This is a three part series on Batman and The Joker and their now iconic relationship. Part one will focus on Batman, his history in comics and media, and some of the psychology of the character (not a lot, as I am no expert in that area). Part two will ditto for The Joker and part three will be an in depth look at the relationship itself between the two. Enjoy!
In 1939, Bob Kane and Bill Finger created and introduced a character that would become the gem of their careers: Batman. Appearing for the first time in the comic series Detective Comics #27, Batman was an instant sensation, leading to the creation of his own titular series, Batman, debuting in 1940. A now staple character within comics and one of the world's most recognizable icons ever, the persona of this detective has survived for decades, holding an unusual dark, grim, and somber presence compared to the usual bright colors of the smiling and heroic characters most think of when the word "superhero" comes to mind. But if you're a die hard Batman fan, then the cape, cowl, and gloomy anti-hero will be the first thing popping into your mind. Like many heroes, I often wonder, "why." Why is that hero so famous? Well, one must look past the hero himself to often see what it is that makes a character so great. For Bats, it's the psychology and thought processes of Bruce Wayne and the supporting cast, as well as the stories themselves, that make him so iconic. And of course, he's just plain awesome. Who doesn't dig his utility belt? Or the Batmobile, or his Batarangs, or the overly cool Bat-Cave which is right below Wayne Manor (a mansion I would die to have.) I could go on forever, and in the end, you can't have a list of greatest superheroes without Bats at least in the top three. I'm sorry. You just can't.
Now I'll be honest with you, my personal favorite superhero is Marvel Comics Ghost Rider. Does he have amazing stories? Nah. I mean they're good. Just not something to write home about. Awesome supporting cast and villains? Not really. But Ghost Rider as a character and superhero is strait up boss and I've always loved him and him alone. I mean he's got a flaming skull that's on fire, wears a spiked leather suit, and rides a motorcycle. What's not to love? But in terms of making the case for greatest superhero of all time? I couldn't even do that. He (Ghost Rider) hasn't made the impact, had the longevity, or carried a status that even comes close to someone like Bruce Wayne/Batman. Batman absolutely has the case for the greatest ever along with Superman and Spiderman, and most likely wins for reasons too many to write.
While Ghost Rider (right) may be a personal favorite, he pales in comparison to The Dark Knight (left) who has left his mark on comics, fiction, media, and culture as a whole.
Four eras - Four Batmen
Over the course of what is now just shy of 80 years, Batman and his cast of colorful characters have undergone major changes in both appearance and personality due to comic publisher's strategy changes, the Comics Code Authority, and the fact that as time goes on, characters (should) evolve. Fans and critics categorize four (or three) eras: The Golden Age (1938-1950), The Silver Age (1956-1970), The Bronze Age (1970-1985), and The Modern Age (1985-present). Each age would show drastic changes for characters all over the comic book industry, with Marvel, DC and any other comic book publishers being effected by regulations and public demands.
Batman would be known for each of the four eras, and subsequently has four personas because of it, with fans liking some more than others, and some enjoying all four aspects of the character. To take a look at the character's history and understand him as a whole, one must look at each era carefully. I won't go into full analysis - that would be too long - but I'll briefly look at the history of each one, especially noting the differences between them.
The Golden Age Batman (1939-1950)
Brought to the pages by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, this dark and brooding hero stormed the comic stands in '39. Little did anyone know the kind of cultural impact this bat-like detective would have.
Within the first year of Batman, creator Bob Kane had drastically changed the character, allowing him to become, as Kane described, "my mature Batman", giving him longer ears, a more protruded jaw, adding the now famous utility belt, Batarang, and the Bat-plane. Slowly his character transformed into the hero we all know and love today.
Batman was a detective and hero that drew inspiration from The Scarlett Pimpernel and Zorro because of his heroic deeds in secret, his ability to avert suspicion by playing aloof in public, and the marking of his work with a signature symbol. Fictional characters like Doc Savage, The Shadow, Dick Tracy, and of course, Sherlock Holmes, inspired the creators to give Bruce a detective persona, making the character a master sleuth.
After a few issues, Finger and Kane wrote an origin story for the character, that of a man driven by witnessing the death of his parents at the hands of a mugger when just a young boy. The issue established the brooding persona of Batman. It would always be lingering no matter which Batman you're reading; his parents death would become a consistent factor for the character's origin.
An interesting fact about the Golden Age Batman was that he was fine with killing if need be. Many fans get upset when Batman kills, saying "it's not him," or "he would never do that," or "it breaks his moral code." However, if you read the early comics, he didn't kill often, but did so when no other option presented itself and even used guns occasionally. The slow change to the campier and more colorful comics brought about Batman's "no guns and no killing" rules which are now associated with the character.
Bill Finger (left) and Bob Kane (right) were the creators and masterminds behind the now iconic Batman
By 1942 the writers and artists for Batman established the atmosphere and the basic elements of the Batman mythos. But in the years following World War II, DC Comics adopted a postwar editorial direction that increasingly de-emphasized social commentary in favor of lighthearted juvenile fantasy, slowly removing the bleak and menacing feel of Bruce and Gotham, transferring it to a more brightly colored world in which Bruce is a well respected citizen and paternal figure. These changes were inevitable with the Comics Code Authority soon after announcing new regulations when many comics including Batman came under scrutiny after the publication of psychologist Fredric Wertham's book Seduction of the Innocent in 1954. Wertham's thesis was that children imitated crimes committed in comic books, and that these works corrupted the morals of the youth. Wertham's criticisms raised a public outcry during the 1950s, eventually leading to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority. After the changes began to take place, Batman stories from then on held a campier and lighter feel, and Batman would never be the same again...
The Silver Age Batman (1956-1970)
An image of Batman during the Silver Age, which took on a much more light hearted, campier, and comedic feel due to regulations being put into full effect by 1954.
In the late 1950s, Batman stories gradually became more science fiction-oriented, an attempt at mimicking the success of other DC characters that had dabbled in the genre. New characters such as Batwoman, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Bat-Mite were introduced. Batman's adventures often involved odd transformations or bizarre space aliens.
A big development for both Batman and DC as a whole was in 1960. Batman, along with a few other popular DC heroes, debuted as members of the newly formed Justice League of America in The Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb. 1960), and went on to appear in several Justice League comic series starting later that same year, creating one of the first ever big superhero team-ups and the Justice League itself is something that has stood the test of time including a feature film set to be released in late 2017.
The debut of the Batman television series in 1966 had a profound influence on the character. The success of the series increased sales throughout the comic book industry, and Batman reached a circulation of close to 900,000 copies. Elements such as the character of Batgirl and the show's campy nature were introduced into the comics; the series also initiated the return of Alfred, Bruce's butler and trusted friend who had been killed off earlier in the series. Although both the comics and TV show were successful for a time, the camp approach eventually wore thin and the show was canceled in 1968. In the aftermath, the Batman comics themselves lost popularity once again. As Julius Schwartz noted, "When the television show was a success, I was asked to be campy, and of course when the show faded, so did the comic books.
The Bronze Age Batman (1970-1985)
Writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams brought a darker Batman to the page, reminiscent of the Golden Age Batman.
Sales were continuing to slump downwards and DC needed to change the game to keep up with the now hugely successful Marvel Comics. Luckily, publishers were finding ways to release darker material under the noses of the CCA, giving DC a chance to climb back to the top of sales.
Starting in 1969, writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams made a deliberate effort to distance Batman from the campy portrayal of the 1960s TV series and to return the character to his roots as a "grim avenger of the night". O'Neil said his idea was "simply to take it back to where it started. I went to the DC library and read some of the early stories. I tried to get a sense of what Kane and Finger were after." The series was marked by killing, psychopathic villains, dark content and the blurring of the line between good and evil. Batman truly took to form during this time, and for me is the Batman I think of when someone mentions his name to me.
A man torn with the choices he faces, the concepts and ideologies of who Batman is came to the forefront of the stories. Becoming a symbol for all, this hero was the ultimate protagonist for comic books and has influenced much of the tv series and films adapting the titular character since. The stories perfectly meshed the dark stories of the Golden Age while still keeping some aspects of the campy Silver Age, creating a Gotham that we all know and love today.
Despite critical acclaim from critics and fans, sales were plummeting and hit an all time low in 1985...
The Modern Age Batman (1986-Present)
Frank Miller was instrumental in transforming the caped crusader for the Modern Age with his works which include Batman: Year One, All Star Batman and Robin, and his greatest work, The Dark Knight Returns, bringing an even darker, grimmer, and scarier hero that criminals ran from in terror while giving the character a bitter and mean presence not yet seen.
In 1986, DC Comics released Frank Miller's miniseries The Dark Knight Returns. Following a now older, retired, and hardened Bruce Wayne, he is forced to return as the Caped Crusader when crime and violence hits an all time high. An embittered man from past events, Wayne no longer follows his "no kill" rule, going as far as it takes to get the job done his way - and his way alone. On the run from the police and Superman who are after his arrest, this interpretation took the character farther towards the line that blurs between good and evil, truly becoming the "anti-hero" that had overtime been put on as a label for Wayne. TDKR is one of the greatest story arcs within the Batman mythos, and Miller himself would just be getting started, becoming very closely associated with The Dark Knight in the later years.
Frank Miller was pivotal in the change of atmosphere for Batman due to his numerous works on The Dark Knight and his grimmer, anti-heroesque take on the character.
That same year, Dennis O'Neil was promoted to editor of the Batman titles. O'Neil decided he had been promoted to revamp the hero and his persona. In '87, O'Neil, along with Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli, redefined the character's origin with the release of Batman: Year One . Following the hero's first year as the Caped Crusader, this brought a freshness to the character as he begins a relationship with newly transferred police officer, James Gordon, who work together to bring down the crime which was filling the streets of Gotham at that point. Reiterating the point of Batman and what he means as a symbol, this younger and inexperienced Batman was the antithesis of the previously written The Dark Knight Returns. Another perfectly crafted story arc that's also considered one of Batman's finest, DC would continue on with the darker vibes of the character that were becoming quite popular. "Landmark" stories that continued the success of the hero include the hugely successful Knightfall which introduced the villain "Bane" and his mission to "break the bat", All-Star Batman and Robin (written by Miller), and what many consider the greatest Batman story of all, Batman: The Killing Joke.
On the left is the comic book image of a now iconic moment in the Batman mythos in which Batman was defeated by the newcomer Bane, whose mission was to "break the bat" and rule Gotham. On the right is an artists drawing of the film interpretation of that moment from 2012's The Dark Knight Rises.
A Hero For All Ages: The Dark Knight is the greatest of them all
These four actors all perfectly embodied the four different Batman personas of the 20th and 21st century: (from left to right) Adam West portrayed a Silver Age-like Batman, Michael Keaton embodied the Golden Age, Christian Bale was the Bronze, and Ben Affleck is the Modern Age Batman.
Batman is a hero that will forever be inserting himself into the culture, whether by comics or the currently popular form of superheroes which is through film, TV, and video games (28 Batman films have been released between live action and animated). A symbol of what justice either can or maybe should mean, Bruce Wayne and the battle within himself has always been a present aspect of the character with the Batman side of him continuously battling the lines of justice and evil which blur often, leading to the difficult choices he as a vigilante must make - knowing full well the guilt or remorse he may feel as a result.
The Dark Knight is a character we can relate to because of those hard calls only he can make, carrying with him a "slave-morality" mentality and lifestyle (slave morality values things like kindness, humility, and sympathy), vs a "master-morality" mentality (master morality values pride and strength), which his arch-nemesis The Joker carries, adding to the yin-yang aspect of their relationship.
The impact Batman has made is larger than some may think, between movies, merchandise, games, television, and of course the comics themselves. For someone like me, Batman has been around forever and will undoubtedly keep impacting younger audiences who will grow to share with the next generation which then turns into a cycle that goes on and on. For reasons to many to write about, Batman is by far and away the greatest hero to grace the pages and screens. When it's announced that a new Batman will walk on to our theaters, people get more excited than any other fandom out there. He's one of the greatest phenomenons in history - and he isn't even real. Life without Batman is a life lacking something incredible. Of course, we'd be having this discussion of someone (or thing) else that's made this kind of stamp on American culture if he didn't exist.
He can make the choice no one else can make. Be the hero no one else can be. He is Batman.
Note: Master-slave morality is a concept created by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote it as his central theme throughout his works, mainly his first essay On the Geneology of Morality. Master-morality weighs actions on a scale of good or bad consequences (i.e. classical virtues and vices, consequentialism), unlike slave morality which weighs actions on a scale of good or evil intentions (e.g. Christian virtues and vices, Kantian deontology). Master–slave morality does not take into account human emotions.