How It All Began

My love for super heroes began when I was two-years-old. Some of my earliest memories are of watching the Batman TV series when it was new. The theme song was easy to learn. Since then people have always given me Batman toys and collectibles.

It was my love for Batman that drew me to comics. I couldn't get enough of the character. In time I was reading Justice League of America because Batman was in it. This sparked my interest in the DC Universe in general.

By the 70s I was reading the annual crossovers between the Justice League of Earth One and the Justice Society of Earth Two. I learned that there was an alternate universe with another Batman--albeit retired. He briefly came out of retirement in Justice League of America # 136-138 to help save the worlds.

I had now become fascinated with this "Golden Age" Batman and the JSA. By the early 80s I was reading Roy Thomas' All-Star Squadron in which the Golden Age Batman would drop in occasionally.

One thing I loved about All-Star Squadron is that it was set in the World War II era. I grew up watching old movies and so I acquired a taste for 1940s fiction. There is nothing cozier than watching It's a Wonderful Life or an old Andy Hardy movie. I also like the 40s super hero adventure serials, for the nostalgic effect. So the JSA combined two of my interests--a connection to both Batman and the 1940s.

But then came the Crisis on Infinite Earths. The elimination of the multiverse disconnected Batman from the JSA. In the post-crisis world there was no longer a Golden Age (Earth Two) Batman. It was a grave disappointment for me that there would no longer be Batman stories set in the 40s. No longer would Batman ever have been a member of the JSA. Through the years a few Elseworlds stories have been real highlights for me, allowing me to get my 1940s Batman fix.

My hope is that there will be a place for a Golden Age Batman in the new DC multiverse. I'd love to see a world that looks very much like the pre-crisis Earth-Two, with a JSA that includes Batman and Superman. I was excited to see a retro story about them from the Earth-Two Lois Lane's diary in JSA # 82. I clung to every word of this tale, along with Power Girl, lone survivor of the former multiverse. For we now know that this Golden Age Batman did exist in some reality. I was even excited to see his ghost in JSA # 85. When you're desparate, you'll take what you can get.

Comments

[Mark Engblom]

Ahhh....now THIS is a blog I'm looking forward to following! Keep that sweet nostalgia flowing, Doc!

Speaking of that JLA-JSA team-up, that was the first comic book adventure I'd read featuring the two teams together. I became aware of the JSA on the back cover of an old JLA treasury edition, but this story arc was the first time I'd seen them in action. I loved the challenge of figuring out who was who and from where.

Anyway, keep up the great work!

[Dr. Retro]

Mark,

This story arc was likewise the first time I had seen the JSA in action. I've been hooked ever since.

Thanks for commenting and for adding me to your blog links. It's good to know someone is reading this. And BTW, I'm not a real doctor. I just have enough stuff in my head for an honorary doctorate in trivia. :)