Comic Books - The Batman Beginnings
In this article we're going to take a brief look at one of the
longest running and popular comic books of our time, Batman.
Batman was first introduced to the world of comics in May of
1939. But he wasn't featured in his own comic book. He was a
part of Detective Comics issue number 27. The thing about Batman
that was unique for his time and even today is that he was a
super hero with no super powers. He couldn't fly like Superman
or run fast like Flash, nor was he strong like The Hulk. He was
just a flesh and blood crime fighter out to rid the world of the
kind of vermin responsible for the death of his parents.
Also, unlike many other super heroes, Batman was a very dark
character who has a lot of his own personal demons that he had
to keep in check. Every day was a battle to keep his anger from
getting the best of him. Many times he came close to crossing
the line between good and evil.
Batman lives in Gothem City in the guise of playboy millionaire
Bruce Wayne. Only his trusty butler Alfred knew of his secret
identity as Batman. He decided to fashion his crime fighting
outfit after that of a bat because of the dark nature of crime
itself. He wanted to be seen in something that would strike fear
in the hearts of criminals, not make them laugh.
The first detailed origin of Batman was not told until the June
issue of Detective Comics, number 47. His actual origin, as was
true with so many comic book heroes, changed many times as the
years went on. However, the basic facts of his character have
remained unchanged through the years.
Batman had a number of gadgets that have become very familiar
and popular over the years such as his utility belt which could
pretty much do everything but make scrambled eggs. In addition
to this he had the ever popular batmobile, bat copter, bat
cycle, bat plane and bat boat. All these vehicles in some
manner, shape or form resembled the appearance of a bat.
It wasn't until April 1940 that Batman would get his trusty
sidekick, Robin, the Boy Wonder. In many ways, especially with
teenagers, Robin was an even more popular character than Batman
because he was somebody who kids could relate to.
Over the years Batman battled a number of diabolical criminals.
Some of the more famous ones were The Riddler, The Joker, The
Penguin, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze. Each issue of the comic,
especially in the early years would usually feature a different
foe for Batman to do battle with. The only twist to this was the
occasional time that Catwoman would try to seduce Batman with
her womanly charms. While often tempted, Batman never gave in to
her unless it was to gain some important information from her.
Over the years Batman has evolved into a hit TV show and a
number of movies that were closer to the darker side of Batman
than the Adam West character. But no matter what the portrayal
or medium, Batman has, and will always be one of our most
beloved super heroes.