Silver Age of Comic Books
A period in American comic-book history, beginning in the mid-1950s and ending around 1970, marked by the revival and reinvention of superhero comics.
Comics Code Authority: A self-regulatory body that reviewed American comic books for compliance with an industry content code from 1954. Its restrictions reshaped the market in which superhero comics returned.
Julius Schwartz: An American comic-book editor and literary agent who helped develop the modern Flash, Green Lantern, and other DC superheroes. His editorial approach shaped DC's superhero revival and its science-fiction emphasis.
Stan Lee: An American comic-book writer and editor who co-created many Marvel superheroes, including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. His dialogue and character-driven storytelling helped define Marvel's Silver Age voice.
The Flash (Barry Allen): A DC superhero introduced in 1956 as a new character who gains super-speed after a laboratory accident. Barry Allen's debut in Showcase #4 is the conventional starting point of the era.
Bronze Age of Comic Books: A period in American comic-book history, roughly from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, marked by darker stories and greater social realism. Its creators and stories developed in response to the Silver Age's conventions.
Seduction of the Innocent: A 1954 book by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham that argued comic books encouraged juvenile delinquency. Its claims helped spur the hearings and industry reforms preceding the Silver Age.
DC Comics: An American comic-book publisher whose characters include Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Its superhero relaunches established the early pattern of the Silver Age.
Jack Kirby: An American comic-book artist and writer known for co-creating the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and many other superheroes. His dynamic artwork and visual invention powered some of the era's landmark comics.
Justice League of America: A DC superhero team first assembled in 1960, bringing together characters including Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Its success encouraged publishers to build stories around shared superhero worlds.
Crisis on Infinite Earths: A 1985–1986 DC Comics crossover series that reorganized the publisher's fictional multiverse and continuity. It reworked the accumulated continuity built across decades of superhero comics.