Batman

In 1939, the comic character first known as "The Bat-Man" made his first appearance in a six-page segment featured in the "No. 27" issue of Detective Comics. Since that time, the darkly clad and threatening crime fighter created by Bob Kane (1915–1998) has appeared to Americans in comic books (see entry under 1930s—Print Culture in volume 2), novels, television (see entry under 1940s—TV and Radio in volume 3) shows, and movies. Americans identify with Batman because he is one of them—a self-trained man from the mythical Gotham City with no superpowers and very visible human problems. Batman's humanity has helped make him one of the most universally appealing American comic heroes.

Comic-book readers soon learned that Batman was the alter ego of millionaire Bruce Wayne. As a child, Wayne had witnessed his wealthy parents' murder in a street holdup. From that moment forward, Bruce Wayne dedicated himself to fighting crime. Kane's original Batman was a ruthless, unscrupulous vigilante—a man who would go outside the law to bring evil-doers to justice, sometimes even going so far, in his earliest adventures, as to shoot them himself. Throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, a number of different artists and writers worked on various Batman series, resulting in several new characters becoming a regular part of the continuing saga. These characters, nearly equally well known in popular culture, included sidekick Robin (an orphaned circus acrobat whom Wayne adopted), Alfred (Wayne's loyal butler, who, aside from Robin, was the only one who knew of Wayne's double identity), and the villains the Joker, Two-Face, and the Penguin.

In 1966, the dark and mysterious Batman took a different turn when ABC introduced the Batman TV series. The show, starring Adam West (1928–) as Batman, was intentionally over-acted. The show made fun of the seriousness of the comic-book series, but was for a brief time very popular. The show was so popular, in fact, that it inspired the creation of Batman paraphernalia—lunch boxes, toys, and clothing were eagerly purchased by and for kids. The series came to an end in 1968, but many people still first think of the show when they think of Batman.

Since the debut of the TV show, the Batman character has appeared in many different mediums. The comic-book line has continued, with new artists and writers pursuing different approaches to the character, especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Perhaps the most notable of these efforts was the 1986 graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns, by Frank Miller (1957–). The four-part novel returned Batman to his dark and sinister roots. In addition, four high-profile, feature-length Batman films were released from 1989 to 1997. (Also, a movie based on the TV show was released in 1966 and an animated film, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, came out in 1993.)

Because he is symbolic of both America's problems with violence and crime and of American idealism, representing the dark side that lies in each and every person, Batman will likely always retain his place in popular culture.

—Robert C. Sickels

For More Information

Barrier, Michael, and Martin Williams, eds. A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics. New York: Smithsonian Institution Press and Harry Abrams, Inc., 1981.

Burton, Tim, director. Batman (video). Warner Brothers/Warner Home Video, 1989.

DC Comics.http://www.dccomics.com (accessed February 11, 2002).

Jourdain, William F. The Golden Age Batman.http://www.goldenagebatman.com/enter.html (accessed February 11, 2002).

Miller, Frank. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. New York: DC Comics/Warner Books, 1986.

Pearson, Robert E., and William Uricchio, eds. The Many Lives of the Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media. New York: Routledge, 1991.

West, Adam, with Jeff Rovin. Back to the Batcave. New York: Berkley Books, 1994.