Where I work, there are a number of genre (including comics) fans. There are enough of us to make the others wonder what it is like to look forward to the weekly trip to the comics store and SciFi Fridays.

So, when the final seasons of two of my all-time favorite shows, "Justice League Unlimited" and "Batman Beyond," were recently released on DVD, people wondered why I was happy ... and sad.

This event made me happy because I now have all of the Bruce Timm animation of DC Comics characters ever shown on TV in my DVD collection. But it also means the end of an important era of creativity and some of the best storytelling Ive ever seen. No more JLU and BB are expected to be made anytime soon.

"So what?" I was asked. In describing why this was important to me, I had to explain just why Batman has been so iconic in my life. Luckily, the people I work with were interested enough to let me elaborate.

The very first thing I ever remember reading was a Batman comic. I found it in the cellar in our home. It was one of those 25-cent annuals that had 100 pages in it.

I opened it up and saw that Batman, who had my first name as his last name, was in England. He needed to keep an eye on a castle, so he built a wooden frame glider he could wear on his back. I saw him soar through the sky around the castle. My eyes opened wide, my mouth dropped open, and I said the one and only word that could describe this fantastic event -- Wow! And I was hooked.

Frank Miller, now best known for the "Sin City" and "300" movies and also a creative force in Batmans history, had a similar experience. He once described finding a Batman comic at a local drug store, opening it up and beginning to read it. Then I fell in, he said. Yeah, I can relate to that.

When Bob Kane created Batman, he was a gun-carrying avenger. By the late 50s and 60s, Batman had evolved into a adventurer, but he was also a detective. He was observant, he was intelligent, he was thoughtful. Since he had no powers, he had to rely on his wits and planning ahead. He was brought in on the most difficult cases and solved them. When he knew hed face someone obviously more powerful than he was, hed plan and figure out a way to win.

All of those qualities I admired.

My next significant interaction with the Caped Crusader was the ABC television show. Adam West played Batman and Burt Ward portrayed Robin. You remember -- Bruce Waynes first name was Millionaire and Wayne Manor was called Stately?

I was 11 years old when the series started. I never looked at "Batman" as a comedy. After all, I took the comics seriously. So when people laughed at the show, I was often offended. For example, I remember being in the theater watching the "Batman" movie and seeing Batman get dipped in the ocean while on a rope ladder. When hes pulled up, a shark has taken hold of his leg. People laughed at it, so I stood up and yelled, Hey! You wouldnt act that calm if you had a shark on your leg!

Of course, now I watch "Batman" on cable, and I cringe. I particularly remember the episode when the women took over Gotham City and the whole town went into a serious tailspin. Finally, the menfolk convinced the ladies to get back to what they do best -- shopping -- and all was right with the world again. Im sure the ladies loved it that week!

For years, I kept reading how Adam West regretted being typecast by the show. He kept trying different roles, but no one wanted him to do anything but Batman. Well, here it is, 40 years later, and Mr. West is still working. He lends his talents to several animated shows, including voicing different mayors on "Family Guy" and "The Batman." Then I was flipping channels the other day and came across "Fairly Oddparents" on Nickelodeon. Who should be guest starring but Adam West portraying an actor who played Cat-Man on television. He got to lampoon "Batman" and his own acting abilities. Thats not bad for someone who thought hed never get anyone to hire him again after "Batman."

Before long, I reached high school and lost interest in the comics of the day. The 70s featured Superman losing half of his powers to a sand duplicate, Batman sending Robin off to college and moving into a swanky downtown apartment, and Spider-Man using a Spider-Mobile and having to stop Aunt May from marrying Doctor Octopus. I didnt feel I was missing very much.

But Batman continued to provide an often unseen influence on me.

I was taking a psychology course in college when the teacher told us to pick the person or character who had iimpacted our lives most. Dont think about it, just take your first impression, he said. When he went around the room asking who we had picked, I told everyone that I picked Batman. Everyone laughed at my choice, thinking Adam West and silly ABC TV shows. But the teacher, to his credit, understood that answers are not always found in assumptions. He asked me the critical questions, Why? What was it about him that made you pick him? I answered, Because theres no mystery he cant solve. I guess that answer made sense because the other students stopped laughing.

Meanwhile, in the comics, Batman became darker and more driven. I used to think that if Batman of the 60s had met the Batman of the 80s or 90s, he would have tried to arrest him. But there was some allure for a Batman who was less Adam West and more Clint Eastwood.

Thus was born Frank Millers The Dark Knight Returns. And a new era for the Caped Crusader dawned.

Next time: Batman comics hit an all-time high, and the Dark Knight explodes onto the movie screen.

Wayne Hall is news editor for Airlock Alpha, and is a member of the U.S.S. Chesapeake, an independent science-fiction and Star Trek club in the Washington, D.C., area. He can be reached at whall@airlockalpha.com.

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