Happy 85th Birthday, Batman!
Everyone who’s even remotely into superheroes loves Batman, and for good reason. The caped crusader is celebrating his 85th birthday this year, which makes it the perfect time to catch up on some Batman comics.
As reported by DC Comics, 2024 is the 85th anniversary of Batman’s first appearance in comic book history. For those who may not know, Detective Comics #27 was the first time the caped crusader appeared in print on March 30, 1939, and this year, Warner Bros. held a special comic book event as part of the celebration in New York City. SoHo News International put up a special newsstand with limited edition copies of the first Batman comic in history to commemorate the occasion.
Created by comic book artists Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman has solidly secured a place in the top 5 most popular comic heroes of all time. You all know the story by now: Bruce Wayne is the child of billionaire philanthropists Martha and Thomas Wayne, who were murdered by a criminal in the back alley of Monarch Theater in Gotham City. Years later, in adulthood, this traumatic event inspires Bruce to become the Batman, a crime-fighting vigilante in a bat suit, cleaning up the streets of Gotham.
To date, over 484 million Batman comics have been sold. The comics have led to a slew of merchandising, clothing lines, a few TV show spinoffs, and numerous movies. Batman movies by directors Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan have been wildly successful, and subsequent Batman-adjacent properties like DC’s The Justice League have also seen a lot of popularity.
Even though Marvel/DC movies are already the dominant superhero media, fans should give some love and attention to the comics that started it all. May the dark knight rise.
(featured image: Warner Bros)
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