Batman (comic strip)
Encyclopedia
The Batman comic strip began a few years after the creation of the comic book
Batman
. At first titled Batman and Robin, a later incarnation was shortened to Batman. The comic strip
had three major and two minor runs in American newspaper
s.
and others. It was published as both a daily strip
and a Sunday strip
. This series has been reprinted by DC Comics
and Kitchen Sink Press
in one Sunday and three daily volumes. It was distributed by the McClure Syndicate
.
and was published on Sunday only. This short-lived attempt to revive the Batman comic strip ran only in Arrow, the Family Comic Weekly, which was edited by Gibson. A few of these very rare strips are reprinted in the book Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943–46.
, as noted below. The strip ran on Sunday from 1966 to 1969 and daily from 1966 to 1974. At first, this series was a camp
revival drawing on the popularity of the Batman TV show
as exemplified by the guest appearance of celebrities like Jack Benny
and public figures like Conrad Hilton
. Later, it told more serious Batman stories, and featured guest appearances by Batgirl
, Superman
and Aquaman
. A 1970 sequence featuring Green Arrow
and Man-Bat
was reprinted in Amazing World of DC Comics #4-5 (1975). It was syndicated by Ledger Syndicate.
The Sunday strip ended July 13, 1969. The daily strips continued, and were drawn by Plastino through Jan. 1, 1972, with Nick Cardy
assisting on the art toward the end. They were written by Ellsworth until July 1970, and then by E. Nelson Bridwell
. A new artist and writer took over the strip on January 3, 1972. Batman disappeared from the strip, although Bruce Wayne continued as a character. The strip featured a hero called Galexo until it ended in 1974.
, The World's Greatest Superheroes Presents Superman, and The Superman Sunday Special. It was syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate
. For information on writers and artists, see Batman: the Sunday Classics 1943–46.
and drawn by Marshall Rogers
. All of the other stories were written by William Messner-Loebs
and drawn by Carmine Infantino
and John Nyberg. It was syndicated by Creators Syndicate
. All of these strips were reprinted in Comics Revue
.
part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13
part 14 part 15 part 16 part 17 part 18
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
. At first titled Batman and Robin, a later incarnation was shortened to Batman. The comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
had three major and two minor runs in American newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s.
Batman and Robin, 1943–1946
The first series was written by Bob KaneBob Kane
Bob Kane was an American comic book artist and writer, credited as the creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman...
and others. It was published as both a daily strip
Daily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays....
and a Sunday strip
Sunday strip
A Sunday strip is a newspaper comic strip format, where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper, usually in a special section called the Sunday comics, and virtually always in color. Some readers called these sections the Sunday funnies...
. This series has been reprinted by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
and Kitchen Sink Press
Kitchen Sink Press
Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen owned and operated Kitchen Sink Press until 1999. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in...
in one Sunday and three daily volumes. It was distributed by the McClure Syndicate
McClure Syndicate
McClure Syndicate , the first American newspaper syndicate, introduced many American and British writers to the masses. Launched in 1884 by publisher Samuel S. McClure, it was the first successful company of its kind...
.
Batman and Robin, 1953
The second series was written by Walter B. GibsonWalter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson was an American author and professional magician, best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow...
and was published on Sunday only. This short-lived attempt to revive the Batman comic strip ran only in Arrow, the Family Comic Weekly, which was edited by Gibson. A few of these very rare strips are reprinted in the book Batman: The Sunday Classics 1943–46.
Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, 1966–1974
Although it was credited to "Bob Kane", this series was actually ghostwrittenGhostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
, as noted below. The strip ran on Sunday from 1966 to 1969 and daily from 1966 to 1974. At first, this series was a camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
revival drawing on the popularity of the Batman TV show
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
as exemplified by the guest appearance of celebrities like Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
and public figures like Conrad Hilton
Conrad Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was an American businessman and investor. He is well known for being the founder of the Hilton Hotels chain.-Early life:Hilton was born in San Antonio, New Mexico...
. Later, it told more serious Batman stories, and featured guest appearances by Batgirl
Batgirl
Batgirl is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, frequently depicted as female counterparts to the superhero Batman...
, Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
. A 1970 sequence featuring Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
and Man-Bat
Man-Bat
Man-Bat is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually as a supervillain and adversary of Batman, though occasionally depicted as a heroic character. He first appeared in Detective Comics #400 and was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams...
was reprinted in Amazing World of DC Comics #4-5 (1975). It was syndicated by Ledger Syndicate.
Episode guide
| Episode # | Fan Title | Writer | Artist(s) | Start Date | End Date | Inc. Dailies? | Inc. Sundays? |
| 01D | Catwoman | Whitney Ellsworth | Shelly Moldoff | 1966-05-30 | 1966-07-09 | yes | no |
| 01S | A Penguin with Shark Teeth | Whitney Ellsworth | Shelly Moldoff | 1966-05-29 | 1966-07-10 | no | yes |
| 02D | Joker On Parole | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1966-07-11 | 1966-09-24 | yes | no |
| 02S | The Nasty Napoleon | Whitney Ellsworth | S. Moldoff/J. Giella/C. Infantino | 1966-07-17 | 1966-10-16 | no | yes |
| 03D | Jolly Roger | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1966-09-26 | 1966-12-10 | yes | no |
| 03S | Batchap and Bobbin | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1966-10-23 | 1966-12-11 | no | yes |
| 04 | Poison Ivy | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1966-12-12 | 1967-03-18 | yes | yes |
| 05 | Batman Meets Benny | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1967-03-19 | 1967-04-30 | yes | yes |
| 06 | Batgirl Begins | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1967-05-01 | 1967-07-09 | yes | yes |
| 07 | Amnesia | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1967-07-10 | 1967-11-12 | yes | yes |
| 08 | Zodiac | Whitney Ellsworth | Joe Giella | 1967-11-13 | 1968-03-?? | yes | yes |
| 09 | Superman's Missing Powers | Whitney Ellsworth | Al Plastino | 1968-03-?? | 1968-08-15 | yes | yes |
| 10 | Aqua-Batman | Whitney Ellsworth | Al Plastino | 1968-08-16 | 1968-12-05 | yes | yes |
| 11 | Plastic Surgery | Whitney Ellsworth | Al Plastino | 1968-12-06 | 1969-05-?? | yes | yes |
The Sunday strip ended July 13, 1969. The daily strips continued, and were drawn by Plastino through Jan. 1, 1972, with Nick Cardy
Nick Cardy
Nick Cardy , a.k.a. Nick Cardi, is an American comic book artist best known for his DC Comics work on Aquaman, the Teen Titans and other major characters....
assisting on the art toward the end. They were written by Ellsworth until July 1970, and then by E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
. A new artist and writer took over the strip on January 3, 1972. Batman disappeared from the strip, although Bruce Wayne continued as a character. The strip featured a hero called Galexo until it ended in 1974.
The World's Greatest Superheroes, 1978–1985
From 1978 to the late 1980s, Batman appeared in a strip variously titled The World's Greatest SuperheroesThe World's Greatest Superheroes
The World's Greatest Superheroes was a syndicated newspaper comic strip featuring DC Comics characters which ran Sunday and daily from April 9, 1978 to February 10, 1985...
, The World's Greatest Superheroes Presents Superman, and The Superman Sunday Special. It was syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate
Tribune Media Services
Tribune Media Services is a syndication company owned by the Tribune Company.The company has two divisions, "News and Features" and "Entertainment Products"...
. For information on writers and artists, see Batman: the Sunday Classics 1943–46.
Batman, 1989–1991
The most recent revival of the strip, titled simply Batman, ran Sunday and daily from November 6, 1989 to August 3, 1991. The first story was written by Max Allan CollinsMax Allan Collins
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer. He has written novels, screenplays, comic books, comic strips, trading cards, short stories, movie novelizations and historical fiction. He wrote the graphic novel Road to Perdition , created the comic book private eye Ms...
and drawn by Marshall Rogers
Marshall Rogers
Marshall Rogers was an American comic-book artist best known for his work at Marvel and DC Comics in the 1970s, particularly as one of the illustrators of Batman and Silver Surfer...
. All of the other stories were written by William Messner-Loebs
William Messner-Loebs
William Messner-Loebs is an American comic book writer and artist from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs...
and drawn by Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (born May 24, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books...
and John Nyberg. It was syndicated by Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate
Creators Syndicate is an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers. It was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe, and is based in Los Angeles. Creators was one of the first syndicates to allow its clients to maintain creative control of their material...
. All of these strips were reprinted in Comics Revue
Comics Revue
Comics Revue is a bi-monthly small press comic book published by Manuscript Press and edited by Rick Norwood. Don Markstein edited the publication from 1984 to 1987 and 1992 to 1996....
.
Episode guide
- "Catwoman"
- "The Penguin"
- "The Joker"
- "Two-FaceTwo-FaceTwo-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
" - "RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
" - "The RiddlerRiddlerThe Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
" - "The Mad HatterMad Hatter (comics)The Mad Hatter is a fictional supervillain and enemy of Batman in the DC Universe. He is modeled after the Hatter from Lewis Carroll's novel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a character often called the "Mad Hatter" in adaptations of Carroll. He made his first appearance in Batman #49 in October...
"
External Links
part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 part 13
part 14 part 15 part 16 part 17 part 18
- 1966 Batman and Robin Comic Strips based on the television show (Penguin storyline from 1966 Sunday strip debut)
- January 7, 1967 strip with Conrad Hilton
- Jack Benny Meets Batman
- Spotlight: Batman Comic Strip (1970 sequence reprinted in Amazing World of DC Comics #4)
- Galexo Found!
- Obscurity of the Day: Batman (samples of the 1989-1991 strip)
