The 7 most essential batman comic book stories nerdist. This increased popularity for a campier attitude towards comic books led to a significantly lightened tone in many of the dc comics. The book features batman s greatest stories and charts the careers of the super heroes and supervillains associated with the dark knight, including robin, the justice league, the joker. For example, gothams police are mostly corrupt, setting up further need for batmans existence. This category is for everything related to all of the batman comic book series. Neal adams a great writer has personified batman in which at times makes out to being the very evil that he is fighting a brawler. Although they had previously appeared together in 1941s allstar comics no. In 1954, psychiatrist fredric wertham wrote in his bestselling book seduction of the innocent that comic books of all types were corrupting the youth of america. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and. Fawcett comics, a division of fawcett publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the golden age of comic books in the 1940s. The very first batman story, the case of the chemical syndicate, was written by finger and drawn by kane. With the exception of the beginning of the golden age and the beginning of the silver age, little consensus exists on startingending dates.
Get the history behind the comics code authority and how it kept some characters out of mainstream superhero stories for more than three decades. In his first story, batman was introduced as uninteresting socialite bruce wayne. At first the books reprinted humorous newspaper strips, but later they began to feature unique content. Illustrated with archival comic book art and rare batman paraphernalia, batman. When batman faces off against superman in movie theaters next year, itll be the latest stage of a relationship thats been around for more than half a century, with more than its fair share of. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Superheroes entered the world of comic books in 1938 with the release of action comics no. Batman earned his own selftitled comic book in 1940, while. Tracing the evolution of comic books by looking at the pictures, panels, and text that brought them to. While the foundations of todays industry started in the 1920s, the events of today are shaping the industry of tomorrow. Get the best deals on modern age batman comics when you shop the. And as for batman and robin, they went from comics premiere double act to ensemble players, welcoming a bevy of masked hangerson into the batranks.
Just go to the top of the page and look in the right column. Four new series set in the world of the vertigo classic. By that time, national publications the comic book division that would become dc comics was the topselling and most influential publisher in the industry. Thomas wayne and his wife martha, two very wealthy and charitable gotham city socialites in 1915. The definitive history of the dark knight in comics, film, and beyond hardcover october 29, 2019. Major moments from the comics are covered as well as the various shifts in storytelling tones over the decades. When i first wanted to get into reading the batman books my first issue was where do i start.
Written by finger, it depicts a young bruce wayne witnessing his parents murder at the hands of a mugger. Batman is an ongoing american comic book series featuring the dc comics superhero batman as its main protagonist. Other forms of media started to take notice of the comic book industry as well. Comic book distribution is monopolized by one company, diamond. In the late 1940s, comic books were seen as a direct cause of juvenile crime. Sixty years of the worlds favorite comic book heroes. Heralding the outrageousness of the batman television series in the mid1960s, batman comic books introduced ridiculous characters such as batbaby, batape, batmite, and ace the bat hound. Dawn of justice, theres no more fitting time to explore the history of the man of steel and the dark knight fighting each other in the world of comic books. Because of different artists interpretations of what the car should be, it changed size, shape, and features frequently. The definitive history of the dark knight in comics. Comic book facts 33 interesting facts about comic books. Now, with the shows continuity returning in comic books under the care of cocreator paul dini along with alan burnett and ty templeton both of whom worked on the original franchise in.
The complete history of the joker, from his first appearance as batmans nemesis in comic books to his reinvention in the new movie joker. In this article, all dates given for various ages are approximate. A visual history follows the dc comics hero from his 1939 origin as a vigilante created by bob kane to his present status as a worldwide cultural icon. Its most popular character was captain marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter billy batson, who transformed into the hero whenever he said the magic word shazam. Designed by batman fan chip kidd, this history will please the hardcore fans, and win many new ones. Comic book superheroes unmasked history channel aired. Comic book superheroes unmasked history channel aired june 23rd, 2003.
Comic book collectors are often lifelong enthusiasts of the comic book stories, and they usually focus on particular heroes and attempt to assemble the entire run of a title. The famous 1966 batman tv show provoked a spark in comic book sales for batman. Taking his idea to writer bill finger, they further developed the concept. Children were forced to burn their comics in schoolyards and a senate hearing was held which led to the comics code authority and later the canadian ban of all comic books. When not writing comics themselves, manning often writes books about the comic book medium and its rich history. The history of batman and supermans comic book fights cbr. Shazam, formerly captain marvel, outsold superman, batman, wonder woman, and the entire comic books industry for most of the 1940s. The joker is one of the oldest villains in comic book history. Dc direct, dc direct statues, dc designer series, dc designer series statues, batman, batman by rafael grampa, rafael grampa, rafael grampa profile, rafael grampa artist, rafael grampa batman, rafael grampa batman statue, dark knight returns. Batmans secret identity is bruce wayne, a wealthy american playboy, philanthropist, and owner of wayne enterprises. The middle decade of the last century was not a good one for the comics industry. Dc comics, american media and entertainment company whose iconic comic based properties represented some of the most enduring and recognizable characters in 20th and 21stcentury popular culture. How the code authority kept lgbt characters out of.
While the mediums success first attracted controversy for violence and mature themes, many of the characters introduced have stood the. With batman and superman currently battling each other on the big screen in batman v superman. Also during this time, taking the place of serious villains to battle superman, numerous forms of kryptonite were brought forthgold, blue, jewel, redgreen, magno, redgold kryptonite and kryptonite plus. Legends of the dark knight comic book series, which primarily concentrates on early tales of batman that are not necessarily considered canon, but have also been used during major crossover storylines such as batman. Uncover the caped crusaders mysterious realworld origin and his evolution into a hugely successful tv and movie franchise in batman. For each sale discovered, we match it to the specific comic in our massive database which also includes variant covers and printings. Superman, batman, spiderman, the hulk, and countless other comic book. The complete history also includes a comic book story colored by animator bruce timm especially for this book. Well, there isnt an official one but i have found a couple of unofficial ones people have collected in the comic book community. The complete history of the joker, from comic books to the. This seemingly simple origin would continue to be explored and mined for emotional depth for decades to come.
The first issue of a longrunning comic book series is commonly the rarest and most desirable to collectors. Originally named the batman, the character is also referred to by such epithets as the caped crusader, the dark knight, and the worlds greatest detective. Batman the complete history is more than a coffee table book its a reference book that is packed with knowledge and information that only batman fans can expect which is excellent. New events that shape the comics industry are always happening. The history of the gay subtext of batman and robin. Feb 07, 2018 this was before the rise of the marvel cinematic universe with 2008s iron man and before the revamp of dc comics films with batman begins in 2005, and so superhero movies were still a new. Batman proved to be so popular that a selftitled ongoing comic book series began publication with a cover date of spring 1940. Batman is one of the comic book characters with the largest history in comic books. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history. Batman reading order and timeline modern age gotham archives. Super heroes all died out between 1950 and 1955 with only superman, batman and wonder woman and a few smaller ones still being published. Inspired by sherlock holmes, zorro, a leonardo da vinci sketch of a batwinged flying machine, and his own imagination, kane sketched an early version of the character. Comic book superheroes unmasked documentary youtube. Is there an official reading order to the batman books.
Apr 17, 2018 comics might be the epitome of diversity today but some of your favorite superheroesfrom superman and batman to captaim americahad extremely racist storylines back in the day. We monitor the fire hose of online comic book sales across various marketplaces and report on the sales of cgc and cbcs graded books in our comics price guide. The first batman story, the case of the chemical syndicate, was written by bill. Batman s many film and tv incarnations are given a lot of attention as well. Dec 03, 2011 an indepth documentary on the comic book history of the dark knight. One of the most iconic fictional characters in the world, batman has dedicated his life to an endless crusade, a war on all criminals in the name of his murdered parents, who were taken from him when he was just a child. In 1939, dc comics was looking for a new superheroa character who could build on the wild success of their earlier comic book. After the war, sales dropped dramatically and then continued to slide down throughout the 1950s. The insane history of how american paranoia ruined and censored comic books. Likewise, the catwoman character is introduced to batman and fans although she is named the cat at first. Batman is an ongoing american comic book series featuring the dc comics superhero batman. A history by gambit1024 april 25, 2012 23 comments the most recognizable comics characters in the world. Batman comic books and graphic novels research guides.
Batman, american comic book superhero created for dc comics by writer bill finger and artist bob kane. Jan, 2020 the early history of the batman tv series. Anticipating that bob kane would be drafted to serve in world. For more, try the following subject searches in the library catalog batman fictitious character comic books, strips, etc. The name disappeared from the comic book in the mid1960s, replaced by credits for each storys actual writer and artists. A brief history of comic books the pioneer 15001828, victorian 18281883 and platinum 18831938 ages please note. However, through this period comic books based on the superman, batman, and wonder woman characters retained a modest audience.
Rating is available when the video has been rented. This batman comics price guide will help you to value all the early. For one, he is one of the oldest villains in comic book history, his first appearance dating all the way back in 1940, with batman issue no. One of dcs most profitable and enduring characters, batman debuted in may 1939 in detective comics no. Starting in 2006, the regular writers on batman and detective comics were grant morrison and paul dini, with grant morrison reincorporating controversial elements of batman lore most notably, the science fiction themed storylines of the 1950s batman comics, which morrison revised as hallucinations batman suffered under the influence of various mindbending gases and extensive sensory deprivation training into the character. The first justice league of america story appeared in 1960s the brave and the bold no. Batman may be the most prominent superhero whose first appearance didnt include his origins. Though golden ageearthtwo batman was mostly erased from history, many stories of batmans silver ageearthone career remained canonical in the postcrisis universe, with his origins remaining the same in essence, despite some alteration. Geoff johns and gary frank bring the dc and watchmen universes together. Legends of the dark knight comic books, birds of prey comic books, blackhawk comic books 1944 series and brave and the bold comic books 1955 series you can also search 7 more ways. Batman is a fictional superhero appearing in american comic books published by dc comics. Editor whitney ellsworth assigned a batman story to artist dick sprang in 1941. Comics might be the epitome of diversity today but some of your favorite superheroesfrom superman and batman to captaim americahad extremely racist storylines back in the day. The golden age of comics comics have been in existence since the end of the 19th century, but it was after the depression that the popularity of newspaper cartoons expanded into a major industry.
Whether youre an expert or just picking up your first comic book, these guides to the best reads, screen adaptations, characters, creators, and conventions will take you from sidekick to hero. The top selling comic books that begin with b are batman comic books, batman. Weve been selling comics since 1961 our first sale. But i think what really propelled the character to. History talk 0 this category is for everything related to all of the batman comic book series. A brief comic book history of the worlds finest super bros. The original concept of batman was developed by writerartist bob kane. In the name of his murdered parents, bruce wayne wages eternal war on the criminals of gotham city.
Relive the adventures of kryptons favorite son inside and outside the comic book world in superman. This is a great book that really delves into the history of batman. Jan 25, 2018 the 7 most essential batman comic book stories. Batman reading order and timeline modern age gotham. Its parent company, dc entertainment, is a wholly owned subsidiary of time warner inc. The worlds largest selection of comic books, from batman and superman comic books to spiderman and xmen comics, new and back issues.