Comic Book Brain
BOB KANE

Bob Kane

Famed creator of Batman

Born Robert Kahn, October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998

The Creation of Batman

Although Bob Kane's name appears in just about every instance of Batman's appearance with 'created by Bob Kane" somewhere nearby, it is generally agreed that original Batman writer Bill Finger helped shape the original version of the character, probably based upon a concept by Bob Kane, but using Finger's input, if not actual script-writing for the first adventure in Detective Comics #27, 1939.

Also, original Batman inker Jerry Robinson played an important role in shaping the character. Robinson is probably better known for the (disputed) role he played in creating The Joker.

"Most comic book historians have perpetuated a fallacy: they have assumed that Superman's popularity immediately inspired a flood of supehero imitations that characterized comics in the late thirties and forties. However, the truth is more complex....

The Arrow was the first costumed hero to follow Superman. He was a rather pedestrian Robin Hood type who wore an archer's outfit and fought crime with a bow and arrow. He appeared in Funny Pages #21, September, 1938.

DC's costumed follow-up to Superman, the Crimson Avenger, was not anymore inspiring than the Arrow, and debuted the same month in Detective Comics #20. He was a blatant imitation of the Green Hornet...

Lacking superpowers, union suit, and cape, neither the Arrow nor the Crimson Avenger could compete with the more spectacular Superman. Will Eisner's Wonderman, who appeared in the May, 1939, issue of Wonder Comics, the same month as Batman's debut, was the first to imitate Superman's costume and superpowers. But he was a pale copy of the original and only lasted one issue. His rapid demise was due to a lawsuit from DC, who claimed Wonderman's publisher, Victor Fox, had infringed Superman's copyright. Eisner testified in court that he was instructed to copy Superman. Fox Publications decided not to come out with a second issue - - or pay Eisner the three thousand dollars owed him... Thus, it was not all that clear to publishers, at first, how to capitalize on Superman's popularity.

It was only after the arrival of Batman in 1939 that the deluge of superheroes began. He was the first costumed superhero without superpowers and his success showed publishers that superheroes need not be pallid imitations of Superman and could be colorful characters while still remaining human and vulnerable. Before the year was out, the Sandman, Blue Beetle, Amazing Man, the Human Torch, and Submariner hit the stands and hundreds more like them would follow.

This was an amazing period to recall - - comic book publishers seemed to spring up every other day, each seeking to outdo one another...all these new characters were imitative, to some extent, of Superman and Batman."

From Batman and Me, by Bob Kane, 1989, Eclipse Books, pages 99 -100. Amazon.com


Batmen year One

Batman: Year One (Batman (1940-2011) - Amazon


More Batman on this website

Batman

All the Batmen

The Batman movie 2022 - Robert Pattinson

Adam West - Batman for All Time

All the Batmen - actors who played the Dark Knight

Batman Movie 2021

Batman 1989 - Tim Burton

Batman Begins 2005

Batman Forever 1995

Batman and Robin 1997 - The greatest superhero film of all time

Batman Family - the past and future of Batman

Batman Returns 1992 - Tim Burton II

Batman V Superman Dawn of Failure

Batman vs. Batman

Batman the Billion Dollar Hero

Bob Kane

Dark Knight Viral Marketing

Dark Knight Movie Log

Dark Knight Rises

Dark Knight DVD Sales

Detective Comics #27 - First Batman appearance

Jerry Robinson

Joker Movie Log 2019

Joker the Movie 2019

The Joker

Joker Graphic Novel by Azzarello

The Top Batman Runs

Is the Bat-suit funny looking, and Mask of the Phantasm


Original Page May 2, 2014 | Updated Feb 2015

BATMAN & ME: AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY BOB KANE TRADE PAPERBACK VG-


Batman: The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond - AMAZON

Batman Black & White 1st Appearance by Bob Kane Figure - Entertainment Earth


Some Amazon Batman Links

Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Volume 1

Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Volume 2


Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Volume 3


Jim Aparo's Complete The Phantom


Batman: A Death in the Family by George Perez, Marv Wolfman, Jim Starlin, Jim Aparo and Tom Grummett


Wrath of the Spectre - Collection by Jim Aparo


Jim Aparo - The Spectre -Adventure Comics No. 436


Original Page 2005 - Updated July 2020


Batman-modern-shirt-logo

Batman Shirt Modern Logo – Amazon


You will see Amazon links on this web site because I am an Amazon affiliate. I earn from qualifying purchases.


Dauber American Comic Books

American Comics: A History – W. W. Norton & Company, November 16, 2021, 592 pages



Love the Food that Loves You Back Book

Love The Food that Loves You Back – Amazon

Love the Food that Loves You Back: 100 Recipes That Serve Up Big Portions and Super Nutritious Food (Cookbook for Nutrition, Weight Management)


Batman and Robin Omnibus Adventures 904 Pages

Batman and Robin Omnibus Adventures 904 Pages - Amazon