75 years of Batman: My favorite bat-things

It’s official: Batman can be old enough to be a grandpa! But like good wine, he and his universe have aged exquisitely.

Batman has been a constant figure in popular culture for more than seven decades. It all started with his first appearance in the comic book Detective Comics #27, released on March 30, 1939. Bob Kane made the artwork, while Bill Finger penned the script (unfortunately, Finger was not credited for decades as the co-creator of Batman, and ironically Finger was responsible for numerous important contributions to the character’s mythology, like the Joker). Since then, we’ve seen many incarnations of Batman in comics, TV series, movies, cartoons, and a plethora of merchandise. We’ve also been provided with great music that goes from totally corny to completely serious.

Cover of Detective Comics #27. Although it says "May 1939", it was published on March 30, 1939.

Coincidentally, this celebration coincides with my 25th anniversary as a Batman fan. In 1989, when I was 5 years old, Tim Burton’s Batman was released. My super awesome mother took me to the now abandoned Paramount theatre in the Santurce neighborhood (San Juan, Puerto Rico) to see it. That day I became a fan instantly, thus changing my life forever and becoming my first pop culture obsession. Batman has accompanied me for basically all of my life, helping me to understand the kindness and darkness of people, and even the gray areas throughout the complex characters of Gotham City, including himself.   

To celebrate the Dark Knight’s birthday, I’ve listed five things that I’ve loved the most about Batman through the years. Let’s begin, shall we?

My copies of The Long Halloween, The killing Joke, and The Dark Knight Returns. 
(Photo credit: The Purple Mix Tape and M.Z. Carrillo. Copyright ©2014.)

1. Great comic book stories  

Undoubtedly, we would not be talking about Batman 75 years later if comic book writers would’ve only done lame and unmemorable stories. Just like in literature and films, a comic book needs to tell a great story in order to become part of collective memory forever. Sure, we have read and seen cheesy situations and characters in Batman’s comic books (I’m looking at you, Crazy Quilt!), but we’ve also been rewarded with complex and dark stories that truly capture the duality and complexity of Bruce Wayne, his alter ego, and the villains. Writers like Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and Jeph Loeb penned a darker Gotham in The Killing Joke, The Dark Knight Returns, and The Long Halloween, respectively. These are part of my favorite Batman stories and it’s no coincidence that they were some of the references used by filmmaker Christopher Nolan for his "Dark Knight Trilogy". Those and other stories have given us great other characters that we love (Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Lucius Fox, Catwoman) or despise (the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Penguin, Scarecrow, Bane). And let’s not forget that Gotham City itself is a character and a metaphor of New York City.

"Bitch, please! No photos! Don't you see I'm chillaxing in Paree?" 
(Photo credit: The Purple Mix Tape and M.Z. Carrillo. Copyright ©2014.)

2. Batgirl

Batman has had many sidekicks, including the (in)famous Robin, who later became Nightwing. However, it is Batgirl who has my heart. My first encounter with her was on the Batman TV series, where she was played by the awesome Yvonne Craig. Even though the cheesiness of the show, she’s still one of my favorite Batgirl iterations because it remained close to the source material: the daughter of Commissioner Gordon who was a librarian by day and a redheaded crime fighter by night. She has always been a role model for me when it comes to being a strong and fierce woman. In fact, she was one of the reasons that inspired me to change my hair color to red. As a little girl, I would put on a Batman costume (bought by my bat-mom, of course!) to pretend that I was Batgirl and fight with my invisible foes. I also love the fact that she works surrounded by books, since I love reading and libraries. Another cool portrayal of Batgirl was in Batman: The Animated Series, in which Melissa Gilbert voiced her. I’m still hoping that Hollywood will finally get her right at some point and redeems itself from the disaster in Batman & Robin. A blonde Batgirl with a terrible script and changed origins? Hell no, sister!

My cassette of the Batman Forever soundtrack. Original release from 1995.
(Photo credit: The Purple Mix Tape and M.Z. Carrillo. Copyright ©2014.)

3. Killer soundtracks

Even though not all Batman movies have been particularly great (I don’t need to remind you the films in question, right?), they all share the fact that they’ve had great soundtracks. This even goes back to the theme song for the Batman series in the 1960’s (if you haven’t sung it, you’re a cold human being). Years later, for Batman, Danny Elfman provided us with another theme song that also proved to be iconic. For the same film, Prince was commissioned as well to create a soundtrack that ended up delivering great songs (check out "Scandalous!", one of the best and sexiest songs Prince has ever recorded). Elfman also delivered scores for Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series, and videogames. Batman Forever gave us a soundtrack that felt more like an eclectic mix tape that your cool older brother made (I’m pretty sure you’ll never see Brandy and Nick Cave share credits in an album ever again). It also includes one of the best pop tunes ever made: Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” became one of my favorite songs of all time and has been a staple of my singing-in-the-shower repertoire. And let’s not forget U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”, which is one of the last cool songs they recorded. Batman & Robin left me wondering for eternity what Jewel’s heartbreaking song “Foolish Games” has to do with the movie. Meanwhile, Hans Zimmer (along with James Newton Howard on the first two soundtracks) gave a new sound to Batman in the "Dark Knight Trilogy" with his trademark percussion and haunting sounds, like the chill-inducing “Why So Serious?” from The Dark Knight. All of these soundtracks have become essential to avid soundtrack collectors, as well as timeless musical jewels.

4. Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight Trilogy” (2005-2012)

Even though I will always respect and cherish Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns for what they represent and what they started, the best portrayal of the Caped Crusader in celluloid was in the “Dark Knight Trilogy”, by filmmaker Christopher Nolan with writers David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan. Batman Begins restored our hope of finally having a more than decent movie for our hero and better films for other comic book institutions, while The Dark Knight transcended the comic book genre and can even compete with other movies outside of it. The Dark Knight Rises, even with its flaws, gives an appropriate closure to our beloved characters. It also brought us breathtaking and unforgettable performances by its A-list cast: Christian Bale, Sir Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, among others. We even got to see the great Rutger Hauer in Batman Begins as a nod to Blade Runner, a film that was one of the inspirations for Nolan’s take on Gotham City. Not only I ended up becoming a fan of these fine actors by exploring their other films, but I also became a fan of Nolan’s work in general. I’ve even found myself cheering when Nolan reunites some Batman cast members in his other films.

I had never been emotionally invested in a Batman movie before, but Nolan’s realistic approach and themes changed that. I don’t even know if that will ever happen to me again, but I will always be grateful for the work done in those masterpieces.

(Source: mrbreakfast.com.)

5. The Batman Returns cereal!
Back in 1992, a cereal themed after Batman Returns was released as a promotional effort for the film. I only ate one box, and that one box was enough to make me obsessed with that cereal. I can still remember its smell and taste; the delightful chocolatey taste of the squares mixed with the bat, Catwoman, and Batmobile shaped marshmallows. All those flavors melted in my mouth beautifully. It was so damn delish! I’ve daydreamed throughout my existence of eating that cereal again (of course, one made nowadays and not an old one from eBay). This cereal is the only reason why I would travel back in time to 1992, so I could buy hundreds and hundred of boxes! Who would've thought Batman could taste so freaking good?! Bring it back, puh-lease! 

Bonus: The Batusi

Holy dancing, Batman! This could NOT be left out! Hmm, I wonder how much LSD they took to film this scene...

Here’s to 75 more, Batman! In the words of Alfred in Batman Begins: “Happy many returns!”