The Golden Age of Comic Books

I had a lot of fun talking about the great Carl Barks on the Earth Station One Podcast. Check it out!

It’s fair to say that everyone has their own “personal Golden Age”; That time when they first got hooked on comics. My personal Golden Age started in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. I read all manner of comic books during this time, but Batman was my favorite. I think my love of this character began several years earlier when I, along with the rest of the kids my age, got hooked on Adam West’s campy Batman in the great 1966 TV series. I had read funny animals, Archie, Richie Rich, Sad Sack and similar comics prior to this, but the Batman TV series got me interested in Batman comics. Although I read some of the Batman books during this time, I didn’t seek out every new issue and back issues. Later, it was the Neal Adams covers on the title (and on Detective Comics) that pulled me into a lifelong hobby of collecting Batman comics. Adams created some great covers (and story art) during the late 1960’s into the 1970’s on Detective Comics, Batman, World’s Finest Comics and the Brave and the Bold.

There was one cover that I remember buying on the newsstand that got me hooked for good. What’s that cover? The classic homage to Detective Comics #31 on the cover of Batman #227 (December 1970). My original owner copy from my collection is shown here. I’ve had it all of these years and it’s still my favorite Adams cover from this era. So, while I’m a big fan of the Golden Age of Comic Books, it was this seminal Bronze Age cover that got me started as a serious collector.

Batman #227 (Dec. 1970). Neal Adams homage to Detective Comics #31.