4. The Batson Brood Are Often Just Super-Sparring Partners...
All that said, if a name change is what it takes to get Billy out of comic books, then he may be ready to enter a Witness Protection Program. Super-Hero Adventure Zealots Age Mercilessly. Even in the 1970s, when Billy joined Supermans world for the first time, the sunlit, candy-colored adventureland of his heyday was losing appeal to the comic-book-buying demographic. Billy and his pals alternated between starring roles in mid-to-low-selling series and higher-profile guest appearances. In the latter, they seemed to spend most of their time bamboozled or brainwashed into fighting Superman, Supergirl or Wonder Womanwhom they still rivaled in strength but no longer approached in popularity. And that was gentle treatment by the standards of ensuing decades.