Batman’s best moments as he turns 80
Holy milestones, Batman! Detective Comics, where the caped crusader debuted on March 30, 1939, will reach issue No. 1,000 on Wednesday, just days before the hero’s 80th birthday.
“It is evidence of the greatness and power of the Batman concept that the character has appeared continuously over eight decades,” Peter Sanderson, a comic-book historian, said.
Comic-book creators, historians and fans helped identify key moments in Detective Comics to commemorate Batman’s career. Here they are:
• March 1939
Detective Comics No. 27 Detective Comics was an anthology series that began in 1937 that eventually gave DC Comics its name. The Bat-man, as he was then called inside the book, premiered in this issue’s six-page “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” The story introduces Commissioner Gordon, the wealthy Bruce Wayne and his caped alter-ego,
who thinks nothing of heaving a criminal off a roof. Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, though it took many years for Finger to receive credit for his significant contributions to the canon. Another bat-fact: A copy of Detective No. 27 sold at auction for more than $1 million in 2010.
• March 1940 Detective Comics No. 38
The world of Batman brightened with the introduction of Robin, the Boy Wonder.
“Robin humanizes Batman and also allows for some levity in the heavy-shadowed stories of Gotham, while of course hooking young readers with someone they can also relate to,” said Peter J. Tomasi, who writes the current Detective Comics series.
Robin, whose real name was Dick Grayson, eventually transformed into Nightwing, a confident, outgoing adventurer who brings together the DC heroes in a way that the more reclusive Batman cannot. Since Dick’s graduation, other Robins have emerged, including
Bruce Wayne’s son, Damian.
• December 1949
Detective Comics No. 156
Michael E. Uslan, a comic books historian and a producer of the “Batman” films, called this issue transformative. “The Batmobile of 1950,” he said, “redefines Batman, modernizes him, and moves him into a new generation, equipped with higher tech.” • March 1964
Detective Comics No. 327
“This issue introduces the legendary ‘New Look’ Batman, with the yellow circle around his chest symbol and a whole new look and style both visually and in terms of character development and story,” Uslan said. “Readers of that era still feel jarred and elated by this sea change!” The chief architects of the evolution were the editor Julius Schwartz and the artist Carmine Infantino, who came in to shore up sagging sales in the hopes of avoiding cancellation. • November 1966
Detective Comics No. 359
When producers of the Batman television series wanted to increase female viewership, they asked DC for a new character. They got Batgirl, whose civilian guise is Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham’s police commissioner. Batgirl’s career was halted in 1988, when she was paralyzed after being shot by the Joker. She eventually became Oracle, a hacker and information broker aiding DC’S heroes. In 2011, she underwent experimental surgery that returned her to the rooftops.
• June 2009 Detective Comics No. 854
Batwoman was originally introduced in Detective No. 233 in 1956, in part to give Batman a love interest. It did not take. She was rebooted in 2006 as a lesbian who had been discharged from the military. This Batwoman was embraced by fans. In 2013, her creative team quit over an editorial edict preventing her from marrying.
• March 2019 Detective Comics No. 1,000
This 96-page issue has several stories by a boldface slate of creators. The first, “Batman’s Longest Case,” by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, recalls his first adventure. It also introduces the Detective Guild, some of whose members had extensive solo stories in Detective, including Slam Bradley, Martian Manhunter and Elongated Man.