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It was 75 years ago today – 30th March 1939 – that Batman made his first appearance in 'The Case of the Chemical Syndicate' (Detective Comics #27).


There was no Gotham City in that first story. Nor was there a Wayne Manor, Batcave, Batmobile, Robin, Alfred, or any of the classic rogues. There was just Bruce Wayne/Batman and Commissioner Gordon. But that humble six-page story is where it all began.

Here's to another 75 years!

Happy Birthday Batman!!!

I think all of us here are young enough to make it to the 100th. Imagine how THAT will feel?

I have always liked the first issue cover for Batman. Very striking with the yellow background. The first issue of Spider-Man is also a great cover, which seems to take inspiration from Batman. Both swinging away with a criminal under their arm. Better than, I don't know, smashing a car against some rocks.

Quote from: DocLathropBrown on Sun, 30 Mar  2014, 17:55
I think all of us here are young enough to make it to the 100th. Imagine how THAT will feel?

LOl I'll be 55, perhaps still reading comics.

I'll be 53... if I'm still alive.

Bumping this one up for random Batman material just like over in the Superman 80th Anniversary thread.

Dick Sprang's Batman

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FxjgxDTX0AE9Fqs?format=jpg&name=large)

Ugh. I'll be 69.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0X88PHXsAA-5fa?format=jpg&name=large)

Being that I consider this thread for various material relating to Batman that doesn't necessarily require different threads, I'm just going to post this here.

FLASHBACK 1998! Wizard Magazine on where Tim Drake's Robin stood at the time.

Better days for sure.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F1gCC7-acAA6RiS?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F1gCC73aEAA5EMO?format=jpg&name=large)

Dixon's understanding of Tim was second to none, including the people who actually created him. Dixon was always able to get the right balance of Tim as an eager beaver Batman fan and Tim as a mixed up kid who doesn't know where his life is going.

Those were the days.

More with Dixon's "Robin" run from the late '90's.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5h1TyObAAIzMmT?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5h1Vd_bAAA_I8U?format=jpg&name=large)

Top 10 Batman stories according to Wizard Magazine in 1998.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5YD_uNbwAAfFQe?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5YD_uPa0AAeLz2?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5YD_uMb0AAoHNJ?format=jpg&name=large)

Wizard Magazine covering the-then 60 year history of the Dark Knight.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5cZ-iUacAAZl39?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5cZ-iRacAExclv?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5cZ-iTacAEYXWd?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5cZ-iSacAEvgnH?format=jpg&name=large)

Thanks for the scans. Those are great.

No problem.

One good turn deserves another.

Denny O'Neil Wizard interview on the Batman line of comics in 1998.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5s1-7ubcAA7yYX?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5s1_pibEAAt8cD?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F5s2AROaIAAZCV2?format=jpg&name=large)

"No Man's Land" artwork by Phil Jimenez

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F7UXumIXQAAZeIl?format=jpg&name=large)

Wizard Magazine article on the-then upcoming "No Man's Land" arc.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F9dVlKwasAA6Ohu?format=jpg&name=large)

FLASHBACK 1997

Wizard Magazine's "character profile" for Catwoman.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fyw6G3BagAAYGKf?format=jpg&name=large)

I have such a soft spot for that Nineties solo Catwoman title. After Miller, you know, revamped her history, it was like most writers had no idea what to do with the character anymore. But eventually, the solo book positioned her as kind of a pseudo-Indiana Jones adventurer figure with a bit more emphasis on fortune and glory.

I also enjoyed those Wizard Character Profile features. Oddly enough tho, I can't recall any non-DC characters who ever got a profile.

As a followup on Wizard's character profile on Catwoman post, Wizard had Jim Balent do a Catwoman/Witchblade mash-up, along with commentary.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F-AltJUWEAEG47n?format=jpg&name=large)

Vintage advertisement for Batman #500.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0OhX5pacAAewb7?format=jpg&name=large)

Kelly Jones' Batman

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0OoSuMaMAElvAz?format=jpg&name=large)

Vintage 1991 advert for DC Comics subscriptions.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_ifWUuWEAAUO_N?format=jpg&name=large)

Since Kyle Baker's Joker is highlighted, I decided to place this here.

From my memories, Baker's Joker art sure seemed to be used quite a bit there for various merch featuring the Joker during the late '80's/early '90's (TPB covers, shirts, cut scenes for the NES version of "Batman: Return of the Joker, ect).

Also one edition or another of The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told.

That was a good one!

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5a/ae/4b/5aae4b105fbe90ff0d1f6d2716fb9b23.jpg)

Just another outstanding Brian Bolland pinup!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GD_COGvbgAAWk64?format=jpg&name=large)

Jerry Ordway 2015 Commission

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GEFhUPvX0AAsx5R?format=jpg&name=large)

Jerry Ordway's Golden Age Batman

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GFGyNfLW0AENHN2?format=jpg&name=large)

Dick Sprang Batman

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EN4zf9DUUAExwu9?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EN4z6ZjUUAEzwZP?format=jpg&name=medium)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EN4z6R9U4AA5gCI?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EN4zvs6VAAAkwZN?format=jpg&name=large)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GFRsdNLWYAAVmmd?format=jpg&name=medium)

Photoshopped of course, but a mid-late 1980's one-shot Batman/Spider-Man crossover would have been interesting to see.

I believe this was the first Batman cover Brian Bolland did. Which was for a UK Annual in 1982.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHDPA6nWsAAddwO?format=jpg&name=medium)

And speaking of Bolland, here's a few covers from the "Joker Last Laugh" event.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHEPf3NWcAASqRU?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GHEPf3IWgAAXPmH?format=jpg&name=large)

From 1979, the 40th anniversary of Batman. Back cover by Dick Giordano for Detective Comics #483.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOTwLZcWYAAk-eu?format=jpg&name=large)

Another from 1979, back cover for Detective Comics #484 by Jim Aparo.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOXv986WwAA9U37?format=jpg&name=large)

Lee Bermejo Batman.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPZXdiLbYAA6YRb?format=jpg&name=large)


1999 Wizard article discussing the-then prospect of a "Batman 5", along with "Batman Beyond", the "No Man's Land" arc, upcoming creative team, ect.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPZvhElbgAEMR1U?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPZvhEjbkAAeZ_8?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GPZvlCVbUAAD8vQ?format=jpg&name=large)

Brief Wizard Magazine article on the-then upcoming "Batman: Harley Quinn" one shot featuring Paul Dini and Alex Ross speaking about Harley's official intro into the DCU Batman continuity in 1999.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GSiOillaMAABZ9p?format=jpg&name=large)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GUiqvN5WkAAd5to?format=jpg&name=medium)

Wizard article on the Bat books going into the year 2000.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GY59jb-WwAALxU-?format=jpg&name=large)

I always found it telling how quickly Batman rebounded from huge mega storylines like Knightfall and No Man's Land. Yes, you could argue that 1995 and 2000 were... not great years for Batman comics. Not terrible. Not great either tho. But the character found his groove again fairly quickly, all things considered.

Compare that to the Superman titles, which needed a full year to recover from Krisis Of The Krimson Kryptonite (which wasn't a huge storyline by any means except for the final chapter) and arguably never fully recovered from the Doomsday/Funeral For A Friend/Reign Of The Supermen storylines.

Wizard article about the development of the "Tango with Evil" art piece by Alex Ross.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GhLIzjDaYAEV3P4?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GhLIzjGbkAA2ffu?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GhLIzjGagAAwdo0?format=jpg&name=large)

Wasn't entirely sure where to place this, so I decided to default it to this thread.

2000 Wizard Magazine article detailing a proposed "Bruce Wayne" tv show. Just one year prior to the debut of "Smallville".

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gh6irhjbEAAP60z?format=jpg&name=large)

I've always been curious how the Bruce Wayne show would've turned out.

Smallville works for me because there's plenty of comic book precedent for Superboy. Ultimately, Smallville became a hodge podge of influences. Primarily Silver Age but plenty of Post-Crisis, Bronze Age and Golden Age thrown in as well.

But Batman doesn't really have that type of flexibility. At least, not as far as I know. The idea of an unmasked Bruce Wayne squaring off with all or most of Batman's rogue's gallery... I'm not sure how that would've worked.

I think things worked out for the best with this series.

That series probably would've been like Gotham, only with the production values of Birds of Prey and a lot more teen angst. Smallville worked because it was effectively a Superboy show, but there isn't really a comparable Batboy-era of Bruce's life to provide the basis for a teenage Batman show.

The closest thing we have to that now would be Gotham High, which is a hideous stain on the history of Batman comics. No one wants to see that story adapted for screen.

A Bruce Wayne show could work if it worked as a story largely about the time he traveled abroad. You could do it as a eastern martial arts show set largely at the dojo and surrounding country or maybe as a wandering man show ala Kung Fu where he walks among the towns and villages of Asia/Europe helping people as a nomadic samurai all before he went back to Gotham.

Dan Jurgens & Dick Giordano Batman Art from 1983.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ENnZfT1U0AY0aG3?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ENnZfT2VAAAxquj?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ENnZfTXW4AApIkV?format=jpg&name=large)

Dan commented on X that he still had the training wheels on at this stage in his career, but even still, I think the talent was evident.

Obvious talent. But not so much of Jurgens's own voice. That Batman seems heavily influenced by Marshall Rogers and Neil Adams.

Which is no criticism. If anything, I probably would've preferred it if he had stuck with that model. Because the occasions he drew Batman in the Nineties are... not great.

There's something to that.

When thinking of Jurgens' Batman, this is pretty much the first thing that comes to mind. Probably because it was around this time, that I started paying attention to the creatives, and not just visuals/stories.

(https://storage.googleapis.com/hipcomic/p/e508e3c0be9a42db8d8072f76cea6cb1-800.jpg)

I don't think Jurgens' Batman is necessarily bad, but will agree that his style never really popped as it did for Superman (same goes for John Byrne honestly). Which, I would say, made Dan as THE defining artist for Superman in the 1990's.

Though I will say, ever since Zero Hour, I do think Dan does a pretty good job with Batgirl.

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c9/ca/c1/c9cac171d93d07c5cd42ca742bde156b.jpg)
(https://cafans.b-cdn.net/images/Category_24125/subcat_42863/Jurgens%20Batgirl%20Inked.JPG)