Batman the Legend
July 19th, 2008
The Batman first appeared in 1939 in Detective Comics. As a child, after witnessing the murder of his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Wayne, young Bruce Wayne vows to fight the rampant crime in Gotham city. At their grave, the child vows that “by the spirits of my parents I’ll avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals.”
And so the career of the Batman began. He was originally raised by a guardian (Phillip Wayne), though we mainly see him in the Wayne mansion, with the ever-faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth, and later joined by his sidekick Robin.
The young Bruce Wayne’s intense intellectual and physical training is extensive; however, he realizes that he needs an additional edge. “Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot”, Wayne remarks, “so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible…” As if responding to his desires, a bat suddenly flies through the window, inspiring Bruce to assume the persona of Batman.
Batman has no super-powers, but with a lifetime of physical training, the keen mind of a scientist, and a relentless cunning he is able to (nearly always) prevail over the venemous criminals. In the early years, the police were also corrupt, and in those years he was considered a vigilante and outside the law, though with the rise of Commissioner Gordon the Batman becomes a staunch ally, even a secret weapon, of the police.
In ‘The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,’ in 1939 he used a gun, but never afterward. He became very popular in those years, comparing to the hard-bitten detectives growing popular at the time such as Sam Spade, Philip Marlowe, and others.
The Batman’s success seems to be largely helped by the adoption of his fearsome costume and mysterious ways, and the clever inventions of his utility belt (smoke, gasses, winches, the batarang, sleeping potions) made him seem to have supernatural powers. But it’s just stellar detective work, clever machinery, and outstanding physical prowess.
Over the years, Bruce Wayne cultivates the public persona of a rather-stupid and frivolous playboy, which gives him access to society and diverts attention. He adopts the orphaned circus acrobat, Dick Grayson, who becomes Robin, and who began attending college in 1969.
Early in his career he had a fiance named Julie Madison, but the lovelife of a justice fighter seldom runs smoothly. Later, Wayne and Grayson move from Wayne Manor to a penthouse apartment in downtown Gotham City. The insane and deadly Joker appears for the first time during this period.
The personality of the Batman has altered over the years. Originally a hard-boiled detective in a frightening costume, he became more subtle, then more human as he gained his ‘Watson’, the sidekick Robin. His appearance in animated video gave a new and somber sheen to his appearance.
In later years, given the expansion of the comic-book genre, better artwork and more somber themes, the Batman has become more grim, and the stories richer.
Something magical about the Batman. He’s part of our world. He appeals to a darker side, in all of us.
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