Dennis O Neil Len Wein Neal Adams Frank Popular Books

Dennis O Neil Len Wein Neal Adams Frank Biography & Facts

Batman is 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, 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. 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. Though the Batman comic book was initially launched as a quarterly publication, it later became a bimonthly series through the late 1950s, after which it became a monthly publication. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, the original Batman series ended at issue #713 and was relaunched with a new first issue (cover dated November 2011). Batman (vol. 2) ran until issue #52. In 2016, DC Comics began a new relaunch of its entire line of titles called DC Rebirth, which continued continuity from the New 52. The Batman comic book was relaunched again with a new #1 issue (August 2016) and placed on a twice-monthly release schedule. The series continued through the next major relaunch by DC Comics, called Infinite Frontier, reverting to a monthly schedule with issue #106 (May 2021). Publication history The Golden Age The character of Batman made his first appearance as the lead feature of the anthology series Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. The character's popularity in Detective Comics led the publisher to launch a new title entirely dedicated to stories about Batman – a step they had only taken previously once before, with the Superman series. Batman began publication in the spring of 1940, with stories written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane, though Finger went uncredited for years thereafter. The first issue was published on April 24, 1940, containing four original stories introducing new characters who would become notable recurring villains of Batman's rogues gallery: two stories with the Joker, one with Hugo Strange and one with Catwoman. The series was published quarterly until issue #5 (Spring 1941), and bimonthly afterwards. Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family butler, was introduced in issue #16 (April–May 1943). Editor Whitney Ellsworth assigned a Batman story to artist Dick Sprang in 1941. Anticipating that Bob Kane would be drafted to serve in World War II, DC inventoried Sprang's work to safeguard against delays. 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). 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. Like all Batman artists of the time, Sprang went uncredited as a ghost artist for Kane. After issue #21 (Feb.-March 1944) the number of Batman stories per issue was reduced from four to three. Instead, a four-page backup feature The Adventures of Alfred began in issue #22 (April–May 1944) showing Alfred's comedic attempts to become a detective. The Adventures of Alfred ran in the pages of Batman until issue #36 (Aug.-Sept. 1946). Villains which debuted during this early era included the Mad Hatter in issue #49 (Oct.-Nov. 1948) and Killer Moth in issue #63 (Feb.-March 1951). 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. Bill Finger and Moldoff introduced Ace the Bat-Hound in #92 (June 1955). The Silver Age 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. New characters introduced included Mr. Freeze and Betty Kane, the original Bat-Girl. 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). Schwartz's first issue of the Batman title was #164 (June 1964) which was written by France Edward Herron and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff. The Riddler returned after an 18-year absence in #171 (May 1965). Among the new villains introduced during this period was Poison Ivy in #181 (June 1966). 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. The Bronze Age In 1970, Dennis O'Neil began writing stories for both Detective Comics and Batman, By issue #232 (June 1971) O'Neil had become the main writer on the Batman title, frequently collaborating with artist Neal Adams. O'Neil's early run as writer mainly featured original characters as villains; in issue #232 O'Neil and Adams introduced a new villain who would become a significant recurring antagonist, the mysterious immortal eco-terrorist Ra's al Ghul. Batman #237 (December 1971) featured a metafictional story by O'Neil and Adams which featured several comics creators appearing in the story and interacting with Batman and Robin at the Rutland Halloween Parade in Rutland, Vermont. In issue #251 (September 1973) O'Neil and Adams also revitalized the Joker by bringing him back to his roots as a homicidal maniac who murders people on a whim. Issues #254-261 (Jan.–Feb. 1974-March–April 1975) of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format, published bimonthly with several reprints of older stories included as backup features. O'Neil's run as the main writer on Batman concluded in 1975 with issue #268 (October 1975), although he would return to the title to write one-off issues several times afterwards. The Robin backup feature, starring Dick Grayson as a student at Hudson University, was shifted from Detective Comics to Batman as of issue #227. Mike Friedrich remained the writer on the backup feature until issue #242; beginning with issue #244, the backup was written by Elliot S. Maggin until it was discontinued after issue #254. O'Neil was followed as the main writer on Batman by David Vern Reed, who had previously written.... Discover the Dennis O Neil Len Wein Neal Adams Frank popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Dennis O Neil Len Wein Neal Adams Frank books.