Earth-2, The Fifties, And A Domesticated Batman
Although he’s been dead since 1979, the Earth-2 Batman still holds a bit of fascination for me. Troy Brownfield’s informative article uses the Earth-2 Superman's recent Batcave visit as an opportunity to examine his life. I had already seen this well-researched chronology, which treats the Batman adventures of the Golden Age as if they happened in real time. With the current age having institutionalized the once-radical reforms of Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Frank Miller, it's hard to believe that Batman's caretakers worked so diligently to distance him from the silly, ephemeral stories of the 1950s. I continue to wonder whether that era, as seen through the veil of Earth-2, couldn't provide new insights.
Looking back from today’s perspective, the fictional history of Batman draws primarily from 1939 and the early 1940s before jumping to 1964's "New Look" and the stories which followed. It effectively discards the character’s more fantasy- and sci-fi-driven adventures from the late ‘40s and into the ‘50s. However, as with other Golden Age tales, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that they "happened" on Earth-2. Furthermore, because the Earth-2 Batman never received the makeovers that his counterpart did, his chronology suggests he was at least semi-retired by the end of the SF/F phase in 1964.
Still, even if he did end up pestered by Bat-Mite, the Earth-2 Batman was the original scary-cool character who eventually inspired O'Neil, et al. It's a shame that the progression from one style to another over the course of twenty-five years has never really been told. How indeed would a "weird figure of the dark" turn into Adam West? Conventional wisdom seems to hold that he simply lost his edge over the decades, eventually settling down with Selina Kyle and raising a daughter who grew up to be a lawyer. To today's readers, that may even sound like a betrayal of the obsessive drive which fuels the Batman's crusade -- but I doubt it would have been that simple.
The Brave and the Bold #197 (April 1983), "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne," describes the turning point in the Earth-2 Batman's career. An encounter with the Scarecrow reveals that Batman's greatest fear is being abandoned by the people he loves. When Catwoman begins to fade away as well, Batman realizes his true feelings for her. Their love for each other overcomes the fear gas, and after defeating the villain, they begin a new life together.
This goes back to the oft-repeated point that until relatively recently, the "loner" Batman had perpetually surrounded himself with associates, whether they be proteges or members of the Justice League or Outsiders. These relationships were prefigured in the Golden Age. Besides adventuring with Robin, Superman, and a handful of others, the Earth-2 Batman belonged to the Justice Society, the wartime All-Star Squadron, and the international Club of Heroes. The difference appears to be that the Earth-2 Batman embraced his various relationships, whereas the current Batman is still at least outwardly suspicious of most of his colleagues.
The role of Dick Grayson may be important here. On Earth-2 Dick was a lawyer and a United States ambassador. Keeping the Robin identity until his death in 1985, he joined the Justice Society and mentored his "niece," the Huntress. Seeing Dick succeed was clearly a source of pride for Bruce. By contrast, Earth-1 Dick dropped out of college and created his own heroic persona, leaving the Robin identity behind for others to fill. Although today’s Dick and Bruce have been reconciled for a while, post-Crisis history piled more angst into their breakup.
This is not to say that the current Dick Grayson has wasted his life, or that the current Bruce Wayne shouldn't be proud of him. However, it may be that in the context of '50s and early '60s society, the Earth-2 Bruce had more concrete examples of Dick's success than the Bruce and Dick of recent decades. Put another way, today's Bruce may be proud of Dick, but he may not be entirely confident enough either in Dick's skills or (more likely) the current state of the world to ease back on his crusade.
Going along with that thread, Earth-2 was arguably more quiet in the '50s and '60s. Although the Justice Society had retired and Superman, Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman were pretty much the only superheroes operating openly, it seems like many of the villains had also gone underground. Someone with more Earth-2 knowledge than I will have to confirm or dispute this, but such a situation may also have contributed to Bruce's decision to retire.
Still, what about those goofy SF/F adventures? Well, at their heart they still star characters who are recognizable as Batman and Robin -- tough fighters with no super-powers beyond finely trained minds and bodies. That description could also have applied to Green Arrow and Speedy, Captain America and Bucky, or any number of other hero/sidekick pairs from the heyday of the Golden Age, but by and large they weren't around anymore. In a more crowded marketplace, like the one the Silver Age produced, Batman and Robin might have had to distinguish themselves a little more.
The Earth-2 Batman's history offers DC a chance to explore the life of one of its biggest characters from beginning to end, while simultaneously taking a fresh look at the character's most maligned period. The trick to reclaiming the '50s Batman adventures is not necessarily to treat them ironically, or even to view them in isolation. Instead, DC should attempt to integrate them with the biography of a Batman who learned at last to be content.
Looking back from today’s perspective, the fictional history of Batman draws primarily from 1939 and the early 1940s before jumping to 1964's "New Look" and the stories which followed. It effectively discards the character’s more fantasy- and sci-fi-driven adventures from the late ‘40s and into the ‘50s. However, as with other Golden Age tales, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that they "happened" on Earth-2. Furthermore, because the Earth-2 Batman never received the makeovers that his counterpart did, his chronology suggests he was at least semi-retired by the end of the SF/F phase in 1964.
Still, even if he did end up pestered by Bat-Mite, the Earth-2 Batman was the original scary-cool character who eventually inspired O'Neil, et al. It's a shame that the progression from one style to another over the course of twenty-five years has never really been told. How indeed would a "weird figure of the dark" turn into Adam West? Conventional wisdom seems to hold that he simply lost his edge over the decades, eventually settling down with Selina Kyle and raising a daughter who grew up to be a lawyer. To today's readers, that may even sound like a betrayal of the obsessive drive which fuels the Batman's crusade -- but I doubt it would have been that simple.
The Brave and the Bold #197 (April 1983), "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne," describes the turning point in the Earth-2 Batman's career. An encounter with the Scarecrow reveals that Batman's greatest fear is being abandoned by the people he loves. When Catwoman begins to fade away as well, Batman realizes his true feelings for her. Their love for each other overcomes the fear gas, and after defeating the villain, they begin a new life together.
This goes back to the oft-repeated point that until relatively recently, the "loner" Batman had perpetually surrounded himself with associates, whether they be proteges or members of the Justice League or Outsiders. These relationships were prefigured in the Golden Age. Besides adventuring with Robin, Superman, and a handful of others, the Earth-2 Batman belonged to the Justice Society, the wartime All-Star Squadron, and the international Club of Heroes. The difference appears to be that the Earth-2 Batman embraced his various relationships, whereas the current Batman is still at least outwardly suspicious of most of his colleagues.
The role of Dick Grayson may be important here. On Earth-2 Dick was a lawyer and a United States ambassador. Keeping the Robin identity until his death in 1985, he joined the Justice Society and mentored his "niece," the Huntress. Seeing Dick succeed was clearly a source of pride for Bruce. By contrast, Earth-1 Dick dropped out of college and created his own heroic persona, leaving the Robin identity behind for others to fill. Although today’s Dick and Bruce have been reconciled for a while, post-Crisis history piled more angst into their breakup.
This is not to say that the current Dick Grayson has wasted his life, or that the current Bruce Wayne shouldn't be proud of him. However, it may be that in the context of '50s and early '60s society, the Earth-2 Bruce had more concrete examples of Dick's success than the Bruce and Dick of recent decades. Put another way, today's Bruce may be proud of Dick, but he may not be entirely confident enough either in Dick's skills or (more likely) the current state of the world to ease back on his crusade.
Going along with that thread, Earth-2 was arguably more quiet in the '50s and '60s. Although the Justice Society had retired and Superman, Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman were pretty much the only superheroes operating openly, it seems like many of the villains had also gone underground. Someone with more Earth-2 knowledge than I will have to confirm or dispute this, but such a situation may also have contributed to Bruce's decision to retire.
Still, what about those goofy SF/F adventures? Well, at their heart they still star characters who are recognizable as Batman and Robin -- tough fighters with no super-powers beyond finely trained minds and bodies. That description could also have applied to Green Arrow and Speedy, Captain America and Bucky, or any number of other hero/sidekick pairs from the heyday of the Golden Age, but by and large they weren't around anymore. In a more crowded marketplace, like the one the Silver Age produced, Batman and Robin might have had to distinguish themselves a little more.
The Earth-2 Batman's history offers DC a chance to explore the life of one of its biggest characters from beginning to end, while simultaneously taking a fresh look at the character's most maligned period. The trick to reclaiming the '50s Batman adventures is not necessarily to treat them ironically, or even to view them in isolation. Instead, DC should attempt to integrate them with the biography of a Batman who learned at last to be content.
posted by Tom Bondurant @ 8:47 PM
1 Comments:
I don't know if you've been reading Infinite Crisis, but the recently-returned Earth-2 Superman seems to think post-Crisis Dick turned out better than E-2 Dick, while thinking that the post-Crisis Earth is a much worse place than Earth-2. (See Infinite Crisis 3-4 for details.)
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