Batman Issue 251

[Natalí Stibb]

Batmanis an ongoing American comic book series featuring the DC Comics superhero Batman as its main protagonist. The character, created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane,[2] first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (cover dated May 1939). Batman proved to be so popular that a self-titled ongoing comic book series began publication with a cover date of spring 1940.[3][4] It was first advertised in early April 1940, one month after the first appearance of his new sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder. Batman comics have proven to be popular since the 1940s.

Editor Whitney Ellsworth assigned a Batman story to artist Dick Sprang in 1941.[8] Anticipating that Bob Kane would be drafted to serve in World War II, DC inventoried Sprang's work to safeguard against delays.[8] Sprang's first published Batman work was the Batman and Robin figures on the cover of Batman #18 (Aug.-Sept. 1943), reproduced from the art for page 13 of the later-published Detective Comics #84 (Feb. 1944).[9] Sprang's first original published Batman work, and first interior-story work, appeared in Batman #19 (Oct.-Nov. 1943), for which he drew the cover and the first three Batman stories, and penciled the fourth Batman story, inked by Norm Fallon.[10] Like all Batman artists of the time, Sprang went uncredited as a ghost artist for Kane.

Villains which debuted during this early era included the Mad Hatter in issue #49 (Oct.-Nov. 1948)[11] and Killer Moth in issue #63 (Feb.-March 1951).[12] In 1953, Sheldon Moldoff became another one of the primary Batman ghost artists who, along with Win Mortimer and Dick Sprang, drew stories credited to Bob Kane, following Kane's style and under Kane's supervision.[13] Bill Finger and Moldoff introduced Ace the Bat-Hound in #92 (June 1955).[14]

The early part of the era known to comics fans and historians as the Silver Age of Comic Books saw the Batman title dabble in science fiction.[15] New characters introduced included Mr. Freeze[16] and Betty Kane, the original Bat-Girl.[17]

In 1964, Julius Schwartz was made responsible for reviving the faded Batman titles. He jettisoned the sillier aspects that had crept into the series such as Ace the Bat-Hound and Bat-Mite and gave the character a "New Look" that premiered in Detective Comics #327 (May 1964).[18][19] Schwartz's first issue of the Batman title was #164 (June 1964)[20] which was written by France Edward Herron and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff.[21] The Riddler returned after an 18-year absence in #171 (May 1965).[22] Among the new villains introduced during this period was Poison Ivy in #181 (June 1966).[23] In the 1960s, Batman comics were affected by the popular Batman television series, with campy stories based on the tongue-in-cheek premise of the series.

Frank Robbins and Irv Novick became the comic's new writer and artist respectively with issue #204 (August 1968), and began shifting the tone of the series in a more serious direction. In issue #217 (December 1969), after the Batman television program's influence had died down, the character of Dick Grayson was written out of the main stories and sent off to attend college; Bruce Wayne and Alfred also moved out of Wayne Manor into a penthouse in Wayne Tower in the heart of Gotham City.[24]

O'Neil was followed as the main writer on Batman by David Vern Reed, who had previously written for the series in the early 1950s. The series reached its 300th issue with a June 1978 cover date and featured a story by writer David Vern Reed and artists Walt Simonson and Dick Giordano.[31][32]

Writer Doug Moench began his run on the title with issue #360,[38][39] continuing the series' permanent crossover with Detective Comics. Jason Todd would assume the costumed identity of Robin in issue #368 (February 1984).[40][41] Moench and artist Tom Mandrake created the character of Black Mask in Batman #386 (August 1985).[42] Moench's longtime collaborator, artist Paul Gulacy made his DC Comics debut with a two-part story in issues #393-394.[43][44] The title reached its 400th issue in October 1986 and featured work by several popular comics artists and included an introduction by novelist Stephen King.[32][45]

Following Year One, writer Max Allan Collins and artist Chris Warner wrote a four-issue flashback story depicting a new origin for Jason Todd.[49] The character was reinvented as an orphan from Crime Alley whom Batman first encountered trying to steal the Batmobile's tires, and was also given a more ruthless streak towards the more violent villains.

Marv Wolfman returned as writer on Batman with issue #436 (Early August 1989), initially with Pat Broderick as penciller and John Beatty as inker. Their first story arc, "Batman: Year Three", interwove flashbacks of a retelling of Dick Grayson's origin story. The flashbacks in the first issue also featured the first appearance of Tim Drake, who would ultimately become the third Robin, as "a very young child"[51] who witnesses the murder of Dick Grayson's parents.[52] The next story arc, "A Lonely Place of Dying", was a crossover with The New Titans, co-plotted by George Prez: it re-introduced Tim Drake as a thirteen-year-old. The character revealed how, as a nine-year-old and years after the Grayson murders, he had recognized Robin as Dick Grayson. He subsequently deduced Batman's identity as well.[53] Despite first donning the Robin costume in issue #442,[54] Tim Drake did not become the new Robin immediately, with the remainder of Wolfman's run including the character only in subplots showing his training in criminal investigation, such as in "Crimesmith"[55] and "The Penguin Affair".[56]

Norm Breyfogle became a cover artist for the main Batman title with issue #450, in "The Return of the Joker" storyline, a sequel to "A Death in the Family". Writer Alan Grant transferred from Detective Comics to the main Batman title with issue #455 (October 1990). Their first story arc together, with Breyfogle as both cover and interior artist, was "Identity Crisis".[59] The story followed directly from their final arc on Detective Comics, "Rite of Passage."[60] The three-issue "Identity Crisis" culminated in Tim Drake officially becoming the new Robin, with a redesigned costume, in issue #457 (December 1990). Breyfogle later pointed out that "Neal Adams was the one who designed the costume. The 'R' symbol and the staff were all that was really mine."[61][62] Tim Drake then starred in the five-issue miniseries Robin[63] before returning in Batman #465 (Late July 1991) for the story "Debut", depicting the new Batman and Robin team's first official mission together. Grant left the main Batman title with issue #480 (Late June 1992) for his own ongoing Batman title, Batman: Shadow of the Bat, where he was again initially partnered with Breyfogle.

Doug Moench returned as writer of the main Batman title with issue #481 (Early July 1992). Together with Chuck Dixon, writer of Detective Comics, Moench was a mastermind of the Knightfall crossover story arc which saw Batman's back being broken by the super-strong villain Bane.[64] A new character, Jean-Paul Valley, officially takes up the Batman mantle in Bruce Wayne's absence and defeats Bane in issue #500 (October 1993). Valley is driven mad with power, and Wayne forcefully reclaims the mantle of Batman after his recovery.[65] Jean-Paul Valley was subsequently spun off into his own ongoing series, Azrael, written by Dennis O'Neil. Following a tie-in[66] to the event miniseries Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, a special issue #0 was published[67] featuring flashbacks to important events across Bruce Wayne's lifetime. The series was then included in the crossover story Prodigal, in which Dick Grayson temporarily fills the role of Batman for the first time.

The Batman titles in 1999 were dominated by the large crossover story arc "No Man's Land", which sees Gotham City ravaged by a large earthquake, leading to the U.S. government's order to evacuate the city and abandoning and isolating those who chose to remain behind.[69] The main Batman comic was put in perpetual crossover with Detective Comics, Legends of the Dark Knight and Shadow of the Bat, with stories by multiple writers running through all four books. Greg Rucka, one of the writers of the crossover, adapted the story into a prose novel published in 2000.[70]

After the conclusion to "No Man's Land", the Batman title was handled for seven issues by writer Larry Hama and artist Scott McDaniel. At issue #582, Ed Brubaker became the writer of the series[71] and kept a trend of gritty crime drama that included more grounded villains such as the Penguin, Brubaker's new villain Zeiss, and Deadshot.[72] Brubaker's run received a short interruption by the crossover story Officer Down,[73] in which Commissioner Gordon is shot in the line of duty and ultimately retires from the Gotham police force, followed by a three-issue story arc[74] by writer Brian K. Vaughan. Brubaker and Rucka masterminded the crossover story Bruce Wayne: Murderer? in which Bruce Wayne is framed for the murder of his girlfriend and is jailed. Issue #600[75] retitles the crossover story to Bruce Wayne: Fugitive as Batman escapes jail and temporarily abandons his Bruce Wayne identity altogether. The milestone issue featured three backup stories, presented as lost issues never before published from iconic eras in Batman's history: one presented in the style of Dick Sprang,[76] one in homage to artists of the 1960s such as Gil Kane and Carmine Infantino,[77] and one comedic story pencilled by Sergio Aragons and written by stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt in his comic writing debut.[78] After the conclusion of Bruce Wayne: Fugitive, Brubaker closed his run with two issues co-written with Geoff Johns.[79][80]

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