Comic Books: The Batman
Within the realm of superheroes there are some of the most powerful fictional characters for the modern times- “Superman,” who can crush planets, “Wonder Woman,” who fought the Greek God Zeus and won, “Hulk,” who at one point caused the Earth to almost rupture in two- but even among these gods lies a normal man, a human like us, who as the ability to trump them all- “Batman.”
“Batman” was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939, first published in “Detective Comics #27.” Batman was created out of a necessity for a new character to follow up the popularity of Superman. His original appearance gave us ‘Millionaire Bruce Wayne,’ secretly known as “The Batman.”
To this day Batman shares both commercial and critical success in multiple formats- The “Batman” comic, written by Scott Snyder, which won ‘IGN’s Best Comic Series of 2012,’ “The Dark Knight” movie, earning a ‘9’ on “IMDb,” and video game success in the “Arkham” games- all culminating into his popularity of being ‘one of the greatest superheroes and fictional characters of all time.’
With “The Caped Crusader” having just celebrated his 75th birthday (yeah, he’s an old boy), there is a wealth (no pun intended) of comics and other media for fans to run through to spend time with The Bat in “Gotham City.”
Television
Perhaps the most long-lasting and popular incarnations of “Batman” on TV has been “Batman: The Animated Series,” and “Batman,” starring “Adam West.” The Animated Series was the award winning cartoon of ’92-’95, starring “Kevin Conroy” and Bruce Wayne, and “Mark Hamill” of “Star Wars’ fame, as “The Joker.” The “Batman” ’66 show presented a more family-oriented, live-action program, showing the “Batman’s” adventures in a lighter tone.
“Batman Beyond,” created in ’99, existed in the same ‘universe’ as BTAS. In this show, the “Batman” is a teenager in the future named Terry McGinnis. Using an advanced, flying, cybernetic suit, the “Batman Beyond” fought original and older versions of villains from “Gotham’s” past and future.
The recently created show “Gotham” has also shared success, showcasing the adventures of “Lieutenant James Gordon,” the man who would eventually help “Batman” in his quest to save their city on a nightly basis.
Movies
The original “Batman” movie, starring “Michael Keaton” and “Jack Nicholson” finally brought The Bat to the theaters, showing him in the dark and gritty style that had, at the time, been fairly absent from Bruce’s latest movie exploits.
The “Dark Knight Trilogy,” directed by “Christopher Nolan” brought “Batman” to a realistic world, breathing new life into a character that had, to many, become stale. These movies are respected as some of the best superhero movies ever created.
Video Games
The “Batman: Arkham” games- “Arkham Asylum,” “Arkham City,” “Arkham Origins,” and the upcoming “Arkham Knight”- are award winning video games, exploring The Bats’ relationship with the fabled prison, its prisoners, and those in charge of these multiple institutions.
The games have you play as “Batman,” as well a few other characters, who must fight thugs, gangs, monsters, and even police officers to bring down whichever big-baddy is terrorizing “Gotham.” Using stealth, martial arts, gadgets, and detective skills, the player fights to save the city.
Comics
There are TONS of “Batman” comics, ranging from Bats’ wielding a gun against his foes, “Robin” getting captured by aliens, and even “The Dark Knight” getting ‘killed,’ sent back-in-time, until he can find a hyperfauna to bring him to the multiversal… you know what, there are just a lot of “Batman” comics.
Many comic readers follow a mental list of sorts to go through the timeline of “Batman” reading, to make their lives easier. As for me- I like to start at a more ‘modern’ beginning, and make my way to the modern day: “The New 52.”
-Batman: Year One
-Batman: The Long Halloween
-Batman: The Killing Joke
-Batman: A Death in the Family
-Batman; Knightfall
-Batman: Arkham Asylum
-Batman: Hush
-Batman: Batman and Son
-Batman: The Black Glove
-Batman: R.I.P.
-Batman: Battle for the Cowl
-Final Crisis* *This story is really only for readers who are truly knowledgeable about the “DC Universe” continuity.
-Batman and Robin
-Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
-Batman Incorporated
—The New 52—
-Batman: The Court of Owls & Batman: The City of Owls
-Batman: Death of the Family
-Batman Incorporated: Demon Star
-Batman Incorporated: Gotham’s Most Wanted
—Future—
-The Dark Knight Returns
This is a fairly basic list of “Batman” comics that will help any Bat-fan begin or add to their comic collections. There are a lot more comics, and the best way to navigate through them is via a local comic shop or an online reading list.
“Batman” is a character who has helped shape generations of fans into crusaders of their own, and has become a recognizable symbol all over the world. Ask anyone to identify the “Bat-Signal” and they will be able to say- “Oh, yeah, that’s the symbol of ‘The Batman.’”
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** Remember to support the comic business at your local comic shop, the best way to buy single issues and to buy trades/ novels in their most pristine conditions.
