The CHERILEA CAPED CRUSADERS...

BATMAN & ROBIN copyright DC COMICS

Sometimes I buy things more than once, a recent example being the above Cherilea Batman & Robin figures sold exclusively in Woolworth's in the '60s.  In the above photo, I've retouched the paint on Robin, though I've still to fully attend to Batman (done the face).  (The seller's photo below shows them as they arrived on Wednesday.)  The third photo is of the ones I purchased 11 years ago, Batman in September and Robin in November of 2014, again retouched at the time.

So why buy them again I hear you ask.  The price was an absolute steal (for me) as the duo cost less than what some sellers ask for them individually in far worse condition.  I just couldn't pass them up and, besides, it's always nice to have spares.  Did any of you have the Cherilea Caped Crusaders when you were a '60s kid, Crivs?  Share your reminiscences in the comments section. 

BATMAN #1 Golden Age FACSIMILE EDITION...

Copyright DC COMICS

So what's the reason?  Is it down to different editors being in charge of each individual issue, or is it lack of cooperation or just sheer incompetence?  To what do I refer?  I'll tell you.  When DC issued a Golden Age-sized facsimile of Detective Comics #27 a little while ago, it looked as though it had been scanned from an original published issue and appeared 'old'.  Yet when they released Action Comics #1 and Superman #1 Golden Age-sized facsimiles in the same style, they sourced the contents from negatives of the standard-sized replicas, which meant the page images had margins around them which were far too wide and looked white and new.

Now, with Batman, the facsimile of the first issue is the same as Detective Comics #27, except for the margins and gutters being cleaner and whiter with no sign of age, and the page images weren't scanned from an actual published 1940 issue.  (With the possible exception of some of the ads.)  The result is far superior and I can't help but wish that DC will redo the other three mags to the same specifications.  When Ralph Waldo Emerson said "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...", he didn't mean all consistency was foolish, only that of the foolish kind, so consistency between those four essential collectables should be a given.

However, despite my customary moan, this latest addition to my vast collection is very welcome.  Why don't you buy one for yourselves, Crivvies, if you haven't already?  Note the cover claims the comic contains 'all brand-new adventures', but the recap of the Batman's origin is an amended reprint from an earlier number of Detective Comics (#3, I think).

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(Please note that the comics mentioned in this post are not standard-sized facsimiles, but a larger 'Golden Age' size, closer to that of the originals.)