Comic Book Super Heroes

Comic Book Super Heroes: I don’t think they got any better than these. Captain Marvel, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Yes, I read them all when I got the chance. Oh, there were literally hundreds of others, but poor kids had to be picky when I was young. I usually bought half price comic books at the magazine exchange in Wichita Falls when I had a dime to spare, then after reading them I swapped other kids for comic books I hadn’t read. We couldn’t afford to be collectors back then.

Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin. Like most of us, I discovered Batman & Robin as a kid. I was 7 years old, in fact, when we moved to Wichita Falls and I discovered comic books and the two biggest names in comics at that time, Batman & Superman. I liked both, but Batman & Robin was it for all of us, I think. We read Superman, but deep down we wanted to be Batman or Robin. And they did have the better costumes.  I remained a fan until about 1980, when I gave up all the comic books. But I still hold Batman & Robin in a special place in my heart.

Tom's Infamous Wall of Heroes

Tom’s Infamous Wall of Heroes

For a change of pace, I thought I would share a couple of pictures with the Group. Above is my infamous wall of heroes. My first two heroes were Batman and Superman, comic book super heroes I discovered in 1947, at age seven. I guess I read comic books for 33 years, giving them up in 1980. I had discovered new heroes, not men wearing tights (LOL). In 1963 & ’64, I discovered Doc Savage and The Shadow, along with REH and ERB, while I was stationed in France with the US Army. From that time onward, my interest in comic books began diminishing, and a love for exciting pulp tales was escalating. On the wall below Superman and Batman you will see Doc Savage, The Shadow, and The Phantom Detective, three of my all-time favorite heroes from the pulp magazines – but certainly not the only ones. The picture below is my den; wall-to-wall pulps, paperbacks, and digest magazines surround the pool table.

The Boy Who Loved Batman

The Boy Who Loved Batman (A Memoir)

By Michael E. Uslin

Chronicle Books LLC

ISBN #978-0811875509

Price $19.70 (Hardback)

256 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Memories Of A Comic Book Fan”

The author discovered comic books when he was five years old, then fell in love with the character of Batman. This book chronicles his dreams from childhood, through education, and finally to Hollywood where he would be involved in bringing a darker Batman to film with such titles as “Batman Begins”. We see his struggles, triumphs, loves, and discouragements along the way.

I found Michael Uslin’s life an interesting one, and agree with his philosophy to dream your dreams, then get off your butt and pursue them. I find this true. Many people have plenty of dreams, but sit on their butts waiting for opportunity to come knocking on their door, and then blame everyone else when they don’t achieve their dreams. Like the author I discovered comic books at an early age (age 7 for me), and loved Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman until I found Captain Marvel and The Marvel Family. But I was never a fanatic, and only picked up comic books occasionally. In the third grade my teacher caught me with a comic book in school and brought me a book, suggesting I read real literature. The book was “Dr. Hudson’s Secret Journal” by Lloyd C. Douglas, and I became a reader of novels from that point onward. However, I could feel Michael Uslin’s love for comic books, and especially Batman, and if his memoirs don’t do anything else, I hope they persuade readers to pursue their dreams as steadfast as he, and don’t blame the world if you fail.

Tom Johnson

Echoes Magazine