It’s hard to believe that the Caped Crusader turns 75 today. Batman was initially created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, although Bill Finger was not credited with Batman’s creation until recently. The first time the world met Batman was on March 30, 1939 in the issue of Detective Comics (see below), and his first full issue was released in May later that year, Issue #27, which is currently worth over a million dollars.
The following year, Batman received his own comics title and only expanded from there. Today, 75 years after his first appearance, he is still one of the most influential and most popular Superheroes.
What makes Batman so special? Batman, whose real identity is Bruce Wayne, is a crime fighting vigilante, who also does a some detective work to help Gotham police (e.g. Commissioner Gordon) solve crimes and bring criminals to justice. What makes him different from other superheroes, is that Batman is human, does not possess any special superpowers, and is driven by his morals to protect the people of his city.
Batman’s origin story didn’t come out until later and tells a tale of a young boy who watched his parents brutally murdered right in front of him. In trying to heal from this terrible tragedy, Bruce sets out to train himself to become the very hero that the city of Gotham needed. Hi essentially continues his father’s mission of trying to make Gotham a safer place, only he does so by taking matters into his own hands. Whenever there’s injustice, whenever there are thugs beating up on an innocent citizen or trying to rob or rape someone, he will be there.
The Caped Crusader uses his own training, skills, and tools to fight crime and to solve mysteries. He does not work alone, his sidekick, Robin, is often seen assisting him, and his trusted assistant and butler, Alfred, often not only fixes Bruce’s wounds, but also runs DNA analyses and informs him of any relevant information.
The main reason that Batman is still the celebrated hero that he is today is because he brings hope when there is none. He is a symbol that even out of the worst possible tragedies, there can be hope for a brighter future. He shows that it only takes one man, not an alien from another planet with super-strength and flying abilities, not someone who was bitten by a radioactive spider and now possesses incredible abilities, but a regular human. He shows us that all it really takes is determination and sticking to our values to make a big difference. And while Gotham was taken over by numerous villains, subjected to unthinkable horrors, what the citizens of Gotham had was hope, and this hope kept them going.
Even though he is a comic book character, Batman continues to instill hope in others 75 years later. For example, children with leukemia, who connect with Batman often report having the courage to fight “like Batman” and those who use Batman as a role-model have often been found to make healthier choices in life. Wherever we come from, no matter our back story, we could all use a hero such as Batman to remind us that even in the darkness, there can be light, and that if we follow what’s truly meaningful to us, we too can make a difference.
