I would probably add SUPERMAN #233 (the beginning of the “Kryptonite Nevermore!” story) with the iconic Neal Adams cover of Superman breaking out of the Kryptonite chains as a key Bronze Age comic. The story itself was recently collected by DC as the inaugural edition of its DC COMICS CLASSIC LIBRARY series, attesting to its significance in the Bronze Age canon.
Julius Schwartz took over as editor from Mort Weisinger with this issue, I believe, and began to institute a number of changes that would mark the Bronze Age Superman, including Clark Kent’s changing his job from newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet to anchorman of WGBS-TV.
This was also Denny O’Neil’s first Superman and, as with much of his other work, attempted to ground Superman a bit more and pull him away from his more fantastical Silver Age adventures and write more thoughtful stories about the human nature of Superman’s identity.
So for all those reasons I would add this comic to the list.
I would remove MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #1, which in and of itself is not a particularly consequential issue in terms of its commercial or creative impact.

By the way, the cover date for SUPERMAN #233 is January 1971, so it’s official Bronze Age. : )

Stephen:

That‘s a good one. I‘m guessing there will be a couple other DCs that I’ve missed, too, as I tend to lean just a bit to the Marvel direction. (And I’m not a big Superman fan. I know. I don’t admit that often.)

By the way, for the record, here are the final five cuts to my list:

New Gods #1 (Mar. 1971)
Marvel Premiere #3 (Jul. 1972)
Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2 (1977)
The Avengers Annual #10 (1981)
Epic Illustrated #1 (Mar. 1981)

Superman #233 should probably make the list before any of those.

Great topic! Good list, too, but hey, Ol’ Groove’s gotta put his two cents in so here’s what I’d add (and why)…

Star-Spangled War Stories #151 (March 1970–First Unknown Soldier)

All-Star Western #10 (November 1971–First Jonah Hex)

Marvel Premiere #1 (January 1972–Him becomes Adam Warlock)

Hero for Hire #1 (March 1972–Luke Cage’s debut–huge cultural significance)

Avengers #105 (August 1972–Steve Englehart begins–leads to innovations like the first mega-crossover event, takes characterization-over-plot to the next level, and Englehart was one of the most influential writers of the 1970s)

Conan #23 (November 1972–First Red Sonja)

Special Marvel Edition #15 (September 1973–First Master of Kung Fu)

Nova #1 (June 1976–One of the most popular/enduring Bronze Age superheroes)

That’s eight. So I have to drop eight from your list, huh? Okay…(this ain’t gonna be easy!)

Marvel Two-In-One #1: as someone has already said, it’s a fun book but not all that significant in context of your list.

Avengers #93: I know this is shocking. I love the Kree/Skrull war (it hooked me on the Avengers and comicbooks forever), and Neal Adams was awesome on it, but I think that Roy Thomas’ handing over of the reins of the Avengers to Steve Englehart had a lot more impact in the overall scheme of things.

Amazing Adventures #11: Cool series, popular character (on and off), but the Beast going solo has nowhere near the importance of the debuts of Warlock, Luke Cage, or Shang Chi.

Defenders #1: You got the Defenders’ debut in Marvel Feature #1, so that covers them imo (kind of like Kirby’s first Jimmy Olsen ish covers the whole Fourth World saga).

X-Men #94: Same reasoning as I gave for dropping Defenders #1.

Ditto for New Teen Titans #1.

Spectacular Spider-Man #1: Spin-offs don’t compare to debuts of originals like Nova. Unless it’s a significant new character that’s being spun off, a la Red Sonja.

Superman vs. Muhammad Ali: It’s a cool comic and all, but the debuts of Unknown Soldier and Jonah Hex are much more important.

Whew. Stick a fork in me, I’m done.

>>Englehart was one of the most influential writers of the 1970s

True, and especially his CAPTAIN AMERICA, which he apparently saved from cancellation.

I’d put CAP #180 on this list, the issue where Steve Rogers becomes Nomad after abandoning his Capt. America identity when he becomes disillusioned with corruption at the highest reaches of the US government. I second the idea of taking out DEFENDERS #1, since their debut in MARVEL FEATURE covers the same idea.

I probably wouldn’t have Star Wars # 1, or New Teen Titans # 1, in the list. Star Wars simply because I don’t believe it matters very much in the grand scheme of things, it was fun, while Star Wars was fun, but that was it. New Teen Titans # 1 because DC Comics Presents # 26 is already present, so there don’t seem much need for the first issue of the regular series. Marvel Two-in-One # 1, for the same reasons as already stated by others, wouldn’t have made my list, either.

suprised not to see Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy’s Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species in there. whatever you might think of the material, it was the first Eclipse book, and the first direct sales graphic novel. in sales alone, it kick-started the whole indie scene of the first half of the ‘eighties.

also, no Howard the Duck # 1? Steve Gerber was one of the best writers of the bronze age, and Howard was surely his finest work? it was exciting, it was funny, it was caustic, it was dangerous, in a way that no other comic of it’s time was. it was an EVENT, in itself.

and, finally, Jungle Action # 6 – yup, that man McGregor again – would have definately made my list, for reasons solely of personal taste. although, it COULD be considered the first Marvel Graphic Novel, or even the first mini series.

A key book of the Bronze Age that doesn’t get a lot of attention, and maybe deservedly so, is Adventure Comics #462, wherein the Earth-2 Batman was killed. The book was published in December of 1978 and opened the flood gates to the dark side of the DCU. In 1979, Iris West, Mr. Terrific and Batwoman were killed off. Oh, and Brainiac 5 went crazy and Guy Gardner was put into a coma. Call it the Dark Bronze Age!

[...] the question penned by the aptly named Comics Bronze Age site. There are some good picks here, though they perhaps unsurprisingly stick by and large to the [...]

Howard The Duck #1.

You know, the comic I reviewed today — Star*Reach #1 — probably deserves some consideration here. This ground level series helped pave the way for both the direct market and the creator-rights movement that would dominate the Post-Bronze period. I made an exception to the “no direct market only” rule for Cerebus the Aardvark #1 and Fantasy Quarterly #1, mainly because these books were published before the emergence of the direct market proper. Star*Reach #1 came out even earlier; should it be on the list?

Oh, my gosh, I’ll tell you what we’re missing! A Contract With God (1978) by Will Eisner!

Tom Spurgeon of The Comics Reporter once again links into our monthly discussion with the following comment:

“No Love and Rockets or RAW or Weirdo or anything like that and I’m sure they’re fine with that; will Steve Gerber be remembered by mainstream-centric comics fans?”

Love and Rockets #1 was considered but didn’t make the cut because, as a direct-market-only book, it’s Post-Bronze. RAW, likewise, made use of new distribution methods that helped blaze a trail outside the mainstream. As for Weirdo, I’ve never quite understood the importance of this series; it’s always seemed like just a next generation underground.

As for Gerber, his Howard the Duck work has gotten some mention. Does he have other seminal issues that should be considered here?

Jim:

A Contract With God is an interesting case. While it may have lost its status as “the first graphic novel,” it remains an important work (if for no other reason than it brought Will Eisner back into the comic-book fold). Despite being a huge Eisner fan, I was hesitant to put it on my list because, well, it just doesn’t seem to fit. Unlike some of the other alternative publications on the list (i.e., Cerebus the Aardvark #1, Fantasy Quarterly #1), A Contract With God had no desire to be “a comic book.” It seemed to be one step removed from the general historical path comics were on at the time. Perhaps it’s the first Post-Bronze book?

What do others think about this one?

Preparations for this year’s Comic-Con International have kept me from being as active in this month’s discussion as I’d hoped. But here’s my quick take on some of the suggestions so far:

Additions

Star-Spangled War Stories #151: There were so many first appearances of semi-major characters during the Bronze Age that I only included the ones I felt went on to be real A-listers. Thus, no The Avengers Annual #10 (Rogue), no Savage She-Hulk #1, no All Star Comics #69 (modern Huntress), etc. And no Unknown Soldier …

All-Star Western #10: … and no Jonah Hex …

Marvel Premiere #1: … and no Warlock.

Hero for Hire #1: This is an interesting one that I didn’t consider. Luke Cage was the first African-American character to star in his own book, wasn’t he?

The Avengers #105: Another interesting pick. I’ve been surprised by all the love out there for Steve Englehart. I’ve always thought his work was decent, but, with the exception of his Detective Comics run with Rogers and Austin, unexceptional. Obviously, a lot of you disagree. I would argue that this particular book hasn’t developed the necessary reputation to be a key (i.e., it’s not noted in the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, it’s rarely a “wall book” at conventions, etc.), but perhaps it’s worth another look. (Related question: If I want to get a taste of vintage Englehart, any suggestions where to start?)

Conan the Barbarian #23: We’re back to the not-quite-A-listers with Red Sonja …

Special Marvel Edition #15: … and Shang-Chi …

Nova #1: … and Nova.

Captain America #180: I’ll go with the same argument here that I used above for The Avengers #105, though “first Nomad” might make this one a more likely contender for the list. (Keep working with me, Englehart fans, help me figure out the love!)

Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species: The fact that this was made for the direct market makes this graphic novel Post-Bronze.

Howard the Duck #1: Another good nominee I overlooked (thanks, Joe and Robert). While years haven’t been kind to the character, there was a time when Howard-mania seemingly ruled the comics world. Would this issue be the best one to include, or should it be Howard’s first appearance in Adventure into Fear #19? (And is there other Steve Gerber work that should be considered for this list? Gerber is another one, like Englehart, that I just don’t quite “get.” Any suggestions for vintage Gerber I should try out?)

Jungle Action #6: And let’s add Don McGregor to that list of writers I need to learn to love more, too. Again, I’d be interested in some reading suggestions here.

Adventure Comics #462: Interesting pick here, Jim. But wouldn’t a Dark Bronze Age already have been underway thanks to Marvel and the Punisher, Wolverine, the death of Thunderbird, etc.?

Deletions

Marvel Two-in-One #1: I buy the arguments for dropping this one, though reading the trade press from the period suggests that the Thing getting his own title was once considered a very big deal (remember, these were the innocent days before popular characters — I’m looking at you, Wolverine — appeared in umpteen titles each month).

The Avengers #93: At this point, I’m sticking with Neal Adams over Steve Englehart. (But I’m open to the argument.)

Amazing Adventures #11: Good suggestion, Groove. If I apply the A-lister-only rule here, this book probably falls off the list.

The Defenders #1: Groove has another good point here. It’s hard to justify including The Defenders #1 and not New Gods #1.

X-Men #94: I’m far more reluctant to remove this one from the list. This was a long running Marvel title that had been taken off life support earlier in 1975, and this issue proved to be a huge return.

The New Teen Titans #1: Is this one more like The Defenders #1 or X-Men #94? It seems to fall somewhere in the middle, doesn’t it?

Spectacular Spider-Man #1: More good points from Groove on this one.

All-New Collector’s Edition #C-56 (Superman vs. Muhammad Ali): Wasn’t this one of the first big mainstream media events for comics? It certainly had appeal beyond the regular comic-book audience.

Star Wars #1: This one was the licensing hit Marvel had long been seeking. And, in terms of collecting, the 35¢-cover-price variant is the most valuable book of the era.

Greart stuff so far. What else are we missing?

Great post – I just left a rambling comment on that other “What is the Bronze Age?” thread, so I might as well go ahead and rant here as well.
In line with my comments on the other thread, I would remove from this list Byrne’s FF, New Teen Titans, and the Wolverine mini-series, because all of these are titles/events/situations that seem post-Bronze to me. For the same reason, I would also exclude the “Giffen-era” Legion, and Simonson’s Thor. By the same token, I think that Frank Miller taking over the art and then writing chores on Daredevil is another sign of the Bronze Age ending at Marvel.
Otherwise, I agree with several of the commenters above who pointed out the glaring lack of Howard the Duck. And on this note of Gerber-love, where’s Omega the Unknown?

Edo:

Omega the Unknown is another book I need to approach with fresh eyes. I HATED this book as a kid, but I’m guessing adult me will enjoy this series more. I picked up a few issues recently, including #1, and will try to give them a read (and review) sometime soon.

What other Gerber issues should I try?

Cheers,
Andrew

I don’t know, if you don’t like Gerber, you don’t like him – comics are basically light reading (or comfort literature as a comic blogger on another site once referred to them), so you shouldn’t force yourself to read stuff you’re not enjoying.
Personally, I like most of Gerber’s stuff, written both during the ’70s and later, and regardless, he was one of the most important comics writers of the 1970s.
But as for suggestions, since Howard the Duck and Omega were already mentioned, I would say his runs on Man-thing and the Defenders are really notable. Also, his Phantom Zone mini-series for DC…

Edo:

Thanks for the suggestions. It’s not that I don’t like Gerber’s work, it’s that I didn’t care for it at age 10, which means he doesn’t trigger the nostalgia for me the way a lot of other writers do. I’m guessing I’ll actually like him quite a bit more as an older reader. I’ll have to plan a week of Gerber reviews sometime in the not too distant future to give myself a taste. I’ve got a bunch of his stuff waiting to read. (I’m going to try to hunt down Phantom Zone, too. I didn’t realize he did that series, which sports Gene Colon art to boot.)

Cheers,
Andrew

P.S. I love the “comfort literature” phrase. That pretty much nails why I love reading Bronze Age comics so much!

Oh

Too many to list

I will just read all the goodness you guys are posting :)

Others that sould be included are
Salvage She-Hulk #1, Giant Size Avengers #4, Ms. Marvel #1 and West Coast Avengers #1.

E-MANN ROXX:

Why would you add these issues, and which issues do you think they should bump? (It’s the bumping part that makes this game tough!)

Cheers,
Andrew

I would Drop Astonishing Tales #25 for Giant Size Avengers #4. Don’t get me wrong, George Perez is my favorite Artist of the bronze age but I think GSA #4 has more of an impact on comics then the first appearence of Deathlok. About the other comics I’ve listed are very difficult to place.

Congrats on putting this list together. It makes for some good debate. I’d throw in with Tomb of Dracula #1 over some books on the list (the aforementioned Two-In-One #1, Spectacular Spider Man #1), and I favor X-Men #95 over #101, although the Phoenix storyline through #137 was incredible…not a bad issue in the bunch. While I also understand including Iron Fist #14 due to Sabertooth, I’m not sure it would make my cut. Hmmm, another issue for significance I’d include would be Daredevil #131, introduction of the Bullseye character (not the one who appeared in Nick Fury’s book), and we know how important he was to the great Miller run on DD! Good stuff, Andrew.

Moses (nice screen name, by the way):

Thanks for stopping buy and offering your suggestions. In particular, Tomb of Dracula #1 is an issue that needs to be considered. (And you make a good argument for Bullseye, especially if Sabertooth makes the list.) I’m planning to do a “write through” of this list, probably for the print edition of Comics Bronze Age that’ll be coming out early next year.

Cheers,
Andrew

I think that Star Wars #1 is a much more significant title than it is getting credit for. It was actually came out before the movie was was released, thus being the first appearance of these iconic characters.

Jeff:

That’s a great point. It was also a key marketing move that helped generate buzz for the movie. And, again, in terms of collecting, the 35¢-cover-price variant is the single most valuable book of the Bronze Age. I just don’t see this one falling off the list.

Andrew