Detective Comics 308
Dec. 4th, 2019 09:25 pmI went to my usual comic book shop in Cincinnati after work today to pick up my usual stash. I was tired from work and my ankle is sore (arthritis - it's hell getting old), so I didn't do the usual long-winded chit-chat with the owner. While I was heading to the counter to check out, I decided to look for a certain comic book from my past. And I found it.

Given the age of the comic, October 1962, I didn't expect to find it. I have a copy of this already, filed away in a long box in my home office, but I've always wanted more of a reading copy.
Way back when, when I was probably ten or so, my dad took me to look for comic books at Ridener's, an old 1950's roadside motel that had a weekend flea market in front of it. Dad would do this for me on occasion, but it was a place he often drove past for work so it wasn't out of the way.
One day, I found this from a vendor in a small box of comics. I was impressed by its age, which was about 20 years at the time. I forgot how much Dad paid for it, but I'm sure it was a lot for a back issue comic for the time, and by that I mean $3 to $5. It is likely the oldest comic book in my collection.
The story involves Batman and Robin fighting a criminal who can transform his body into a natural element by dousing or surrounding himself in it. For example, he becomes a "water man," looking like a man made of water bubbles, by being hit with a water spray. To defeat him, Batman gains the same powers and they duel it out. The artwork was impressive for the time frame and I am loving reminiscing when I read it.


Given the age of the comic, October 1962, I didn't expect to find it. I have a copy of this already, filed away in a long box in my home office, but I've always wanted more of a reading copy.
Way back when, when I was probably ten or so, my dad took me to look for comic books at Ridener's, an old 1950's roadside motel that had a weekend flea market in front of it. Dad would do this for me on occasion, but it was a place he often drove past for work so it wasn't out of the way.
One day, I found this from a vendor in a small box of comics. I was impressed by its age, which was about 20 years at the time. I forgot how much Dad paid for it, but I'm sure it was a lot for a back issue comic for the time, and by that I mean $3 to $5. It is likely the oldest comic book in my collection.
The story involves Batman and Robin fighting a criminal who can transform his body into a natural element by dousing or surrounding himself in it. For example, he becomes a "water man," looking like a man made of water bubbles, by being hit with a water spray. To defeat him, Batman gains the same powers and they duel it out. The artwork was impressive for the time frame and I am loving reminiscing when I read it.
