RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books The Silver Age, defining the era, and its enduring mystique

I'd say on the Marvel side, the Silver Age ended with
1) Kirby's departure from Marvel to DC,
2) with the first issue of CONAN THE BARBARIAN, and I guess,
3) with the ascendency of John Buscema as the heir apparent to Kirby's throne at Marvel.
I think this is also the point where Stan Lee was less involved, and where:
4) Roy Thomas became, basically, the acting Stan Lee. Such as Thomas' runs on AVENGERS, CONAN, INCREDIBLE HULK, SUB MARINER, and brainstorming other projects such as mostly reprint books like WHERE CREATURES ROAM, WHERE MONSTERS DWELL, FEAR, CREATURES ON THE LOOSE, and AMAZING ADVENTURES that initially had all reprints, but then increasingly had new material by writers and artists who were delegated to take over these books with new series, plus adventure series like DOC SAVAGE, KILLRAVEN, JUNGLE ACTION, ASTONISHING TALES and others that followed on the new ground opened by CONAN's success.

Granted a lot of that fruit wasn't borne until 1972 or 1973, but the seeds were there in 1970-1971. Even Kirby did some mystery stories right before he left Marvel in CHAMBER OF DARKNESS 4 and 5, and some Inhumans backup stories in AMAZING ADVENTURES 1-4 (if I recall correctly).
I think Thomas pushed for new directions and got his way after CONAN THE BARBARIAN's success and critical acclaim. AMAZING ADVENTURES/Killraven was another Roy Thomas idea, that apparently was delayed a very long time waiting for Neal Adams, until Thomas turned it over to others in 1973. And delegating to skilled writers like Englehart, Wolfman, Gerber, Starlin, McGregor, Claremont, Mantlo, Moench and Kraft, opened up a lot of great reading on the Marvel side.

I agree 100% with your picks on the DC side that drew the boundaries of the Silver Age. Although it was the same thing at DC, where there was an editorial shift with Giordano entering in 1968, and the full fruit of that sprouting in 1970 on the DC side. Plus, y'know, Adams coming to DC about the same time in 1967-1968, and Infantino, Orlando, and Kubert becoming editors in 1967-1968 as well. That opened up DC to some really positive change, with the talent (already on staff like Kubert, Swan, Anderson and Gil Kane, along with new talent arriving with Giordano from Charleton) to pull it off. HOUSE OF MYSTERY, HOUSE OF SECRETS, Enemy Ace in STAR SPANGLED WAR, the Creeper and others in SHOWCASE, Aparo on AQUAMAN, Adams rising from BRAVE AND THE BOLD to DETECTIVE and BATMAN with O'Neil, O'Neil/Adams GREEN LANTERN, Kirby's Fourth World titles, O'Neil/Swan/Anderson SUPERMAN, ALL-STAR WESTERN, that eventually spawned Jonah Hex and became WEIRD WESTERN, and later down the pike WEIRD WAR, WEIRD MYSTERY, SWAMP THING, TARZAN, KORAK and WEIRD WORLDS.