of Comics?  Well, we asked him, and his explanation  is that when he was studying for his Masters Degree at Fort Hays State University, his grad school mentor allowed him to study the Bronze Age as part of his master’s studies in the humanities. To do so, Wahl had to read 6,000 pages of primary source material as part of his research.  That means, that in addition to actually reading the comics of the Bronze Age, Wahl had to read 6,000 pages of interview with creators, industry insiders, and such.  In other words, he had to dig deep into the “why” and “how” of the comics world, not just the monthly publications one buys off the shelf featuring Superman or Spider-Man. To this review, that sounds like totally cool fun, not work!

Wahl teaches journalism at Everett Community College. He also runs a website and online magazine called ComicsBronzeAge.com (which is being re-branded to Sequential Reaction).

If you have an interest in comic books, or American pop culture history, Andrew Wahl’s presentations are a must to attend.  Check out the website links for Humanities Washington, and Sequential Reaction.