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Batman History


Batman is one of the most well known superheroes or comic book characters of any sort. His character has spawned television series, cartoons and multiple major movies. Although he was not the first superhero to ever be introduced, he was among the first early handful of them. Batman was a popular and well received character right from the start, so it is of no real surprise that his character still resonates with the public after all of these decades.

Batman was first introduced to the public as “the Bat-Man” in Detective Comics issue number 27, which was released in May of 1939. The Detective Comics series was published by the company which would become DC Comics. Batman’s creators were Bob Kane and Bill Finger, who despite Kane largely and solely getting the credit and recognition for Batman’s creation, collaborated together in the design and development of the original Bat-Man.

It would only take until the next year for Batman to receive his own titled comic book series, although the character was still in the Detective Comics series. Batman quickly evolved from his early days, as his style and character were refined. His trademark gadgets were introduced in short order and in the same year his sidekick Robin was introduced. The team of Batman and Robin spurred on the creation of many other sidekicks throughout the comic book industry as they were immensely and immediately popular.

While Batman is in all ways a superhero by the classical definition of what a superhero is, there is one major difference between him and many other superheroes, especially the other early superheroes. Batman does not have any superpowers. He is a human being with great strength, intelligence and skill, but he does not possess any actual, other-worldly traits or characteristics. In the place of powers of some kind, Batman has gadgets and tools. He is clever and intelligent, well trained and strong and does maintain a secret identity.

Another crucial element that makes Batman a superhero despite his lack of superpowers is his past. Superheroes are typically driven by something; some past event or a greater guiding set of morals for example that compels them to battle evil and become who they are. For Batman (Bruce Wayne) it was the murder of his parents which sparked him to become the superhero Batman.

Batman was able to maintain his popularity even after World War II when many other superheroes were waning in their popularity. However, the character was not immune and it was one of the most highly criticized comic book characters in the time that led up to the creation of the Comics Code Authority and the Comic Code. Batman was then retooled in the mid 1960s in an effort to popularize him once again.

This led to increased popularity and the creation of the Batman television series. While this was highly successful for a time, within just a few years the show was off the air and there was a backlash against the characters. Batman was retooled once again, steering away from the somewhat cheesy or campy model that was seen in the television show and becoming a more brooding, dark crime stopper and puzzle solver.

The change back towards this version of Batman has seen the character through to modern times, as he still continues in his own comic book and of course in the creation of more blockbuster Hollywood films.