Buzztown

As we get ready for the arrival of the new Batman movie, ‘The Dark Knight’. Buzztown has delved into the history of Batman and present you with this ‘The Bluffers Bullet point Guide to Batman Comics’.

• Batman was co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, though only Kane receives official credit, Bill Finger had a huge influence on the Batman we know today. Kanes original sketches had Batman wearing a red suit with wings and a small mask similar to what Robin would later wear. Finger  changed these to the look we are more familiar with, and also came up with the name Bruce Wayne as Batman’s secret identity. At the time of Finger’s death in 1974, DC had not officially credited Finger as Batman co-creator.

• Batman first appeared in Detective Comics#27 in May 1939. The story was called “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” and was written in the ‘pulp’ style popular at the time. This influence was evident with Batman showing little remorse over killing or maiming criminals and was not above using firearms.

• Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, and intimidation in his war on crime.

• Robin was introduced based on Finger’s suggestion Batman needed a “Watson” with whom Batman could talk. Sales nearly doubled, despite Kane’s preference for a solo Batman, and it sparked a proliferation of “kid sidekicks”.

• The first issue of the solo spin-off series Batman was notable not only for introducing two of his most persistent antagonists, the Joker and Catwoman, but for a story in which Batman shoots some monstrous giants to death. That story prompted editor Whitney Ellsworth to decree that the character could no longer kill or use a gun.

• In the story “The Mightiest Team In the World” in Superman #76 (June 1952), Batman teams up with Superman for the first time and the pair discovers each other’s secret identity.

• The comic was criticized in 1954 for its supposed homosexual overtones and it was argued that Batman and Robin were portrayed as lovers. Criticisms raised a public outcry during the 1950s, eventually leading to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority. It has also been suggested by scholars that the characters of Batwoman (in 1956) and Bat-Girl (in 1961) were introduced in part to refute the allegation that Batman and Robin were gay.

• In 1960, Batman debuted as a member of the Justice League of America in The Brave and the Bold #28 (February 1960) and went on to appear in several Justice League comic series starting later that same year.

• In 1964 sales had dropped off so drastically that Batman came close to being killed off altogether.

• Editor Julius Schwartz was soon assigned to the Batman titles and presided over drastic changes. Beginning with 1964′s Detective Comics #327 (May 1964) – cover-billed as the “New Look” – Schwartz introduced changes designed to make Batman more contemporary and return him to more detective-oriented stories, including a redesign of Batman’s equipment, the Batmobile, and his costume (introducing the yellow ellipse behind the costume’s bat-insignia).

• With the success of the camp Batman TV series in 1966, the writer were now asked to ‘camp’ up the comic. So elements such as the character of Batgirl and the show’s campy nature were introduced into the comics.

• The success of the series increased sales throughout the comic book industry, and Batman reached a circulation of close to 900,000 copies.

• The camp approach eventually wore thin and the show was canceled in 1968. In the aftermath the Batman comics themselves lost popularity once again. As Julius Schwartz noted, “When the television show was a success, I was asked to be campy, and of course when the show faded, so did the comic books”.

• Starting in 1969, there was a deliberate effort to distance Batman from the campy portrayal of the 1960s TV series and to return the character to his roots as a “grim avenger of the night.” Regardless, circulation continued to drop through the 1970s and 1980s, hitting an all-time low in 1985.

• Frank Miller’s 1986 limited series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which tells the story of a 50-year-old Batman coming out of retirement in a possible future, reinvigorated the character. The Dark Knight Returns was a financial success and has since become one of the medium’s most noted touchstones. The series also sparked a major resurgence in the character’s popularity.

• The Batman comics garnered major attention in 1988 when DC Comics created a ’900′ number for readers to call to vote on whether Jason Todd, the second Robin, lived or died. In a narrow margin the public voted ‘thumbs down’ for Jason, and so Robin was killed off.

• The following year drew more attention to the character, due to the release of the 1989 feature film Batman. In addition to the film’s multimillion dollar gross and millions more generated in merchandising, the first issue of Legends of the Dark Knight, the first new solo Batman title in nearly fifty years, sold close to a million copies.

• 1993′s “Knightfall” arc introduces a new villain, Bane, who critically injures Batman. Jean-Paul Valley, known as Azrael, is called upon to wear the Batsuit during Bruce Wayne’s convalescence.

• Batman has become a pop culture icon, recognized around the world. The character’s presence has extended beyond his comic book origins; events such as the release of the 1989 Batman film and its accompanying merchandising “brought the Batman to the forefront of public consciousness.” In an article commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the character, The Guardian wrote, “Batman is a figure blurred by the endless reinvention that is modern mass culture. He is at once an icon and a commodity: the perfect cultural artefact for the 21st century.