batman

 Batman has been loved by many for years. It all started back in 1940 when the first comic was put on sale. It’s Batman’s 75 Anniversary, and between his upcoming adventures on the big screen (in the now filming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), small screen (as a young boy in this fall’sGotham), video game consoles (in Batman: Arkham Knight and LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham), animation (Batman: Assault on Arkham) and multiple ongoing comic books (including his very first weekly, Batman Eternal), it’s going to be a big couple of years for the Dark Knight. But that’s okay, he’s used to it. In fact, his entire history has been full of big moments! In 1939 DC comics wanted to find a new super hero who can bring in as much money as Superman. Editor Vin Sullivan turned to what appeared to be an unlikely creative source, gag cartoonist Bob Kane, and asked him to design a new hero. He came up with one of the most popular heroes of the 20th century- the Batman.  The first Batman story, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," was written by Bill Finger and drawn by Kane. It was published in Detective Comics #27, which hit newsstands on March 30, 1939. 

     In his first story he gets introduced as bored Bruce Wayne. Making his awesome costume he became a crime fighter keeping mobs and everything off the streets.Batman utilized his Utility Belt for the first time to remove a glass pellet filled with deadly gas in Detective Comics #29 (July 1939). The first boomerang-like Batarang and the first bat-themed vehicle, the Bat-plane, made their debuts in Detective Comics #31 (September 1939). 

           His tragic story of his family getting mugged and killed coming home from the movies, it came in the comic Detective Comics #33. 

           The Dynamic Duo was born in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940) with the introduction of Batman’s trusty sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder. Dick Grayson was a circus performer who was orphaned when a gangster murdered his parents. After Batman teamed up with Robin, the tone of the stories changed. No longer a grim avenger who talked to himself, Batman evolved into a lighthearted father-figure trading wisecracks with his young partner. Originally, Bob Kane agreed to try out Robin for just one issue, as DC’s publisher Jack Liebowitz was against the idea of having a youngster fighting gangsters. After sales doubled on the first issue to feature the Boy Wonder, Liebowitz sheepishly agreed to keep Robin in future stories. 

         In 1940 Batman got his own name. In his new comics 2 villons, the Joker and Catwoman (sometimes just called the Cat). Many other key pieces of Batman’s world were introduced in the 1940s. Batman’s home of Gotham City was first named in Detective Comics #48 in 1940, and the Batcave was introduced in Batman #12 in 1942. Batman's first car was an ordinary red sedan, but in Batman#5 (Spring 1941) the new Batmobile roared into action sporting its own bat-headed battering ram.

             During the 1940s, the tone of the Batman stories grew more fanciful. The Joker became less of a sinister killer and more of a dangerous prankster. Batman and Robin journeyed to ancient Rome in their first time-travel adventure in 1944. Batman even found an enduring love interest when photo-journalist Vicki Vale was introduced in 1948.