Batman Turns 75 Years Old! Part 3

Last issue I showed you several videos released in 2014 celebrating Batman’s 75^th Birthday, this time I’ll show you a bit about my personal connection to Batman’s history. What had initially made me a fan of the Caped Crusader was the Batman TV series. As a child I was crazy about that show, even the theme song was exciting! Colorful villains, wall climbing, the Batmobile, that show had it all!  It was exciting but even as a child I knew it was cheesy as well. Bat Shark Repellent indeed! I’m not the only one fond of this series; DC Comics has a comic book series based on it, Batman ’66! It is available on line first in digital format and they do a good job keeping with the spirit and look of the TV series.

I’m sure I read a few comic books in those days but the first actual Batman comic book I can completely recall reading was, I had to look it up, Batman #226, published in 1970. The villain was the Ten-Eyed Man, making his first appearance, who would prove to be very unimportant. The less said of him the better.  

Certainly I acquired other Batman comics over the years including reprints.  I loved how Batman could team up with even the most unlikely of guest-stars in one of my favorite titles, The Brave and The Bold. Here are just a few of my favorite The Brave and The Bold team-ups.

The Flying Nun versus Batman! I just love the go-go checks!

Is it game over for Batman and The Doom Patrol?

Batman is leading The Creature Commandos into a trap!

Batman and Rorschach! Who watches the Watchmen? I do!

Superman Saves Obama But…

President Barack Obama has more than his share of troubles; before he was even sworn in, he was being accused of being a Kenyan, a Muslim, a Communist, the list goes on and on. And when he finally did take the oath of office the economy was in free fall with the stock market crashing and leaving everyone to compare that economy to that of The Great Depression. And then the various tea parties arose, whose sole purpose seemed to be to oppose anything Obama was in favor of. I’m not going to cover everything that has happened since Obama took office, but he managed to get reelected in 2012 and this year seems to be crisis after crisis. Now as we approach his last two years in office I’m sure he’s concerned about his legacy.

But one thing is clear, while history will be the judge of his presidency, Obama’s legacy is strong in the world of comic books; he has appeared in more comics than Ronald Reagan, who was the previous modern president to appear most in comics, even having his own title, Reagans Rangers!

One of the strangest homages, (even stranger than Super LBJ!) in my opinion, is a particular character first seen in 2008 in Final Crisis #7, Calvin Ellis, President Superman of Earth 23, an obvious homage to Obama. This was in 2008 when optimism for Obama was at its highest point. At the end of that issue he appeared as a member of an army of alternate universe Supermen.

He reappears in Action Comics #9, published in 2012, where he has to fight a twisted version of Superman from another reality. The story seems to be a commentary on the comic book industry, the other worldly Superman is being used to sell products, sound familiar?

Plus there is much there about the rights of comic book creators, and how they can lose those rights, like Superman’s creators Siegel and Shuster did, for instance. And, finally the “controversy” about Obama’s birthplace is addressed. Great Rao!