|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2019 9:20:38 GMT -5
Those initial 80-Page Giants almost never dipped further back in time than the early 50's and for the most part, stuck with the late 50's. How did these readers know that Batman was meant to be a "frightening, ghost-like avenger"? Were they just parroting what Feiffer was saying or were there really enough people around sharing their memories of 30 year old Batman comics that the average reader had heard how great that period was? For me I became aware of the early Batman stories thru those big oversized treasury editions. Plus the book Batman From the 30s to the 70s. This was a few years after the show. But also there were enough fans that did remember the 40s Batman. Of course I also had my Dad who read comics in the 40s with his memories |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2019 9:23:18 GMT -5
In 1989, there was Bat-Merchandise all over the shop here. Titan (I think it was them) released some small paperback books that reprinted 1950s Bat-Tales. There was a book devoted to the Joker, one devoted to the Penguin, one devoted to Catwoman, one devoted to Supes/Bats team-ups, etc. There may have been others.
This was my first experience of 1950s Batman. The 80s annuals I grew up with reprinted 70s stuff. I may have bought some 60s comics at a car boot sale. But it was only during the hype for Burton's Batman that I got to experience vintage Dark Knight.
|
|
Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,222 
|
Post by Confessor on Nov 10, 2019 11:19:57 GMT -5
Titan (I think it was them) released some small paperback books that reprinted 1950s Bat-Tales. There was a book devoted to the Joker, one devoted to the Penguin, one devoted to Catwoman, one devoted to Supes/Bats team-ups, etc. There may have been others. This was my first experience of 1950s Batman. ...it was only during the hype for Burton's Batman that I got to experience vintage Dark Knight. Likewise. Those Titan paperback-sized reprints were my first exposure to '50s Batman too. I believe the series was called "Caped Crusader Classics" ...and I hated them!  I bought at least a couple of those volumes at one time, I think...maybe the Joker one and the Penguin one??? Anyway, they were really my first introduction to Golden Age superhero comics (I'd encountered Golden Age sci-fi comics before through the Atlas era stories that got reprinted as back-up strips in Star Wars Weekly), and it was my first inkling that, yeah...Golden Age superhero stories just ain't for me. I like '40s and '50s sci-fi, detective, and monster comics and newspaper strips fine, but superheros from that era? Yuck! They're basically unreadable to me. |
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Nov 10, 2019 14:56:49 GMT -5
I've read many, many letters from the silver age and the discourse is fascinating. It's clear that something was going on to educate readers about Batman's earliest years which seemed clearer to the readers of the late 60's than any previous period. The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer, Biljo White's Batmania fan publication, and a few other books and publications surely must account for some of it, but for a medium which thought they could introduce a new Flash, Green Lantern, Atom, etc without anyone remembering the originals because five to ten years had already passed since those guys last appeared, it's kind of amazing to see them receiving letters commenting upon the ambience of comics from 25-30 years prior. Some of the readers were old enough to remember the Golden Age stories, or in some families, comics from older siblings--even parents were still laying around the house for younger readers to discover (that was the case in my own family). One thing was clear: the readers sending in letters obviously knew the way the earliest Batman stories were written, otherwise there would be no basis for such a specific comparison / selection for what direction they wanted the title to take. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2019 16:47:43 GMT -5
It was weird growing up on Batman in the 1970's because the current comics depicted him as more serious in tone, but (as stated above) we had the Treasuries, 80/100 Page Giants, Digests, etc. reprinting the older sillier in tone Batman. Also, reruns of the Batman TV Series, Super Friends and New Adventures of Batman cartoons were also less serious and kid friendly. So in the 70's Batman was fairly neutral with both serious and goofy content and I enjoyed them all at the time and was never confused who the Batman character was or how he should properly act or be portrayed...ANY MOOD Batman was addictive to me. Also, I was never naive enough as a child to think the Batman TV Series was anything but pure camp/fun at the time...it amazes me how many adults look back on that series and say when they were a kid they thought it was serious and didn't see beyond that, say what??
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2019 18:50:53 GMT -5
Also, I was never naive enough as a child to think the Batman TV Series was anything but pure camp/fun at the time...it amazes me how many adults look back on that series and say when they were a kid they thought it was serious and didn't see beyond that, say what?? As a kid watching that program ... it was pure camp/fun and in my mind it was a fantasy and a comic book came to life because the program is the best there is. I'm surprise to read your post that this program was serious to some kids that believes in that alone. This is the first time that I've ever read this and it's kind of surprised me and my dealings with Adam (met him 5 times) West ... he'll be shocked to read this. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2019 22:46:54 GMT -5
Also, I was never naive enough as a child to think the Batman TV Series was anything but pure camp/fun at the time...it amazes me how many adults look back on that series and say when they were a kid they thought it was serious and didn't see beyond that, say what?? As a kid watching that program ... it was pure camp/fun and in my mind it was a fantasy and a comic book came to life because the program is the best there is. I'm surprise to read your post that this program was serious to some kids that believes in that alone. This is the first time that I've ever read this and it's kind of surprised me and my dealings with Adam (met him 5 times) West ... he'll be shocked to read this. Actually, look at the commentary/panel interviews for the Batman TV Series DVD/Blu-Ray...collector's and comic artists say at the time they took it VERY seriously. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2019 23:49:48 GMT -5
I could never understand why my dad laughed so much when we watched Batman '66 reruns.
I do now.
|
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Nov 11, 2019 13:25:21 GMT -5
So in the 70's Batman was fairly neutral with both serious and goofy content and I enjoyed them all at the time and was never confused who the Batman character was or how he should properly act or be portrayed...ANY MOOD Batman was addictive to me. I was never confused about adaptations, either; back in the 70s, I knew productions such as The Super Friends and Filmation's second Batman cartoon (1977) were aimed at young children, and not to be merged with, or considered a spin-off from the comics, no more than the Batman toys of the era were. Because the series was deliberately structured to appeal to two audiences: children and adults. To kids, the action/adventure, with the imagery and Nelson Riddle's often dramatic scores sold it as serious business to the younger set. For adults, some might have looked on in fascination at a then-modern version of movie serials, but they also understood the occasional tongue-in-cheek scenarios, cultural references, etc. The fact that the presence of so many adaptations available on 1970s TV (including the heavy syndication of Filmation's 1968-70 Batman cartoon) did not altere or otherwise "soil" the image of Batman in the comics of that time illustrates just how revolutionary / successful the true Golden Age of the character had been. At no time did DC turn any Bat-books into an "inspired by" joke mirroring the Super Friends, or anything else set before a camera. |
|
|
|
Post by tarkintino on Nov 12, 2019 1:32:26 GMT -5
heard how great that period was? For me I became aware of the early Batman stories thru those big oversized treasury editions. [/quote] DC made a wise move in creating the Famous First Edition (and general tabloid-sized) line in the 70s; by reprinting the earliest Batman stories, young readers knew their monthlies were the natural inheritor of the stories that started it all. There was a sense of respected heritage that lived on, instead of it all just being "some old reprints of the character's past." |
|
I bought at least a couple of those volumes at one time, I think...maybe the Joker one and the Penguin one??? Anyway, they were really my first introduction to Golden Age superhero comics (I'd encountered Golden Age sci-fi comics before through the Atlas era stories that got reprinted as back-up strips in Star Wars Weekly), and it was my first inkling that, yeah...Golden Age superhero stories just ain't for me. I like '40s and '50s sci-fi, detective, and monster comics and newspaper strips fine, but superheros from that era? Yuck! They're basically unreadable to me.
