The History of Batman
Probably no other comic character in history is as well known as the Dark Knight. But why, compared to the hundreds of other characters out there has he become so appealing? People recognise the Superman logo, Spider-mans costume and Captain Americas shield, but when it come to iconic images and enduring characters that have stood the test of time nothing seems to get comics fans more excited out more than the stylised bat insignia.
But why for over 60 years has a man who dressed like a flying rodent stayed so popular? For some reason Batman grabs peoples attention, it could be the fact that he walks on the ‘darker’ side of heroes, using the darkness and shadows as a weapon or if could be for all purposed the Batman is just that – just a man that dressed in a bat costume – he is human, admittedly well trained but human nonetheless, he doesn’t come from a mythical place, he is not from another planet and has never been bitten by a radioactive thingy, he is just a man with a burning ambition to bring justice to Gotham city.
Where did it all start? With every incarnation and generation reading Batman comics the mythology around the character has grown – from comics to TV shows to films the Dark Knight has permeated every avenue of media to become so much more than just a comic character. From 40s pulp hero to 60s camp to today’s caped crusader Batman’s evolution and chequered history makes for a very interested read.
Origins of the Bat
No one comic character has moved so far from his original conception and then once again, fully turned back to his original ‘dark side’ as Batman. Created by Bob Kane the ‘Golden Age’ Batman was introduced to the world in Detective Comics 27 in May, 1939. Conceived by the young artist The Batman was a mysterious vigilante who worked under the cover of darkness to punish evildoers.
But why a Bat? In many interviews in the past Kane has always commented that he got the inspiration for the character by seeing the flying devices sketched by Leonardo Da Vinci. Taking this concept as well as the personas of ‘masked’ heroes of the time such as Zorro and the Shadow Kane added to this mix that the main weapon for the character was his mind, making him the world’s greatest detective. Making him more of a Sherlock Holmes character that used his dark persona, psychology and fear rather than brute strength to eventually get the bad guy, Kane created a character that was a hit with the fans.
Bringing with him no unique abilities and no super powers but rather the reliance purely on his own skills and detective work the comic was a great success, sharing the shelf space with other DC characters like The Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman as well as Superman. However what mad Batman unique was the darker tone of the book. Unlike other characters that wore bright vivid costumes and defended the earth in the middle of the day Batman did his crime fighting at night, concealed in darkness that was matched by his dark grey and black costume. Additionally it was the motivation of the character that was the hook. Instead of the more traditional ‘doing what’s right attitude’ Bruce Wayne reason for fighting crime is driven by a need for justice, when the life of the ‘Batman’ starts when a young Wayne sees his parents gunned down by a street thug. (Who, in later stories is named to be mobster Joe Chill)? These disturbing origin details are first played out in an origin story in Batman 47 in June/July, 1948, nearly ten years after the introduction of the character by which time the character had become a firm favourite. It was also during this time that readers got there first taste of the vast array of villains and other characters such as the Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face, the Mad Hatter, Vicki Vale, Penguin all of which have played a major factor to the popularity of the character. These 40s stories really showcase the style of the time (mimicked to a great extent in Tim Burtons 1989 film). The great pulp-style art and writing in these early came from Bob Kane, as well as legends as Jack Burnley, Jerry Robinson, Jim Mooney, George Roussos, Win Mortimer and others.
Batman was only the second superhero to get an entire book just to himself ( most characters at the time shared one book between three or four heroes in a sort of chronicled manner – much in the ways that 2000ad does now) , and unlike Superman’s first issue, Batman issue 1 was composed of all-new material rather than re-printed of prior stories. Because no one could have predicted the character’s popularity, the first issue had five stories which had originally been scheduled to appear as part of the Detective Comics series in which the character was first introduced. These smaller stories would become very significant as they would introduce two of Batman’s greatest villains, the Joker and Catwoman,
A light in the shadows
It was not all doom and gloom however, as by editorial decision the lone Batman was joined in Detective Comics 38 by Dick Grayson, and the first of many incarnations of Robin was introduced to the public. There are many who say that the introduction of this character (that as added to create more ‘teen appeal’) was a turning point of the character and the start of the slippery slope toward the camp creation we all know and love from the 60s. Introducing Robin spoiled one of the unique factors of the character, being a lone crusader living in shadows has what many fans liked about the Batman character but this was not so easy with a 13 year old boy in green tights always two steps behind you ( not to mention a lot of ‘questions’ being raised). By the late 1940s Batman’s popularity, with Robin in tow was in full swing and movement away from the original concept continued with the slow introduction of the Bat mobile, Bat signal and Bat plane.
As the 40s came to a end and the 50s started the next decade had things getting a lot ‘worse’ for the character has his dark venire was tarnished and slowly taken away and science fiction and gimmick storylines (an idea taken from the Superman series). Among these were the introductions of Batwoman, Batgirl, Ace the Bat-Hound and Bat-Mite.
A low point
From the 1950 onwards, Batman’s comic book adventures became increasingly outlandish. The Caped Crusader went boldly where no other superhero had gone before. With the success of new technologies, and American children looking up towards the limitless possibilities of space, science-fiction was the ‘in’ thing. As a result, the World’s Greatest Detective was destined for newer and wackier adventures than ever before, instead of fighting street level thugs and lunatics the dynamic duo were turned instead to head off into space, fighting giant robots, kooky aliens and talking monkeys. (Not that this is a bad thing- look at the new JLA Unlimited series by Grant Morrison). But this was not the character that Bob Kane had created gone were the dark brooding backdrops and heavy shadows and in there place was surreal slapstick character that looked and acted more like the Joker than the Dark Knight.
This spate of gaudy colours and camp humour peaked during the 1960s, when the comics reflected the Batman TV series, starring Adam West as Batman, and Burt Ward as Robin which hit American screens in 1966.
Holy Camp-crusader (Batman in the 60s)
When the show started, Batman was the third most popular comic character in America, behind Superman and Dick Tracy. By the time the show had finished in 1968, the Dark Knight was number one and almost unrecognisable as the original character created by Kane. But due to the nature of the show and the fact that Batman comics were the number one seller in the country nobody cared that the shadowy creation was replaced by a garish creation that would make the Joker blush.
The idea for a TV show came from producer William Dozier a producer who had been involved in many popular TV programs in the early 60’s such as Dennis the Menace and Bewitched. Seen as a potential saviour for ailing US network ABC, Batman was designed to appeal to both adults and kids. Batman adopted a vivid pop-art look and took taking of the recently popular colour TV. Added to the vivid palette was and pop-up sound effects (to mirror the comic) hammy stories and the legendary Bat-repellent.
Bought to the screen by a portly Adam West he was joined by boy wonder Burt Ward and set that cost a staggering $800,000 (in 1966) for over 120 (in which Robin had uttered “Holy SOMETHING” no fewer than 352 times) episodes in which the dynamic duo faced off against Frank Gorshin Riddler, Burgess Meredith’s Penguin, Cesar Romero’s Joker and the legendary Julie Newmars Slinky Catwoman.
The show was a huge success, a success that rubbed off on a lot of other TV at the time, as the Batman shared many props, gadgets and sets with Lost in Space, Land Of The Giants, Time Tunnel and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
The star of the show however had to be the car – the infamous Batmobile. The TV version of Batmans ride of choice was a modified 1957 Ford Futura, with some pipes stuck on the back, (so much for the flame powered retro rockets)
However over the 60s things changed a little on the printed page, slowly Batman got his edge back. Due to the unparalleled level of success in comics and on television DC bought in the biggest and best creators in the business to the title and included Dick Sprang, Sheldon Moldoff, Carmine Infantino, Frank Robbins, and Gil Kane. Due to this influx of talent, all of which added there own stamp to the character the Dark Knight slowly but surely returned to his ‘darker’ roots.
Batmans 70s return
After thirty or so years Batman had lost his edge. In the ’50s, he was a Boy Scout in tights; in the ’60s, he was pop-art TV star but it was during the 70s that change really set in and a return to the older darker character began to emerge. Admittedly Batman was still popular ( with continual repeats of the 60s show and his appearance in the 70s cartoon ‘Superfriends’ ) It was during this time that Dc took a more ‘adult’ look at there titles, with titles like Green Arrow and Green Lantern focusing on politics, social issues and even drug abuse. These more adult themes also found there way into Batmans world thanks to phenomenal work by the likes of creators such as Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, and Marshall Rogers who all restored some of the Dark Knight’s darkness. Gone was the day glow colours and a return to the dark and black/blue costume was but one change alone with Robin finally leaving the nest, growing up and becoming the hero Nightwing. This movement towards a darker tone was encouraging for the book but it wasn’t until 1985’s classic four part Frank Miller series, The Dark Knight Returns that the Batman really returned to his roots.
Along with Watchmen, Frank Millers work on the Dark Knight reinvented comics as an adult medium, and began the graphic novel boom of the late 1980s. Dark Knight told the tale of a reflective and bitter 50 year old Batman coming out of retirement to save Gotham from the clutches of The Joker, and murderous mutant gangs.
The Dark Knight finally returns
March 1986 saw comic creator Frank Miller finally restored some of the Dark Knight’s darkness as well as a newly invigorating take on a character that had drifted so far away from its original concept. Millet took the concept of Batman to new extremes, stripping away the decades of continuity and revealing a future version of the character bought back from retirement to once again fight with the Joker and the new threats overtaking Gotham in the future, This groundbreaking book was the first in a new wave of comics and graphic novels to re-invigorate the comic scene.
In anyone else’s hands, this story might have been just another “what-if” or ‘Elseworlds story. But Miller’s artwork and storytelling that combined a minimalist approach on some paged and huge info-dumps on others really captured not only people’s attention but also perfectly paid homage to Bob Kane’s gothic style in the very first Batman stories;
The story itself for the time was fairly shocking not only because of the scenes of mayhem in the book but also it showed what the character had lacked for so long. Millers work took one of the most recognisable characters in the world and gave him back his dark edge, redefining a hero for others to build on, and build on they have.
The Killing Joke
After Miller stamped his authority on the book and after following telling the last ever Batman tale (chronologically speaking), he went on to reinvent the character’s origins with the equally mature Batman: Year One it was Alan Moores turn to literally have a stab at the character. Moores hit book The Killing Joke (illustrated by Brian Bolland) changed Batman forever. This controversial story bought the Dark Knight Detective into the adult world with dark tones that made Batmans arch enemy the Joker the most sinister badguy ever and the character of Batman even darker and yet so human. . The Killing Joke stirred up a lot of controversy upon its release with its vivid depiction of physically and emotional and emotional torture. This dark and hugely well written book became what most sees as the defining point in Batman Mythology and a benchmark for other writers to meet. From the Jokers pointless brutal pointlessly shooting of Commissioner Gordon’s daughter in the spine to Batman’s frustration at his continuing inability to reason with the villain, the book sets the standard for every Joker/ Batman confrontation for years to come and is the definitive showdown that writers of the book will always have to live up to.
The death of a legend
In September 1988 the Bat-mythology saw the death of a major character – DC’s most recognisable characters, the legendary Boy-wonder (not the original mind you) finally bit the dust in autumn 1988. Batman and Robin took part in a 4-issue story in which they fought the Joker. In the midst of their battles, the Joker exploded a bomb that left Robin lying in Batman’s arms. The Death of Robin was not such a major blow to the comic reading public – as they had seen deaths numerous times. However it was the way in which he was killed that made history. It was not editors and writers who dealt the fatal blow but for the first time, comic fans were given the chance to vote on the outcome of a story which saw the Joker fatally attack the boy-wonder. The vote was cast – would he die or live? And so fans voted in there thousands, and let their voice be known that with 5343 to 5271 fandom had sentenced the Boy Wonder to a early grave (what a evil lot we are)
The audacity of the gimmick and the death of a major character pushed Batman back into the spotlight, a light that would grow even brighter with the 1989 movie the film proved to be immensely popular and turned out to be the first of four live action Batman movies. The Nineties also saw the rebirth of Batman on television. In 1992 Batman: The Animated Series debuted on Fox (and is now available on DVD). Like the previous Batman incarnations on TV, it was immediately recognizable thanks to its design. This time though the look was much stylised, very moody, evoking the work of Bob Kane on the early Batman.
A year later In April 1989 writer Grant Morrison also his chance to tackle the Dark Knight and produced a 128 pages hardback special edition book entitled Batman: Arkham Asylum. The book, in which Morrison worked with artist Dave Mckean (Sandman, Neverwhere and Mirror Mask), is a showcase for both artists, with Mckeans talent for mixed media and painting combining with Morrison’s hallucinogenic scripts to make a Batman tale that nobody had ever seen before.
This exploration into the characters that inhabit the Bat-universe was the first real time that a writer got under the skin of not only the inmates at Arkham but also under the cape of the Bat, showing what really made the Dark Knight tick. The book importantly has never been matched as far as character analysis is concerned, and has become a blueprint for how, even now the characters in the bat –universe are portrayed in the monthly books. Arkham Asylum, is a benchmark in writing for the Dark Knight and is in the top ten ‘must read’ graphic novels of all time.
Batmans Legacy
Over the course of his history Batman seen probably had every major superstar writer contribute to his long history. From Bob Kane to the present superstars of today such as Alex Ross, whose acclaimed Batman: War On Crime, co-written by Ross with Paul Dini) that explores why Batman does the things he does and shows breathtaking rendition of full page paintings of the Dark Knight watching over the ever-troubled Gotham City. From Frank Millers, Tim Burton (for his first tow films) to Alan Moores to more recently Jeff Leobs and Jim Lee (on there sold-out Hush storyline) the caped crusader has always had the biggest names in the business hankering to add something to his mythology. Batman in comic book form has once again returned to his roots of a lone crusader that lurks the streets of Gotham. Even though there is a whole bat family of titles it is still the loner and the dark mood of the character that evokes such great stories and such a huge fan base and has, over the years has drawn nearly every great comic book writer and illustrator
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