The third comic book I ever recall receiving was Batman Family #19. It was released Aug 2, 1978 so I was 8.
There were a lot of firsts for me with this book. This was my first exposure to the art of Michael Golden, P. Craig Russell and Michael Kaluta as well as a character who I would go on to love for years: Helena Wayne, The Huntress!!!
Even as an 8-year-old, Kaluta’s cover art blew me away.
The layout putting Batman, Robin, and Batgirl in the distance and colored light blue to offset the focus onto the main story art always stuck with me.
Michael Golden’s pencils on that first story, and his way of illustrating Batman would stick with me for decades! And I of course would become a massive Golden fan when I discovered The Micronauts comic!
This book is one of the few I kept after the great 2007 purge. It is no doubt falling apart in the basement. It has been falling apart since the 1970s since I read it so many times!