B is for Batman

When I was growing up and we played heroes, Batman was the sort of hero that you could pretend you were.  The money for the gadgets never figured into the equation, but unlike SO many others, he really has no powers.

My collecting history with him runs hot and cold.  He was always in the Justice League of America, which I would pick up, as well as a few other titles.  He is the character who appears in the second most comics I own....over 1100 appearances in my collection.

There is a story as to why I picked this cover to represent Batman.

I grew up in Rutland, which at the time was the second largest city in the state. However, we did not have a comic book store. The largest city, Burlington, did and that was where my grandparents lived.

My friends, Dave and Chris, and I had heard that this comic was coming. However, it was going to be made available only to comic book stores. I do not exactly remember how it all came about, but we arranged to have my grandfather pick up three copies of this issue (plus the following ones).

Burlington's store, Earth Prime Comics, was interesting back in the day. Not really the "stereotypical" comic book store, but slightly off the beaten path and filled with comic books and toys. The owners and employees were so very nice but still, it was not the place one would expect to find a 63 year old former Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force.

To this day, the image of my grandfather getting in his green Volkswagen Rabbit and driving down to the store's old location, going in and buying this issue makes me smile.