Batman: The Silver Age Omnibus 1

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Too many new directions—especially [the sword-and-sorcery trend begun by the character] Conan and monsters [in the wake of the Comics Code allowing vampires, werewolves and the like]—were on firm ground by this time. I think it’s fair to say that DC has done a tremendous job reprinting Batman’s Golden Age adventures and a serviceable job on the Bronze Age. My first contact with this era was in Batman: From the 30s to the 70s, when I was about ten years old, and I loved it.

Aquaman, Aquaman and the Others, Batgirl, Batman, Batman and Robin, Batman/Superman, Batwing, Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Booster Gold, Catwoman, Constantine the Hellblazer, Detective Comics, Earth 2, The Flash, Grayson, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Harley Quinn, Infinity Man and the Forever People, Justice League, Justice League Dark, Justice League United, New Suicide Squad, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Red Lanterns, Sinestro, Star-Spangled War Stories Featuring G. Gone were the camp trappings of comics’ Silver Age and the television show, as these comics creators produced gothic, atmospheric masterpieces that rehabilitated the character. Damian’s heroic death was one of the key moments in Morrison’s seven-year run on various Batman titles, but the character was eventually resurrected. Lindengren also borrows many elements from Silver Age comics in United States of Banana, a comic book he created with Puerto Rican author Giannina Braschi. Love that they now include all the covers on the back, wouldn't make me go and update all my volumes of older DC omnis but I hope this is a format they continue with as they update older volumes.But pretty soon, the Adam West TV show came along, and while it borrowed the 'New Look', the stories themselves were based on the campy tone of the 50's and early 60's stories, without the sci-fi craziness of course. Only the characters' names remained the same; their costumes, locales, and identities were altered, and imaginative scientific explanations for their superpowers generally took the place of magic as a modus operandi in their stories. However, the TV show did cause Alfred to be brought back to life and Barbara Gordon to be introduced as the new Batgirl.

In 2013, DC began collecting the earliest stories of some its most enduring series and characters in matching trade dress volumes, titled Golden Age Omnibus, Silver Age Omnibus and Bronze Age Omnibus, replacing the earlier lines Showcase Presents, DC Archive Editions and DC Chronicles. This new series seems to pick up right at the height of the bad, so I’m out until it gets to 1964 and if it doesn’t make it there because people don’t support the series so be it. He exaggerated the James Bond-style spy stories, introducing the vortex beam (which lifts objects), the aphonic bomb (which explodes silently), a miniature electronic absorber (which protected Fury from electricity), and the Q-ray machine (a molecular disintegrator)—all in his first 11-page story. The spoiled but gifted Damian assumed the mantle of Robin and acted as an antiheroic foil to both Batman and the previous Robins.

The publishers Gilberton, Dell Comics, and Gold Key Comics used their reputations as publishers of wholesome comic books to avoid becoming signatories to the Comics Code and found various ways to continue publishing horror-themed comics [27] in addition to other types. Harvey Comics' Harvey Thriller imprint released Double-Dare Adventures, starring new characters such as Bee-Man and Magicmaster. Then Barry was Dead and Wally was Flash, Hal grew the white temples, Superman was rebooted with Man of Steel. With dynamic artwork by Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and others complementing Lee's colorful, catchy prose, the new style became popular among college students who could identify with the angst and the irreverent nature of the characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Hulk during a time period of social upheaval and the rise of the counterculture of the 1960s.

By my count, there are almost exactly the issues needed to make three more silver age volumes before we get to the “new look Batman,” which started in mid 1964. Although its characters have inspired a number of nostalgic films and ranges of merchandise, Harvey comics of the period are not nearly as sought after in the collectors' market in contrast to DC and Marvel titles. That's a very narrow view of "Golden Age" Batman that really only resembled maybe his first year of comic book stories in Detective Comics, and even then he didn't normally use a gun to kill living, normal human beings.These Batman stories reflect an important period in history, following two world wars, the realization of nuclear power (good and bad) and the beginning steps towards Space travel.