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When did Batman become more popular than Superman?
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130 posts in this topic

12 hours ago, VintageComics said:

Tim, I guess I'd be curious as to whether Batman was more popular among the adult crowd in 1966 as compared to 1989. Even though Batman was popular in 1966 (and I'm not disputing this) it seemed to be more focused on children whereas the 1989 Batman craze seemed more mainstream (I was 19 in 1989 and it was everywhere). 

What would interest me would also any info from OSPG  advisors who were either responsible for or involved in the discussion of changing the value of 'Tec #27 over Action #1 or Marvel #1. That was a big deal among collectors.

A good point, though I think Larryw7 had a decent response to this as well.  It goes back to my point about defining popularity.  Batman's popularity in 1966 was a lot different than his popularity in 1989.  The TV show made Batman the same level of household word that Superman was.  But is some ways, that wasn't necessarily a good thing.  Batman was seen as pure camp (even though he no longer was that way in the comics at that point), and by extension, the media portrayed ALL comic books as Bam!Pow! juvenalia.  And I think when the Chris Reeve Superman movie came out, the public awareness and popularity of the characters switched back again.  So in reality, you are right... Batman surpassed Superman in popularity with the 1989 movie... but for the 2nd time!  And this time his popularity was rooted in the modern-era Dark Knight version of Batman, and this time it stuck (though again... I'm referring to his status in English-speaking countries... not sure how it plays out globally).

As a film historian (with credentials, believe it or not) the Batman TV show's popularity actually seems to me a bit odd.  It shows the vast differences going on between TV and motion pictures at the time.  TV had just instituted its new regulations against too much violence (it's why TV westerns like The Rifleman were no longer permitted, The Wild Wild West chose to cancel itself while still popular, and Gunsmoke turned from its rather dark noirish roots into a rural soap opera).  Batman, campy or not, was an unabashed good-guy who punched his villains, but didn't blow them away.  And they all would get their day in court.  Meanwhile movies were moving into anti-heroes by the dozens (it did so post-WW2 as well, but now the violence was far more graphic, and the heroes more self-serving).  Comic books were still following the TV patterns of storytelling, well into the '70s.  The Dark Knight Returns actually took up the motion picture style of the late '60s... only 20 years later!  (Had a Dark Knight type movie been made in the late '60s or early '70s, one can imagine it might have starred Lee Marvin in the title role).

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On 6/27/2019 at 5:02 PM, kav said:

Superman hit his high in the Swanderson books IMO.  Clever, interesting stories and top notch art.

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Ok, Kav. Give me your top Superman story. If I can find an inexpensive reader, I'll give it a look-see.

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12 hours ago, Larryw7 said:

and color.

That was a big factor. I remember the color just popping off the screen when I watched those Batman Adam West reruns. Same thing with Gilligan's Island and Star Trek reruns. The color of those shows were off the charts and got me as a kid hooked on loving those shows.

Edited by ComicConnoisseur
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3 hours ago, Bookery said:

Gunsmoke turned from its rather dark noirish roots into a rural soap opera

So true about that as I have been discovering Gunsmoke these last few years here and there online, and those old earlier black and white Gunsmoke episodes blow the later color episodes away.

If people like Jonah Hex I recommend the black and white early seasons of Gunsmoke.

Here is a cool video were John Wayne passes the torch to James Arness.

 

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18 hours ago, Mercury Man said:

Agreed.   Social changes, values, tastes for sure.  Much like Baseball, which is seeing it's fan base creep up in age every year (the average age of the World Series watcher is now past 55 years old, and still trending upward....not good for MLB), Superman seems to be a bit of a dinosaur now.   I like his current title, but most of the back issues I find in the dollar box (and I see a lot) are not worth reading.  Not all, just most. 

Even the NBA and NFL average age of watchers is over 45 now. The key demographics is 18-34 that advertisers want.

18-34 are really into video games, and that`s were the real big money will be in the next few years as like you say tastes change.

Edited by ComicConnoisseur
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16 hours ago, VintageComics said:

Tim, I guess I'd be curious as to whether Batman was more popular among the adult crowd in 1966 as compared to 1989. Even though Batman was popular in 1966 (and I'm not disputing this) it seemed to be more focused on children whereas the 1989 Batman craze seemed more mainstream (I was 19 in 1989 and it was everywhere). 

What would interest me would also any info from OSPG  advisors who were either responsible for or involved in the discussion of changing the value of 'Tec #27 over Action #1 or Marvel #1. That was a big deal among collectors.

One of the biggest keys to having a successful ip is to get the young crowd to be involved with it.

Stuff like Beatles, Spider-Man, Pokemon,Batman 66, Harry Potter and just about any rock group got the young crowd interested in them.  All those young people will grow up and be nostaligic about them. This usually lasts about 80 time frame years unless their is a revamp(Batman, Spider-Man) and that`s why ips like the Shadow, Flash Gordon, Doc Savage, Richard Tracy are basically on thier last legs as ips because the 80 years are up for most of them and their fanbases died off .

Where Batman, Spider-Man and Superman succeeded was those Super-Man 78, Batman 89, Batman animated series and Spider-Man movies reset the clock by introducing new fans to the ips.

Edited by ComicConnoisseur
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3 hours ago, NoMan said:

Ok, Kav. Give me your top Superman story. If I can find an inexpensive reader, I'll give it a look-see.

give this one a read

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