Name:  Bruce Wayne
Base of Operations: Gotham City
Profession: Millionaire Playboy
First Appearance: Detective Comics #27, May 1939

Origin: It was late one night in Gotham City when millionaire Thomas Wayne, his wife, and his son Bruce were walking home from a movie. Suddenly from the darkness a mugger emerged to snatch at Mrs. Wayne's necklace. Thomas interfered in the mugger's attempt at theft, only to be shot. The mugger then shot Mrs. Wayne as well. He then fled the scene of the crime. So great was the trauma of seeing his parents murdered that young Bruce would never forget the mugger's face.

Bruce Wayne took a vow that he would avenge his parents' deaths. To that end he prepared himself for a life of fighting crime. At last came the time that Bruce decided to put his vow into action. He sat in his study and thought aloud to himself,  "Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot, so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts! I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible...a...a..." At that very moment a large bat flew into the window of Bruce's study. Watching the creature of the night fly in, Bruce said to himself, "A bat! That's it! It's an omen...I shall become a BAT!"  Bruce Wayne then developed a costume which resembled that of a bat, becoming the mystery man known as The Batman (Bruce's quotes are taken from the origin of Batman from Detective Comics #33, November 1939).

A few years later Batman was on the trail of Boss Zucco, a crime lord who was operating a protection racket. As Bruce Wayne, he attended the performance of the Haly Circus, a small circus whose owners had refused to pay Zucco protection money. The star attractions of the Haly Circus were the Flying Graysons--John, Mary, and their son Dick. In reprisal for the circus's refusal to pay the protection money, Zucco had the Graysons murdered in the middle of a performance. A grief stricken Dick Grayson raged against Zucco, reminding Wayne of both the grief and the rage he felt at his own parents' murder. Batman made contact with Dick and then helped the boy bring Zucco to justice. Dick Grayson then became Bruce Wayne's ward and Batman's sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder.

For several years the Dynamic Duo fought crime, including some of the most dangerous supervillains in the world (The Joker, Two-Face, Catwoman, to name a few). Batman became an honourary member of the Justice Society of America. All this time the identity of the man who killed his parents remained unknown to him. It was years later that Batman ran onto a hoodlum known as Joe Chill and recognised him as the man who had murdered his parents. Batman tracked Chill down and then unmasked before the criminal to reveal that he was Bruce Wayne. He told Chill that he had become The Batman because of his parents' murder. Terrified, Chill fled to his hideout where his gang was staying. There Chill told his gang that he what had happened and that he was responsible for Batman becoming a crime fighter. In a fit of anger his gang, nearly all of whom had been sent to gaol by the Caped Crusader, drew their guns and shot Chill dead. It was then that they realised that they had forgotten to ask Chill for Batman's secret identity.

Powers:  It has often been pointed out that unlike Superman, Batman has no superpowers; however, he more than makes up for this in his incredible intelligence, extensive training, and equally extensive resources. He is quite possibly the world's greatest detective and possesses a working knowledge of several sciences. He is a skilled martial artist, possibly one of the deadliest men in the world with regards to hand to hand combat. He has access to several gadgets and uses many on a regular basis in his fight against crime, among them the Batrope, the Batarang, and a utility belt filled with such handy tools as minitiaturised blow torches and flashlights. He also owns several vehicles, such as the Batmobile, the Batplane, and the Batgyro; all of Batman's vehicles are far more advanced than the average production model. Batman houses his gadgets, costumes, and vehicles in the Batcave, located below Wayne Manor and accessible through a hidden door behind a grandfather clock.

History: It can not be said with any certainty why Bob Kane decided to create a superhero. One story is that National Periodical Publications editor Vince Sullivan simply asked Kane, "Why don't you create a superhero?" Another story is that Kane noticed the money that Superman was making. Regardless,  Kane drew upon three sources for inspiration in creating this new character. The first was The Mark of Zorro, the classic silent movie with Douglas Fairbanks Sr. During the day he was Don Diego, an effete and foppish nobleman; by night he became El Zorro, an avenging angel with a flaming sword. Kane decided that, like Zorro, his hero would be a millionaire playboy by day and an avenger of wrongs by night. Zorro's secret hideout (a cave) also provided the inspiration for the Batcave and his black stallion the inspiration for the Batmobile.

The second source of inspiration was the work of Leonardo Da Vinci. Kane remembered a picture of Da Vinci's flying machine from a book on the great inventor and artist--it had huge, bat-like wings. According to Kane,  Da Vinci had said, "Your bird will have no model but that of a bat" or something similar. Like Da Vinci's flying machine, Batman's earliest costumes had a pair of bat wings attached to them.

Finally, Kane recalled a silent film called The Bat, which featured a master criminal by that name. A searchlight with a bat shape in the middle was used in the movie to signal The Bat, much like the Batsignal would later be used to signal Batman. Kane had always feared bats, although he was also fascinated by them. He figured that Batman's costume would frighten criminals to death.

Bob Kane immediately contacted writer Bill Finger so that the two of them could work on Kane's new creation. Kane showed Finger a sketch of Batman, in which the character wore a bright red costume with a domino and bat wings attached to his back. Finger thought that Batman looked too much like Superman, so he looked up the word bat in the Webster's Dictionary. Looking at the picture in the dictionary, Finger suggested that Kane duplicate the ears of the bat. Finger also suggested  that he give Batman a cowl, complete with a nose piece, which showed no eyes at all. He felt that this would make the character more mysterious. Finger also advised Kane to provide Batman with a set of gloves, so that the character would leave no fingerprints. Batman's costume was given darker colours which would be much more fitting for a creature of the night.

Finger also named Kane's millionaire playboy, Batman's alter ego, "Bruce Wayne." He also named Wayne's hometown: Gotham City. Bill Finger also created Commisioner Gordon, the only member of the supporting cast who appeared in the comic strip from the very beginning. Later he would also create Robin the Boy Wonder and Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred. Finger conceived Batman as a combination of Douglas Fairbanks, Sherlock Holmes, The Shadow, and Doc Savage.

Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27, May 1939 in a story written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane. The earliest Batman stories portrayed the character as being absolutely brutal towards criminals; in the very earliest stories he even carried a gun! In this respect Batman followed the grand tradition of such pulp heroes as The Shadow and The Spider, who often dispensed justice with little regard for the law.

Batman proved to be a huge success. He was soon the lead feature in Detective Comics and was featured regularly on the covers. Despite this, Batman's creators were not adverse to making changes to the comic strip. Kane thought that Batman should have someone to whom he could talk while battling evil. This character should also be young, so that the readers could identify with him. After going through several names, Kane and Finger settled on Robin, in part inspired by the Robin Hood legend (although, reportedly, the name may have also been inspired by youthful artist and creator of The Joker, Jerry Robinson).  Jerry Liebowitz, co-owner (with Harry Donenfield) of National Periodical Publications, disliked Robin, although he decided to give the character a one issue try out. Robin debuted in Detective Comics #38, April 1940. The sales for that issue nearly doubled and Robin became Batman's sidekick permanently.

Robin's presence lightened the over all tone of the comic strip. Batman was no longer as brutal on criminals as he had been when he was working alone, despite the fact that the criminals had grown no less vicious. Robin also brought a sense of humour to the comic strip, often jesting in the most dire of circumstances.

It was about the same time that Robin made his debut that Batman received his own title. Batman #1, spring 1940, introduced two of Batman's most enduring foes, The Joker and The Catwoman. Over the next several years Batman's rogue's gallery would grow larger still, with the introductions of Clayface (Detective Comics, # 40, June 1940), The Scarecrow (World's Finest #3, fall 1941), The Penguin (Detective Comics #58, December 1941), and Two-Face (Detective Comics #66, August 1942). Arguably the greatest rogue's gallery of any superhero, there can be but little doubt that the villains featured in Batman only added to the comic strip's success.

Batman's supporting cast also grew during the Golden Age. In Batman #16, April-May 1943, butler Alfred Beagle appeared on Bruce Wayne's doorstep. His father had worked for Thomas Wayne and it was apparently his death bed wish that Alfred work for his son. As Alfred was not to be dissuaded, Bruce hired him as the butler of Wayne Manor. It was not long before Alfred figured out that Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were Batman and Robin.

Batman was second only to Superman as the most popular character published by National Periodical Publications. Throughout the Golden Age, Batman appeared in three different magazines (Detective Comics, Batman, and World's Finest). Robin would have a solo series in Star Spangled Comics in the later part of the Golden Age; still later Batman would have a series there.  An honourary member of the Justice Society of America, Batman would make a cameo in All-Star Comics #7, October-November 1941 and would appear with the rest of the JSA in the Hop Harrigan text story in All-Star Comics #8, December 1941-January 1942. Batman and Superman would each have their own chapters when they filled in for Johnny Thunder and The Atom in All-Star Comics #36, August-September 1947. It was in All-Star Comics that Batman and Superman first appeared together, pre-dating both the team-ups on The Adventures of Superman radio show (which started in 1945) and in Superman #76, May-June 1953 (they would become a permanent team in World's Finest Comics the following year).

As one of the most popular superheroes of the Golden Age, Batman naturally expanded into other media. In 1943 a daily Batman newspaper strip began; it would run until 1946. That same year marked the debut of The Batman, a 15 chapter serial produced by Columbia Pictures. Although made on a shoestring budget and not particularly good, The Batman is historic in being the first live action film based on a National Periodical Publications superhero. It would be followed by a sequel in 1949, The Adventures of Batman and Robin. A pilot for a Batman radio show was made, although it failed to sell, yet the Caped Crusader made it onto radio anyhow. In 1945 Batman and Robin made their first of many guest appearances on The Adventures of Superman radio show.

Over the years Batman gradually drifted away from the original concept of a terrible creature of the night who literally frightens criminals to death. This slow process had begun with the introduction of Robin. Initially Robin brought a lighter tone to the comic strip. Over time the Boy Wonder's presence transformed Batman into more of a father figure or big brother figure. To a degree Batman began to more resemble Superman. In Batman #49, October-November 1948, a new love interest was introduced for Bruce Wayne in the form of Vicki Vale, a nosy reporter very much in the Lois Lane mould. Batman's various gadgets and vehicles played a greater role in the comic strip. Star Spangled Comics #89, February 1949, featured a piece on "Batman's Utility Belt." Detective Comics #151, October 1949 introduced the "Batmobile of 1950!" Batman #61, October-November 1949  marked the debut of  a new Batplane.  It was during this period that the Batman comic strip would make its first excursions into pseudo-science fiction. "Batman, Interplanetary Policeman!" appeared in Batman #41, June-July 1947. Batman #78, August-September 1953 featured Roh Kar, the Manhunter from Mars--a prototype for J'onn J'ozz of JLA fame, who would make his debut in Detective Comics two years later.

During this period (approximately 1947 to 1954), however, the Batman comic strip had not totally strayed from its roots. Batman and Robin still operated primarily at night. They still fought the villains of their rouge's gallery on a regular basis. And there was still a good deal of mayhem to be found in Batman comic books; even if Batman had long ago given up brutality, many of his opponents had not. Nearly all of this would change after 1954, not because of a new creative team or the editors at National Periodical Publications, but because of one psychiatrist.

Dr. Frederic Wertham began his campaign against comic books in the late Forties. Already well known for his views that comic books had a deleterious effect on the nation's youth, in 1954 he published a book outlining these views called Seduction of the Innocent. There Wertham presented his view that there is "...a subtle atmosphere of homoeroticism....¹" pervading Batman and Robin's adventures. Why did Dr. Wertham believe that there was a homoerotic element inherent in Batman comics?

First, Batman and Robin were clearly very close. Wertham notes that sometimes Batman is injured and Robin is shown sitting in bed next to him. He also notes that Robin sometimes expresses concern for his partner and that sometimes they are shown on a couch sitting side by side.  Apparently Wertham either believed that heterosexual men were incapable of being concerned about each other or at least incapable of expressing that concern. He also apparently believed that heterosexual men were either incapable of having affection for each other or expressing affection towards each other. In other words, Wertham apparently based a portion of his thesis on a narrow (and today, outdated) definition of what it is to be a heterosexual male.

Second, Wertham apparently found the fact that Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson live together as single males suspicious. He notes that they live in a sumptuous manor, complete with flowers and a butler named Alfred. He also notes that Bruce sometimes wears a dressing gown. Apparently Dr. Wertham does not believe that heterosexual men would willingly live in the same house, especially when that house is as exquisitely decorated as Wayne Manor. Again Dr. Wertham is apparently relying on stereotypes for his "evidence;" in this case he would appear to be implying that only a homosexual would willingly live with another single male and that only a homosexual would live in a lavish mansion.

Third, Wertham expressed the view that there were no decent, attractive, successful women in Batman comics. He mentions The Catwoman (whom he refers to as "vicious") as a typical female character in the comic strip. He claims that any attractive woman in the Batman series is undoubtedly a villain. Anyone familiar with the Batman comics of the era can not help but realise that Dr. Wertham was simply exaggerating in this case. First, The Catwoman was hardly typical of female characters in Batman at this or any other time and at no time in Batman comics has every single attractive female character turned out to be a villain. In fact, it was very rare, if ever,  that Batman faced a female opponent other than The Catwoman. Second, Dr. Wertham failed to mention Vicki Vale, a decent, attractive, successful, female reporter and Batman's love interest at the time. It is hard to understand how Dr. Wertham could not have known of her existence, as she appeared regularly in Batman comic books of the era. One suspects that he either made a very cursory examination of Batman comic books or that he did not mention Vicki Vale for a reason (perhaps he did not believe she was decent, attractive, or successful). Third, although Dr. Wertham does not say it, one gets the impression that he believes that homosexuals must distrust and perhaps even hate women. Once more Dr. Wertham would appear to be relying on stereotypes for "evidence."

Clearly Dr. Wertham's "evidence" for a homoerotic element in Batman comics was lacking. Indeed, his perception of Batman and Robin as homosexuals was apparently based more in his own homophobia than it was any actual evidence to be found in the comics of the time. Of course, Wertham did not simply attack Batman for the homosexual undercurrent which he perceived to be inherent in the comic strip, but also for violence. He refers to a scene where Batman and Robin are standing in a room with a row of corpses on the floor.

Even though Wertham's accusations of homosexuality appear to have been unfounded, they would have a long term effect on the adventures of the Dynamic Duo. After the publication of Seduction of the Innocent, The Catwoman made one last appearance in Detective Comics #211, September 1954. She would not appear again until the Batman TV show revived her in the Silver Age. Two new female characters, presumably ones who were decent, attractive, and successful, were eventually introduced into Batman comics. The first was Batwoman, who debuted  in Batman #105, 1957 January. Batwoman was Kathy Kane,  a former circus performer who came into an inheritance. She eventually grew bored and, inspired by Batman,  decided to become a superhero. The second was Bat-Girl, who first appeared in Batman  #139, April-May 1961. Bat-Girl was Kathy's niece Betty who, after discovering her aunt was Batwoman, decided to become a superheroine as well. When Julius Schwartz initiated the "New Look" for Batman in 1964, he killed Alfred off and replaced him with Dick's Aunt Harriet to allay any suspicions of a homoerotic romance between Bruce and Dick (when Alfred was revived for the TV show, Schwartz was forced to revive him for the comics as well).

As  damaging as Wertham's accusations of a homoerotic undercurrent in Batman were, however, the Comics Code Authority which was created as a result of Wertham's crusade against comic books may well have done even more damage to Batman. To a small degree Dr. Wertham was right when he characterised Batman stories as violent, even if they were tame compared to many of the crime comics of the day (or the comics of this day, for that matter). Batman and Robin regularly faced hired killers, kidnappers, gangsters, and  a rouge's gallery composed of some rather vicious supervillains. Indeed, an  immediate casualty of the Comics Code may have been the villain Two-Face, who appeared for one last time (in Batman #81, January-February 1954) before disappearing from the pages of Batman for nearly twenty years. Article 3 of the General Standards Part B of the Comics Code as originally adopted stated, "All lurid, unsavoury, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated." As one half of Two-Face's face had been horribly marred by acid, it would appear that any accurate portrayal of the villain as originally conceived would be prohibited by the Comics Code. At any rate, it is perhaps significant that Two-Face does not appear in Batman comic books again until after the Comics Code had been revised in 1970-1971.

In the wake of the Comics Code Batman stories changed dramatically. The pseudo-science fiction stories which had been introduced in the late Forties and early Fifties began to proliferate in the pages of both Batman and Detective Comics. Batman battled aliens, travelled to other planets, and travelled through time. The new villains introduced during this period tended to be science fiction oriented:  Mr. Zero (later renamed "Mr. Freeze"), a new Clayface (this one capable of changing shape), and Dr. Double X. Stories tended to be gimmick oriented, with titles such as "Captives of the Alien Zoo!" and "Batman and Robin - Mummy Crime Fighters!" Except for The Joker, Batman's Golden Age rogue's gallery gradually fell out of use. The Penguin would make his last appearance for seven years in Batman 99, March-April 1956.

To a large degree Batman was remade in the Superman mould, only without the superpowers. Just as there were several characters spun off from Superman (Supergirl, Superboy, and so on), so too were several characters spun off  from Batman. While Superman had Krypto the Superdog, Batman had  Ace the Bathound (who first appeared in Batman #92, June 1955). As mentioned above, Batwoman and Bat-Girl were introduced into the comic strip in 1957 and 1961 respectively. Eventually the Batman comic strip would even have its own Mr. Mxyztplk imitation in the form of Bat-Mite, who first appeared in Detective Comics #267, May 1959. While Mr. Mxyztplk was an imp who often tormented Superman, so too was Bat-Mite an imp who often proved to be a minor irritant to Batman.

Throughout this period the sales of Batman comic books fell lower and lower. At last, Julius Schwartz decided that Batman needed to be revamped and introduced the "New Look" with Detective Comics #327, May 1964 and Batman #164, May 1964 (the twenty fifth anniversary of the character). Batman was given a new look, with a yellow oval encircling a bat shape replacing the old bat symbol on his costume's chest, as well as a new Batmobile. The emphasis in Batman stories would now be upon the Caped Crusader's detective abilities and once more the Dynamic Duo would work primarily at night. For the time being, Batman had been returned to something of his old glory.

Considering the drastic changes wrought upon the series after 1954, it is perhaps best to consider the Golden Age Batman to have ended that year. Indeed, the Batman comics from 1955 to 1964 can only be considered an era all their own, an era when The Batman ceased to be the Dark Knight and became something else entirely.

^1. Seduction of the Innocent, p. 189 (London edition, 1955)

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