10 Biggest Milestones That Defined Batman History

Batman wasn’t the first superhero, but he’s become the most popular. Go to any comic shop around and just looking at the plethora of Batman books, which people complain about while buying, is enough to prove how popular he’s become. “Icon” doesn’t even feel like it actually describes him very well; he’s something beyond that. The Dark Knight has been around since 1939, 87 years of history that has given readers some of the best — and wildest — stories ever. Some of the most popular heroes and villains have gotten their start in the Caped Crusader’s comics, and all of the best creators you can name have worked on the character at least once.

Over the years, Batman has had one of the most interesting existences in comics. There are monumental stories starring the character and he’s passed many amazing milestones. These ten Batman milestones are the biggest of his history, putting him on the road to superstardom that he’s on right now.

10) Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke has a complicated legacy, but it’s impossible to deny the book’s importance to Batman. First, it was the book where Barbara Gordon was paralyzed by the Joker, ending her career as Batgirl and putting her on the road to Oracle, which would make her more important and popular than ever. The other major development in the book was the Joker’s possible origin. Over the years, we’ve gotten numerous nods to this origin and it changed the way fans see the Clown Prince of Crime in the years after it released. Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s classic is still talked about today, so it did something right.

9) The “Death” of Bruce Wayne

Final Crisis is an amazing event comic that fans either love or hate. The story saw the heroes of the DC Universe battling against Darkseid, who had found the Anti-Life Equation. The lord of Apokolips was able to capture Batman early, but he escaped and used a radion bullet, which had been found at the murder scene of Orion, to shoot the villain. He was repaid with the Omega Sanction in Final Crisis #6, by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones. Morrison was also writing Batman at the time, and the “death” of Batman (he was actually thrown through time) played a huge role in their story. Dick Grayson replaced Bruce as Batman and trained Damian Wayne, leading to a new kind of Dynamic Duo. This moment was huge and it led to some killer Batman stories.

8) The New 52

The New 52 is a contentious era in DC history, but anyone who says it was a bad time for Batman wasn’t actually paying attention. We got the Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo Batman (Vol. 2 run), the Peter Tomasi/Patrick Gleason run on Batman and Robin (Vol. 2), Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s Batman Incorporated (Vol. 2), and Batman event comics like Batman: Eternal. All of that is before we even get to all of the miniseries and the numerous ancillary Bat-characters that had books. It was an amazing time for the Dark Knight, with numerous best of all time stories coming out during this era. It wasn’t exactly peak Batman, but it was very, very close.

7) “Year One”

Crisis on Infinite Earths led to a new DC Universe and that meant that all new origins for nearly every major DC hero, including Batman. 1986 would see Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli team together for “Year One”, an all new view of the Dark Knight’s origin. Miller brought the hard-boiled noir style he had mastered on Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns to the book, and captured the seedy, corrupt underbelly of Gotham City. Mazzucchelli’s art is sensational. Miller’s story never would have worked the same if any other artist drew it. This is an amazing origin story, and defined Batman forever after.

6) “Knightfall”

The early ’90s saw DC find huge success with “Death of Superman”, getting rid of the version of the Man of Steel that fans grew up with by throwing him at a musclebound enemy and then “replacing” him before eventually bringing him back to save the day. The publisher decided to bring that same energy to Batman and we got “Knightfall”. This story saw Bane come to Gotham City to destroy the Dark Knight, breaking open Arkham Asylum and forcing the hero to run himself ragged before the two of them faced off. Bruce Wayne’s back was broke in the fight, “ending” his tenure as the Caped Crusader. He was replaced by Azrael and it led to a story that was about what Batman is and what the hero should be.

5) The Death of Jason Todd

“Death in the Family” is a big moment in the history of comics. Jason Todd is a character with an interesting legacy; he was introduced as a Dick Grayson clone as Robin and fans never really lightened up to him. DC decided to give readers the choice over whether to kill the young hero, and fans voted for his death. This led Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo to killing off the second Robin in a story that has become infamous among fans. This event changed Batman in the years to come. The death of his sidekick, even after Jason returned to life, was a major black mark on the Dark Knight’s life, motivating him to become even harder and colder than ever. It’s a major moment that has repercussions that are still felt to this day.

4) First Superman Team-Up

Superman and Batman were the first two major superheroes and met each other numerous times in the Golden Age. However, none of those are considered true team-ups (I don’t know why, that’s just the way it is). The two of them would have their first official team up in Superman (Vol. 1) #76 in 1952. This story followed Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne on the same boat, having to work together in their costumed and non-costumed lives to save the day, with them eventually revealing their identities to each other. Since then, DC continuity has been rebooted several times, and this issue’s story is usually the one that is modernized to show their first adventure (although not always; post-Crisis went in a different direction. This is a classic, and it led to one of the most important relationships in Batman’s history.

3) First Appearance of Robin

Robin has become one of the most important aspects of the Batman mythos, and it all began in 1940’s Detective Comics #38. Dick Grayson has become one of the most well-known characters in the history of the comic industry and has grown into a legend in his own right. Robin gave the kids reading the comics someone they could pretend to be and added fun to a character that honestly wasn’t very fun until that point. There have been numerous Robins since the first, an 86-year legacy that made Batman a better character.

2) The Dark Knight Returns

The Dark Knight Returns is a legendary story. This alternate future Batman yarn from writer/artist Frank Miller is credited with being a part of the maturation of the comic medium, along with Watchmen and Maus. This story changed the way the public looked at Batman; the ’80s were a time when the 1966 Batman TV show and SuperFriends defined what the Dark Knight was to fans. This comic changed all of that, bringing darkness back to the character and creating a story that would resonate throughout the decade. It’s a favorite of many fans and had an undeniable impact on both Batman and the comic industry.

1) The O’Neil/Adams Batman Run

The ’50s and ’60s saw Batman become a less dark character, and it was all capped off by the 1966 Batman show. The comics followed the show’s lead and readers got kiddie Batman until 1970’s Detective Comics #395, from Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. The two of them brought a darker feel to the character, and it started a revolution whose effects are still felt to this day. The team introduced readers to Ra’s al Ghul and Talia, gave them one of the best Joker stories ever in “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge”, and numerous other classics. They are true Batman pioneers and their darker take on the character has paid dividends over the decades.

What’s your favorite Batman milestone? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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