BATMAN

“Quick! To the Batcave!” Those are the words of one of our favorite crimefighters who seeks justice against evildoers. This week, Tidbits investigates the history of the Caped Crusader and his sidekick, Robin.
• Batman first appeared on March 30, 1939 in issue #27 of Detective Comics. He was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, who named the hero Bruce Wayne, a billionaire American playboy, philanthropist, and businessman. Inspiration for the name came from two historical figures – Scottish war hero Robert the Bruce and Revolutionary War Army officer Mad Anthony Wayne.

• After witnessing the brutal murder of his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne by a mugger, Bruce swore vengeance against criminals and traveled the world, seeking out tutors to prepare him for crimefighting. He was trained in combat and strategy by the leader of the League of Assassins. Frenchman Henri Ducard trained him in manhunting, while world-class boxer Ted Grant schooled him in that skill, training Wayne’s body to its ultimate condition.
• The original Batman costume was a red bodystocking and a mask covering the eyes. Bill Finger gave it a makeover to the classic black color scheme, a mask with pointed ears, and a scalloped cape, which doubles as a parachute or hang glider. Batman’s suit is fire-resistant, bulletproof, and insulated against electrical shocks.
• Bruce Wayne is reportedly worth $7 billion, amassed by his ancestors who operated a merchant house beginning in the 17th century. Ensuing generations expanded to Wayne Shipping, Wayne Chemical, and Wayne Manufacturing, diversifying in a worldwide conglomerate. Bruce averts any suspicion by playing the part as a carefree, superficial socialite, while secretly using his enormous fortune to fight crime.
• As a child, Bruce Wayne had a pen-pal, with whom he would play long-distance chess matches via letters. The comic later revealed the pal’s name as Oswald Cobblepot, who grew up to become the dreaded villain, The Penguin.
• The architecture of Wayne’s hometown Gotham City was inspired by that of New York and Chicago. While searching for just the right name for Batman’s home, writer Bill Finger turned to the phone book, where he landed in the “G”s, and randomly put his finger on Gotham Jewelers.
• Batman’s secret headquarters are located beneath his home, Wayne Manor. The cave houses all the latest super computer technology, along with surveillance equipment, various crime-fighting tools, a forensics lab, Batman’s costumes, and the Batmobile. There are numerous ways to access the batcave, including a secret door in Wayne’s study, behind a grandfather clock that unlocks when the hands are set to the time of death of his parents, 10:47. In the 1966 film, the cave was accessed behind a bookcase which opened when Wayne triggered a switch hidden in a bust of William Shakespeare. Wayne’s office chair sits atop an entrance that connects to a mile-long tunnel through which he travels in a high-speed capsule. In the movies of the early 2000s, access was gained through a secret door unlocked by pressing a series of keys on the grand piano.
• The character of Batman’s crime-fighting partner Robin was introduced in Detective Comics Issue #38 in 1940, 13 months after Batman’s first appearance. In the original story, Robin, whose name was Dick Grayson, was the orphaned son of acrobat and trapeze artists The Flying Graysons, who were murdered by a crime boss. Bruce Wayne adopted Dick and the two became the Dynamic Duo. Dick Grayson wasn’t the only Robin character – others included the aliases of Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne.
• Batman’s first appearance on the screen was in 1943 in a 15-episode theatrical serial from Columbia Pictures, with one chapter released each week. Batman was a secret U.S. government agent on a mission to defeat the schemes of a Japanese agent, Dr. Daka, in the midst of World War II.
• In the early comics, Batman was a gun-carrying vigilante who shot his enemies and occasionally threw them in vats of acid. Over the years, he became a character who refused to kill, since that would make him no better than the criminals he battles.
• Batman became a television sensation in 1966 when Adam West took on the role of the Caped Crusader, with Burt Ward as Robin by his side. The rather cheesy series ran for 120 episodes, airing twice a week for the first two seasons and once weekly during the third season. Viewers were treated to “fight balloons,” superimposed comic book-style words such as “Bam,” “Bonk,” “Pow,” “Boff,” and “Zok” at the point of impact during fight scenes. In all, there were 85 different bat fight words used over the course of the series.
• How does Gotham City notify Batman when there’s trouble? The city police activate the Bat Signal, a searchlight with a bat-shaped insignia over the lens, shining the beacon onto a cloud in the night sky. In the 1960s TV series, the police commissioner had a dedicated phone line, the “Batphone,” he used to summon the Caped Crusader, but in the event Batman didn’t answer, he turned to the Bat Signal.
• Batman’s vehicle, the Batmobile, has undergone some changes over the years. In the comic book debut, Batman drove the same vehicle as Bruce Wayne, a red Cord convertible. Shortly afterward, the car was a blue roadster. In the movie serials of the 1940s, the Batmobile was a 1939 Cadillac, also driven by Bruce Wayne. It wasn’t until the 1966 TV series that the well-known Batmobile was introduced. It was designed by George Barris, who built the car from a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car, with tailfins suggesting a bat’s wings. Barris was given three weeks to complete the conversion, which carried a price tag of $30,000. Unlike the previous Batmobiles that had no special capabilities, the 1966 version was equipped with lasers, rockets, radar, a dash monitor, computer, police beacon, and a phone. It was also fitted with two rear-mounted 10-ft. parachutes, a smoke machine, and a nail spreader to slow down any pursuit.
• The Batmobile enters the Batcave via a secret entrance concealed by a waterfall, pond, hologram, or camouflaged door, depending on the era. The entrance allows access to a service road to the underground hideout
  • The original 1966 series Batmobile was auctioned at the Barrett-Jackson auction house in Scottsdale, Arizona in January, 2013, selling for $4.2 million.

MORE CAPED CRUSADER

• Batman’s loyal and trusted butler, Alfred Pennyworth, first appeared in 1943. He is one of the very few people who know Batman’s secret identity. In his first appearance in the comic, Pennyworth discovered the identities of the heroes by accident while fighting a burglar in Wayne Manor and accidentally hit a switch which opened a sliding panel leading to the Batcave. He had various skills that made him competent for the task – he was a British nobleman, a classically-trained butler, a former British intelligence officer and field medic, and even a former Shakespearean actor.
• What makes Batman different from other superheroes? He has no superpowers! All of his abilities are based on his intellect, physical strength conditioning, and advanced technology.
• Batman has had a variety of romantic interests over his existence, but mainly in his Bruce Wayne persona. Julie Madison’s first appearance was in Detective Comics Issue #31. Madison broke it off with Wayne because she didn’t care for his playboy lifestyle, completely unaware that Wayne was Batman. Vicki Vale was introduced in 1948 in Issue #49 as a photographer and reporter who was trying to prove that Bruce Wayne was Batman, but without success. Catwoman was one of Batman’s great loves. Introduced as Selina Kyle in the Spring of 1940, they were enemies on different sides of the law; however, Catwoman reformed from her life as a burglar and became Batman’s most enduring love interest.
• Julie Newmar, who played the role of Catwoman in two seasons of the 1960s series, donated her Catwoman costume to the Smithsonian, where it is displayed among the Institute’s “National Treasures of Popular Culture.”
  • When actor Pierce Brosnan rejected the role of Batman for the blockbuster 1989 film, Michael Keaton took on the task, followed by 1992’s “Batman Returns.” When it came time to produce 1995’s “Batman Forever,” Keaton insisted on more money than the studio was willing to pay, and the role went to Val Kilmer, and the film became the sixth highest-grossing film of the year. George Clooney became the superhero in 1997 in “Batman & Robin,” which received enough negative reviews for the studio to cancel plans for future Batman films.
• Batman returned to the big screen in 2005 for a set of three movies with Christian Bale as Batman in “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008), and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012). Ben Affleck stepped into the role in “Suicide Squad” in 2016, “Justice League” in 2017 and 2021, and 2023’s “The Flash.” Many critics maintain that Affleck is the least favorable portrayal of the superhero. Robert Pattinson of “Twilight” vampire movie fame became the Caped Crusader in 2022’s “The Batman” to excellent reviews and box office success.
• In 1957, the city of Iluha, Turkey officially changed its name to Batman. The city tried to sue Christopher Nolan, director of the “Dark Knight” trilogy, stating that the name of the city was used without informing them. Never mind that the comics had appeared 18 years before the name change. Or that it wasn’t even the superhero that the town was named after! The city was named for the nearby Batman River, a tributary of the Tigris. In the Turkish language, a “batman” is a unit of measure equal to 16.96 pounds.
• Can you name this tune? “Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na”? You’re probably already humming the theme, and saying the missing word, “BATMAN!” This catchy song was the theme song to the 1960s TV series and has been recorded by several artists, including The Who, The Kings, Jan & Dean, The Jam, and Prince.