The crime that created Superman: Did fatal robbery spawn Man of Steel?

It’s been a busy August.  My maternal grandmother has died, I’ve attended the first annual Tunnels & Trolls Convention, lectored at my grandmother’s memorial mass, attended her graveside service, flew out to the fourty-first GenCon, and am preparing now to run At-Con Program Operations for CopperCon 28 this upcoming weekend.  My bicycle broke down a few weeks ago, and they‘re still awaiting the part as of yesterday.  My house became a complete mess due to no time for cleaning, and I received a notice about the uncontrolled growth in my yard. 

So I find myself with some time to post here, for a change.  Yet, strangely I’m not in the mood.  Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I am woefully out of practice.  Thus I am forcing myself to post anyway.  Or perhaps I’m not ready to compose a memorial for my grandmother. 

I found a stack of Batman Adventures volume two comics which I had never read.  I had had a subscription to Batman:  Gotham Adventures which was canceled and replaced with this second run of Batman Adventures.  I didn’t like the drastic change in tone and theme, so I never read the rest of the series and let the subscription expire.  So I read the first seven issues this month.  It was well paced, well scripted, and brilliant in making drastic changes in character circumstances while maintaining continuity and characterization.  It’s amazing what five years of perspective will do.  Now I regret not having any of the subsequent issues.  The previous series was more a series of one shots, while this newer series had stand alone issues which wove into a single whole.  Each issue laid the groundwork for future issues, without a need to own any other issue than the one in your hands.  Yet the story made you want to own all of the other issues.  Issue one takes the step of introducing the main characters, letting readers see how each of the heroes and villains will be portrayed in this series.  A great place for new readers and old readers alike.  I understand that this first issue was also published with a Free Comic Book Day cover. 

“Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him, ‘Father!’” ~Lydia M. Child