Let's go living in the past

[Doctor Bifrost]

Everyone grew up with a particular version of their favorite character. Whether it be from the comics, a cartoon, or TV show. We all see that version as the "real" version.

In my case, my earliest versions are not always my favorite versions. My favorite Wonder Woman is George Perez's, but I was reading Wonder Woman long before that. And I much prefer Alan Moore's post-The Anatomy Lesson Swamp Thing (technically not a new character, but certainly a different version) to what came before, even though I read Swamp Thing from its introduction.

I'll admit to a nostalgic feeling of warm familiarity for the earliest versions I saw, or in general things I read when I was quite young. (For example, I see Wonder Tot and Mister Genie, and I smile.) But that doesn't always make them my favorite versions.

[Old Man Ollie 1962]

Batman was always a dark, brooding, analytical, emotionally guarded individual with an inexorable, relentless, never say die approach to solving crimes and taking down criminals. Nobody has ever deviated from the inherent personality traits that facilitated his tenacity as a crime fighter. Variations on that theme, degrees of intensity, yes indeed. However, the core of the Dark Knight remained indelible. (Adam West, though, was the appropriate television Batman for its time.)

[t hedge coke]

In my case, my earliest versions are not always my favorite versions. My favorite Wonder Woman is George Perez's, but I was reading Wonder Woman long before that. And I much prefer Alan Moore's post-The Anatomy Lesson Swamp Thing (technically not a new character, but certainly a different version) to what came before, even though I read Swamp Thing from its introduction.

I'll admit to a nostalgic feeling of warm familiarity for the earliest versions I saw, or in general things I read when I was quite young. (For example, I see Wonder Tot and Mister Genie, and I smile.) But that doesn't always make them my favorite versions.

I think it's a thing that can happen, and often does, but it's in no way necessarily so that the first version you encounter is going to be the definitive or your favorite (if those can be two different things, which I think they can be).

Just thinking of Wonder Woman, I know I've been familiar with Steve Trevor most of my life, but until Convergence, I've never taken to the character. Convergence's Steve Trevor was smart, caring, sexy, tactically-sound, and he had a heroic sacrifice play and I was sold.

I read some of Moore's Swampy first, but my allegiance is to Nancy Collins' run and characterization. Same with Abby.

There are a lot of people who seem super locked to versions of characters from BtAS, though, and I feel a bit left out even though I'm sure I watched most of it at the time. It was just another cartoon for me, it's Ivy or Ra's al Ghul, it's Batman and Alfred just don't seem remotely definitive or remarkable to me, but for those it reached and hooked, they are the definitive and probably the best. Whereas, I came to Batman, first, with Year One, and while I may be persuaded Miller's Batman is the best, I don't he's the definitive Batman, at all, but a particularly idiosyncratic take.

[Danileriver23]

alright, i'm stumped...wth does COIE mean?

[Lee Stone]

alright, i'm stumped...wth does COIE mean?

COIE
Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC's first major crossover from 1985-86 that rebooted the DC Universe.
It was written and drawn by DC's top talent at the time, Marv Wolfman and George Perez, the same creators that revitalized the Teen Titans five years earlier.
COIE also won Best Mini-Series for the Kirby Awards' first two years. (The Kirby's eventually split into the Harvey's and the Eisner's.)

Near the end of COIE, DC pulled John Byrne and Frank Miller from Marvel and they, along with George Perez, would rework Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman for the modern age.

[Old Man Ollie 1962]

COIE
Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC's first major crossover from 1985-86 that rebooted the DC Universe.
It was written and drawn by DC's top talent at the time, Marv Wolfman and George Perez, the same creators that revitalized the Teen Titans five years earlier.
COIE also won Best Mini-Series for the Kirby Awards' first two years. (The Kirby's eventually split into the Harvey's and the Eisner's.)

Damn book still gives me a headache when I read it too. Heh.

[Lee Stone]

Damn book still gives me a headache when I read it too. Heh.

Yeah, it's pretty near Odyssey or Iliad levels with the number of characters and complexity.
Pretty ambitious storytelling for its time.

[Danileriver23]

Ah yes. The infamous housecleaning crises of DC. I've never read any of them, but I've always wanted to...But comicbook fans tend to not have a very good opinion of it (even people who like it surprisingly...)

[Jim Kelly]

On my latest blog I talk about the early run of ACTION COMICS, but I start by talking about FAMOUS FIRST EDITION C-26. I still remember the thrill of getting that in the mail. And when I leaf through it for my blog, I'm immediately tripping out. When I first read this comic, 40 odd years ago, I was totally travelling through time and living in 1938. I was never alive then, my parents hadn't met or gone to war--yet somehow that Famous first took me to a time I could never actually exist in. Now explain that science. It's a miracle.

If nostalgia is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

[colonyofcells]

I sold most of my treasury books to have more money for new stuff. I kept a few treasury books that had new stories. Most of the treasury books had reprints.

[Trey Strain]

I think the main thing to blame for it is that the comics companies aren't giving people anything in the present that they want to talk about.

[Desh]

Ah yes. The infamous housecleaning crises of DC. I've never read any of them, but I've always wanted to...But comicbook fans tend to not have a very good opinion of it (even people who like it surprisingly...)

Crisis on Infinite Earths has a lot of really creative ideas, is epic in scope, and is beautiful to look at, but last time I read it, I didn't enjoy it that much. I'm planning to read it again very soon and am hoping I get more out of it this time around. I tend not to like DC's line wide crossover events, and usually ignore them.

[The Darknight Detective]

On my latest blog I talk about the early run of ACTION COMICS, but I start by talking about FAMOUS FIRST EDITION C-26. I still remember the thrill of getting that in the mail. And when I leaf through it for my blog, I'm immediately tripping out. When I first read this comic, 40 odd years ago, I was totally travelling through time and living in 1938. I was never alive then, my parents hadn't met or gone to war--yet somehow that Famous first took me to a time I could never actually exist in. Now explain that science. It's a miracle.

If nostalgia is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

I didn't get it until 1978, but I share your feelings about it. While it wasn't the first Limited Collector's Edition comic I ever bought (that would be Superman vs. Spider-Man back in '76), it was the first Famous First Edition I ever had. It was very weird reading something that was made 4 years before my parents were born. Yes, there are a lot of books I can say the same thing about, but they never had the time machine appeal that the reprint of Action Comics #1 had. Still own it and all of the others that followed it, too!

[Pharozonk]

Looks like I'm a few days late for this thread.

[Pharozonk]

I don't buy into the notion that being beholden to past portrayals is inherently a bad thing. On one hand, one could argue that wanting characters to remain static stifles character growth and gives into stagnation for a series. On the other hand, logical development of a characters (and the universe by extension) is important to fans as it gives them something to invest in not only for the current story they're reading, but any that follow it in the future. When most people complain about the Nu52 "not being their DCU", it's not because it's something radically different than what came before, but that's something different that goes out of its way to break from decade established conventions of the characters it reimagines (or deimagines in most cases).