The History of Batman
First introduced to the world by DC Comics in March 1939, Batman has excited audiences everywhere with his no-nonsense approach to crime-fighting. The Caped Crusader has starred in comic books, video games, television shows and even on the big screen in several Hollywood movies and continues to grow in popularity even to this day.
Batman Begins
Created by Bob Kane and developed by Bill Finger, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics Issue #27 as The Bat-Man in The Case of the Chemical Syndicate. The story introduced audiences to Bruce Wayne, a socialite who disguises himself in a cape and mask in order to mercilessly fight crime in storylines that were often quite dark and gritty. It is only revealed in a later issue that it is Wayne’s desire to avenge the unlawful killing of his parents that drives him to spawn Batman?s existence and use his wealth and resources to fight crime.
It didn't take long for the new superhero on the scene to get a comic book of his very own, as just a year later Batman #1 hit newsstands across America. Alongside his new partner Robin, Batman continued to solve crimes, only this time in more light-hearted storylines. The 1940s saw the development of the Superhero's home, Gotham City, as well as many of the characters now strongly associated with Batman franchise. The most notable introduction was the Joker, a villain who would soon become the Caped Crusader's most fearsome adversary.
Batman on TV and Film
The 1960s began to see Batman comic book sales decline and the threat of cancelation was looming large. In an attempt to save the character, sweeping changes were made including retiring a number of the bit-part characters and the addition of Batman’s now famous black and yellow logo emblazoned across his chest. Luckily sales rocketed after the start of a Batman television series in 1966, a camp and colourful show starring Adam West and Burt Ward. In the same year Batman made his first appearance on the big screen with West and Ward taking the lead roles.
Batman continued to capture the imagination of audiences throughout the 70s and 80s with further television shows and comic book adventures that saw the superhero return to his darker roots. Between 1989 and 1997, directors Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher presented their own adaptations of the superhero in Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
Modern Batman
More recent adaptations have seen Christopher Nolan delight modern day audiences with his take on the Batman saga, with Christian Bale taking on the lead role in Batman Begins. Nolan’s second movie, The Dark Knight, became one of the highest grossing films of all time and even resulted in a series of awards including an Oscar for the late Heath Ledger for his portrayal of the Joker. The success of the latest series of movies led to the release of Batman - Arkham Asylum in 2009, a very highly rated and bestselling video game.
The legacy of the Dark Knight continues to this day and, in 2014 the masked crime fighter celebrated his 75th anniversary, an incredible landmark for a character that started life as just a side story in a comic book. In fact, the batman franchise is now so colossal that an original copy of the 1939 Detective Comics issue #27 is now considered to be one of the most valuable comic books in the world with an estimated value of over $1 million. The online slot has been around for a few years now, but new variants have also been introduced to give Batman fans even more to enjoy!