Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes, page 109

Review: Showcase Presents Batgirl

Showcase Presents: Batgirl by John Broome

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I always loved when the 1960s Batman TV show added Yvonne Craig as Batgirl when I was a kid, so this big book of 1960s and 70s Batgirl stories was a real treat. The Book traces Batgirl's history from her first appearance in Detective Comics #359 in 1967 through a 1975 appearance in Superman Family magazine.

Batgirl never had her own pre-Crisis comic book which makes a book like this so fun as we get to see Batgirl's appearances in several comic books written by several different writers with a variety of styles. Batgirl does guest spots in comics for the Justice League, World's Finest, Brave and the Bold, Adventure Comics, and of course, Batman.

The book sees Batgirl develop. Unlike other members of the Bat family, her taking on a superhero persona is tied to no personal tragedy. Simply put, she was going to a costume party in the costume, ran into trouble, fought some crime, and liked it. Thus, a legend was born.

Through these adventures, Batgirl is established as a (mostly) tough incredibly brilliant young woman who is a legitimate and serious crimefighter. The book really falls into three sections. Up to page 281, the book is dominated by Batgirl's guest appearances in other magazines, with a lot of appearances with Batman and Robin (August 1969). My favorite in this lot is a mind-twisting story in World's Finest #176 called the Supergirl-Batgirl Plot. The weirdest story in this section is Justice League #60 where the Justice Leaguers are shrunken and given wings by "the Immortal Queen." Batgirl didn't feature very much in the conclusion. Indeed, while most of the stories in this section are pretty good, my one complaint is that many of them have very little Batgirl-practically cameo appearances.

This section does include Batgirl's first solo stories as a back up feature in Detective Comics 384. The same issue features artist Gil Kane giving Barbara Gordon a gorgeous makeover from the original hair up and librarian glasses from the first issue as Batgirl jumps into action to find a missing attractive library patron.

The second section of the book is made up entirely of these back up features from page 281-491. These features ran from 7-10 pages in length and ran in Detective comics as an add-on to the Batman feature. Batgirl had six of these back up stories appear from October 1969-July 1970 before getting a regular monthly gig from October 1970-June 1972. The stories in this section were traditional detective and crime fighting stories with no costumed supervillains showing up.

The stories usually worked out okay, but sometimes due to length and recap requirements, the ending could seem rushed. An attempt at a Batgirl-Robin team up in these back up features didn't work out well for that reason. A two part back-up story is barely enough for one hero, let alone two.

Batgirl dealt with some more "female related" stories such as industrial espionage against the "best dressed woman in the world" who would decide what skirt length women would be wearing and a blackmailer/murderer who made wigs that attached themselves to the wears head and induces a headache. The blackmailer then makes his demand and if the client doesn't pay off, he crushes her skull. However, all of them are quite enjoyable.


Her back up series ends with her running for Congress, which may be the most ignominious fate a superhero has faced.

The final three stories are guest spots in Superman and Superman Family Magazine which are some of the better ones in the book. Batman's Super partners get to show their stuff but so does Batgirl. Even while only making appearances as a part time superhero, she's treated as a serious crimefighter.

That's the case throughout the book. One big exception to this was Detective Comics #371 which had Batgirl's crimefighting constantly frustrated by her vanity and primping over her costume and make up. She proved her feminine advantage by "accidentally" tearing her tights and showing her legs, allowing Batman to knock out the bad guys.

Now, I'm the last person to complain about sexism, particularly in older material. But come on! That's just ridiculous, even for 1968. Perhaps the most unfortunate decision made by DC Editors in this book was to use an image from that issue for the cover of the book. It doesn't do Batgirl justice. The only other story that may offend some feminist is Brave and the Bold #78 which had Batgirl and Wonder Woman making fools of themselves to win the heart of Batman. At first, it was an act to lure Copperhead into a false sense of security, but then it became serious. However, I thought the story was just a comedy story.

Of course, there are inexplicable things that happen in the book such as Batgirl giving oxygen to a nearly drowned Supergirl by dragging her to a car, letting out the air and putting Supergirl's mouth on the tire stem. Also, they offer their parody of the Godfather called, "The Stepfather." However, for fans of classic comics, these sort of incidents are features not bugs.

Despite a few hiccups, this is a fun collection of Silver and Bronze Age comics.





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Where are the Christian Grant Morrisons?

Mike Duran picks up on an interview with Grant Morrison in Wired. Morrison is a comic book author who currently works on the new 52's Action Comics title. Morrison is on a mission with his new book Supergods as detailed in the interview:

Wired.com: One thing I love about the Supergods thesis is that, by accepting these heroes as our new superhuman ideals, we’re pulling away from monotheism and perhaps even, through superheroes, upgrading the more realistic pantheism of antiquity.

Morrison: Yeah, I think it’s natural to get away from that, because monotheism came from a specific region in the desert, from a bunch of cultures who discovered written language around the same time. And really, in monotheistic culture, the book is the god. The actual text, whether that’s the Bible, Koran or whatever, inserts its instructions and commands into your brain like a programming code. And that was an interesting way of looking at the world, where a singular force was in charge. But pantheism is more like real life. We don’t have to believe these things actually exist, and I don’t think sophisticated people ever have, now or in the past.

Duran sees some blatant hypocrisy in this, writing:

Second, Where are the complaints about fiction / art being used as a tool for religious propaganda? Morrison’s intent seems openly religious: to re-introduce and indoctrinate a new religious worldview. Christians are regularly whacked for writing stories that seek to employ and sell a specific worldview. So how is Morrison’s intent any different?

The answer is that there is no difference except in our world, any viewpoint other than Christianity is seen as okay to push.

I've gotten the angry posts complaining that I wasn't explicit enough in labeling some of my works as Christians. I'll get very vigorous about labeling my stuff as Christian about the time that Grant Morrison gets vigorous about labeling his material as "pantheist."

Science Fiction is filled with authors who have no problem expressing approval of the New Age movement, of witchcraft, or of expressing total atheism.

A better question may also be, "Where are the Christian Grant Morrisons?" Where are the Christians who will be bold and talented at showcasing truth as Morrison is at showcasing falsehood? Hint to Christians: If we don't play a role influencing the culture, others will.

In addition, I have to say Morrison raises some bizarre points. The idea of making your ideal based on comic book characters who change drastically whenever their corporate offices decide to boost sales seems laughable. I'll be the first to say that certain Superhero stories and characters can provide life lessons, but I'd suggest that our ideal should be Someone who is the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

A Look at Failstate

I'm not the only one who writes Christian Superhero Fiction. John W. Otte had a book come out last year called Failstate.

I hope there are many more superhero books. Here's my review:

Failstate by John W. Otte

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What do you get when you combine reality TV, superheroes, a coming of age story, and sibling rivalry in one package? You get Failstate.

Robin Laughlin has amazing mental powers that he fears played a role in the death of his father. Determined to make good, he enters a reality TV contest to become America's next superhero adopting the identity of Failstate. He struggles in the competition with his homemade constitution and superpowers that lack the excitement of scrapping physical heroes like Gauntlet (who is also his brother) and the fact that his Failstate costume looks like it was put together from a dozen thrift stores doesn't help.

He's invited to go on patrol with one of the frontrunners in the contest. When she's found brutally murdered, suspicion goes everywhere including on to Failsafe himself. But what about the show's producer or a rival contestant? Suspects abound and Failstate has to figure out who to trust.

Overall, Otte did so much right in this book.

First of all is the character of Failstate. In many ways, he reminds me of the earliest incarnation of Spider-man. He's unsure of himself and often struggles, receives unfair blame. He's hard luck hero. Of course, there's a thin line between "hard luck hero" and "loser." Early on, I was worried he was heading too far into the latter territory, but by the time you're a quarter way through, he's got his character well-established and what you have a kid a lot like Peter Parker who people can truly identify with and cheer for and really becomes an endearing hero throughout the book

Secondly, I think he created a wonderful fictional setting. This isn't anything like the DC or Marvel universe. Their superheroes are regulated and indeed, the whole reality show centers around a quest to get a license. So, it's not a traditional comic book world as much as it’s a world that's adjusted to the existence of superhuman crime fighters and the concept works very well.

Third, I loved of all the interplay between the characters, particularly between Failsafe and his brother was very well done. There are so many conflicts woven into the story that make more than just a Superhero action story. I also appreciated how the faith element really fit organically into the story.

Finally, I think the inclusion of a real sure enough mystery requiring actual investigation was a great touch and as I'm a fan of detective stories, so it was a great add-on.

Compared to my enjoyment, my issues with the book are trifling. The reality TV segments were somewhat cheesy even by reality TV standards for missions. Thankfully, events take the reality TV element off center stage. The book seems to suggest a gulf between "reality TV" and "reality" as Robin struggled on the contrived challenges, but finds his stride in addressing a real life menace.

Some of the superhero and villain names seemed a bit including Meridian but I know firsthand how many of the good names have all been trademarked by Marvel, DC, and their ilk.

The end was good, but it doesn't lend itself easily sequel. That's too bad because Otte has created a good world I'd love to see more of.




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Commie Smashers

Back in the 1950s, Captain America returned triumphantly to Comics in the pages of Atlas in 1953, three years after the cancellation of his magazine. But Cap was back with a new enemy.

Commies.

Captain America Commie Smasher appeared in 1953 and 54 and was cancelled in the midst of the waning portion of the golden age of Comic where if you weren't Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman and you were a superhero, you didn't have much of a chance.

In 1963, Captain America returned from the dead literally. The story was that Bucky had died at the end of the War and Captain had been frozen in ice. In Avengers #4, he was brought triumphantly back into the Silver Age.

And what about those few months of comics in 1953-54? Stan Lee claimed to have forgotten about them and that's certainly possible. Lee worked on a lot of titles and very few superhero ones, plus given that he was thinking of going into another line of work before he brought the Fantastic Four to life in 1961, he may not have been as engaged.

Subsequent to Stan Lee, Steve Englehart took over the helm of Captain America and introduced the concept that the 1950s Cap hadn't been real the Captain America but a McCarthyist imposter who'd go on to wreak all kinds of havoc.

However, when you read the pages of Iron Man or Captain America or even the Fantastic Four, you see that the reason for Cap's regeneration had little to do with a lack of appetite for fighting communism. When you I read Essential Iron Man, Vol. 1, I was struck by how many times Iron Man was up against communists such as the Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, and Black Widow. And it was out of a battle with the Vietcong that Tony Stark was injured and Iron Man was born. Then, early on you have Captain America facing off against the Viet Cong. The Fantastic Four did battle with a Soviet Scientist called the Red Ghost in Fantastic Four #8 and Spidey faced off against the Chamelon who was a commie spy in the Amazing Spider-man #1.

Even in the 1960s, there were a whole lot of Commie smashers at Marvel. This is mostly downplayed in Marvel history and fans will often count it a point against the book if Communists were villains.

Some of this is result of a revisionist sentiment that has taken place over the so-called "Red Scare" with some innocent citizens being tarred with the Communist label. The revisionist thought is that all allegations of Communism were unfounded or that Communists were really just harmless and that it was just another political belief system.

The truth is that yes, there were Soviet Spies in America, the Venona project provides evidence of that. Secondly, the harmlessness of Communists may have more to do with them not having won than being Communist in themselves. The TV show Sliders in its premier episode featured the main reality where on the campus of Berkeley a homeless man ranted about the evils of capitalism and the glories of communism. They traveled to an alternate dimension where the Soviets had taken over America and he was high party official oppressing the country.

Even more than that, in their own lands, the Communists wiped out hundreds of millions of people. These were not nice guys, these were very evil regimes. And honestly, actual Communists who supported those regimes really shouldn't get off the hook either in terms of public disapproval at the very least. We really wouldn't care for someone who thought Hitler was great, and it shouldn't be any different with someone who loved Stalin.

Yet, you have comic industry guys and fans embarrassed about fictional stories where these guys are fought. This contrasted with World War II where stories about the War continued to be very popular decades after it. Roy Thomas wrote some retcon World War II stories with the Invaders in the 1970s for Marvel and then went to DC and did the same thing with All-Star Squadron. Sergeant Rock, a World War II military man continued to appear regularly in his own comic book until 1988.

Yet, anything with the Cold War in it in any genre is passe or dated. There's a part of me that would love to write a series of Cold War tales (superhero or otherwise.) The Cold War ultimately was a story of heroes who worked tirelessly and risked everything to "smash Communism" and the high casualty count makes clear that Communism needed smashing.

Review: Essential Iron Man, Volume 1

Essential Iron Man, Vol. 1 by Stan Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


To me, the most amazing fact about Iron Man is that it took him more than 5 years to get his own self-titled comic book. He premiered in Tales of Suspense #39 and continued to be the top feature or one of the top features until Issue 99 when the Magazine was named after Captain America and he was off for a one-shot magazine with Sub-mariner before getting his own in May 1968. This book collects Iron Man's first 34 adventures in Tales of Suspense.

Overall, they made for some pretty interesting reading. Due sharing Tales of Suspense, most of Iron Man's adventures were 13 pages long, with eight few being 18 (45, 47-49, 55-58). Even the 18 page story is less than heroes such as Spider-man, Daredevil, the FF were given for their own books. This led to plots being spread across multiple issues.

Still, long time fans of Iron Man will see some key introductions. Early Iron Man pals Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts entered in TOS #45, the Crimson Dynamo in #46, the Mandarin in #50, the Black Widow in #52, Hawkeye in #57, and Titanium Man in #69.

The nearly 3 years of Iron Man stories gives a great birds eye look at the development of the character. In Issue #39, Tony Stark is introduced as a billionaire who with the help of a good elderly scientist defeats the Communists who captured him by becoming Iron Man and finds himself condemned to live in his armor forever to stay alive.

By Issue 40, it'd turned into just the chestplate. In Issue 41, Iron Man would receive the first of many makeovers in his costume. The first makeover was changing from Silver to Gold (to show he had a heart of gold and to make him less like a sci-fi monster.) By issue 48, his armor looked very similar to what we had today. This is one case where not having color in these Essential Books does make a difference, as I'd love to see the colors in these transitions.

While Issue 39 advertised Tony as a tragic figure, this got lost in most early. For the first year, Iron Man seemed to be having his own golden age or trying out for DC. These are much more light-hearted fare with some odd science fiction and some odder science. My favorite scene remains the one where Tony sells the army rocket-powered roller skates that will allow soldiers to go down a sixty miles an hour. Just what they needed in the jungles of Vietnam.

Some of my favorite story archs in here included: 1) Mandarin Issue (#50, 54-55, 61-62): From the beginning, the Mandarin was a great villain, very powerful, and their first meeting with Iron Man fought to a standstill. Somewhat politically incorrect with the more oriental look, but still a great challenge to Iron Man.

2) The Captain America v. Iron Man Story (#58): A story that personifies Silver Age silliness. The Chameleon shows up at Stark's factory disguised as Captain America and tells him the real Captain America is actually the Chameleon disguised as Captain America.Iron Man proceeds to fight Cap. Captain America thinks its a joke and is expecting to see it on Candid Camera.The whole thing is resolved by Ant Man and Iron Man ends the story by quoting LBJ.

3) The Battle with Titanium Man (#69-#71): The Soviet Titanium Man challenges Iron Man to a duel. Iron Man fights him, but with the Soviet cheating, Iron Man will need a help from a supporting cast member who makes a big sacrifice, a moving story.

Beyond story lines and intros, this is a good collection. They come up with some great puzzles for Iron Man and while the villains are hit and miss, there's definitely some A material in here. I also love the Anti-Communist stuff and am adding an extra star for that. ("It's a feature not a bug.)

There are negatives. Some of the stories don't worry. The early incarnation of Hawkeye seems to be little more than Marvel's answer to Green Arrow. The blind hypnotic following of Black Widow makes the character seem weak and somewhat pathetic and he has no motivation other than a desire for attention for donning a costume. He has no reason for changing direction from costumed hero to costume villain other than the Black Widow asking him to.

The one other complaint I can have is that sufficient grounds for a secret identity weren't established. He's a public figure, Iron Man is his bodyguard. He says at one point he fears for his employees or for Pepper and Happy, but given that every criminal knows he hangs around Stark's factory that doesn't really cut it.

Overall, Iron Man is a fascinating character. Once again, Lee creates a character that thoughtfully prods us on how we judge other people. Like Spider-man and Daredevil, our assumptions can be wrong. Tony Stark, considered one of the most lucky men on earth is lonely, and his heart is one step away from stopping needing constant recharges. Tony is a fascinating character in that he jury rigs a device to take care of his heart and never considers turning to another doctor or scientist. It says that Tony is an accomplished man who thinks he can do anything and nearly can, but that do it alone attitude is going to be the source of a lot of grief.





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Why Can't You Be More Like C.S. Lewis?

I want to pick up on a post where I discussed a while back about Christians writing fiction.

As I stated previously, I wrote that Christians should write the stories they are called to write whichever category they might be called to write.

Others who want to dissuade writers from writing explicitly Christian Fiction have made other arguments. Chia Woychik of Port Yonder Press argues that Christians should write crossover fiction or secular fiction to be taken seriously. You can write Christian if you want but she has a warning:

4) if you’re still insistent on writing Christian Fiction, then do realize that not only is the market glutted with such, but once the excitement wanes, your book may well fade into oblivion as so many others have done. Make a plan for excellence and longevity before you conceive another book.

She makes a good play to authors' sense of vanity. Anyone who has ever written who is worth their salt has a fantasy where their works are remembered in the epochs of fiction and they live on forever.

Reality is that 98% of all novels published last year are unknown to 98% of the population. Writing fiction is tough to make a living in. It's even tougher to get recognition as she seems to suggest that the road to literary success and prestige lies through abandoning explicitly Christian themes. However, there are millions of secular books that have never won a Hugo, National Book Awards, or a Pulitzer prize. And the reason Christian fiction books haven't won this has quite a bit less to do with quality than with other factors.

She then raises this point:

if you’re intent on including faith-shadowing, do as C. S. Lewis, Tolkien, L’Engle and others did: consider using allegory.

Lewis and Tolkien have been mentioned frequently in these discussions. They're kind of like those siblings who seem to be doing better to you that your parents constantly compare you to.

L'Engle does not get mentioned much because of her heterodox views on universalism. However, even with that Unilateralism, however the London Guardian noted, "She was attacked for being too religious by the most secular of critics." So much for Ms. Woychik's wrote to secular respectability.

What of Lewis? I suppose, if one limits their understanding to The Chronicles of Narnia, you can point to him as a master of allegory. However, his allegories were often quite thin even if you read a story like The Magician's Nephew. If you read his other works like Pilgrim's Regress or the Science Fiction trilogy, particularly That Hideous Strength, you see a very overt Christian theme running through that story.

In addition to this, one of Lewis' greatest characters is that master demon Screwtape in essays that are both well-remembered and very explicit in their Christian theme. Lewis' subtlety varied from work to work. What ultimately made Lewis successful is that he wrote well, he wrote the stories that were on his heart and mind and was led by his imagination. I wonder how well he would have done if he were to listen to critics who advised him on to appeal to secular markets and how to not to make his works too religious.

The other key point to remember about Lewis was that he was from another time. He came to national prominence during World War II proclaiming the basic truths of Christianity over the BBC.

Great Britain at the time, if not the sentinel of Christian thought it once was, understood basic Christian truths. Famously at the Battle of Dunkirk sent a message, "but if not." The simple phrase was linked in people's minds immediately to the Daniel 3:18 in which Daniel's three friends declared their faith in God's ability to deliver them from the hands of an idolatrous king, " But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” It communicated resolve and determination to fight the last and refuse to submit to the Nazis.

Imagine today, besieged soldiers sending a message, "But if not." Soldiers on the receiving end of the message would say, "What the heck?" Indeed, many Christians would as well.

Western Civilization has become much more secularized since Lewis' day. When c.S. Lewis wrote in allegory and symbolism, he called to mind with unfamiliar things, familiar lessons that people had learned in Sunday school or from a maiden Aunt. Using this tactic becomes much harder when a growing part of your audience has no frame to even interpret the underlying message.

This is particularly true in the higher levels of publishing and academia with which Ms. Woychik seems to think Christian writers ought to focus on currying favor.

This is particularly true of the Hugo Award. One finds in the secular science fiction establishment, a large number of atheists, pagans, and practitioners of the occult. And committees for the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize are only slightly less overt in their contempt.

The only type of Christianity in fiction that they accept would be works that challenge Orthodox Christianity or are very good with a form of Christianity that is neutered down to nice feelings. The idea of trying to win the world's approval as a key to success seems folly for the Christian writer, particularly as Christ said it wouldn't happen. (John 15:19)

In the end, we cannot be like C.S. Lewis because we are not him and we don't live in his time. The one way we are like Lewis is that we can write according to the vision and talents we have been given. Then that's a better course than being distracted by promises of fame, fortune, and respectability.

Review: Batman Adventures: The Lost Years

Batman Adventures: Lost Years by Hilary J. Bader

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What happened between the end of Batman and Robin Adventures and the new Batman Adventures television series as well as the Gotham Knight Adventures comic book series? This book has the answer.

Dick Grayson is approaching college graduation and increasingly, he's locking horns with Batman. He's questioning Batman's judgment and decision making processes. Meanwhile, Batman is feeling more frustrated and less confident in Robin's ability to be there. This leads to the eventual break up of the team as Dick Grayson sets out to find his way in the world.

The story can be, at first, hard to wrap your mind around. One simply doesn't question Batman's judgment. Yet, there's a bigger relational context going on here. Batman is still treating Dick Grayson the way he did at the beginning of their partnership when Grayson was a young teenager. Now, he's a man, a man who is an experienced crimefighter thanks to his years with Batman and Batman can't cope with it.

He's uncertain of Robin and takes Batgirl on as a partner because Batgirl respects him and his decisions. (As an aside the book's treatment of the Batman-Batgirl relationship v. the TV show's which seemed to suggest a romantic interest that began while she was dating Dick.)

At the same time, Dick has to find his own way in the world. In Book 2, he lays down the Robin colors and says that the Robin colors are for a boy, not a man. So, he sets off to find himself leaving Bruce Wayne behind without even saying goodbye and using his Grayson trust fund money to finance the trip.

The journey abroad is only somewhat interesting. Dick is shown as a quick learner who travels from one corner of the globe to the other seeking to learn new skills and quickly exhausting the knowledge of one teacher after another who warn him that he needs to learn about himself. The stories abroad are interesting but not amazing.

Issue 4 has a bit of a break as Batman gets a new Robin in Tim Drake who Batman rescues and takes to the Batcave. Drake quickly uncovers Batman's identity and then puts the old Robin suit on to avenge his father's death. The story seemed odd as the other four books in the collection focused on Grayson, but this was necessary.

The book rises to a higher level because of the pathos of the story. This isn't Marvel where characters are very vocal about their emotions. But there are subtle touches. In Book 3, Dick realizes it's been a year since he left and wonders if he's missed. The comic cuts to Bruce Wayne sitting by the fire and when Alfred reminds him it's a been a year, Wayne feigns ignorance, all while staring at a picture of Grayson. He has a decidedly negative reaction when first seeing Drake in the Robin costume.

Grayson also has these reactions. When he finally returns, Alfred interrupts with word that the Batman signal has been flashed. Grayson responds, "That's all right Alfred. Business always comes first, doesn't it?" Wayne answers yes and they're off. Though in that moment is the great tragedy and sadness of Grayson. He wanted and needed more than work, more than a partner in crimefighting. He needed a deeper father-son relationship that Wayne could never provide.



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Robin Changed Everything

There were some superhero characters that I would have said were cool when growing up.

Robin was not one of them.

There were two version of Robin I was familiar with.

Version #1 was Dick Ward's robin from the 1960s TV series with his slapping his hand into his fist and saying, "Holy roller coaster ride, Batman." Funny? Yes. Cool? No. Particularly useful? Not really. I mean I could hand Batman the shark-repellant Bat Spray.

Then there was the Batman: The Animated Series version. In the first 85 episodes, Robin appeared in only thirty, and some of these were cameos or more of a hostage than a partner. When I saw the Robin episodes, it really felt most of the time that the writers were job to shove Robin in even though Batman could manage quite well on his own.

Of course, without Robin, Batman may have been all but forgotten. Batman enjoyed some success, but he was hardly alone in the "dark and dangerous avenger" category. Batman's whole tableau was dark and very pulpish, and at times disturbing as he seemed barely human as he went about as a bit of a crimefighting machine, skulking in the darkness and talking to himself as the villains did themselves in during their battles. Robin was grim, dark, and like way too many other pulp and comic heroes of the era.

However, in Detective Comics #38, Batman's world changed forever when the introduction of Dick Grayson as Robin, the Boy Wonder. Like Bruce Wayne, Dick's parents were killed by criminals. This gave the two an uncommon bond. It led to Rruce training Dick and to become Robin, the Boy Wonder.

The change in the comic was instantaneous. The Golden Age Robin was the definition of cool. He was wise-cracking, swash-buckling, and an asset to the team. Batman was protective of Robin, but Robin showed he belonged as a crimefighter time and time again.

In Batman #1, having captured four criminals, Batman says they're not so tough without their guns and he challenges them to take on Robin. Robin beats the four grown men single-handed. Batman told the comic reading kids that this proved they shouldn't look up to gangsters who were nothing without their weapons. At the end of Batman #1. Kids were invited to become one of Robin's Regulars with the panel portraying a boy walking an old man across the street. R.O.B.I.N. was said to be an acronym meaning Readiness, Obedience, Brotherhood, Industriousness, and Nationalism.

Whether kids took the code seriously or not, Robin helped firmly establish the Caped Crusader and his books. Robin was so successful, he was quickly mimicked by the National Comics publication More Fun Comics. Green Arrow made his first appearance in More Fun Comics in 1941 with boy sidekick Speedy. Over at Timely Comics, Captain America emerged with a boy sidekick Bucky, and the original Human Torch got a young sidekick named Toro. And it all began with Robin who rightly emerged as a leader of the Teen Titans.

Over the years, the relationship was often misunderstood and twisted by sex-obsessed psychologists and attempts to negate these unfounded concerns probably hurt the book.

In 1970s, it was decided to take the comic in another direction and Robin began to disappear from Batman titles and the character of Robin became darker. The Batman live-action movies of recent years have mostly excluded Robin. Five of the seven Batman films released since the original 1989 Movie have not featured Robin and the two that have are among the less regarded ones.

And largely Robin is thrown in to many Batman productions because well-Robin should be there, but writers have little idea what to do with the character and how he can impact the series. Robin of modern day is definitely never someone who changes the dynamic of Batman's crimefighting action.

That's not to say that this modern interpretation of Robin isn't without some merit. What young man can't identify with a twenty something year old Robin's struggle to redefine himself in the shadow of the Bat? Any man who has struggled to relate to a father figure as an adult will understand this struggle.

Yet, there's something to be said for the old Robin story. Of a boy who needs a father and a man who needs a son, of a deep bond formed by common pain, and the pure fun and joy of adventure. The Golden Age Robin is a cool character who saved Batman from sinking from the public imagination like characters such as the Black Hood. Maybe, it was more idealistic than realistic, particularly as more turbulent times came, but sometimes a little idealism can be a good thing.

Three Golden Age Batman Book Reviews

Here are reviews of three different Golden Age Batman Books I read:

The Batman Chronicles, Vol. 1 by Bill Finger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Batman Chronicles Volume 1 marks the Batman's first appearances in Detective Comics in Issues 27-38 and the first big 64-page Batman Issue 1.

The character in the first eleven stories is barely recognizable as Batman with those huge ears on the costume. The original Batman is a character right out of the same pulp fiction tradition as characters like The Shadow and Doc Savage. He's a vigilante who often carries a gun. In these early issues, Bruce Wayne lives in Manhattan and has a fiancée.

The first two stories have very little of that Superhero feel to them However when Gardener Fox takes over in Detective Comics #29, the villains get more interesting. Batman battles Dr. Hugo Strange, Dr. Death, saboteurs, and even vampires. On the vampire plot, they got a little confused as Batman killed the vampires by shooting them with a silver bullet.

The amount of killings and the darkness of the early stories has been exaggerated somewhat by people who defend the dark turn of later issues of the comic book. The killings that happened were all in self-defense and bloodless portrayals. Anyone claiming they're taking Batman back to his root s by including a lot of bloody violence is full of it.

Of course, this comic also marks the first appearance of the Joker as Batman's prime villain in Batman #1. This Joke is pretty much the homicidal maniac we've all come to know. The Joker dies at the end of the issue, but of course there was no way he was going to stay dead.

The biggest change in this book as far as I'm concerned was the appearance of Robin in Detective Comics #38. Really, this changed the tone of the comic book and maybe . The original Robin, Dick Grayson, was trained by Batman after his parents were murdered at the order of a local mob boss named Boss Zucco. Robin was a real swashbuckling, wise-cracking hero that really brought fun to the comics and it did seem to make a positive change for Batman.

Robin was intended as a bit of model for youth living in tenements were crime dominated. In Batman #1, In one scene, Batman takes the guns from four criminals and Batman allows the four of them to take Robin on. Once Robin cleans the four with them, Batman speaks directly to readers, and delivers a special message. Kids were encouraged to be one of Robin's regulars by practicing Readiness, Obedience, Brotherhood, Industriousness, and Nationalism. It may have sounded cheesy today, but modern kids could do worse.

It's really hard to imagine that Batman would have endured as long as he had if Robin hadn't come along. While some of the stories are problematic and too short. The introduction of Robin, the Joker, and Catwoman make this a great read for Batfans everywhere.




Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943-1946 by Bob Kane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Batman Sunday strips is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, they avoided the low points that the daily strips suffered where Batman and Robin would not be seen for months in costume. On the other hand, the stories were not nearly as complex and a few stories were disappointing particularly the first storyline and the last two.

However, this book does have some worthwhile features. It features early appearances by the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and an early version of Two Face. In addition, Batman has all kind of adventures away from Gotham City including at oil wells, at New Orleands during Mardi Gras as well as several other rural adventures.

In addition, this collection includes snippets of rare Batman comic strips from 1953, 1966, 1978, and 1989 which are sadly unavailable collected form, so this is a treat for Batman fans that's definitely worth reading.



Batman in the Forties by Bill Finger

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book takes 192 pages to give readers view of the best Batman stories of eleven years of Batman stories from 1939-50. We get a pretty solid sampling. There's the first Batman story, Robin's first story and solo stories with Robin and Alfred.

Included are the introduction of Vicky Vale in Batman #49. There's a great Joker Story, "The Joker Follows Suit" in which the Clown Prince of Crime carries off an imitation of Batman intorducing the Jokermobile and the Joker signal for criminals in trouble. There's also a somewhat odd Catwoman story where she falls in love with Bruce Wayne and tries to reform only to reverse intentions when she finds out Bruce is leading her on (for some reason.)

The Bat Cave is invaded in a "1,000 Secrets of the Batcave" in which a fleeing criminal finds his way into Wayne Manor and eventually the Batcave and the Dynamic duo and the tough battle it out in the midst of all Batman's props and trophies.

My favorite story in the book had to be "Bruce Wayne Loses Guardianship of Dicky Grayson." Bruce Wayne/Batman is clearly emotional about the loss of the person he "loves most." Batman also is more quietly emotional in Batman #47 when he comes face to face with his parents' killers.

This early Batman is far more emotive, and the stories are even open to the occasional happy ending as happened to the original Two Face story in Detective Comics #80.

There are a few weaker entries in this book such as the "Clayface" story and Batman was not nearly as fun a character as Superman in the same era, but it's still a worthwhile read for any superhero fan.



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Superhero Resurrections: Done to Death

My brother and I were having a conversation about the latest Spider-man issue. He commented that Peter Parker would be back as that in the world of superheroes, St. Peter has a revolving door.

He's not alone in this feeling. I read a comment on a website regarding this that "there are people in the Marvel Universe who can fix this." This, of course, referred to being transported into the body of a dying supervillain and then that body dying and that villain inheriting all your powers in your body. However, they talked about it like it was repairing a microwave oven.

The number of superheroes to take the big sleep only to get back up is staggering. Among them are Barry Allen (Flash), Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Batman, the Human Torch, the Thing, Captain America, and of course Superman.

There had been hints that characters had died or were going to die but somehow they wiggled out of it before.

The death of Barry Allen occurred in 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, but probably what started the parade of deaths was Superman.

Superman's death in October 1992 was national news and sent millions to pick up a copy of the story. The story worked with Superman's long-standing Messianic symbolism as he faced off against Doomsday. Rev. H Michael Brewer described Doomsday "is as close to the personification of pure wickedness as comic books can evoke." The story couldn't help but bring to a mind a much greater story of sacrifice as Brewer relates in, Who Needs a Superhero?: Finding Virtue, Vice, and Whats Holy in the Comics:

Superman had taken it upon himself to be humanity's champion, and the one who came from above had to finally lay down his life to fulfill his mission. No lesser effort would have halted the onslaught of evil. No smaller sacrifice would ransom those in the path of destruction...

Behind the slumped figure of the dead Superman, an upright piece of broken timber juts from the wreckage. The tattered cap of the Man of Steel flutters in the wind. In my eyes, that heaven-reaching timber casts the shadow of the Cross over the scene. Superman is no savior, but his dying to rescue Metropolis points our hearts towards the True Savior who died for the world

One would be hard-pressed to ascribe any such power, beauty, or majesty to the on-going list of Superhero deaths and resurrections. What was a gripping, and well-written story of sacrifice two decades previously is losing its power even to attract a public which has become jaded to comic book's revolving doors.


It's to the point where no one expects any superhero to ever stay dead, which really does take the bit of the story and even out of death and resurrection. It's probably past time for a two decade or more long moratorium on superhero deaths and returns.

But is there really one in store for Spider-man?

One reason that it's been suggested is because of the Amazing Spider-man II. The suggestion made was that comic writers would prefer that the current comic book hero match with the one portrayed on the screen. There's little to suggest this is a serious concern. In fact, the entire clone saga in Spider-man was introduced smack dab in the middle of the Spider-man Animated Series and there was no effect on the story line. It had ended by the time the series finale ran and was referenced in an almost joking manner.

While Barry Allen died off in 1985 in the Comic Books but the Flash TV series aired five years later featured Barry Allen as the Flash. And while Peter Parker is dead in the Ultimate Universe and Miles Morales is the new Spider-man, the new Ultimate Spider-man still features Peter Parker.

The biggest reason I think we'll see a return of Peter Parker is that Spider-man is far more indispensable as a character than as a super-powered hero. Arguably, the most successful character changes in the mainstream universe have been the Flash and Green Lantern.

The Green Lantern is in fact a position in an intergalactic law enforcement agency and when Hal Jordan departed, John Stewart had all ready been in the comic books for a decade plus, so Jordan could be replaced.

Similarly the Flash's speed is indispensable in the DC Universe. His powers themselves are very cool, so anyone possessing them will have a big edge. Plus when Barry Allen died, Wally West became the new Flash and he'd been hanging around the DC universe for 25 years as a sidekick and member of the Teen Titans.

Things are very different with Spider-man. His powers are cool, but really not enough to make anyone who possesses them indispensable. In a fictional universe with Thor, the Thing, and Mr. Fantastic, there is no great need for Spider-man. When people cheer for Spider-man, they're not cheering for the uniform, they're cheering for the man.

And that's why ultimately, despite the fact that Marvel's been trying to get rid of him for years, Peter Parker will be back.