Opinion: Holy philately, Batman! You’re on a postage stamp

Cary R. Brick probably would have been fuming if he had accompanied me to the post office Friday morning. Prominently displayed on the counter was the full set of stamps devoted to Batman. Why would the U.S. Postal Service put the Dark Knight on a sort of quasi-currency that once commemorated presidents and Founding Fathers?

Here’s the Postal Service’s explanation:

“For 75 years, Batman has protected Gotham City from the forces of evil. Since his debut, he has become one of the most iconic superheroes in history. This year, the U.S. Postal Service chronicles the evolution of the character, from his origins to present day. This new issuance showcases eight unique designs in a sheet of 20 stamps. Four versions of the iconic DC Comics superhero are depicted from four eras of comic book history. In addition, there are four incarnations of the Bat-Signal.”

Oh, and these are “Forever” stamps, That’s right: Batman Forever stamps.

So why might Cary Brick be discomfited by this tribute to a fictional caped detective? And who is Cary Brick?

Brick, reports the Washington Post, is a former staffer at the U.S. House of Representatives who until recently served on the service’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. In a scathing column in Linn’s Stamp News (available, presumably, by mail), Brick warned that the appearance of postage stamps has been taken hostage by “pie-in-the-sky marketers.”

Brick’s complaint was only the latest sally in a long-running dispute that has roiled what the Post called “the cloistered world of postage stamps.” The friction came to a head, the Post added, “last fall, when the stamp panel grew concerned about how the Postal Service’s marketing staff was pushing pop culture that culminated with the release of stamps honoring Harry Potter.”

Batman, at least, is an American.

It’s probably too late to insist that dignity and decorum be returned to postage stamps. That Batmobile has left the Batcave. And it’s hard to fault the cash-strapped Postal Service for trying to pump up sales to collectors and citizens alike with pop-culturally aware stamps.

According to the Post story, postal officials responding to Brick’s column said they sought balance in the subject matter of stamps and tried to appeal to a “variety of audiences.”

Maybe so, but market forces have a way of influencing production. And a stamp bearing the image of a dead president, the Grand Canyon or Lady Liberty is poor competition for one depicting Batman, Harry Potter, Bart Simpson or other pop-culture icons.

If the Postal Service is on its toes, the Alex from Target stamps should be rolling off the presses any day now.

Follow Michael McGough on Twitter @MichaelMcGough3