When Did the Bronze Age End?

Continuing our "Ages of Comics" series, let me refresh your memory as to my picks for age markers:

Golden Age Begins - Action Comics # 1 (First appearance of Superman)
Golden Age Ends - Tales from the Crypt # 46 (Last EC horror comic; CCA begins)
Silver Age Begins - Fantastic Four # 1 (First appearance of Fantastic Four)
Silver Age Ends/Bronze Age Begins - Green Lantern # 76 ("Hard Travelin' Heroes")

In my opinion, the Bronze Age of comics, marked by an earnest quest for "relevant" comics, ended when "grim n gritty" deconstruction changed the game for comics.

I peg this to the appearance of Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" #1:



The case could be made for Alan Moore's "Watchmen", the superior work in my estimation. But "Watchmen" is rather like the Velvet Underground. Very influential among artists, less so among the public at large.

After "Dark Knight", dark heroes like Batman trumped more innocent heroes like Superman or especially Captain Marvel for decades to come.

The dystopic comics of the 90s were a direct result of the impact Miller's work on Batman had on artists and fans alike.