Lee stopped editing in 1972. Wolfman left in 1980. So, what happened during that time?
Various writer-editors were given the title of editor-in-chief but they really didn't do that job. Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Wolfman, Gerry Conway (for less than 2 months), and then Archie Goodwin all had a significant amount of reprinted comics published because the new issues weren't done in time. Readers hate reprinted stories. (The only writer-editor who did not become editor-in-chief was Steve Gerber.)
What stopped this trend? Marvel hired an editor to be an editor-in-chief. This annoyed a few of the writer-editors and so most left in dramatic diva fashion.
Most comic fans do consider the 60's Marvel as equally good as the 80's Marvel, which includes Walter Simonson's Thor, Frank Miller's Daredevil, Byrne's Fantastic Four, Roger Stern and John Romita Jr's Amazing Spider-Man, and Claremont, et al's X-Men.
70's DC is an example of how to ruin a company. Without detailing their editorial problems, let's focus on two significant events. Sometime during 1972 and 1974, Marvel starts to outside DC for the first time in history. Except for a handful of months, this has been true until very recently. The second event is known as the DC implosion. DC screwed up and had to cancel a large number of their titles. Much of their talent landed jobs at Marvel.
So Wolfman and the other writer-editors jumping ship for DC was not a step up. It was a step away from meeting deadlines, and other responsibilities. Lee understood that no editor-in-chief could edit the writer-editors, which is likely why he left when he did.
Various writer-editors were given the title of editor-in-chief but they really didn't do that job. Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Wolfman, Gerry Conway (for less than 2 months), and then Archie Goodwin all had a significant amount of reprinted comics published because the new issues weren't done in time. Readers hate reprinted stories. (The only writer-editor who did not become editor-in-chief was Steve Gerber.)
What stopped this trend? Marvel hired an editor to be an editor-in-chief. This annoyed a few of the writer-editors and so most left in dramatic diva fashion.
Most comic fans do consider the 60's Marvel as equally good as the 80's Marvel, which includes Walter Simonson's Thor, Frank Miller's Daredevil, Byrne's Fantastic Four, Roger Stern and John Romita Jr's Amazing Spider-Man, and Claremont, et al's X-Men.
70's DC is an example of how to ruin a company. Without detailing their editorial problems, let's focus on two significant events. Sometime during 1972 and 1974, Marvel starts to outside DC for the first time in history. Except for a handful of months, this has been true until very recently. The second event is known as the DC implosion. DC screwed up and had to cancel a large number of their titles. Much of their talent landed jobs at Marvel.
So Wolfman and the other writer-editors jumping ship for DC was not a step up. It was a step away from meeting deadlines, and other responsibilities. Lee understood that no editor-in-chief could edit the writer-editors, which is likely why he left when he did.