The Mark of Batman: The Evolution of an Icon

THE MARK BAT M AN THE E VOLUTION OF AN ICO N The famous bat symbol – the focal point of Batman's costume – has evolved significantly since the Dark Knight made his first appearance 75 years ago. See how Bruce Wayne's emblem has transformed from Detective Comics #27 to Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice! IN THE CO M IC S 19 3 9 19 39 194 0 When Batman first appeared in Detective Soon the bat sprouted ears, and the rounded edges of the wings became sharper. Seven wing points along the bottom became more common, but it By the time Batman was given his own self-titled series with Batman #1, the bat Comics #27, his chest emblem had neither ears nor a head. The number of had grown in size, and the head became wing points along the bottom of the bat varied from panel to panel, but five more visible. Extra details were added to the wings, but were frequently lost in the coloring when printed. was still occasionally drawn with five. was most common. 19 41 19 44 194 6 The bat wings quickly became more stylized and angular, while the head receded slightly. The wing points along the bottom went back down to five, Over the next four years, the bat As the wings became a little less angular and the head a little more prominent, the bat finally started to resemble the familiar modern emblem, which made what happened next all the more perplexing. gradually widened in size. During this time, it was drawn with anywhere between five and nine wing points and became longer and sharper. along the bottom. 1950 195 6 195 8 As the bat grew even larger in size, the angle of the top of the wings gradually became more rounded, until they were completely curved. Eventually the emblem reverted to a more compact and triangular version of the earlier bat. This one appeared on For a few years, the bat became thinner and wider, with very long, sharp wing points along the bottom. The head also became subtly taller. Batman's chest for most of a decade, aside from one minor detour. 19 6 0 19 6 4 19 6 6 When the bat reverted to the previous version, the head remained slightly more prominent than before. The wings soon spread out and filled the oval, resulting in an iconic emblem Although some have speculated that the yellow oval was added to make the bat easier to trademark, the editor simply wanted a "New Look" to more easily distinguish the Silver Age Batman from what came before. that lasted over three decades. 19 8 6 1987 2 00 0 In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, an The story of Batman's earliest days was The yellow oval had a 36 year run until it older Batman of the future was shown retold and updated in Batman: Year One. Like The Dark Knight Returns, the bat was only loosely based on past emblems. The yellow oval continued to appear in modern day Batman stories. was removed in 2000. The bat that using the yellow oval to draw gun fire replaced it is similar in shape to the one first worn by Yvonne Craig as Batgirl. toward his bullet proof vest. He then changed into a new top featuring a Batman's suit was redesigned in 2011, but the bat remains the same. large bat inspired by older emblems. O N THE BIGSCREEN 19 4 3 19 49 19 6 6 This led to a second serial, titled Adam West's bat was similarly worn in the center of his chest. Visually, it looks like a mid-point between the 1964 and 1966 emblems from the comics, the Batman's big screen debut was in a self-titled serial starring Lewis Wilson. Batman & Robin, which starred Robert The emblem was a thin, wide bat with Lowery in the lead role. The bat was larger and worn further down on his chest, and had round mouse-like ears. wing detailing, like a mix between the wings just beginning to conform to the shape of the oval. 1939 and 1940 emblems in the comics. 1989 199 2 i99 3 The animated Batman, portrayed by Oddly, the bat Michael Keaton wore on his suit did not match the one on the Keaton wore a modified bat in Batman Returns that was more in line with the Kevin Conroy in the film Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm, wore the standard recognizable oval logo. iconic movie poster, containing two extra wing points along the bottom. yellow oval from the comics and 1989 movie poster. 199 5 1997 9 9 7 In Batman Forever, Val Kilmer initially The suit worn by George Clooney in The cast of Batman & Robin changed wore a suit similar to Keaton's, before Batman & Robin continued the costumes mid-film so there could be changing into a new one that ditched the yellow oval in favor of a black- on-black look with a large bat that spanned the width of his chest. monotone color scheme, bringing back more action figures. Clooney's second the oval minus the yellow. The bat subtly combined Batman and Robin's costume was a variation on Kilmer's suit, with silver shapes added to make it more "toyetic." emblems into one. 2 005 2 008 2 015 Christian Bale's suit in Batman Begins returned to the layered black-on-black look, this time with a bat similar in Bale's armor in The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises displayed a new bat shape, easily identified by the wings that align horizontally along the upper edge. The bat worn by Ben Affleck in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is taller and thicker, taking inspiration from 1986's The Dark Knight Returns. shape to the one introduced in the comics in 200 HälloweenCostumes.com WRITTEN & DESIGNED BY KATE WILLAERT EDITED BY MARLON HEIMERL SSOURCES: DC COMICS, THE MAKING OF BATMAN & ROBIN, WAS SUPERMAN A SPY?