Post by johnreiter902 on Jun 21, 2023 11:19:43 GMT
Ironically enough, it was Batman that turned out to be a regular forum for fantasy and science fiction elements during the same decade, at decided odds with its own origins as a gritty, grim two-fisted take on fighting street and gang crime in Gotham. Which doesn't seem to have done that character much good- many contemporary fans seemed not to particularly like that era in Bat-History and responded by turning off that stable of titles. If the sixties Batman television series hadn't gone (...) camping (...), it might have even been the case that Batman's comics could have faced cancellation. Superman's milieu and alien origins suited science fiction far more than Batmans did, and it could be argued that Superman's lore benefited from the introduction of Supergirl, Kandor, Argo City and an enhanced Kryptonian background during the late fifties and early sixties, as well as the advent of the Legion of Super-Heroes as Superboy's supporting characters, and the increasing elaboration of their thirtieth century civilisation and culture. Luthor and Brainiac took over as frontline villains, while more 'realistic' protagonists such as the Prankster and Toyman were relegated to the background and faded away. Perhaps due to my own long-term love for science fiction as a genre, I've always loved the "High" Silver Age Superman material from the sixties. I'm not sure Superman works as well as a mundane crimefighter- unless the criminals have access to green kryptonite, the ensuing combat is one-sided and usually in Kal-El's favour. It may explain why the Adventures of Superman has been relatively neglected as a DC media property compared to later series such as the sixties Batman, seventies Wonder Woman, contemporary Green Arrow, Supergirl and Flash series, the first Superman seventies movie, grimmer and grittier takes on Batman from the eighties onward, the excellent Justice League animated series in the Noughties, and so on.