The Bronze Age was a time of change across media. You had a new generation of movie directors coming on the scene, TVs we’re getting bigger and more vivid, and the Internet was in its infancy. Comic collecting was also just starting to gain popularity and by the early 80s many specialty comic shops were being created, and it spelled the end of the comic book rack. Over this time period, the idea of comics as collectibles caught on. The Bronze Age is thought of as the birth era for Wolverine and The Punisher with Amazing Spider-Man #129 and Incredible Hulk #181 being big keys of that era. During the 70s the anti-hero was huge. We might refer to the Bronze Age as the age of the anti-hero. However, perhaps some of the time period's better heroes have been overlooked. What are some of the forgotten books of the Bronze Age worthy of investment?
Astonishing Tales #25
One character that jumps out at me as a forgotten hero is Deathlok the Demolisher. He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25. He was created by Rich Buckler, Doug Moench and Stan Lee (script) with Rich Buckler, George Perez and John Romita (pencils). Deathlock is essentially just the Terminator before there was a Terminator movie. Unfortunately, for Marvel, they didn't make the hundreds of millions of dollars on the premise, but Hollywood sure did. After all, a cybernetic being that goes back in time to dispense justice and eliminates targets; does that sound familiar? What is the current return for this forgotten 70s superhero?
Long-Term
| Title | Grade | Cost | Return |
| Astonishing Tales #25 | 9.8 | $2,000 | +60% |
| 8.5 | $107 | +4.3% | |
| 6.5 | $95 | +47.2% |
The Marvel Universe today has largely forgotten this hero. His short-terms have declined, but the long-term trends are sufficient at these unbelievable cheap prices to warrant a buy. C'mon $107 for a grade 8.5, that is a steal! Now I know they tried Deathlok in the Shield Marvel show, but the actual presentation was pretty poor and the acting was downright terrible. I believe there is still an opportunity here to add to the popularity of this character by giving him screen time, big screen time.
Conan the Barbarian #1
The Bronze Age (1970 to 1984) was also a popular time for the fantasy genre. You had movies like Beastmaster and Sword and the Sorcerer that was very popular. This popularity of the fantasy genre gave rise to characters like Conan the Barbarian. And there is no one greater in the sword and sandals genre then Conan. He was created by Robert E. Howard in the 30s. The rights were acquired by Marvel in 1970. They put him in and created Conan the Barbarian #1 with Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith. Does this Teutonic ton of fun make a good investment in a key comic book?
| Title | Grade | Cost | Return |
| Conan the Barbarian #1 | 9.8 | $5,195 | +8.4% |
| 8.5 | $336 | +46% | |
| 6.5 | $249 | +48% |
Conclusion
The difference between the graded prices of these two forgotten Bronze Age heroes is substantial. Still only paying $300 for a grade 8.5 is cheap in my book for Conan the Barbarian #1. Further, the first appearance of Deathlok is a forgotten gem that should be picked up as soon as possible. Remember these books are from the Bronze Age, and not plentiful anymore; plunder away my Cimmerian speculators, to your heart's content.
