The Batman villains appeared again with Cat Woman, the Penguin, Riddler, and the ever-popular Joker. At a time when black and white television was the norm, the half hour program was shot in color with dramatic costumes and bright colors. In 1966, a live action Batman television series premiered. Batwoman, Batgirl, and Bat-Mite were introduced and the familiar gangs of nemeses were toned down. In response, the Comics Magazine Association of America established the Comics Code Authority and standards.Īs a result, DC softened the Batman character into a kinder, gentler superhero. Hendrickson of New Jersey chaired the US Senate Subcommittee of the committee on the judiciary, to investigate juvenile delinquency with a focus on comic books. Now discredited, he argued that comic books were a cause of juvenile delinquency, an assertion that sparked a Congressional inquiry into comic book publishers. In 1954, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham wrote the popular book, Seduction of the Innocent.

Readers responded to Robin enthusiastically, and sales of Batman comics increased. In 1940, wishing to flesh out the plot, Kane and Finger added the Robin character to give Batman a sidekick, and someone to talk too. When Kane and Finger first started the Batman legend, the superhero was a violent brute that used guns and killed people. Wayne Manor, the Wayne family estate, lies just outside Gotham City's limits. Metropolis, the home of Superman, is across a coastal bay from Gotham City. We soon learn that Batman resides in Gotham City, located in the State of New Jersey. After years of physical, mental, and educational training, the Batman disguise comes to Bruce when he spots a bat or bats at his home, Wayne Manner. Wayne is sole heir to a Trumpesque fortune, and as such is independently wealthy as the new owner of Wayne Enterprises. He first appeared in a 1939 issue of Detective Comics (DC), which immediately recognized the character's potential for popularity.Īs Batman's origin story goes, after witnessing the murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to fighting crime. Bob Kane and Bill Finger created the Batman character, sometimes known as the Dark Knight or Caped Crusader. Few fictional characters have caught our imaginations as much as Batman, a superhero like all of us in that he doesn’t fly and can’t jump over tall buildings.

Batman Archives, Vol. 1 by Bill Finger