Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
Name	John Byrne
birth place	West Bromwich, West Midlands, United Kingdom
nationality	American
write	y
pencil	y
ink	y
letter	y
notable works	''Next Men''''X-Men''''Fantastic Four'' ''Superman''
awards	Eagle Awards, Favourite Comicbook Artist, 1978, 1979.Inkpot Award, 1980.Squiddy Award for Favorite Penciller, 1993.
website	http://www.byrnerobotics.com
sortkey	Byrne, John
subcat	British
birth date	July 06, 1950 }}

John Lindley Byrne (born July 6, 1950) is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero.

Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics’ ''X-Men'' and ''Fantastic Four'' and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ ''Superman'' franchise. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the ''X-Men'' comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with ''Fantastic Four'' (where he also started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including ''Next Men'' and ''Danger Unlimited''. He also wrote the first issues of Mike Mignola's ''Hellboy'' series and produced a number of ''Star Trek'' comics for IDW Publishing.

Early life and career

Byrne was born in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England where along with his parents (Frank and Nelsie) he lived with his maternal grandmother. While living there, he was first exposed to the American superheroes that would dominate his professional life through reruns of American programs such as ''The Adventures of Superman''. In Britain, he was able to read domestic comics such as ''Eagle'' as well as reprints of DC Comics. When he was eight years old he left England with his parents and moved to Canada. According to Byrne himself, he was not an academically gifted student.

His first encounter with Marvel Comics was in 1962 with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s ''Fantastic Four'' #5. He later commented that "the book had an 'edge' like nothing DC was putting out at the time". Jack Kirby’s work in particular had a strong influence on Byrne and he has worked with many of the characters Kirby created or co-created. Besides Kirby, Byrne was also influenced by the naturalistic style of Neal Adams.

In 1970, Byrne enrolled at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary. He created the superhero parody ''Gay Guy'' for the college newspaper, which poked fun at the campus stereotype of homosexuality among art students. ''Gay Guy'' is also notable for featuring a prototype of the Alpha Flight character Snowbird. While there, he also published his first comic book, ''ACA Comix'' #1, featuring "The Death’s Head Knight".

Byrne left the college in 1973 without graduating. He broke into comics with a "Fan Art Gallery" piece in Marvel's promotional publication ''FOOM'' in early 1974 and by illustrating a two-page story by writer Al Hewetson for Skywald Publications’ black-and-white horror magazine ''Nightmare'' #20 (August 1974). He then began freelancing for Charlton Comics, making his color-comics debut with the ''E-Man'' backup feature “Rog-2000,” starring a robot character he’d created in the mid-1970s that colleagues Roger Stern and Bob Layton named and began using for spot illustrations in their fanzine ''CPL'' (''Contemporary Pictorial Literature''). A Rog-2000 story written by Stern, with art by Byrne and Layton, had gotten the attention of Charlton Comics editor Nicola Cuti, who extended Byrne an invitation. Written by Cuti, "Rog-2000" became one of several alternating backup features in the Charlton Comics superhero series ''E-Man'', starting with the eight-page "That Was No Lady" in issue #6 (Jan. 1975).

Byrne went on to work on the Charlton books ''Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch'', ''Space: 1999'', and ''Emergency!'', and co-created with writer Joe Gill the post-apocalyptic science-fiction series ''Doomsday + 1''. Byrne additionally drew a cover for the supernatural anthology ''The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves'' #54 (Dec. 1975).

Marvel Comics

Byrne’s first story for Marvel Comics was "Dark Asylum" (plotted by Tony Isabella and written by David Anthony Kraft), published in ''Giant-Size Dracula'' #5 (June 1975). He began drawing Marvel’s lower-selling titles, including ''Iron Fist'', ''The Champions'', and ''Marvel Team-Up''. For many issues, he was paired with writer Chris Claremont, with whom he also teamed up for some issues of the black-and-white Marvel magazine ''Marvel Preview'' featuring Star-Lord. The Star-Lord story was inked by Terry Austin, who soon after teamed up with Claremont and Byrne on ''X-Men''.

The Uncanny X-Men

Byrne joined Claremont beginning with ''The X-Men'' #108 (Dec. 1977). Their work together (along with inker Terry Austin) on such classic story arcs as the "Dark Phoenix Saga", "Days of Future Past", and "Proteus" would make them both fan favorites, and ''X-Men'' became one of the industry’s best-selling titles. In addition, Byrne insisted that the title keep its Canadian character, Wolverine, and contributed a series of story elements to justify his presence that eventually made the character among the most popular in Marvel's publishing history. Byrne has repeatedly compared his working relationship with Claremont to Gilbert and Sullivan, and has said that they were "almost constantly at war over who the characters were." After more than three years on ''Uncanny X-Men'', during which time he created the character Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat, Byrne left the title with issue #143 (Mar. 1981).

The Avengers

During the course of 1979 — while serving as the regular penciller of ''X-Men'' — Byrne displayed his prolificness by also taking on penciling duties for the ''Avengers''. Working for the most part with writer David Michelinie, Byrne drew issues #181-191 of the Marvel team title.

Captain America

In the early 1980s, Byrne worked on a number of other Marvel books. His nine-issue run (#247–255, 1980–1981) with writer Roger Stern on ''Captain America'' included an issue (#250) in which the character mulled a run for the U.S. presidency.

Fantastic Four

Byrne’s most important post-''X-Men'' body of work at Marvel was his six-year run on ''Fantastic Four'' (#232-293, 1981–1986), considered by many to be a "second Golden Age" on that title. Byrne said his goal was to "turn the clock back . . . get back and see fresh what it was that made the book great at its inception". He also made a number of significant changes to the title: the Thing was replaced as a member of the quartet by the She-Hulk, while the Thing had adventures in his own comic (also written by Byrne), and his longtime girlfriend Alicia Masters left him for his teammate the Human Torch; the Invisible Girl was developed into the most powerful member with her heightened control of her refined powers and the self-confident assertiveness to use it epitomized by her name change to the Invisible Woman; and the Baxter Building, their headquarters, was destroyed and replaced with Four Freedoms Plaza. Byrne has cited multiple reasons for leaving the book, including “internal office politics” and that "it simply started to get old".

Alpha Flight

In 1983 — while still at the helm of ''Fantastic Four'' — Marvel persuaded Byrne to write and draw ''Alpha Flight'', a Canadian superhero team who were first introduced “merely to survive a fight with the X-Men.” For more than two years, from 1983 to 1986, Byrne penciled and wrote every issue of both titles. ''Alpha Flight'' was initially very popular (its first issue sold 500,000 copies), but Byrne has said the book "was never much fun," and that he considered the characters two-dimensional. Nonetheless, the title's unconventional characters and turbulent storylines (including the death of a main character in issue #12) have been considered by some fans to be among Byrne's most emotionally complex work; moreover, one of Alpha Flight's characters, Northstar, eventually became Marvel's first openly gay superhero. Though intended by Byrne to be gay from the beginning, Northstar's homosexuality was only hinted at during Byrne's tenure on the book.

The Incredible Hulk

In 1985, after issue #28 of ''Alpha Flight'', Byrne swapped books with Bill Mantlo, writer of ''The Incredible Hulk''. According to Byrne, he discussed his ideas with editor-in-chief Jim Shooter ahead of time, but once Byrne was on the book, Shooter objected to them. Byrne only wrote and drew six issues (#314–319) of ''The Incredible Hulk''.

DC

The Untold Legend of the Batman

In early 1980, Byrne did his first work for DC Comics, penciling the first issue of ''The Untold Legend of the Batman'' mini-series. Byrne had always wanted to draw ''Batman'', and had a three-month window of time during which he was not under contract to Marvel. Hearing about the ''Untold Legend'' series, Byrne contacted editor Paul Levitz to express interest. DC took him up on his offer, but it wasn't until the second month of his three-month window that Byrne received the plot for the first issue. Byrne told Levitz that he would not be able to finish the project due to time constraints (despite DC then allegedly offering Byrne double his Marvel pay rate, after initially saying they could not match his Marvel rate). Nonetheless, Byrne penciled the first issue, which was inked by Jim Aparo after being intended for Terry Austin. This experience soured Byrne on DC for quite some time.

Superman

Near the end of his time at Marvel, Byrne was hired by DC Comics to revamp its flagship character Superman. This was part of a company-wide restructuring of the history of the DC Universe and all of its characters following the miniseries ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. Byrne’s reworking of Superman in particular gained widespread media coverage outside the comic book industry, including articles in ''Time'' and ''The New York Times''.

At the time, Byrne said, "I’m taking Superman back to the basics ... It's basically Siegel and Shuster's Superman meets the Fleischer Superman in 1986.” Byrne significantly reduced Superman’s powers (though he was still one of the most powerful beings on Earth), eliminated the Fortress of Solitude, Krypto, and had his foster parents the Kents still alive while Superman was an adult to enjoy their adopted son’s triumphs as well as to provide him with support, grounding, and advice whenever he needed it.

Byrne also did away with the childhood/teenage career as Superboy; in Byrne’s revamped history, Clark Kent does not put on a costume and become a super-hero until he's an adult.

In the Superman mythos, Byrne wrote Clark Kent as having a more aggressive and extroverted personality than previously depicted, even making him a top high-school football player. Byrne also did his part to come up with explanations for how Superman’s disguise works, such as the public simply does not realize that he has a secret identity since he is unmasked, that Superman would vibrate his face via his super speed in order to blur his image to photographers, and having Kent keep a weight training set around to explain how the human and presumably weaker Kent could have a frame as massive as Superman’s. Byrne’s Superman felt that his deepest roots were on Earth, and that his home planet of "Krypton is anathema to him".

Byrne's version of Superman debuted in the six-issue miniseries ''The Man of Steel'', which described his origin and early career. Byrne wrote and drew two monthly Superman titles with the hero’s present-day adventures: a new ''Superman'' title beginning with issue #1 (January 1987) and ''Action Comics'', in which, beginning with issue #584, Superman teamed up with another hero or group. The original ''Superman'' book was renamed ''Adventures of Superman'' starting with issue #424 and was initially written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Jerry Ordway, but the writing chores were taken over by Byrne after a year (from issues #436–442, and 444). As 1988 marked the 50th anniversary year of Superman’s creation, Byrne managed to do more Superman-related projects while working on the core Superman monthly titles at the same time: he wrote the prestige format graphic novel, ''Superman: The Earth Stealers'', while also writing three separate four-issue mini-series: ''The World of Krypton'', ''The World of Metropolis'', and ''The World of Smallville''. He also supplied the cover art for a ''Time'' magazine cover and interior spread which featured Superman, where his pencils were inked by Jerry Ordway. Around this time while working on the ''Superman'' titles, Byrne also penciled the 6-issue DC Universe crossover mini-series ''Legends'' in 1986–1987.

Byrne spent about two years on the Superman titles before leaving. He cited the lack of "conscious support" for his work from DC Comics and the fact that the version of Superman that the company licensed for merchandise was different from his version in the comic books as the reasons for his dissatisfaction.

Return to Marvel

''Star Brand''

In 1986, Marvel began publication of a new line of superhero titles created by then-Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, which took place in a continuum removed from the Marvel Universe proper, called the New Universe. In 1987, the New Universe line saw a revamp under new Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco, and Byrne took over writing and art-breakdowns on the line's flagship title, ''Star Brand'' (renamed ''The Star Brand'' during Byrne's term on the book). Byrne's run started with issue #11 and continued until the series' cancellation eight issues later upon Marvel's discontinuation of the New Universe line.

''Avengers West Coast''

In 1989, after leaving ''Superman'', Byrne returned to work on a number of titles for Marvel Comics. His work on ''West Coast Avengers'' (issues 42–57, soon renamed ''Avengers West Coast'') was contingent on his being allowed to do what he called “my Vision story.” The Vision was a long-standing Marvel superhero and member of The Avengers, an android originally created by the villain Ultron constructed with the body of the original Human Torch. The Vision went on to join the team, marry his teammate the Scarlet Witch, and father two children by her. Byrne radically changed this, revealing that Ultron lied about the Vision’s creation. The android Human Torch was found and joined the WCA. The Vision was disassembled and stripped of his emotions. The couple’s twins were revealed to be pieces of the soul of the demon Master Pandemonium. In addition to these changes, Byrne’s run is remembered for the introduction of the Great Lakes Avengers, an eclectic group of new superheroes.

''The Sensational She-Hulk''

During She-Hulk’s tenure with the Fantastic Four, she appeared in ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #18 in November 1985, titled ''The Sensational She-Hulk'', which Byrne also wrote and illustrated.

On the request of editor Mark Gruenwald, Byrne wrote and drew a new series in 1989, ''The Sensational She-Hulk'' (maintaining the 1985 graphic novel’s title). Gruenwald directed that it be significantly different from the character’s 1970s series, ''The Savage She-Hulk''. Byrne’s take was comedic and the She-Hulk, who was aware she was in a comic book, regularly broke the fourth wall, developing a love-hate relationship with her artist/writer by criticizing his storylines, drawing style, character development, etc. Byrne left the book after writing and drawing the first eight issues. Byrne was asked for input on writer Dwayne McDuffie’s ''She-Hulk: Ceremony'' graphic novel, and according to Byrne, most of his objections to the story and notations of errors were ignored, and his editor, Bobbie Chase, "was rewriting my stuff to bring it into line with" the story in ''Ceremony''. Upon complaining to DeFalco, Byrne says he was fired from his series. He later returned to write and draw issues #31–50 under new editor Renée Witterstaetter.

''Iron Man''

Byrne took over writing ''Iron Man'' (#258–277), drawn by John Romita Jr. and later by Paul Ryan. Byrne launched a second “Armor Wars” story arc, restored the Mandarin as a major Iron Man nemesis, and featured the 1950s “pre-superhero Marvel” monster Fin Fang Foom.

''Namor, the Sub-Mariner''

Byrne also started a new series, ''Namor, the Sub-Mariner''. Byrne’s take on the undersea antihero Namor cast him as the head of a surface company, Oracle, Inc., in order to help keep the ocean unpolluted, and had Namor involved in corporate intrigue. Byrne wrote and drew the book for 25 issues, until new artist Jae Lee inspired a sharp change in the mood and plot of the book. Byrne wrote the book until #32.

Creator-owned works

In the early 1990s, Byrne began creating a series of original, creator-owned works for publisher Dark Horse Comics. This was during a general trend in the industry for established creators working for Marvel and DC to bring their original works to other publishers or create their own companies to publish the works themselves (one prominent example is Image Comics). A number of these creators, including Byrne, Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, and Art Adams, banded together to form the Legend imprint at Dark Horse.

Byrne’s first title for Dark Horse was ''Next Men'', a work he considered darker and more realistic than his previous work. The Next Men were five young people who were the product of a secret government experiment. Byrne said, “I thought I would see what I could do with superheroes in the ‘real world’ ” and “[e]xplore the impact their existence would have.” Byrne’s other Dark Horse titles were ''Babe'', and ''Danger Unlimited'', an all-age readers book about a team of heroes in the future fighting an alien occupation of Earth.

The ''Next Men'' lasted until issue 30 in 1994, when Byrne ended the series, intending to return “in no more than six months.” However, Byrne says he “did not count on...the virtual collapse of the whole comic book industry, which seemed to occur at just the time I put ''Next Men'' on the shelf...In the present, very depressed marketplace, I don’t feel ''Next Men'' would have much chance, so I leave the book hibernating until such time as the market improves.”

IDW, an idependent publisher, revived John Byrne's Next Men in 2010 following a series of trade paperbacks that collected the first series. The original storyline that had a cliffhanger ending in 1995 was continued.

Later career

In later years, Byrne has worked on titles for Marvel, DC, and other publishers, including the 1992 prestige format graphic novel ''Green Lantern: Ganthet’s Tale'' with science fiction author Larry Niven at DC. He also returned to the ''X-Men'' franchise at Marvel from 1991 to 1992, succeeding longtime writer Chris Claremont, who left after 17 years working on the various ''X-Men'' related titles. Byrne's return as the new writer was brief, as he only wrote ''Uncanny X-Men'' # 281-285 and 288 with artist Whilce Portacio, and ''X-Men'' (vol. 2) # 4-5 with artist Jim Lee.

He also wrote and drew another of DC’s signature series, the long-running ''Wonder Woman'', from 1995–1998. During that time, he relegated the superheroine to the status of observer in many issues, spotlighting supporting characters such as Queen Hippolyta in their own adventures. He additionally took over ''New Gods'' vol. 4 at the end of 1996, as writer-artist of issues #12–15, continuing with it as the series was rebooted with a new #1 as ''Jack Kirby’s Fourth World''. That ran 20 issues from 1997 to 1998. During his tenure on the ''New Gods'', Byrne was also writer of the four-issue comic book mini-series crossover ''Genesis'', a storyline published weekly by DC Comics in August 1997. The series was drawn by Ron Wagner and Joe Rubinstein. Byrne also wrote a Wonder Woman prose novel, ''Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses'' (1997, Prima Lifestyles, ISBN 0-7615-0483-4).

In the series ''Spider-Man: Chapter One'', Byrne sought to retell some of Spider-Man’s earliest adventures, changing some key aspects. In late 1998, Byrne also took over as writer of the flagship series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', at the end of the series with issue #440, by which time Marvel had decided to relaunch the book. The "last" issue of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' was #441 (Nov. 1998), with Marvel re-initiating the series with a new issue #1 (Jan. 1999) with Howard Mackie as writer and Byrne as penciler. Byrne penciled issues #1–18 (from 1999–2000) and wrote #13–14.

Marvel hired Byrne in 1999 for a second volume of the series featuring ''The Incredible Hulk'', re-titled ''Hulk'', with Ron Garney penciling. Byrne wrote the first seven issues, as well as that series’ summer annual.

From 1999–2001, Byrne returned to the ''X-Men'' once again, as he wrote and drew the flashback series ''X-Men: The Hidden Years''. The series lasted 22 issues; Byrne explained the title's cancellation to Comic Book Resources in November 2000: "I was officially informed yesterday that, despite the fact that they are still profitable, several 'redundant' X-Titles are being axed." This disagreement factored in his decision to no longer work for Marvel Comics.

Like ''X-Men: The Hidden Years'', works of this period have involved characters and events in time periods mostly skipped over by other comics (''Marvel: The Lost Generation''), or alternate timelines (DC’s ''Superman & Batman: Generations''); a common feature is to have characters who actually age during the course of the series, which is uncommon for characters in ongoing comics.

In early 2003, Byrne spent ten weeks as guest penciler on the syndicated newspaper strip ''Funky Winkerbean''. Byrne did this as a favor for ''Winkerbean''’s creator, Tom Batiuk, who was recovering from foot surgery.

Most of his 2000s work has been for DC Comics: ''JLA'' (#94–99, the “Tenth Circle” story arc), ''Doom Patrol'', ''Blood of the Demon'', a five-issue arc of ''JLA Classified'' and briefly drawing Jeph Loeb's version of Superman (with writer Gail Simone) in ''Action Comics'' #827–835. Afterward, Simone and Byrne reteamed to launch ''The All-New Atom'' series in 2006, with Byrne pencilling the first three issues.

For publisher IDW, Byrne worked on the super-hero series ''FX'' #1-6, written by Wayne Osborne, starting with the March 2008 issue. His other projects for the publisher have been divided between the Star Trek universe and the Angel (TV series character) universe.

Star Trek: the final issue of the miniseries ''Star Trek: Alien Spotlight'' (Feb. 2008); the self-described "professional fan fiction," ''Star Trek: Assignment Earth'' #1-5; ''Star Trek: Romulans'' #1-2, ''Star Trek: Crew'' (a Pike-era comic book focusing on the character of "Number One") started in March 2009; the final chapter of his Romulans story, a four-issue mini-series, ''Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor'', set before ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'', and the upcoming second ''Assignment: Earth'' series.

Angel: ''Angel: Blood and Trenches'' (set during World War One), an ''Angel vs Frankenstein'' one-shot, and a Andy Hallett tribute, ''Angel: Music of the Spheres'' and ''Angel vs Frankenstein II'' in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively.

In 2011 he worked on ''Jurassic Park: The Devils in the Desert''. He has also revived his masterpiece, Next Men, in late 2010-2011, with a sequel series called "''Aftermath''" set to start after Next Men ends.

Controversies

Over the years, Byrne has gained a reputation as a controversial figure, and has noted this himself, stating that “as the people who have figured me out have said, I just don’t suffer fools gladly.” Gail Simone, who worked with Byrne on ''The All New Atom'' (2006), described Byrne, “John is very opinionated; a lot of artists are opinionated, and I'm okay with that. Actually, I think John Byrne is brilliant and his forceful personality is part of that."” Byrne’s opinions can lead to disputes, and commentators have noted disputes with Peter David, Jim Shooter, Joe Quesada, Mark Evanier, Marv Wolfman, and Erik Larsen. In 1982, during a panel discussion at the Dallas Fantasy Fair, Byrne made unflattering comments about longtime comics writer and one-time Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Roy Thomas. After a transcript of the panel was published in ''The Comics Journal'' #75 (Sept. 1982), Thomas threatened a libel suit if Byrne did not apologize. In a letter printed in ''The Comics Journal'' #82 (July 1983), Byrne retracted his statements, claiming he was only repeating information from Wolfman and Wein, writing, “I acted only in the office of a parrot.”

In the 1980s, Steve Gerber and Jack Kirby lampooned him in ''Destroyer Duck'', drawing him as a character called Cogburn, possessing a removable spine and existing only to serve as a cog in the mammoth corporation that owned him. Erik Larsen created a villain in the 1990s for his ''Savage Dragon'' and ''Freak Force'' series, Johnny Redbeard/The Creator, who also parodies Byrne; a massive cranium with atrophied appendages, he can bestow superpowers indiscriminately. However, Byrne is also regarded as an enthusiastic speaker, and someone with a warm love of his chosen medium. Tony Isabella has commented upon Byrne’s approachability when at comic conventions, describing him as “friendly, funny, and well-received by those who attended the show.”

The magazine ''Heroplay'' examined Byrne’s alleged treatment of women in his comics and concluded, “As dynamic as his art can be, and as ambitious as his storylines are, he just seems to have an axe to grind with the female of the species,” and that he made women “either bitchy, flighty, or evil.”

Art style

Byrne’s original work has been noted as being rough, with his drawings emphasizing curves over straight lines. Byrne has himself called the straight line "his least favorite artistic element".

Ron Goulart has called Byrne’s artwork "an eminently acceptable mix of bravura, complexity and storytelling clarity".

In Scott McCloud’s book ''Understanding Comics'', Byrne is charted along with other comics artists in the "Big Triangle". McCloud’s placement of Byrne within it identifies his style as similar to Gilbert Hernandez and Jim Lee, making the point that Byrne’s line style is naturalistic without being overly detailed.

As of 2009, Byrne is an accomplished comic book creator, and is capable of producing virtually all aspects of a book, although he does still produce work in collaboration. The one exception is coloring, since Byrne is color-blind and has difficulty distinguishing between certain shades of green and brown; for instance, during the first year that Byrne illustrated ''Iron Fist'', he believed that the protagonist's costume was brown. While he experimented with his own hand-developed lettering fonts in the early 1980s, he now uses a computer font based on the handwriting of the letterer Jack Morelli.

Byrne’s artistic style, his layouts and his storytelling have been sources of instruction and inspiration to many comics artists, including Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Bryan Hitch, and Marcos Martín. Others have been critical, however: fellow Canadian John Kricfalusi called Byrne a "fifth-generation Neal Adams imitator".

Personal life

Byrne was married to photographer and actress Andrea Braun Byrne for 15 years. Braun's son from a previous marriage is Kieron Dwyer, and Byrne became Dwyer's stepfather when the boy was 13. (They only lived together for a short time, however, as the young Dwyer soon moved to Los Angeles to live with his father.) Byrne encouraged the young Dwyer's aspirations to be a superhero cartoonist, and his connections led to Dwyer's first professional job (doing a ''Batman'' 1987).

Awards

Byrne has been the recipient of multiple comic book awards, including Favourite Comicbook Artist Eagle Awards in 1978 and 1979, a 1980 Inkpot Award, and the 1993 Squiddy Award for Favorite Penciller. In 2008, Byrne was inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame.

Selected bibliography

DC Comics

''Action Comics'' (writer/artist) #584-600, Annual #6; (artist) #827-835; (writer) Annual #1

''Adventures of Superman'' (writer) #436-442, 444; (inker) Annual #2

''All New Atom'' (artist) #1-3

''Batman'' (writer & cover artist) #433-435

''Batman/Captain America'' (one shot intercompany crossover, published by DC, writer/artist)

''Darkseid/Galactus'' (one shot intercompany crossover, published by DC, writer/artist)

''Blood of the Demon'' (writer-artist) #1-15

''Doom Patrol'' #1-18 (writer-artist)

''Genesis'' (miniseries, August 1997) (writer)

''Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale'' (one-shot; scripter-artist, from a story by Larry Niven)

''Jack Kirby's Fourth World'' #1-20 (writer-artist)

''JLA'' (writer/artist) #94-99, with Chris Claremont

''JLA: Classified'' #50-54 (artist)

''Legends'' #1-6 (miniseries) (artist)

''Man of Steel'' (writer/artist) #1-6 (miniseries)

''New Gods'' (vol. 4) #12-15 (writer/artist)

''OMAC'' #1-4 (miniseries)

''Superman'' (vol. 2) (writer/artist) #1-22 (except #18); (artist only) #50

''Superman & Batman: Generations'' #1-4 (miniseries) (writer-artist)

''Superman & Batman: Generations 2'' #1-4 (miniseries) (writer/artist)

''Superman & Batman: Generations 3'' #1-12 (miniseries) (writer/artist)

''World of Krypton'' #1-4 (miniseries) (writer & cover artist)

''World of Metropolis'' #1-4 (miniseries) (writer & cover artist)

''World of Smallville'' #1-4 (miniseries) (writer & cover artist)

''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 2) (writer/artist) #101-136

Dark Horse Comics

''John Byrne’s 2112'' (1991)

''Danger Unlimited'' (1993)

''John Byrne’s Next Men'' (1992–1994)

''Babe'' (1994)

''Hellboy: Seed of Destruction'' (1994)

''Babe 2'' (1995)

Marvel Comics

''Alpha Flight'' (writer-penciler) #1-28

''The Amazing Spider-Man'' (penciler) #189, 190, 206; (writer) 440-441

''Amazing Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) (penciler) #1-18; (writer) 13, 14

''Avengers'' (penciler) #164-166, 181-191 ''Annual'' #14, 18; (writer) #305-317

''Avengers West Coast'' (writer-penciler) #42-57, ''Annual'' #4

''Captain America'' (penciller) #247-255

''The Champions'' (penciler) #11-15, 17

''Daredevil'' (penciler) #138

''Epic Illustrated'' (writer/artist) #26-27

''Fantastic Four'' (writer/artist) #209-221, 232-293

''Iron Man'' (penciler) #118; (writer) #258-277; ''Annual'' #10 (artist)

''Incredible Hulk'' (writer-artist) #314-319, (penciler) ''Annual'' #7

''Hulk'' (writer) #1-7; ''Annual'' #1

''Marvel Fanfare'' (writer/artist) #29

''Marvel Preview'' (artist) #11

''Marvel Team-Up'' (artist) #53-55, 59-70, 75, 79, 100

''Marvel: The Lost Generation'' (writer-artist) #1-12

''Namor the Sub-Mariner'' (writer-artist) #1-25; (writer) #26-32

''Sensational She-Hulk'' (writer-artist) #1-8, 31-46, 48-50

''Spider-Man: Chapter One'' (writer-artist) #1-12

''Uncanny X-Men'' (co-plotter and penciler), #108, 109, 111-143; (scripter) #273, 281-285, 288

''X-Men'' (vol. 2) (writer) #4-5

''X-Men: The Hidden Years'' #1-22 (writer-artist)

Novels

''John L. Byrne’s Fear Book'' (1988; ISBN 0-446-34814-7)

''Whipping Boy'' (1992; ISBN 0-440-21171-9)

''Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses'' (1997, ISBN 0-7615-0483-4)

Newspaper strips

''Funky Winkerbean'' (2003) (fill-in penciler for ten weeks)

Webcomics

''You Go, Ghoul!'' (2004)

References

External links

Byrne Robotics (official site). WebCitation archive.

John Byrne’s IMO (column)

SlushFactory.com: IMO (column), “Your Old Stuff Was Better,” by John Byrne. July 8, 2003

John Byrne at the Lambiek Comiclopedia

Interviews

Lerer, Mark. ''Marvel Age'' (1984)

Byrne, Craig. Krypton Club newsletter #11, (June 1, 1995)

Alias, Marcia. "The Superheroes' Mr. Fix-It", Sequential Tart (June 1999)

Thomas, Michael. , Comic Book Resources (Aug. 22, 2000)

Cooke, Jon B. "Byrne's Robotics: The prolific Marvel/DC stalwart on his big break at Charlton", ''Comic Book Artist'' #12 (Mar. 2001)

Lofgren, Derek. Simply Strata (c. 2002)

Lifestyle for Gamers, UGO (c. 2004)

P., Ken. "The Dirty Dozen Starring John Byrne", IGN (Apr. 1, 2005)

Around Comics, part I (Sept. 11, 2006)

Around Comics, part II (Sept. 14, 2006)

Ong Pang Kean, Benjamin. "Talking ''Star Trek'' with John Byrne", Newsarama (Jan. 3, 2008)

Ong Pang Kean, Benjamin. "John Byrne on ''FX'', ''Angel'', ''Next Men'', and More", Newsarama (Jan. 8, 2008)

Category:1950 births Category:American people of Canadian descent Category:Canadian cartoonists Category:Canadian comics artists Category:Canadian comics writers Category:American people of English descent Category:English cartoonists Category:English comics artists Category:English comics writers Category:English emigrants to Canada Category:English emigrants to the United States Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Living people

de:John Byrne el:Τζον Μπερν es:John Byrne fr:John Byrne it:John Byrne hu:John Byrne nl:John Byrne pt:John Byrne fi:John Byrne sv:John Byrne

Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
name	Hayley Atwell
birthname	Hayley Elizabeth Atwell
birth date	April 05, 1982
birth place	London, England, UK
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	2005–present
parents	Grant Atwell (father)Allison Cain (mother) }}

Hayley Elizabeth Atwell (born 5 April 1982) is an English actress, known for her work in stage productions such as ''A View from the Bridge'', and in films such as ''Cassandra's Dream'', ''The Duchess'' and ''Captain America: The First Avenger''.

Early life

Atwell was born in London, the only child of Allison (née Cain), a motivational speaker, and Grant Atwell, a massage therapist, photographer, and shaman. Atwell's mother is English and her father, an American from Kansas City, Missouri, is of part Native-American descent. Atwell has dual citizenship of the U.K. and the U.S. Her parents separated when she was two years old. After secondary education at Sion-Manning Roman Catholic Girls' School, West London, Atwell took A-levels at the London Oratory School and trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduating in 2005.

Career

Atwell's debut was in a 2005 Pringles television advertisement and she served on the jury for the 2007 British Independent Film Awards.

Her first feature film role was in Woody Allen's 2007 film ''Cassandra's Dream'', in which she took the part of a stage actress opposite Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell. In 2008, she appeared in the film ''The Duchess'' as Bess Foster and the film ''Brideshead Revisited'' as Lady Julia Flyte, earning praise and nominations from the British Independent Film Awards and the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

In January 2009, Atwell made her West End début in Lindsay Posner's revival of ''A View from the Bridge'' at the Duke of York's Theatre which earned her a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Atwell appeared as "415" in AMC Television's November 2009 miniseries, ''The Prisoner'', a remake of the 1967–68 series by the same name.

Atwell played Agent Peggy Carter in the 2011 superhero film ''Captain America: The First Avenger''. MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the 'Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011'.

Filmography

Film and television

''The Line of Beauty'' ''Mansfield Park (2007 TV drama) ''Brideshead Revisited (2008 film)Elizabeth Hervey ''The Prisoner (2009 miniseries) ''The Pillars of the Earth (TV miniseries) ''Captain America: The First Avenger'' ''I, Anna''

Year
2005	''Charles & Camilla: Whatever Love Means''	Sabrina Guinness
rowspan="3">2006	|	Catherine Fedden	Miniseries
''Fear of Fanny Craddock	Fanny''	Jane
''The Ruby in the Smoke''	Rosa
rowspan="4"	2007	Mansfield Park'' ||	Mary Crawford	TV film
''Cassandra's Dream''	Angela Stark
''How About You''	Ellie
''The Shadow in the North''	Rosa
rowspan="2"	2008	Brideshead Revisited'' ||	Julia Flyte
''The Duchess (film)	The Duchess''	Elizabeth "Bess" Foster || Nominated – British Independent Film Award – Best Supporting Actress<	Nominated – London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Supporting Actress of the Year
2009	The Prisoner'' ||	415 / Lucy	Miniseries
rowspan="2">2010	The Pillars of the Earth'' ||	Aliena	MiniseriesNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
''Any Human Heart (tv drama)	Any Human Heart''	Freya
2011	|	Sharon Carter>Peggy Carter
2011	|	Emmy	Post-Production

Theatre

''Women Beware Women'' ''The Man of Mode'' ''Major Barbara'' ''A View from the Bridge''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
2005	''Prometheus Bound''	Io (mythology)>Io/Force
2006	|	Bianca	Royal Shakespeare Company
2007	|	Belinda	Royal National Theatre>National Theatre
2008	|	Barbara Undershaft	National Theatre
2009	|	Catherine	Duke of York's Theatre>Duke of York's, London

Radio

''Felix Holt, the Radical'' ''The Leopard''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Other notes
2006–7	Blood of the Daleks>Doctor Who: Blood of the Daleks''
2007	|	Esther	BBC Radio 4>Radio 4
2008	|	Angelica	BBC Radio 3>Radio 3

References

External links

Interview from ''Times''

Category:1982 births Category:Actors from London Category:Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama Category:English film actors Category:English people of American descent Category:British people of Native American descent Category:English stage actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:American film actors Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Living people Category:Royal National Theatre Company members Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members

de:Hayley Atwell es:Hayley Atwell fr:Hayley Atwell ko:헤일리 앳웰 it:Hayley Atwell he:היילי אטוול ja:ヘイリー・アトウェル pt:Hayley Atwell ru:Этвелл, Хэйли

Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
Character name	Batman
Converted	y
Publisher	DC Comics
Debut	''Detective Comics'' #27(May 1939)
Creators	Bob Kane (concept)Bill Finger
Alter ego	Bruce Wayne
Alliances	Batman FamilyJustice LeagueWayne EnterprisesOutsiders
Partners	RobinBatgirlSuperman
Aliases	Matches Malone, Sir Hemingford Grey, Mordecai Wayne, The Insider
Powers	* High human strength, agility, athleticism and peak conditions Skilled hand-to-hand combatant/Master Martial artist Use of high tech equipment, weapons & gadgets Stealth/sneaking/infiltration Genius-level intellect Proficient with technology Excellent observational skills Regarded as the world's greatest detective/crime solver Master strategist
Cat	super
Subcat	DC Comics
Hero	y
Sortkey	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 (May 1939), and since then has appeared in many of DC Comics’ publications. Originally referred to as "the Bat-Man" and still referred to at times as "the Batman", he is additionally known as the "Caped Crusader", the "Dark Knight", and the "World's Greatest Detective," among other titles.

In the original version of the story and the vast majority of retellings, Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, an American millionaire (later billionaire) playboy, industrialist, and philanthropist. Having witnessed the murder of his parents as a child, he swore revenge on crime, an oath tempered with the greater ideal of justice. Wayne trains himself both physically and intellectually and dons a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime. Batman operates in the fictional American Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his crime-fighting partner, Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, the police commissioner Jim Gordon, and occasionally the heroine Batgirl. He fights an assortment of villains such as the Joker, Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, martial arts skills, an indomitable will, fear, and intimidation in his continuous war on crime.

Batman became a very popular character soon after his introduction and gained his own comic book title, ''Batman'', in 1940. As the decades wore on, differing interpretations of the character emerged. The late 1960s ''Batman'' television series used a camp aesthetic which continued to be associated with the character for years after the show ended. Various creators worked to return the character to his dark roots, culminating in the 1986 miniseries ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'', by writer-artist Frank Miller, while the successes of Tim Burton's 1989 film ''Batman'' and Christopher Nolan's 2005 reboot ''Batman Begins'' also helped to reignite popular interest in the character. A cultural icon, Batman has been licensed and adapted into a variety of media, from radio to television and film, and appears on a variety of merchandise sold all over the world such as toys and video games. In May 2011, Batman placed 2nd on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.

Publication history

Creation

In early 1939, the success of Superman in ''Action Comics'' prompted editors at the comic book division of National Publications (the future DC Comics) to request more superheroes for its titles. In response, Bob Kane created "the Bat-Man." Collaborator Bill Finger recalled "Kane had an idea for a character called 'Batman', and he'd like me to see the drawings. I went over to Kane's, and he had drawn a character who looked very much like Superman with kind of ... reddish tights, I believe, with boots ... no gloves, no gauntlets ... with a small domino mask, swinging on a rope. He had two stiff wings that were sticking out, looking like bat wings. And under it was a big sign ... BATMAN."

Finger offered such suggestions as giving the character a cowl instead of a simple domino mask, a cape instead of wings, and gloves, and removing the red sections from the original costume. Finger said he devised the name Bruce Wayne for the character's secret identity: "Bruce Wayne's first name came from Robert Bruce, the Scottish patriot. Bruce, being a playboy, was a man of gentry. I searched for a name that would suggest colonialism. I tried Adams, Hancock ... then I thought of Mad Anthony Wayne." He later said his suggestions were influenced by Lee Falk's popular ''The Phantom'', a syndicated newspaper comic-strip character with which Kane was familiar as well.

Various aspects of Batman's personality, character history, visual design, and equipment were inspired by contemporary popular culture of the 1930s, including movies, pulp magazines, comic strips, newspaper headlines, and even aspects of Kane himself. Kane noted especially the influence of the films ''The Mark of Zorro'' (1920) and ''The Bat Whispers'' (1930) in the creation of the iconography associated with the character, while Finger drew inspiration from literary characters Doc Savage, The Shadow, and Sherlock Holmes in his depiction of Batman as a master sleuth and scientist.

Kane, in his 1989 autobiography, detailed Finger's contributions to Batman's creation:

Kane signed away ownership in the character in exchange for, among other compensation, a mandatory byline on all Batman comics. This byline did not, originally say "Batman created by Bob Kane"; his name was simply written on the title page of each story. The name disappeared from the comic book in the mid-1960s, replaced by credits for each story's actual writer and artists. In the late 1970s, when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster began receiving a "created by" credit on the Superman titles, along with William Moulton Marston being given the byline for creating Wonder Woman, Batman stories began saying "Created by Bob Kane" in addition to the other credits.

Finger did not receive the same recognition. While he had received credit for other DC work since the 1940s, he began, in the 1960s, to receive limited acknowledgment for his Batman writing; in the letters page of ''Batman'' #169 (February 1965) for example, editor Julius Schwartz names him as the creator of the Riddler, one of Batman's recurring villains. However, Finger's contract left him only with his writing page rate and no byline. Kane wrote, "Bill was disheartened by the lack of major accomplishments in his career. He felt that he had not used his creative potential to its fullest and that success had passed him by." At the time of Finger's death in 1974, DC had not officially credited Finger as Batman co-creator.

Jerry Robinson, who also worked with Finger and Kane on the strip at this time, has criticized Kane for failing to share the credit. He recalled Finger resenting his position, stating in a 2005 interview with ''The Comics Journal'': }}

Although Kane initially rebutted Finger's claims at having created the character, writing in a 1965 open letter to fans that "it seemed to me that Bill Finger has given out the impression that he and not myself created the ''Batman, t' [sic] as well as Robin and all the other leading villains and characters. This statement is fraudulent and entirely untrue." Kane himself also commented on Finger's lack of credit. "The trouble with being a 'ghost' writer or artist is that you must remain rather anonymously without 'credit'. However, if one wants the 'credit', then one has to cease being a 'ghost' or follower and become a leader or innovator."

In 1989, Kane revisited Finger's situation, recalling in an interview,

Early years

The first Batman story, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," was published in ''Detective Comics'' #27 (May 1939). Finger said, "Batman was originally written in the style of the pulps," and this influence was evident with Batman showing little remorse over killing or maiming criminals. Batman proved a hit character, and he received his own solo title in 1940, while continuing to star in ''Detective Comics''. By that time, National was the top-selling and most influential publisher in the industry; Batman and the company's other major hero, Superman, were the cornerstones of the company's success. The two characters were featured side-by-side as the stars of ''World's Finest Comics'', which was originally titled ''World's Best Comics'' when it debuted in fall 1940. Creators including Jerry Robinson and Dick Sprang also worked on the strips during this period.

Over the course of the first few Batman strips elements were added to the character and the artistic depiction of Batman evolved. Kane noted that within six issues he drew the character's jawline more pronounced, and lengthened the ears on the costume. "About a year later he was almost the full figure, my mature Batman," Kane said. Batman's characteristic utility belt was introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #29 (July 1939), followed by the boomerang-like batarang and the first bat-themed vehicle, the Batplane, in #31 (September 1939). The character's origin was revealed in #33 (November 1939), unfolding in a two-page story that establishes the brooding persona of Batman, a character driven by the death of his parents. Written by Finger, it depicts a young Bruce Wayne witnessing his parents' murder at the hands of a mugger. Days later, at their grave, the child vows that "by the spirits of my parents [I will] avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals."

The early, pulp-inflected portrayal of Batman started to soften in ''Detective Comics'' #38 (April 1940) with the introduction of Robin, Batman's kid sidekick. Robin was introduced, based on Finger's suggestion Batman needed a "Watson" with whom Batman could talk. Sales nearly doubled, despite Kane's preference for a solo Batman, and it sparked a proliferation of "kid sidekicks." The first issue of the solo spin-off series ''Batman'' was notable not only for introducing two of his most persistent antagonists, the Joker and Catwoman, but for a story in which Batman shoots some monstrous giants to death. That story prompted editor Whitney Ellsworth to decree that the character could no longer kill or use a gun.

By 1942, the writers and artists behind the Batman comics had established most of the basic elements of the Batman mythos. In the years following World War II, DC Comics "adopted a postwar editorial direction that increasingly de-emphasized social commentary in favor of lighthearted juvenile fantasy." The impact of this editorial approach was evident in ''Batman'' comics of the postwar period; removed from the "bleak and menacing world" of the strips of the early 1940s, Batman was instead portrayed as a respectable citizen and paternal figure that inhabited a "bright and colorful" environment.

1950s and early 1960s

Batman was one of the few superhero characters to be continuously published as interest in the genre waned during the 1950s. In the story "The Mightiest Team in the World" in ''Superman'' #76 (June 1952), Batman teams up with Superman for the first time and the pair discovers each other's secret identity. Following the success of this story, ''World's Finest Comics'' was revamped so it featured stories starring both heroes together, instead of the separate Batman and Superman features that had been running before. The team-up of the characters was "a financial success in an era when those were few and far between"; this series of stories ran until the book's cancellation in 1986.

Batman comics were among those criticized when the comic book industry came under scrutiny with the publication of psychologist Fredric Wertham's book ''Seduction of the Innocent'' in 1954. Wertham's thesis was that children imitated crimes committed in comic books, and that these works corrupt the morals of the youth. Wertham criticized Batman comics for their supposed homosexual overtones and argued that Batman and Robin were portrayed as lovers. Wertham's criticisms raised a public outcry during the 1950s, eventually leading to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority. The tendency towards a "sunnier Batman" in the postwar years intensified after the introduction of the Comics Code. It has also been suggested by scholars that the characters of Batwoman (in 1956) and the pre-Barbara Gordon Bat-Girl (in 1961) were introduced in part to refute the allegation that Batman and Robin were gay, and the stories took on a campier, lighter feel.

In the late 1950s, Batman stories gradually became more science fiction-oriented, an attempt at mimicking the success of other DC characters that had dabbled in the genre. New characters such as Batwoman, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Bat-Mite were introduced. Batman's adventures often involved odd transformations or bizarre space aliens. In 1960, Batman debuted as a member of the Justice League of America in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (February 1960), and went on to appear in several Justice League comic series starting later that same year.

"New Look" Batman and camp

By 1964, sales on Batman titles had fallen drastically. Bob Kane noted that, as a result, DC was "planning to kill Batman off altogether." In response to this, editor Julius Schwartz was assigned to the Batman titles. He presided over drastic changes, beginning with 1964's ''Detective Comics'' #327 (May 1964), which was cover-billed as the "New Look". Schwartz introduced changes designed to make Batman more contemporary, and to return him to more detective-oriented stories. He brought in artist Carmine Infantino to help overhaul the character. The Batmobile was redesigned, and Batman's costume was modified to incorporate a yellow ellipse behind the bat-insignia. The space aliens and characters of the 1950s such as Batwoman, Ace, and Bat-Mite were retired. Batman's butler Alfred was killed off (though his death was quickly reversed due to fan response) while a new female relative for the Wayne family, Aunt Harriet, came to live with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.

The debut of the ''Batman'' television series in 1966 had a profound influence on the character. The success of the series increased sales throughout the comic book industry, and ''Batman'' reached a circulation of close to 900,000 copies. Elements such as the character of Batgirl and the show's campy nature were introduced into the comics; the series also initiated the return of Alfred. Although both the comics and TV show were successful for a time, the camp approach eventually wore thin and the show was canceled in 1968. In the aftermath, the Batman comics themselves lost popularity once again. As Julius Schwartz noted, "When the television show was a success, I was asked to be campy, and of course when the show faded, so did the comic books."

Starting in 1969, writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams made a deliberate effort to distance Batman from the campy portrayal of the 1960s TV series and to return the character to his roots as a "grim avenger of the night." O'Neil said his idea was "simply to take it back to where it started. I went to the DC library and read some of the early stories. I tried to get a sense of what Kane and Finger were after."

O'Neil and Adams first collaborated on the story "The Secret of the Waiting Graves" (''Detective Comics'' #395, January 1970). Few stories were true collaborations between O'Neil, Adams, Schwartz, and inker Dick Giordano, and in actuality these men were mixed and matched with various other creators during the 1970s; nevertheless the influence of their work was "tremendous." Giordano said: "We went back to a grimmer, darker Batman, and I think that's why these stories did so well... Even today we're still using Neal's Batman with the long flowing cape and the pointy ears." While the work of O'Neil and Adams was popular with fans, the acclaim did little to help declining sales; the same held true with a similarly acclaimed run by writer Steve Englehart and penciler Marshall Rogers in ''Detective Comics'' #471–476 (August 1977 – April 1978), which went on to influence the 1989 movie ''Batman'' and be adapted for ''Batman: The Animated Series'', which debuted in 1992. Regardless, circulation continued to drop through the 1970s and 1980s, hitting an all-time low in 1985.

''The Dark Knight Returns'' and later

Frank Miller's limited series ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'' (February–June 1986), which tells the story of a 50-year old Batman coming out of retirement in a possible future, reinvigorated the character. ''The Dark Knight Returns'' was a financial success and has since become one of the medium's most noted touchstones. The series also sparked a major resurgence in the character's popularity.

That year Dennis O'Neil took over as editor of the Batman titles and set the template for the portrayal of Batman following DC's status quo-altering miniseries ''Crisis on Infinite Earths''. O'Neil operated under the assumption that he was hired to revamp the character and as a result tried to instill a different tone in the books than had gone before. One outcome of this new approach was the "Year One" storyline in ''Batman'' #404–407 (February–May 1987), in which Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli redefined the character's origins. Writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland continued this dark trend with 1988's 48-page one-shot ''Batman: The Killing Joke'', in which the Joker, attempting to drive Commissioner Gordon insane, cripples Gordon's daughter Barbara, and then kidnaps and tortures the commissioner, physically and psychologically.

thumb|left|upright|The first issue of ''Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,'' which redefined Batman in the 1980s. Cover art by [[Frank Miller (comics)|Frank Miller.]] The Batman comics garnered major attention in 1988 when DC Comics created a 900 number for readers to call to vote on whether Jason Todd, the second Robin, lived or died. Voters decided in favor of Jason's death by a narrow margin of 28 votes (see ''Batman: A Death in the Family''). The following year saw the release of Tim Burton's ''Batman'' feature film, which firmly brought the character back to the public's attention, grossing millions of dollars at the box office, and millions more in merchandising. However, the three sequels, Tim Burton's ''Batman Returns'' and director Joel Schumacher's ''Batman Forever'' and ''Batman & Robin'', did not perform as well at the box office. The ''Batman'' movie franchise was rebooted with director and co-writer Christopher Nolan's ''Batman Begins'' in 2005 and ''The Dark Knight'' in 2008. In 1989, the first issue of ''Legends of the Dark Knight'', the first new solo Batman title in nearly fifty years, sold close to a million copies.

The 1993 "Knightfall" story arc introduced a new villain, Bane, who critically injures Bruce Wayne. Jean-Paul Valley, known as Azrael, is called upon to wear the Batsuit during Wayne's convalescence. Writers Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, and Alan Grant worked on the Batman titles during "Knightfall," and would also contribute to other Batman crossovers throughout the 1990s. 1998's "Cataclysm" storyline served as the precursor to 1999's "No Man's Land", a year-long storyline that ran through all the Batman-related titles dealing with the effects of an earthquake-ravaged Gotham City. At the conclusion of "No Man's Land", O'Neil stepped down as editor and was replaced by Bob Schreck.

Another writer who rose to prominence on the Batman comic series, was Jeph Loeb. Along with longtime collaborator Tim Sale, they wrote two miniseries ("The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory") that pit an early in his career version of Batman against his entire rogue's gallery (most notably Two-Face, whose origin was re-envisioned by Loeb) while dealing with various mysteries involving serial killers Holiday and the Hangman, of which the former was the subject of intense debate and speculation amongst Batman fans. In 2003, Loeb teamed with artist Jim Lee to work on another mystery arc: "Batman: Hush" for the main Batman book. The twelve issue storyline saw Batman and Catwoman running the gauntlet against Batman's entire rogue's gallery, including an apparently resurrected Jason Todd, while seeking to find the identity of the mysterious supervillain Hush. While the character of Hush failed to catch on with readers, the arc was a sales success for DC. As the storyline was Jim Lee's first regular comic book work in nearly a decade, the series became #1 on the Diamond Comic Distributors sales chart for the first time since ''Batman'' #500 (October 1993) and Jason Todd's appearance laid the groundwork for writer Judd Winick's subsequent run as writer on ''Batman'', with another multi-issue epic, "Under the Hood," which ran from ''Batman'' #637–650.

In 2005, DC launched ''All-Star Batman and Robin'', a stand-alone comic series set outside the existing DC Universe. Written by Frank Miller and drawn by Jim Lee, the series was a commercial success for DC Comics though widely panned by critics for its writing.

Starting in 2006, the regular writers on ''Batman'' and ''Detective Comics'' were Grant Morrison and Paul Dini, with Grant Morrison reincorporating controversial elements of Batman lore (most notably, the science fiction themed storylines of the 1950s Batman comics, which Morrison revised as hallucinations Batman suffered under the influence of various mind-bending gases and extensive sensory deprivation training) into the character. Morrison's run climaxed with "Batman R.I.P.", which brought Batman up against the villainous "Black Glove" organization, which sought to drive Batman into madness. "Batman R.I.P." segued into ''Final Crisis'' (also written by Morrison), which saw the apparent death of Batman at the hands of Darkseid. In the 2009 miniseries ''Batman: Battle for the Cowl'', Wayne's former protégé Dick Grayson becomes the new Batman, and Wayne's son Damian becomes the new Robin. In June 2009, Judd Winick returned to writing ''Batman'', while Grant Morrison was given his own series, titled ''Batman and Robin''.

In 2010, the storyline Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne saw Bruce travel through history, eventually returning to the present day. Although he reclaimed the mantle of Batman, he also allowed Grayson to continue being Batman as well. Bruce decided to take his war on crime globally, which is the central focus of ''Batman Incorporated''. DC Comics would later announce that Grayson would be the main character in ''Batman'', ''Detective Comics'' and ''Batman and Robin'', while Wayne would be the main character in ''Batman Incorporated''. Also, Bruce appeared in another ongoing series, ''Batman: The Dark Knight''.

2011 Relaunch

In 2011, it was announced that the entire line of Batman books would be rebooted in September to match DC Comics' move to relaunch all their publications and reboot the DC continuity. Bruce will be the only character to be identified as Batman and will be featured in ''Batman'', ''Detective Comics'', ''Batman and Robin'', and ''Batman: The Dark Knight''. Dick will return to the mantle of Nightwing and appear in his own ongoing series.

Fictional character biography

Batman's history has undergone various revisions, both minor and major. Few elements of the character's history have remained constant. Scholars William Uricchio and Roberta E. Pearson noted in the early 1990s, "Unlike some fictional characters, the Batman has no primary urtext set in a specific period, but has rather existed in a plethora of equally valid texts constantly appearing over more than five decades."

The central fixed event in the Batman stories is the character's origin story. As a little boy, Bruce Wayne is horrified and traumatized to see his parents, the physician Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, being murdered by a mugger in front of his very eyes. This drives him to fight crime in Gotham City as Batman. Pearson and Uricchio also noted beyond the origin story and such events as the introduction of Robin, "Until recently, the fixed and accruing and hence, canonized, events have been few in number," a situation altered by an increased effort by later Batman editors such as Dennis O'Neil to ensure consistency and continuity between stories.

Golden Age

In Batman's first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #27, he is already operating as a crime fighter. Batman's origin is first presented in ''Detective Comics'' #33 (Nov. 1939), and is later fleshed out in ''Batman'' #47. As these comics state, Bruce Wayne is born to Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, two very wealthy and charitable Gotham City socialites. Bruce is brought up in Wayne Manor, with its wealthy splendor, and leads a happy and privileged existence until the age of eight, when his parents are killed by a small-time criminal named Joe Chill while on their way home from a movie theater. Bruce Wayne swears an oath to rid the city of the evil that had taken his parents' lives. He engages in intense intellectual and physical training; however, he realizes that these skills alone would not be enough. "Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot," Wayne remarks, "so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible..." As if responding to his desires, a bat suddenly flies through the window, inspiring Bruce to take on the persona of Batman.

In early strips, Batman's career as a vigilante earns him the ire of the police. During this period Wayne has a fiancée named Julie Madison. Wayne takes in an orphaned circus acrobat, Dick Grayson, who becomes his sidekick, Robin. Batman also becomes a founding member of the Justice Society of America, although he, like Superman, is an honorary member, and thus only participates occasionally. Batman's relationship with the law thaws quickly, and he is made an honorary member of Gotham City's police department. During this time, butler Alfred Pennyworth arrives at Wayne Manor, and after deducing the Dynamic Duo's secret identities joins their service.

Silver Age

The Silver Age of Comic Books in DC Comics is sometimes held to have begun in 1956 when the publisher introduced Barry Allen as a new, updated version of The Flash. Batman is not significantly changed by the late 1950s for the continuity which would be later referred to as Earth-One. The lighter tone Batman had taken in the period between the Golden and Silver Ages led to the stories of the late 1950s and early 1960s that often feature a large number of science-fiction elements, and Batman is not significantly updated in the manner of other characters until ''Detective Comics'' #327 (May 1964), in which Batman reverts to his detective roots, with most science-fiction elements jettisoned from the series.

After the introduction of DC Comics' multiverse in the 1960s, DC established that stories from the Golden Age star the Earth-Two Batman, a character from a parallel world. This version of Batman partners with and marries the reformed Earth-Two Catwoman, Selina Kyle (as shown in ''Superman Family'' #211) and fathers Helena Wayne, who, as the Huntress, becomes (along with Dick Grayson, the Earth-Two Robin) Gotham's protector once Wayne retires from the position to become police commissioner, a position he occupies until he is killed during one final adventure as Batman. Batman titles however often ignored that a distinction had been made between the pre-revamp and post-revamp Batmen (since unlike The Flash or Green Lantern, Batman comics had been published without interruption through the 1950s) and would on occasion make reference to stories from the Golden Age. Nevertheless, details of Batman's history were altered or expanded upon through the decades. Additions include meetings with a future Superman during his youth, his upbringing by his uncle Philip Wayne (introduced in ''Batman'' #208, January/February 1969) after his parents' death, and appearances of his father and himself as prototypical versions of Batman and Robin, respectively. In 1980 then-editor Paul Levitz commissioned the ''Untold Legend of the Batman'' limited series to thoroughly chronicle Batman's origin and history.

Batman meets and regularly works with other heroes during the Silver Age, most notably Superman, whom he began regularly working alongside in a series of team-ups in ''World's Finest Comics'', starting in 1954 and continuing through the series' cancellation in 1986. Batman and Superman are usually depicted as close friends. Batman becomes a founding member of the Justice League of America, appearing in its first story in 1960s ''Brave and the Bold'' #28. In the 1970s and 1980s, ''Brave and the Bold'' became a Batman title, in which Batman teams up with a different DC Universe superhero each month.

In 1969, Dick Grayson attends college as part of DC Comics' effort to revise the Batman comics. Additionally, Batman also moves from his mansion, Wayne Manor into a penthouse apartment atop the Wayne Foundation building in downtown Gotham City, in order to be closer to Gotham City's crime. Batman spends the 1970s and early 1980s mainly working solo, with occasional team-ups with Robin and/or Batgirl. Batman's adventures also become somewhat darker and more grim during this period, depicting increasingly violent crimes, including the first appearance (since the early Golden Age) of the Joker as a homicidal psychopath, and the arrival of Ra's al Ghul, a centuries-old terrorist who knows Batman's secret identity. In the 1980s, Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing.

In the final issue of ''Brave and the Bold'' in 1983, Batman quits the Justice League and forms a new group called the Outsiders. He serves as the team's leader until ''Batman and the Outsiders'' #32 (1986) and the comic subsequently changed its title.

Modern Batman

After the 12-issue limited series ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', DC Comics retconned the histories of some major characters in an attempt at updating them for contemporary audiences. Frank Miller retold Batman's origin in the storyline "Year One" from ''Batman'' #404–407, which emphasizes a grittier tone in the character. Though the Earth-Two Batman is erased from history, many stories of Batman's Silver Age/Earth-One career (along with an amount of Golden Age ones) remain canonical in the post-Crisis universe, with his origins remaining the same in essence, despite alteration. For example, Gotham's police are mostly corrupt, setting up further need for Batman's existence. While Dick Grayson's past remains much the same, the history of Jason Todd, the second Robin, is altered, turning the boy into the orphan son of a petty crook, who tries to steal the tires from the Batmobile. Also removed is the guardian Phillip Wayne leaving young Bruce to be raised by Alfred Pennyworth. Additionally, Batman is no longer a founding member of the Justice League of America, although he becomes leader for a short time of a new incarnation of the team launched in 1987. To help fill in the revised backstory for Batman following ''Crisis'', DC launched a new Batman title called ''Legends of the Dark Knight'' in 1989 and has published various miniseries and one-shot stories since then that largely take place during the "Year One" period. Various stories from Jeph Loeb and Matt Wagner also touch upon this era.

In 1988's "Batman: A Death in the Family" storyline from ''Batman'' #426–429 Jason Todd, the second Robin, is killed by the Joker. Subsequently Batman begins exhibiting an excessive, reckless approach to his crime-fighting, a result of the pain of losing Jason Todd. Batman works solo until the decade's close, when Tim Drake becomes the new Robin. In 2005, writers resurrected the Jason Todd character and have pitted him against his former mentor.

Many of the major Batman storylines since the 1990s have been inter-title crossovers that run for a number of issues. In 1993, DC published both the "Death of Superman" storyline and "Knightfall" . In the Knightfall storyline's first phase, the new villain Bane paralyzes Batman, leading Wayne to ask Azrael to take on the role. After the end of "Knightfall," the storylines split in two directions, following both the Azrael-Batman's adventures, and Bruce Wayne's quest to become Batman once more. The story arcs realign in "KnightsEnd," as Azrael becomes increasingly violent and is defeated by a healed Bruce Wayne. Wayne hands the Batman mantle to Dick Grayson (then Nightwing) for an interim period, while Wayne trains to return to the role.

The 1994 company-wide crossover ''Zero Hour'' changes aspects of DC continuity again, including those of Batman. Noteworthy among these changes is that the general populace and the criminal element now considers Batman an urban legend rather than a known force. Similarly, the Waynes' killer is never caught or identified, effectively removing Joe Chill from the new continuity, rendering stories such as "Year Two" non-canon.

Batman once again becomes a member of the Justice League during Grant Morrison's 1996 relaunch of the series, titled ''JLA''. While Batman contributes greatly to many of the team's successes, the Justice League is largely uninvolved as Batman and Gotham City face catastrophe in the decade's closing crossover arc. In 1998's "Cataclysm" storyline, Gotham City is devastated by an earthquake and ultimately cut off from the United States Government afterwards. Deprived of many of his technological resources, Batman fights to reclaim the city from legions of gangs during 1999's "No Man's Land".

Meanwhile, Batman's relationship with the Gotham City Police Department changed for the worse with the events of "Batman: Officer Down" and "Batman: War Games/War Crimes"; Batman's long-time law enforcement allies Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock are forced out of the police department in "Officer Down", while "War Games" and "War Crimes" saw Batman become a wanted fugitive after a contingency plan of his to neutralize Gotham City's criminal underworld is accidentally triggered, resulting in a massive gang war that ends with the sadistic Black Mask the undisputed ruler of the city's criminal gangs. Other troubles come for Batman in the form of Lex Luthor (secretly behind the events of "No Man's Land"), who seeks revenge for Bruce Wayne cancelling all of his company's government contracts upon Luthor being elected President of the United States. Luthor arranges for the murder of Batman's on-again, off-again love interest Vesper (introduced in the mid-1990s) during the "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?" and "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" story arcs. Though Batman is able to clear his name, he loses another ally in the form of his new bodyguard Sasha, who is recruited into the organization known as "Checkmate" while stuck in prison due to her refusal to turn states evidence against her employer. While he was unable to prove that Luthor was behind the murder of Vesper, Batman does get his revenge with help from Talia al Ghul in ''Superman/Batman'' #1–6: not only does he bring down Lex Luthor's Presidency but also engages in a hostile take-over of Luthor's corporate holdings, bankrupting the villain in the process.

DC's 2005 limited series ''Identity Crisis'' reveals that JLA member Zatanna had edited Batman's memories to prevent him from stopping the League from lobotomizing Dr. Light after he raped Sue Dibny. This served as a retcon for Batman's complete distrust for his fellow superheroes, which, under writers such as Mark Waid in the "Tower of Babel" arc in JLA, manifested itself in the form of Batman keeping extensive files on how to kill his fellow superheroes. Batman later creates the Brother I satellite surveillance system to watch over and if necessary, kill the other heroes. It is eventually co-opted by Maxwell Lord, who then kills superhero Blue Beetle to keep him from alerting the Justice League of the existence of Batman's murderous creation. The revelation of Batman's creation and his tacit responsibility for Blue Beetle's death becomes a driving force in the lead-up to the ''Infinite Crisis'' miniseries, which again restructures DC continuity. In ''Infinite Crisis'' #7, Alexander Luthor, Jr. mentions that in the newly rewritten history of the "New Earth", created in the previous issue, the murderer of Martha and Thomas Wayne – again, Joe Chill – was captured, thus undoing the retcon created after ''Zero Hour''. Batman and a team of superheroes destroy Brother Eye and the OMACs, though at the very end Batman reaches his apparent breaking point when Alexander Luthor Jr. seriously wounds Nightwing. Picking up a gun, Batman nearly shoots Luthor in order to avenge his former sidekick, until Wonder Woman convinces him to not pull the trigger.

Following ''Infinite Crisis'', Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson (having recovered from his wounds), and Tim Drake retrace the steps Bruce had taken when he originally left Gotham City, to "rebuild Batman." In the ''Face the Face'' storyline, Batman and Robin return to Gotham City after their year-long absence. Part of this absence is captured during Week 30 of the ''52'' series, which shows Batman fighting his inner demons. Later on in ''52'', Batman is shown undergoing an intense meditation ritual in Nanda Parbat. This becomes an important part of the regular ''Batman'' title, which reveals that Batman is reborn as a more effective crime fighter while undergoing this ritual, having "hunted down and ate" the last traces of fear in his mind.

At the end of the "Face the Face" story arc, Bruce officially adopts Tim (who had lost both of his parents at various points in the character's history) as his son. The follow-up story arc in ''Batman'', ''Batman & Son'', introduces Damian Wayne, who is Batman's son with Talia al Ghul. Batman, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, reforms the Justice League in the new ''Justice League of America'' series, and is leading the newest incarnation of the Outsiders.

Grant Morrison's 2008 storyline, ''Batman R.I.P.'', featuring Batman being physically and mentally broken by the enigmatic "Black Glove," garnered much news coverage in advance of its highly promoted conclusion, which would supposedly feature the death of Bruce Wayne. The original intention was, in fact, not for Batman to die in the pages of "R.I.P.," but for the story to continue with the current DC event ''Final Crisis'' and have the death occur there. As such, a two-issue bridge arc was designed called "Last Rites" that showed Batman survive his helicopter crash into the Gotham City River and return to the Batcave, only to be summoned to the Hall of Justice by the JLA to help investigate Orion's death. This in turn led into the events of "Final Crisis" (which began publication during the conclusion of "Batman RIP"), where Batman is kidnapped by Granny Goodness. "Last Rites" told the tale of Batman being mentally probed by Darkseid's minions Mokkari and Simyon, in an attempt to cull the personality traits that make Batman the successful superhero that he is in order to transplant them into cloned bodies. The plan fails due to the clones, unable to handle the stress and grief Batman processes on a daily basis choose to kill themselves rather than endure such a tortured existence. The two-parter concludes with a major "Final Crisis" plot point, as it is revealed that Batman kept the bullet used to kill Orion in his utility belt.

The Batman's apparent death occurs in ''Final Crisis'' #6 when he confronts Darkseid. Batman announces that he will break his "no gun" rule while facing the villain. Wielding a sidearm made by Apokolips, Batman shoots Darkseid in the chest with a bullet made of Radion (the same bullet used to kill Orion), just as Darkseid unleashes his Omega Sanction, or the "death that is life", upon Batman. However, the Omega Sanction does not actually ''kill'' its target, but sends its consciousness into parallel worlds. Although the presence of Batman's corpse would suggest that he is dead, at the conclusion of ''Final Crisis'' it is revealed that Batman has been sent to the distant past where he is able to watch the passing of Anthro.

The three-issue ''Battle for the Cowl'' miniseries, ('cowl' referring to Batman's mask) sees those closest to Wayne compete for the "right" to assume the role of Batman. Eventually, Grayson reluctantly assumes the role. Tim Drake takes on the identity of Red Robin, questing around the world searching for Bruce Wayne, who he believes is still alive.

In ''Blackest Night'', the villain Black Hand is seen digging up Bruce Wayne's body, stealing his skull, and recruiting it into the Black Lantern Corps. Deadman, whose body has also become a Black Lantern, rushes to aid the new Batman and Robin, along with Red Robin against the Gotham villains who have been reanimated as Black Lanterns, as well as their own family members. The skull was briefly reanimated as a Black Lantern, reconstructing a body in the process by Black Hand's lord, Nekron, to move against the Justice League and the Titans. After the Black Lantern Batman created several black power rings to attach to and kill the majority of the Justice League, the skull was returned to normal after Nekron explained it served its purpose as an emotional tether. Nekron also referred to the skull as "Bruce Wayne", knowing that the body was not authentic.

In ''Batman and Robin'''s third storyline, "Blackest Knight," it is revealed that the body left behind at the end of ''Final Crisis'' #6 was actually a clone created from a failed attempt by Darkseid to amass an army of "Batmen". Because of this, the skull that was used by the Black Lantern Corps and reanimated by Nekron was a fake. Dick Grayson, thinking it was Bruce Wayne's real body, attempted to resurrect it in a Lazarus Pit only to be met with a fierce, mindless combatant. He then realized the truth about the body.

Morrison's storyline continues with the miniseries ''Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne''. In the miniseries, Bruce travels through time from the prehistoric era back to present-day Gotham. However, the Dark Knight must overcome unforeseen obstacles: unbeknownst to the hero, Darkseid turned him into a living doomsday weapon when he sent him back in time, which forces Batman's allies to stop him. Thanks to his allies, Batman is able to foil Darkseid's final plan and return to the present.

After Bruce's return, he returns to his role as the Dark Knight on a global scale, thus allowing Dick and Damian to continue as Gotham's Dynamic Duo. This is seen in the new ongoing series ''Batman, Inc.'', where Batman will form an army of heroes that will serve as the Batman on every country of the world. To this end, Bruce publicly announces that Wayne Enterprises will aid Batman on his mission, known as "Batman, Incorporated." Also, Batman will be the protagonist in the new title ''Batman: The Dark Knight'', which will be written and drawn by David Finch. This new title will also see Batman remaining in Gotham to investigate about the disappearance of his friend Dawn Golden. This new title will see Batman investigating themes about mysticism and magic.

Relaunch Batman

In September, ''Batman'', ''Detective Comics'' and ''Batman: The Dark Knight'' will be relaunched to match DC Comics's move to relaunch every major book and reboot the DC continuity. In the new series, Bruce Wayne will be the sole character to be identified as Batman while Dick Grayson will return to the Nightwing codename.

Characterization

Batman's primary character traits can be summarized as "wealth; physical prowess; deductive abilities and obsession." The details and tone of Batman comic books have varied over the years due to different creative teams. Dennis O'Neil noted that character consistency was not a major concern during early editorial regimes: "Julie Schwartz did a Batman in ''Batman'' and ''Detective'' and Murray Boltinoff did a Batman in the ''Brave and the Bold'' and apart from the costume they bore very little resemblance to each other. Julie and Murray did not coordinate their efforts, did not pretend to, did not want to, were not asked to. Continuity was not important in those days."

The driving force behind Batman's character is from his childhood. Bob Kane and Bill Finger discussed Batman's background and decided that "there's nothing more traumatic than having your parents murdered before your eyes." Despite his trauma, he is driven to train to become a brilliant scientist and train his body into absolute physical perfection to fight crime in Gotham City as Batman, an inspired idea from Wayne's insight into the criminal mind. Another of Batman's characterizations is a vigilante; in order to stop evil that started with the death of his parents, he must sometimes break laws himself. Although manifested differently by being re-told by different artists, it is nevertheless that the details and the prime components of Batman's origin have never varied at all in the comic books, the "reiteration of the basic origin events holds together otherwise divergent expressions". The origin is the source of the character's traits and attributes, which play out in many of the character's adventures.

Batman is often treated as a vigilante by other characters in his stories. Frank Miller views the character as "a dionysian figure, a force for anarchy that imposes an individual order." Dressed as a bat, Batman deliberately cultivates a frightening persona in order to aid him in crime-fighting, a fear that originates from the criminals' own guilty conscience.

Bruce Wayne

In his secret identity, Batman is Bruce Wayne, a wealthy businessman who lives in Gotham City. To the world at large, Bruce Wayne is often seen as an irresponsible, superficial playboy who lives off his family's personal fortune (amassed when his family invested in Gotham real estate before the city was a bustling metropolis) and the profits of Wayne Enterprises, a major private technology firm that he inherits. However, Wayne is also known for his contributions to charity, notably through his Wayne Foundation, a charity devoted to helping the victims of crime and preventing people from becoming criminals. Bruce creates the playboy public persona to aid in throwing off suspicion of his secret identity, often acting dim-witted and self-absorbed to further the act. Among the more noted measures he uses to maintain the facade is pretending he is a heavy drinker by claiming his glasses of ginger ale are strong beverages; Bruce is actually a strict teetotaler to maintain his physical fitness and mental acuity.

Writers of both Batman and Superman stories have often compared the two within the context of various stories, to varying conclusions. Like Superman, the prominent persona of Batman's dual identities varies with time. Modern age comics have tended to portray "Bruce Wayne" as the facade, with "Batman" as the truer representation of his personality (in counterpoint to the post-Crisis Superman, whose "Clark Kent" persona is the 'real' personality, and "Superman" is the 'mask'). In ''Batman Unmasked'', a television documentary about the psychology of the character, Associate Professor of Social Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and an adjunct behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation Benjamin Karney, notes that Batman's personality is driven by Bruce Wayne's inherent humanity; that "Batman, for all its benefits and for all of the time Bruce Wayne devotes to it, is ultimately a tool for Bruce Wayne's efforts to make the world better".

As noted in the Will Brooker book, ''Batman Unmasked'', "the confirmation of Batman's identity lies with the young audience...he doesn't have to be Bruce Wayne; he just needs the suit and gadgets, the abilities, and most importantly the morality, the humanity. There's just a sense about him: 'they trust him... and they're never wrong."

Finger came up with the name "Bruce Wayne" for the superhero's secret identity. In Jim Steranko's ''History of the Comics'', vol. 1, Bill Finger reveals, "Bruce Wayne's first name came from Robert Bruce, the Scottish patriot. Wayne, being a playboy, was a man of gentry. I searched for a name that would suggest colonialism. I tried Adams, Hancock...then I thought of Mad Anthony Wayne."

In T. James Musler's book ''Unleashing the Superhero in Us All'', he explores the extent to which money is important in Bruce Wayne's life.

Dick Grayson

While Wayne traveled through time to get back to the present, Dick Grayson became the new Batman. This was the second time he had taken on the mantle in Bruce Wayne's absence, albeit the first time (when Wayne was recovering from his broken back) reluctantly. After Wayne's "death", Dick stated that he had no problem becoming Batman, but Wayne had left a prerecorded message telling him not to take up the mantle and to continue fighting crime as Nightwing with Robin at his side. Realizing that Gotham still needed the Dark Knight, Dick retired his Nightwing mantle to become the new Batman. With Wayne's return and plans to launch Batman worldwide, Dick remained the Batman of Gotham City. After the events of ''Flashpoint'', Dick will return to being Nightwing.

In an interview with IGN, Morrison details that having Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin will be a "reverse" of the normal dynamic between Batman and Robin, with, "a more light-hearted and spontaneous Batman and a scowling, badass Robin." Morrison explains his intentions for the new characterization of Batman: "Dick Grayson is kind of this consummate superhero. The guy has been Batman's partner since he was a kid, he's led the Teen Titans, and he's trained with everybody in the DC Universe. So he's a very different kind of Batman. He's a lot easier; a lot looser and more relaxed."

Skills, abilities, and resources

There are a plethora of superheroes without superpowers, but of them all the Batman character relies on "his own scientific knowledge, detective skills, and athletic prowess." In the stories Batman is regarded as one of the world's greatest detectives. In Grant Morrison's first storyline in ''JLA'', Superman describes Batman as "the most dangerous man on Earth," able to defeat a team of superpowered aliens by himself in order to rescue his imprisoned teammates. He is a master of disguise, often gathering information under the identity of Matches Malone, a notorious gangster. Additionally, the Batman has been repeatedly described as one of the greatest martial artists in the DC Universe, having either trained with or fought against the very best of them including such notables as Lady Shiva, Bronze Tiger, and Richard Dragon.

Costume

Batman's costume incorporates the imagery of a bat in order to frighten criminals. The details of the Batman costume change repeatedly through various stories and media, but the most distinctive elements remain consistent: a scallop-hem cape, a cowl covering most of the face featuring a pair of batlike ears, and a stylized bat emblem on the chest, and the ever-present utility belt. The costumes' colors are traditionally blue and grey, although this colorization arose due to the way comic book art is colored. Finger and Kane conceptualized Batman as having a black cape and cowl and grey suit, but conventions in coloring called for black to be highlighted with blue. This coloring has been claimed by Larry Ford, in ''Place, Power, Situation, and Spectacle: A Geography of Film'', to be a reversion of conventional color-coding symbolism, which sees "bad guys" wearing dark colors. Batman's gloves typically feature three scallops that protrude from long, gauntlet-like cuffs, although in his earliest appearances he wore short, plain gloves without the scallops. A yellow ellipse around the bat logo on the character's chest was added in 1964, and became the hero's trademark symbol, akin to the red and yellow "S" symbol of Superman. The overall look of the character, particularly the length of the cowl's ears and of the cape, varies greatly depending on the artist. Dennis O'Neil said, "We now say that Batman has two hundred suits hanging in the Batcave so they don't have to look the same . . . Everybody loves to draw Batman, and everybody wants to put their own spin on it."

Equipment

Batman uses a large arsenal of specialized gadgets in his war against crime, the designs of which usually share a bat motif. Batman historian Les Daniels credits Gardner Fox with creating the concept of Batman's arsenal with the introduction of the utility belt in ''Detective Comics'' #29 (July 1939) and the first bat-themed weapons the batarang and the "Batgyro" in ''Detective Comics'' #31 and #32 (September; October, 1939). Batman's primary vehicle is the Batmobile, which is usually depicted as an imposing black car with large tailfins that suggest a bat's wings. Batman's other vehicles include the Batplane (aka the Batwing), Batboat, Bat-Sub, and Batcycle.

In proper practice, the "bat" prefix (as in batmobile or batarang) is rarely used by Batman himself when referring to his equipment, particularly after some portrayals (primarily the 1960s ''Batman'' live-action television show and the ''Super Friends'' animated series) stretched the practice to campy proportions. The 1960s television series Batman has an arsenal that includes such "bat-" names as the bat-computer, bat-scanner, bat-radar, bat-cuffs, bat-pontoons, bat-drinking water dispenser, bat-camera with polarized bat-filter, bat-shark repellent bat-spray, and bat-rope. The storyline "A Death in the Family" suggests that given Batman's grim nature, he is unlikely to have adopted the "bat" prefix on his own.

Batman keeps most of his field equipment in a utility belt. Over the years it is shown to contain a virtually limitless variety of crime-fighting tools. Different versions of the belt have these items stored in either pouches or hard cylinders attached evenly around it. A typical major exception to the range of Batman's equipment are conventional firearms, which he refuses to use on principle considering that weapon class was the instrument of his parents' murder. Modern depictions of Batman have him compromise for practicality by arming his vehicles mainly for the purpose of removing obstacles or disabling enemy vehicles.

Bat-Signal

When Batman is needed, the Gotham City police activate a searchlight with a bat-shaped insignia over the lens called the Bat-Signal which shines into the night sky, creating a bat-symbol on a passing cloud which can be seen from any point in Gotham. The origin of the signal varies, depending on the continuity and medium.

In various incarnations, most notably the 1960s ''Batman'' TV series, Commissioner Gordon also has a dedicated phone line, dubbed the Bat-Phone, connected to a bright red telephone (in the TV series) which sits on a wooden base and has a transparent cake cover on top. The line connects directly to Batman's residence, Wayne Manor, specifically both to a similar phone sitting on the desk in Bruce Wayne's study and the extension phone in the Batcave.

Batcave

The Batcave is Batman's secret headquarters, consisting of a series of subterranean caves beneath his mansion, Wayne Manor. It serves as his command center for both local and global surveillance, as well as housing his vehicles and equipment for his war on crime. It also is a storeroom for Batman's memorabilia. In both the comic ''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' (issue #45) and the 2005 film ''Batman Begins'', the cave is said to have been part of the Underground Railroad. Of the heroes and villains who see the Batcave, few know where it is located.

Supporting characters

Batman's interactions with the characters around him, both heroes and villains, help to define the character. Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon, Batman's ally in the Gotham City police, debuted along with Batman in ''Detective Comics'' #27 and has been a consistent presence since then. Later on, Batman gained Alfred as his butler and Lucius Fox as his business manager and apparently unwitting armorer. However, the most important supporting role in the Batman mythos is filled by the hero's young sidekick Robin. The first Robin, Dick Grayson, eventually leaves his mentor and becomes the hero Nightwing, though he and Batman would still continue to work together. The second Robin, Jason Todd, is badly beaten and then killed in an explosion set by the Joker, but later returns as an adversary. Tim Drake, the third Robin, first appeared in 1989 and went on to star in his own comic series. Alfred, Bruce Wayne's loyal butler, father figure, and one of the few to know his secret identity, "[lends] a homey touch to Batman's environs and [is] ever ready to provide a steadying and reassuring hand" to the hero and his sidekick.

Batman is at times a member of superhero teams such as the Justice League of America and the Outsiders. Batman has often been paired in adventure with his Justice League teammate Superman, notably as the co-stars of ''World's Finest'' and ''Superman/Batman'' series. In pre-Crisis continuity, the two are depicted as close friends; however, in current continuity, they have a mutually respectful but uneasy relationship, with an emphasis on their differing views on crime-fighting and justice. In ''Superman/Batman'' #3 (December 2003), Superman observes, "Sometimes, I admit, I think of Bruce as a man in a costume. Then, with some gadget from his utility belt, he reminds me that he has an extraordinarily inventive mind. And how lucky I am to be able to call on him."

Batman is involved romantically with many women throughout his various incarnations. These range from society women such as Julie Madison, Vicki Vale, and Silver St. Cloud, to allies like Wonder Woman and Sasha Bordeaux, to even villainesses such as Catwoman and Talia al Ghul, with the latter of whom he sired a son, Damian, and with the former of whom sired a daughter, Helena (on Earth-Two). While these relationships tend to be short, Batman's attraction to Catwoman is present in nearly every version and medium in which the characters appear. Authors have gone back and forth over the years as to how Batman manages the 'playboy' aspect of Bruce Wayne's personality; at different times he embraces or flees from the women interested in attracting "Gotham's most eligible bachelor."

Other supporting characters in Batman's world include former Batgirl Barbara Gordon, Commissioner Gordon's daughter who, now using a wheelchair due to a gunshot wound inflicted by the Joker, serves the superhero community at large as the computer hacker Oracle; Azrael, a would-be assassin who replaces Bruce Wayne as Batman for a time; Cassandra Cain, an assassin's daughter who became the new Batgirl, Huntress, the sole surviving member of a mob family turned Gotham vigilante who has worked with Batman on occasion, Stephanie Brown, the daughter of a criminal who operated as the Spoiler and temporarily as Robin, Ace the Bat-Hound, Batman's Canine partner; and Bat-Mite, an extra-dimensional imp who idolizes Batman.

Enemies

Batman faces a variety of foes ranging from common criminals to outlandish supervillains. The list is one of the most recognizable in popular culture, many of them mirror aspects of the Batman's character and development, often having tragic origin stories that lead them to a life of crime. Batman's "most implacable foe" is the Joker, a psychopathic, clown-like criminal who, as a "personification of the irrational", represents "everything Batman [opposes]." Other long time recurring antagonists include Catwoman, the Scarecrow, the Penguin, Two-Face, the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Ra's al Ghul, among many others.

Cultural impact

Batman has become a pop culture icon, recognized around the world. The character's presence has extended beyond his comic book origins; events such as the release of the 1989 ''Batman'' film and its accompanying merchandising "brought the Batman to the forefront of public consciousness." In an article commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the character, ''The Guardian'' wrote, "Batman is a figure blurred by the endless reinvention that is modern mass culture. He is at once an icon and a commodity: the perfect cultural artefact for the 21st century." In addition, media outlets have often used the character in trivial and comprehensive surveys — ''Forbes'' magazine estimated Bruce Wayne to be the 9th-richest fictional character with his $5.8 billion fortune, several places after Iron Man, who is at 6. ''BusinessWeek'' listed the character as one of the ten most intelligent superheroes appearing in American comics. Entertainment Weekly named Batman as one of ''The 20 All Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture''. He also was placed on ''AFI's 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains'' from the 1989 feature film by the American Film Institute.

In other media

The character of Batman has appeared in various media aside from comic books. The character has been developed as a vehicle for newspaper syndicated comic strips, books, radio dramas, television, and several theatrical feature films. The first adaptation of Batman was as a daily newspaper comic strip which premiered on October 25, 1943. That same year the character was adapted in the 15-part serial ''Batman'', with Lewis Wilson becoming the first actor to portray Batman on screen. While Batman never had a radio series of his own, the character made occasional guest appearance in ''The Adventures of Superman'' starting in 1945 on occasions when Superman voice actor Bud Collyer needed time off. A second movie serial, ''Batman and Robin'', followed in 1949, with Robert Lowery taking over the role of Batman. The exposure provided by these adaptations during the 1940s "helped make [Batman] a household name for millions who never bought a comic book."

In the 1964 publication of Donald Barthelme's collection of short stories "Come Back, Dr. Caligari", Barthelme wrote "The Joker's Greatest Triumph." Batman is portrayed for purposes of spoof as a pretentious French-speaking rich man.

The ''Batman'' television series, starring Adam West, premiered in January 1966 on the ABC television network. Inflected with a camp sense of humor, the show became a pop culture phenomenon. In his memoir, ''Back to the Batcave'', West notes his dislike for the term 'camp' as it was applied to the 1960s series, opining that the show was instead a farce or lampoon, and a deliberate one, at that. The series ran for 120 episodes, ending in 1968. In between the first and second season of the ''Batman'' television series the cast and crew made the theatrical release ''Batman'' (1966). The Kinks performed the theme song from the Batman series on their 1967 album Live at Kelvin Hall. The popularity of the ''Batman'' TV series also resulted in the first animated adaptation of Batman in the series ''The Batman/Superman Hour''; the Batman segments of the series were repackaged as ''The Adventures of Batman'' and ''Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder'' which produced thirty-three episodes between 1968 and 1977. From 1973 until 1986, Batman had a starring role in ABC's ''Super Friends'' series, which was animated by Hanna-Barbera. Olan Soule was the voice of Batman in all these series, but was eventually replaced during ''Super Friends'' by Adam West, who voiced the character in Filmation's 1977 series ''The New Adventures of Batman''.

In 1989, Batman returned to movie theaters in director Tim Burton's ''Batman'' starring Michael Keaton as the title character. The film was a huge success; not only was it the top-grossing film of the year, but at the time was the fifth highest-grossing film in history. The film spawned three sequels: ''Batman Returns'' (1992), ''Batman Forever'' (1995), and ''Batman & Robin'' (1997), the latter two of which were directed by Joel Schumacher instead of Burton, and replaced Keaton as Batman with Val Kilmer and George Clooney, respectively. The second Schumacher film, while a box office success, failed to outgross any of its predecessors and was critically panned, causing Warner Bros. to cancel the planned fifth film, ''Batman Triumphant'', and place the film series on hiatus.

In 1992, Batman returned to television in ''Batman: The Animated Series'', which was produced by Warner Bros. and broadcast on the Fox television network. Author Les Daniels described the series as "[coming] as close as any artistic statement has to defining the look of Batman for the 1990s." The success of ''Batman: The Animated Series'' led to the animated spin-off film ''Batman: Mask of the Phantasm'' (1993), as well as various other animated series set in the same continuity, including ''The New Batman Adventures'', ''Batman Beyond'', and ''Justice League''. As with ''Batman: The Animated Series'', each of these productions featured Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman. In 2004, a new animated series titled ''The Batman'' made its debut with Rino Romano as the title character. In 2008, this show was replaced by another animated series, ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', with Diedrich Bader as Batman.

In 2005, ''Batman Begins'', a reboot of the film series, was released, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as Batman. Its sequel, ''The Dark Knight'' (2008), set the record for the highest grossing opening weekend of all time in the U.S., earning approximately $158 million, and became the fastest film to reach the $400 million mark in the history of American cinema (eighteenth day of release). These record breaking attendances saw ''The Dark Knight'' listed as the third-highest domestic grossing film of all time with $533 million, bested only by ''Titanic'' and ''Avatar''. Another sequel, ''The Dark Knight Rises,'' is expected to be released in 2012, and is said to be the final Batman film to feature Nolan and Bale as director and lead actor respectively.

Homosexual interpretations

Controversy has arisen over various sexual interpretations made regarding the content of Batman comics in the early decades. Homosexual interpretations have been part of the academic study of Batman since psychologist Fredric Wertham asserted in his ''Seduction of the Innocent'' in 1954 that "Batman stories are psychologically homosexual." He claimed, "The Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies, of the nature of which they may be unconscious." Wertham wrote, "Only someone ignorant of the fundamentals of psychiatry and of the psychopathology of sex can fail to realize a subtle atmosphere of homoeroticism which pervades the adventures of the mature 'Batman' and his young friend 'Robin.'"

Andy Medhurst wrote in his 1991 essay "Batman, Deviance, and Camp" that Batman is interesting to gay audiences because "he was one of the first fictional characters to be attacked on the grounds of his presumed homosexuality," "the 1960s TV series remains a touchstone of camp," and "[he] merits analysis as a notably successful construction of masculinity."

Creators associated with the character have expressed their own opinions. Writer Alan Grant has stated, "The Batman I wrote for 13 years isn't gay. Denny O'Neil's Batman, Marv Wolfman's Batman, everybody's Batman all the way back to Bob Kane... none of them wrote him as a gay character. Only Joel Schumacher might have had an opposing view." Writer Devin Grayson has commented, "It depends who you ask, doesn't it? Since you're asking me, I'll say no, I don't think he is ... I certainly understand the gay readings, though." While Frank Miller has described the relationship between Batman and the Joker as a "homophobic nightmare," he views the character as sublimating his sexual urges into crimefighting, concluding, "He'd be ''much'' healthier if he were gay." Burt Ward, who portrayed Robin in the 1960s television show, has also remarked upon this interpretation in his autobiography ''Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights''; he writes that the relationship could be interpreted as a sexual one, with the show's double entendres and lavish camp also possibly offering ambiguous interpretation.

Such homosexual interpretations continue to attract attention. One notable example occurred in 2000, when DC Comics refused to allow permission for the reprinting of four panels (from ''Batman'' #79, 92, 105 and 139) to illustrate Christopher York's paper ''All in the Family: Homophobia and Batman Comics in the 1950s''. Another happened in the summer of 2005, when painter Mark Chamberlain displayed a number of watercolors depicting both Batman and Robin in suggestive and sexually explicit poses. DC threatened both artist and the Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts gallery with legal action if they did not cease selling the works and demanded all remaining art, as well as any profits derived from them.

Notes

References

Daniels, Les. ''Batman: The Complete History''. Chronicle Books, 1999. ISBN 0-8118-4232-0

Daniels, Les. ''DC Comics: Sixty Years of the World's Favorite Comic Book Heroes''. Bulfinch, 1995. ISBN 0-8212-2076-4

Jones, Gerard. ''Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book''. Basic Books, 1995. ISBN 0-465-03657-0

Pearson, Roberta E.; Uricchio, William (editors). ''The Many Lives of the Batman: Critical Approaches to a Superhero and His Media''. Routledge: London, 1991. ISBN 0-85170-276-7

Wright, Bradford W. ''Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America''. Johns Hopkins, 2001. ISBN 0-8018-7450-5

External links

Earth-1 Batman Index

Earth-2 Batman Index

Post-Crisis Batman Index

Batman Bio at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe

The Batman Wiki

Another Earth-1 Batman Index

– present) ComicsInventory.com | Batman

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''The Shadow'' is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town" with psychic powers. One of the most famous pulp heroes of the 20th century, The Shadow has been featured in comic books, comic strips, television, video games, and at least five motion pictures. The radio drama is well-remembered for those episodes voiced by Orson Welles.

Introduced as a mysterious radio narrator by David Chrisman, William Sweets, and Harry Engman Charlot for Street and Smith Publications, The Shadow was fully developed and transformed into a pop culture icon by pulp writer Walter B. Gibson.

The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street and Smith radio program ''Detective Story Hour.'' After gaining popularity among the show's listeners, the narrator became the star of ''The Shadow Magazine'' on April 1, 1931, a pulp series created and primarily written by the prolific Gibson.

Over the years, the character evolved. On September 26, 1937, ''The Shadow'' radio drama officially premiered with the story "The Deathhouse Rescue", in which the character had "the power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." This was a contrivance for the radio; in the magazine stories, The Shadow did not have the ability to become literally invisible.

Even after decades, the unmistakable introduction from ''The Shadow'' radio program, long-intoned by actor Frank Readick Jr., has earned a place in the American idiom: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" These words were accompanied by an ominous laugh and a musical theme, Camille Saint-Saëns' ''Le Rouet d'Omphale'' ("Omphale's Spinning Wheel", composed in 1872). At the end of each episode, The Shadow reminded listeners, "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.... The Shadow knows!"

Publication history

Detective Story Hour

In order to boost the sales of their ''Detective Story Magazine,'' Street and Smith Publications hired David Chrisman of the Ruthrauff & Ryan advertising agency and writer-director William Sweets to adapt the magazine's stories into a radio series. Chrisman and Sweets felt the upcoming series should be narrated by a mysterious storyteller with a sinister voice, and began searching for a suitable name. One of their scriptwriters, Harry Engman Charlot, suggested various possibilities, such as "The Inspector" or "The Sleuth." Charlot then proposed the ideal name for the phantom announcer: "... The Shadow."

Thus, beginning on July 31, 1930, "The Shadow" was the name given to the mysterious narrator of the ''Detective Story Hour''. The narrator was voiced by James LaCurto and, later, Frank Readick. The episodes were drawn from the ''Detective Story Magazine'' issued by Street and Smith, "the nation's oldest and largest publisher of pulp magazines." Although the latter company had hoped the radio broadcasts would boost the declining sales of the ''Detective Story Magazine'', the result was quite different. Listeners found the sinister announcer much more compelling than the unrelated stories. They soon began asking newsdealers for copies of "that ''Shadow'' detective magazine," even though it did not exist.

Development

Recognizing the demand and responding promptly, circulation manager Henry William Ralston of Street & Smith commissioned magician Walter B. Gibson to begin writing stories about "The Shadow." Using the pen name of Maxwell Grant and claiming that the stories were "from The Shadow's private annals as told to" him, Gibson wrote 282 out of 325 tales over the next 20 years: a novel-length story twice a month (1st and 15th). The first story produced was "The Living Shadow", published April 1, 1931.

Gibson initially fashioned the character as a man with villainous characteristics, who used them to battle crime, and in this was the very first superhero in the modern century for modern times complete with a stylized imagery, a stylized name, sidekicks, super villains and a secret identity. Clad in black, The Shadow operated mainly after dark, burglarizing in the name of justice, and terrifying criminals into vulnerability before he or someone else gunned them down. The character was a film noir anti-hero in every sense; Gibson himself claimed the literary inspirations for The Shadow were Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' and Edward Bulwer-Lytton's ''The House and the Brain''.

Because of the great effort involved in writing two full-length novels every month, several guest writers were hired to write occasional installments in order to lighten Gibson's work load. These guest writers included Lester Dent — who penned the Doc Savage stories — and Theodore Tinsley. In the late 1940s, mystery novelist Bruce Elliott would temporarily replace Gibson as the primary author of the pulp series. Richard Edward Wormser, a reader for Street & Smith, wrote two Shadow stories.

''The Shadow Magazine'' ceased publication with the Summer 1949 issue, but Walter B. Gibson wrote three new "official" stories between 1963 and 1980. The first of these began a new series of nine updated Shadow novels from Belmont Books, starting with ''Return of The Shadow'' under his own by-line. But the remaining eight, ''The Shadow Strikes'', ''Beware Shadow'', ''Cry Shadow'', ''The Shadow's Revenge'', ''Mark of The Shadow'', ''Shadow Go Mad'', ''Night of The Shadow'', and ''The Shadow, Destination: Moon'', were not penned by Gibson but by Dennis Lynds under the "Maxwell Grant" byline. In these last eight novels, The Shadow was given psychic powers, including the radio character's ability "to cloud men's minds" so that he effectively became invisible, and was more of a spymaster than crime fighter.

Publications

''See List of The Shadow stories''

Character development

The character and look of The Shadow gradually evolved over his lengthy fictional existence.

As depicted in the pulps, The Shadow wore a black slouch hat and a black, crimson-lined cloak with an upturned collar over a standard black business suit. In the 1940s comic books, the later comic book series, and the 1994 film starring Alec Baldwin, he wore either the black slouch hat or a wide-brimmed, black fedora and a crimson scarf just below his nose and across his mouth and chin. Both the cloak and scarf covered either a black doubled-breasted trench coat or regular black suit. As seen in some of the later comics series, the hat and scarf would also be worn with either a black Inverness coat or Inverness cape.

But in the radio drama, which debuted in 1937, The Shadow became an invisible avenger who had learned, while "traveling through East Asia," "the mysterious power to cloud men's minds, so they could not see him." This revision of the character was born out of necessity: Time constraints of 1930s radio made it difficult to explain to listeners where The Shadow was hiding and how he was remaining concealed. Thus, the character was given the power to escape human sight. Voice effects were added to suggest The Shadow's seeming omnipresence.

In order to explain this power, The Shadow was described as a master of hypnotism, as explicitly stated in several radio episodes.

Background

In print, The Shadow's real name is Kent Allard, and he was a famed aviator who fought for the French during World War I. He became known by the alias of The Black Eagle, according to ''The Shadow's Shadow,'' 1933, although later stories revised this alias as The Dark Eagle beginning with ''The Shadow Unmasks,'' 1937. After the war, Allard seeks a new challenge and decides to wage war on criminals. Allard fakes his death in the South American jungles, then returns to the United States. Arriving in New York City, he adopts numerous identities to conceal his existence.

One of these identities—indeed, the best known—is Lamont Cranston, a "wealthy young man about town." In the pulps, Cranston is a separate character; Allard frequently disguises himself as Cranston and adopts his identity ("The Shadow Laughs," 1931). While Cranston travels the world, Allard assumes his identity in New York. In their first meeting, Allard/The Shadow threatens Cranston, saying that he has arranged to switch signatures on various documents and other means that will allow him to take over the Lamont Cranston identity entirely unless Cranston agrees to allow Allard to impersonate him when he is abroad. Terrified, Cranston agrees. The two men sometimes meet in order to impersonate each other ("Crime over Miami," 1940). Apparently, the disguise works well because Allard and Cranston bear something of a resemblance to each other ("Dictator of Crime," 1941).

His other disguises include businessman Henry Arnaud, who first appeared in ''Green Eyes,'' Oct. 1932, elderly gentleman Isaac Twambley, who first appeared in ''No Time For Murder,'' and Fritz, who first appeared in ''The Living Shadow,'' Apr. 1931; in this last disguise, he pretends to be a doddering old janitor who works at Police Headquarters in order to listen in on conversations.

The Shadow appears as Henry Arnaud in "Atoms of Death," "Buried Evidence," "Death Jewels," "Death Premium," "Death Ship," "Green Eyes," "House of Silence," "Murder Trail," "Quetzal," "Realm of Doom," "The Black Master," "The Blue Sphinx," "The Case of Congressman Coyd," "The Circle of Death," "The City of Doom," "The Condor," "The Embassy Murders," "The Five Chameleons," "The Ghost Murders," "The Man From Shanghai," "The Plot Master," "The Radium Murders," "The Romanoff Jewels," "The Seven Drops of Blood," "The Shadow Unmasks," "The Shadow's Shadow," and "Wizard of Crime."

The Shadow appears as Isaac Twambley in "No Time for Murder," "Guardians of Death," "Death Has Grey Eyes," "The Stars Promise Death," "Dead Man's Chest, and "The Magigal's Mystery."

The Shadow appears as Fritz in at least 23 Shadow novels: "The Living Shadow," "Hidden Death," "The Ghost Makers," "The Crime Clinic," "Crime Circus," "The Chinese Disks," "The Dark Death," "The Third Skull," "The Black Master," "The Voodoo Master," "The Third Shadow," "The Circle of Death," "The Sledge Hammer Crimes," "The Golden Masks," "The Ghost Murders," "Hills of Death," "The Hand," "The Racket's King," "The Green Hoods," "The Crime Ray," "The Getaway Ring," "Masters of Death," and "The Crystal Skull."

For the first half of The Shadow's tenure in the pulps, his past and identity are ambiguous, supposedly an intentional decision on Gibson's part. In ''The Living Shadow,'' a thug claims to have seen The Shadow's face, and thought he saw "a piece of white that looked like a bandage." In "The Black Master" and "The Shadow's Shadow," the villains both see The Shadow's true face, and they both remark that The Shadow is a man of many faces with no face of his own. It was not until the August 1937 issue, "The Shadow Unmasks," that The Shadow's real name is revealed.

Kent Allard appears as himself in at least twenty-eight Shadow novels: "The Shadow Unmasks," "The Yellow Band," "Death Turrets," "The Sealed Box," "The Crystal Buddha," "Hills of Death," "The Murder Master," "The Golden Pagoda," "Face of Doom," "The Racket's King," "Murder for Sale," "Death Jewels," "The Green Hoods," "Crime Over Boston," "The Dead Who Lived," "Shadow Over Alcatraz," "Double Death," "Silver Skull," "The Prince of Evil," "Masters of Death," "Xitli, God of Fire," "The Green Terror," "The Wasp Returns," "The White Column," "Dictator of Crime," "Crime out of Mind," "Crime Over Casco," and "Dead Man's Chest."

In the radio drama, the Allard secret identity was dropped for simplicity's sake. On the radio, The Shadow was only Lamont Cranston; he had no other aliases or disguises.

Supporting characters

The Shadow has a network of agents who assist him in his war on crime. These include:

Harry Vincent, an operative whose life he saved when Vincent tried to commit suicide.

Moses "Moe" Shrevnitz, aka "Shrevvy," a cab driver who doubles as his chauffeur.

Margo Lane, a socialite created for the radio drama and later introduced into the pulps.

Clyde Burke, a newspaper reporter.

Burbank, a radio operator who maintains contact between The Shadow and his agents.

Cliff Marsland, a wrongly convicted ex-con who infiltrates gangs using his crooked reputation.

Dr. Rupert Sayre, The Shadow's personal physician.

Jericho Druke, a giant, immensely strong black man.

Slade Farrow, who works with The Shadow to rehabilitate criminals.

Miles Crofton, who sometimes pilots The Shadow's autogyro.

Rutledge Mann, a stock-broker who collects information.

Claude Fellows, the only agent of The Shadow ever to be killed, which he was in ''Gangdom's Doom,'' 1931.

Hawkeye, a reformed underworld snoop who trails gangsters and other criminals.

Myra Reldon, a female operative who uses the alias of Ming Dwan when in Chinatown.

Dr. Roy Tam, The Shadow's contact man in New York's Chinatown.

Though initially wanted by the police, The Shadow also works with and through them; notably gleaning information from his many chats with Commissioners Ralph Weston and Wainright Barth (who is also Cranston's uncle), while at the Cobalt Club. Weston believes that Cranston is merely a rich playboy who dabbles in detective work. Another police contact is Detective Joe Cardona, a key character in many Shadow novels.

In contrast to the pulps, ''The Shadow'' radio drama limited the cast of major characters to The Shadow, Commissioner Weston, and Margo Lane, the last of whom was created specifically for the radio series, as it was believed the abundance of agents would make it difficult to distinguish between characters. Clyde Burke and Moe Shrevnitz (identified only as "Shrevvy") made occasional appearances, but not as agents of The Shadow. Shrevvy was merely an acquaintance of Cranston and Lane, and occasionally Cranston's chauffeur.

Enemies

The Shadow also faces a wide variety of enemies, ranging from kingpins and mad scientists to international spies and "super-villains," many of whom were predecessors to the rogues's galleries of comic super-heroes. Among The Shadow's recurring foes are Shiwan Khan (''The Golden Master,'' ''Shiwan Khan Returns,'' and ''The Invincible Shiwan Khan'')--who appears in the feature film portrayed by John Lone--The Voodoo Master (''The Voodoo Master,'' ''The City of Doom,'' and ''Voodoo Trail''), The Prince of Evil (''The Prince of Evil,'' ''The Murder Genius,'' ''The Man Who Died Twice,'' and ''The Devil's Paymaster,'' all written by Theodore Tinsley), and The Wasp (''The Wasp'' and ''The Wasp Returns'').

The series also featured a myriad of one-shot villains, including The Red Envoy, The Death Giver, Gray Fist, The Black Dragon, Silver Skull, The Red Blot, The Black Falcon, The Cobra, Zemba, The Black Master, Five-Face, The Gray Ghost, and Dr. Z.

The Shadow also battles collectives of criminals, such as The Silent Seven, The Hand, The Salamanders, and The Hydra.

Radio program

In early 1930, Street & Smith Publications hired David Chrisman and Bill Sweets to adapt the ''Detective Story Magazine'' to radio format. Chrisman and Sweets felt the program should be introduced by a mysterious storyteller. A young scriptwriter, Harry Charlot, suggested the name of "The Shadow." Thus, "The Shadow" premiered over CBS airwaves on July 31, 1930, as the host of the ''Detective Story Hour'', narrating "tales of mystery and suspense from the pages of the premier detective fiction magazine." The narrator was first voiced by James LaCurto, but became a national sensation when radio veteran Frank Readick, Jr. assumed the role and gave it "a hauntingly sibilant quality that thrilled radio listeners."

Early years

Following a brief tenure as narrator of Street & Smith's ''Detective Story Hour'', "The Shadow" character was used to host segments of ''The Blue Coal Radio Revue'', playing on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This marked the beginning of a long association between the radio persona and sponsor Blue Coal.

While functioning as a narrator of ''The Blue Coal Radio Revue'', the character was recycled by Street & Smith in October 1931, to oddly serve as the storyteller of ''Love Story Hour''.

In October 1932, the radio persona temporarily moved to NBC. Frank Readick again played the role of the sinister-voiced host on Mondays and Wednesdays, both at 6:30 p.m., with LaCurto taking occasional turns as the title character.

Readick returned as The Shadow to host a final CBS mystery anthology that fall. The series disappeared from CBS airwaves on March 27, 1935, due to Street & Smith's insistence that the radio storyteller be completely replaced by the master crime-fighter described in Walter B. Gibson's ongoing pulps.

Radio drama

Street & Smith entered into a new broadcasting agreement with Blue Coal in 1937, and that summer Gibson teamed with scriptwriter Edward Hale Bierstadt to develop the new series. As such, The Shadow returned to network airwaves on September 26, 1937, over the new Mutual Broadcasting System. Thus began the "official" radio drama that many Shadow fans know and love, with 22-year-old Orson Welles starring as Lamont Cranston, a "wealthy young man about town." Once ''The Shadow'' joined Mutual as a half-hour series on Sunday evenings, the program did not leave the air until December 26, 1954.

Welles did not speak the signature line of "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?". Instead, Readick did, using a water glass next to his mouth for the echo effect. The famous catch phrase was accompanied by the strains of an excerpt from Opus 31 of the Camille Saint-Saëns classical composition, ''Le Rouet d'Omphale''.

After Welles departed the show in 1938, Bill Johnstone was chosen to replace him and voiced the character for five seasons. Following Johnstone's departure, The Shadow was portrayed by such actors as Bret Morrison (the longest tenure, with 10 years in two separate runs), John Archer, and Steve Courtleigh.

''The Shadow'' also inspired another radio hit, ''The Whistler'', whose protagonist likewise knows "many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak".

Margo Lane

The radio drama also introduced female characters into The Shadow's realm, most notably Margo Lane (played by Agnes Moorehead, among others) as Cranston's love interest, crime-solving partner and the only person who knows his identity as The Shadow. Four years later, the character was introduced into the pulp novels. Her sudden, unexplained appearance in the pulps annoyed readers and generated a flurry of hate mail printed in ''The Shadow Magazine'''s letters page.

Lane was described as Cranston's "friend and companion" in later episodes, although the exact nature of their relationship was unclear. In the early scripts of the radio drama the character's name was spelled "Margot." The name itself was originally inspired by Margot Stevenson, the Broadway ingénue who would later be chosen to voice Lane opposite Welles' Shadow during "the 1938 Goodrich summer season of the radio drama." In the 1994 film in which Penelope Ann Miller portrayed the character, she is characterized as a telepath.

Comic strip, comic books, and graphic novels

''The Shadow'' has been adapted for the comics quite a few times, the first appearing in 1938 as a syndicated daily newspaper comic strip offered by the Ledger Syndicate. The strip's story continuity was written by Walter B. Gibson, with plot lines adapted from the Shadow pulps, and the strip was illustrated by Vernon Greene. Due to pulp paper shortages and the growing amount of space required for war news from the European and Pacific fronts, the strip was cancelled in 1942. ''The Shadow'' daily was collected decades later in two comic book series from two different publishers (see below) in 1988 and again in 1999.

To both cross-promote ''The Shadow'' and attract a younger audience to their other pulp magazines, Street & Smith published 101 issues of the comic book ''Shadow Comics'' from Vol. 1, #1 - Vol. 9, #5 (March 1940 - Sept. 1949). A Shadow story led off each issue, with the remainder of the stories being strips based on other Street & Smith pulp heroes.

In ''Mad'' #4 (April–May 1953), ''The Shadow'' was spoofed by Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder. Their character was called the Shadow' (with an apostrophe), which is short for Lamont Shadowskeedeeboomboom. In this satire, Margo Pain gets Shad, as she calls him, into various predicaments, including fights with gangsters and a piano falling on him from above. At the conclusion of the tale, after Margo is tricked into going inside an outhouse surrounded by wired-up dynamite, Shad is seen gleefully pushing down a detonator's plunger.

During the superhero revivial of the 1960s, Archie Comics published an eight-issue series, ''The Shadow'' (Aug. 1964 - Sept. 1965) under the company's Mighty Comics imprint. In the first issue, The Shadow depicted was loosely based on the radio version, but with blonde hair. In issue #2 (Sept. 1964), the character was transformed into a campy, heavily muscled, green and blue costume-wearing superhero by writer Robert Bernstein (Jerry Siegel) and artist John Rosenberger.

During the mid-1970s, DC Comics published a critically acclaimed 12-issue series (Nov. 1973 - Sept. 1975) written by Dennis O'Neil and initially drawn by Michael William Kaluta (#1-4 & 6). Faithful to both the pulp-magazine and radio-drama character, the series guest-starred fellow pulp fiction hero The Avenger in issue #11. The Shadow appeared in DC's ''Batman'' #253 (Nov. 1973), in which Batman teams with an aging Shadow and calls the famous crimefighter his "greatest inspiration". In ''Batman'' #259 (Dec. 1974), Batman again meets The Shadow, and we learn The Shadow saved Bruce Wayne's life when the future Batman was a boy. In 1986, another DC incarnation was created by Howard Chaykin. This four issue mini-series, also collected as a one-shot graphic novel (''Shadow: Blood and Judgement''), brought The Shadow to modern-day New York. The story was continued in a 1987 monthly series by writer Andy Helfer (editor of the mini-series), and primarily artists Bill Sienkiewicz (issues 1-6) and Kyle Baker (issues 8-19 and Annual #2). While initially successful, this version proved unpopular with traditional Shadow fans because it depicted The Shadow using Uzi submachine guns and rocket launchers, as well as featuring a strong strain of black comedy and extreme violence throughout.

In 1988, O'Neil and Kaluta, with inker Russ Heath, returned to The Shadow with the Marvel Comics graphic novel ''The Shadow 1941: Hitler's Astrologer'', set during World War II. This one-shot appeared in both hardcover and trade paperback editions.

The Vernon Greene/Walter Gibson Shadow newspaper comic strip from the early 1940s was finally collected by Malibu Graphics (Malibu Comics) under their Eternity Comics imprint, beginning with the first issue of ''Crime Classics'' dated July, 1988. Each cover was illustrated by Greene and colored by one of Eternity's colorists. A total of 13 issues appeared featuring just the black-and-white daily until the final issue, dated November, 1989. Some of the Shadow storylines were contained in one issue, while others were continued over into the next. When a Shadow story ended, another tale would begin in the same issue. This back-to-back format continued until the final 13th issue, when the strip storylines ended.

Dave Stevens' nostalgic comics series ''The Rocketeer'' contains a great number of pop culture references to the 1930s. Various characters from the Shadow pulps make appearances in the story line published in the ''Rocketeer Adventure Magazine,'' including The Shadow's famous alter ego Lamont Cranston. Two issues were published by Comico Comics in 1988 and 1989, but the third and final installment did not appear until years later, finally appearing in 1995 from Dark Horse Comics. All three issues were then collected by Dark Horse into a slick trade paperback titled ''The Rocketeer: Cliff's New York Adventure'' (ISBN 1-56971-092-9).

From 1989 to 1992, DC published a new series, ''The Shadow Strikes'', written by Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto. This series was set in the 1930s and returned The Shadow to his pulp origins. During its run, it featured The Shadow's first team-up with Doc Savage, another very popular hero of the pulp magazine era. Both characters appeared together in a four-issue story that crossed back and forth between each character's DC comic series. "The Shadow Strikes" series often led The Shadow into encounters with well-known celebrities of the 1930s, such as Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, union organizer John L. Lewis, and Chicago gangsters Frank Nitti and Jake Guzik. In issue #7, The Shadow meets a radio announcer named Grover Mills — a character based on the young Orson Welles — who has been impersonating The Shadow on the radio. The character's name is taken from Grover's Mill, New Jersey, the name of the small town where the Martians land in Welles' famous 1938 radio broadcast of ''The War of the Worlds.'' This was wound up at 31 issues and one annual, the longest running Shadow comic since its original publication, after rights holder Conde Nast increased the licensing fee.

During the early-to-mid-1990s, Dark Horse Comics acquired the comics rights to the Shadow. It published the Shadow miniseries ''In The Coils of Leviathan'' (four issues) in 1993, and ''Hell's Heat Wave'' (three issues) in 1995. ''In the Coils of the Leviathan'' was later collected and issued by Dark Horse in 1994 as a trade paperback graphic novel. Both series were written by Joel Goss and Michael Kaluta, and drawn by Gary Gianni. A one-shot Shadow issue ''The Shadow and the Mysterious Three'' was also published by Dark Horse in 1994, again written by Joel Goss and Michael Kaluta, with Stan Manoukian and Vince Roucher taking over the illustration duties but working over Kaluta's layouts. A comics adaptation of the 1994 film ''The Shadow'' was published in two issues by Dark Horse as part of the movie's merchandising campaign. The script was by Goss and Kaluta and once again drawn from cover to cover by Kaluta. It was collected and published in England by Boxtree as a graphic novel tie-in for the film's British release. Emulating DC's earlier team-up, Dark Horse also published a two-issue mini-series in 1995 called ''The Shadow and Doc Savage''. It was written by Steve Vance, and illustrated once again by Manoukian and Roucher. Of special note, both issues' covers were drawn by Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens. The final Dark Horse Shadow team-up was published in 1995. It was a single issue of ''Ghost and the Shadow'', written by Doug Moench, pencilled by H. M. Baker, and inked by Bernard Kolle.

The Shadow made an uncredited cameo appearance in issue #2 of DC's 1996 four issue mini-series ''Kingdom Come''. Those four issues were then collected into a single graphic novel in 1997. The Shadow appears in the nightclub scene standing in the background next to The Question and Rorschach.

The early 1940s Shadow newspaper daily strip was again put back into print, this time by Avalon Communications under their ACG Classix imprint. The Shadow daily began appearing in the first issue of ''Pulp Action'' comics. It carries no monthly date or issue number on the cover, only a 1999 copyright and a "Pulp Action #1" notation at the bottom of the inside cover. Each issue's cover is a colorized, partial comics panel blow-up, taken from one of the reprinted strips. The eighth issue uses for its cover a partial Shadow serial black-and-white movie still, with several hand-drawn alterations added. The first issue of ''Pulp Action'' is devoted entirely to reprinting the Shadow daily, but subsequent issues began offering back-up, non-Shadow stories of various page lengths in every issue. These Shadow strip reprints stopped with ''Pulp Action''s eighth issue, never completing the daily's storylines. That last issue carries a 2000 copyright date.

In August 2011 it was announced that Dynamite Entertainment had licensed the Shadow from Conde Nast and would soon be developing a new comic series for the character.

Films

The character has been adapted for several motion pictures.

''The Shadow Strikes'' (1937)

The film ''The Shadow Strikes'' was released in 1937, starring Rod La Rocque in the title role. Lamont Cranston assumes the secret identity of "The Shadow" in order to thwart an attempted robbery at an attorney's office. Both ''The Shadow Strikes'' (1937) and its sequel, ''International Crime'' (1938), were released by Grand National Pictures.

''International Crime'' (1938)

La Rocque returned the following year in ''International Crime''. In this version, reporter Lamont Cranston is an amateur criminologist and detective who uses the name of "The Shadow" as a radio gimmick. Thomas Jackson portrayed Police Commissioner Weston, and Astrid Allwyn was cast as Phoebe Lane, Cranston's assistant.

''The Shadow'' (1940)

A 15-chapter serial produced by Columbia Studios starring Victor Jory premiered in 1940. The Black Tiger is a criminal mastermind who has been sabotaging rail lines and factories across the United States, and Lamont Cranston must become his shadowy alter ego to uncover the fiend and halt his schemes.

''The Shadow Returns'' (1946)

Low-budget motion picture studio Monogram produced a trio of films in 1946 starring Kane Richmond: ''The Shadow Returns'', ''Behind the Mask'' and ''The Missing Lady''. Richmond's Shadow wore a black face-mask similar to the type worn by the serial hero The Masked Marvel instead of his signature red sash.

''The Shadow'' (1994)

In 1994, the character was adapted once again into a feature film, ''The Shadow,'' starring Alec Baldwin as Lamont Cranston, alongside Penelope Ann Miller as Margo Lane. Cranston, also known as Ying-Ko (literally "Eagle's Beak"), is depicted as a brutal warlord and opium smuggler in 1930s Mongolia who is kidnapped by the agents of a tulku, who reforms him and teaches him to "cloud men's minds" with his psychic power in order to fight crime. His nemesis in the film is adapted from the pulp novel's evil warlord (and for the film, a fellow telepath), Shiwan Khan (John Lone), the last descendant of Genghis Khan; he seeks to finish his ancestors' legacy of conquering the world by first destroying New York City with an atomic bomb. In the end, the Shadow defeats him by telekinetically, stabbing Khan in the forehead with a knife-blade shaped piece of broken mirror shard; this doesn't result in his death, however. One of the Shadow's agents, the administrator of a New York insane asylum, has the shard-damaged part of Khan's frontal lobe surgically removed that controls his telepathic powers, has him declared incuribly insane, and institutionalized for life.

This movie combined the radio, pulp novels, and comic book versions of The Shadow, with the aforementioned ability to cloud minds, described only on radio, along with the huge red-lined black cloak, red scarf, the black trench coat and slouch hat, and the dual .45 semi-automatic pistols with which The Shadow was customarily outfitted. The film also displays Cranston's ability to conjure a false face whenever he is in his Shadow disguise, in keeping with his physical portrayal in the novels and the comics.

Upcoming film

On December 11, 2006, the website SuperHero Hype reported that director Sam Raimi and Michael Uslan will co-produce a new ''Shadow'' film for Columbia Pictures. Siavash Farahani will write the screenplay. Raimi had tried (and failed) to gain the rights in the late 1980s, which resulted in his 1990 feature film, ''Darkman''.

On October 16, 2007, Raimi stated that: "I don't have any news on 'The Shadow' at this time, except that the company that I have with Josh Donen, my producing partner, we've got the rights to 'The Shadow.' I love the character very much and we're trying to work on a story that'll do justice to the character."

On January 29, 2010, it was reported that Sam Raimi was searching for a new project after it was announced that the Spider-Man movie franchise would be rebooted without him. The Shadow was said to be at the top of his list. Recently, it was incorrectly rumoured that David Slade will direct the upcoming film, with a release date of 2012. On Thursday, August 5, 2010, it was reported that Quentin Tarantino - who was attached as a co-writer for the script - had been attached to direct as well., however this would later be denied by an official representative of Tarantino who informed MTV News that "There is no truth to this story"

TV series

Two attempts were made to make a television series based on the character. The first in 1954 was called ''The Shadow'', starring Tom Helmore as Lamont Cranston.

The second attempt in 1958 was called ''The Invisible Avenger'', which compiled the first two unaired episodes and was released theatrically instead. This film was later re-released in 1962 as ''Bourbon Street Shadows'', with additional footage meant to appeal to "adult" audiences. Starring Richard Derr as The Shadow, ''The Invisible Avenger'' centers upon Lamont Cranston investigating the murder of a New Orleans bandleader. The film is notable as the second directorial effort of James Wong Howe (one of the two episodes only).

Influence on superheroes

Characters such as Batman and the Green Hornet resemble Lamont Cranston's alter ego. Both characters operate mostly by night, and the Green Hornet in particular operates outside the law, insinuating himself into criminal plots in order to put an end to the activities of master criminals. But whereas the Shadow carries a real gun, the Green Hornet carries only a lightweight pistol that fires non-lethal gas.

When Bob Kane and Bill Finger first conceived of the "Bat-Man", Finger suggested they pattern the character after pulp mystery men such as the Shadow. Finger then used "Partners of Peril"—a Shadow pulp written by Theodore Tinsley—as the basis for Batman's debut story, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate." Finger later publicly acknowledged that "my first [Batman] script was a take-off on a Shadow story" and that "Batman was originally written in the style of the pulps." This influence was further evident with Batman showing little remorse over killing or maiming criminals and was not above using firearms.

Alan Moore has credited ''The Shadow'' as one of the key influences for the creation of V, the title character in his DC Comics miniseries ''V for Vendetta'', that later became a big-budget film release in 2005 from Warner Bros..

See also

Condé Nast Publications, owner of The Shadow intellectual property

Doctor Sax

List of The Shadow episodes

Notes

References

Cox, J. Randolph. ''Man of Magic & Mystery, A Guide to the Work of Walter B. Gibson'', Scarecrow Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8108-2192-3. (Comprehensive history and career bibliography of Gibson's works.)

Eisgruber, Jr., Frank. ''Gangland's Doom, The Shadow of the Pulps'', Starmont House, 1985. ISBN 0-930261-74-7.

Gibson, Walter B., Tollin, Anthony. ''The Shadow Scrapbook'', Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979. ISBN 0-15-681475-7. (Comprehensive history of The Shadow in all media forms up through the late 1970s.)

Goulart, Ron. ''Cheap Thrills: An Informal History of the Pulp Magazine'', Arlington House, 1972. ISBN 0-87000-1722-8.

Murray, Will. ''Duende History of the Shadow Magazine'', Odyssey Publications, 1980. ISBN 0-933752-12-0.

Overstreet, Robert. ''The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, 35th Edition.'', House of Collectibles, 2005. ISBN 0-375-72107-X. (Lists all Shadow comics published to date.)

Sampson, Robert. ''The Night Master'', Pulp Press, 1982. ISBN 0-934498-08-3.

Shimfield, Thomas J. ''Walter B. Gibson and The Shadow''. McFarland & Company, 2003. ISBN 0-7864-1466-9. (Comprehensive Walter Gibson biography with an emphasis on The Shadow.)

Steranko, James. ''Steranko's History of the Comics, Vol. 1'', Supergraphics, 1970. No ISBN.

Steranko, James, (1972), ''Steranko's History of the Comics, Vol. 2'', Supergraphics, 1972. No ISBN.

Steranko, James. ''Unseen Shadows'', Supergraphics, 1978. No ISBN. (Collection of Steranko's detailed black-and-white cover roughs, including alternate/unused versions, done for the Shadow novel reprints from Pyramid Books and Jove/HBJ.)

Van Hise, James. ''The Serial Adventures of the Shadow'', Pioneer Books, 1989. No ISBN.

External links

The Shadow: Master of Darkness (fan site)

The Shadow in Review (fan site)

Category:1930s American radio programs Category:1940s American radio programs Category:1950s American radio programs Category:National Radio Hall of Fame inductees Category:Film serial characters Category:American comic strips Category:1937 radio dramas Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1937 Category:American radio drama Category:Archie Comics superheroes Category:Archie Comics titles Category:Characters in pulp fiction Category:Comic strips started in the 1930s Category:DC Comics superheroes Category:DC Comics titles Category:Fictional socialites Category:Fictional World War I veterans Category:Fictional businesspeople Category:Fictional telepaths Category:Fictional characters who can turn invisible Category:Fictional vigilantes Category:Fictional aviators Category:Film characters Category:Pulp magazines Category:Radio superheroes Category:Street & Smith Category:Wold Newton

de:The Shadow es:La Sombra fr:The Shadow it:The Shadow he:הצל (דמות בדיונית) pt:O Sombra ru:The Shadow fi:The Shadow sv:The Shadow (figur)

Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
Team name	Justice League
Publisher	DC Comics
Debut	''The Brave and the Bold'' (vol. 1) #28 (February/March 1960)
Creators	Gardner Fox
Base	The Hall and the SatelliteWatchtowerThe RefugeJLI EmbassiesDetroit BunkerSatelliteSecret Sanctuary
Memberlist	List of Justice League members
Cat	teams
Subcat	DC Comics
Hero	y
Sortkey	Justice League }}

The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics.

First appearing in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (February/March 1960), the League originally appeared with a line-up that included Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter. However, the team roster has been rotated throughout the years with characters such as Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, Black Canary, the Atom, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Firestorm, Zatanna, other Green Lanterns, and dozens of others. The team received its own comic book title in October 1960, when the first issue was published, and would continue to #261 in April 1987, which was the final issue. Throughout the years, various incarnations or subsections of the team have operated as Justice League America, Justice League Europe, Justice League International, Justice League Task Force, Justice League Elite, and Extreme Justice.

Various comic book series featuring the League have remained generally popular with fans since inception and in most incarnations, its roster includes DC's most popular characters. The League concept has also been adapted into various other entertainment media, including the classic Saturday morning ''Super Friends'' animated series (1973–1986), an unproduced ''Justice League of America'' live-action series, and most recently the animated series ''Justice League'' (2001–2004) and ''Justice League Unlimited'' (2004–2006). A live-action film was in the works in 2008 before being shelved. "

Publication history

Silver and Bronze Age / ''Justice League of America''

title	Justice League of America
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	October 1960 – April 1987
issues	261
writers	Gardner FoxGerry Conway
pencillers	Mike SekowskyDick DillinGeorge Pérez
inkers	Sid GreeneDick GiordanoFrank McLaughlin
creators	Gardner FoxMike Sekowsky }}

Having successfully reintroduced a number of their Golden Age superhero characters (Flash, Green Lantern, etc.) during the late 1950s, DC Comics asked writer Gardner Fox to reintroduce the Justice Society of America. Fox, influenced by the popularity of the National Football League and Major League Baseball, decided to change the name of the team from Justice ''Society'' to Justice ''League''. The Justice League of America debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (1960), and after two further appearances in that title, got their own series which quickly became one of the company's best-selling titles. Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky were the creative team for the title's first eight years. Sekowsky's last issue was #63 (June 1968) and Fox departed with #65 (September 1968).

The initial Justice League lineup included seven of the DC superheroes being published regularly at that time: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman. However, Superman and Batman barely featured in most of the stories, not even appearing on the cover most of the time. Three of DC's other surviving or revived characters (Green Arrow, Atom, and Hawkman) were added to the roster over the next four years, the latter two having been revamped by Gardner Fox himself. JLA's early success was indirectly responsible for the creation of the Fantastic Four. In his autobiography Stan Lee relates how, during a round of golf, DC publisher Jack Liebowitz mentioned to Marvel-Timely owner Martin Goodman how well DC's new book (''Justice League'') was selling. Later that day Goodman told Lee to come up with a team of superheroes for Marvel; Lee and Jack Kirby produced the Fantastic Four.

The Justice League operated from a secret cave outside of the small town of Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. A teenager named Lucas "Snapper" Carr tagged along on missions, and he became both the team's mascot and an official member. Snapper, noted for speaking in beatnik dialect and snapping his fingers, helped the League to defeat giant space starfish Starro the Conqueror in the team's first appearance. In ''Justice League of America'' #77 (December 1969), Snapper was tricked into betraying the cave headquarters' secret location to the Joker, resulting in his resignation from the team. His resignation followed the resignations of two of the League's original members, Wonder Woman (in ''Justice League of America'' #69) and J'onn J'onzz (in ''Justice League of America'' #71).

Satellite years

In need of a new secure headquarters, the Justice League moved into an orbiting satellite headquarters in ''Justice League of America'' #78 (February 1970). Black Canary, Elongated Man, Red Tornado, Hawkwoman, Zatanna and Firestorm all joined the team during this period, and Wonder Woman returned. In the first two thirds or so of this era, the team was sometimes said to have a twelve-member limit and/or a "no duplication of powers" policy; this was formally rescinded in ''Justice League of America'' #146, allowing Hawkgirl to join.

Those involved in producing the ''Justice League of America'' comic during the 1970s include writers Denny O'Neil, Mike Friedrich, Len Wein, Elliot S! Maggin, Cary Bates, E. Nelson Bridwell, and Steve Englehart, with Dick Dillin handling the art chores from issues #64-181, missing only one issue, #153 and did only a framing sequence for #157. Len Wein wrote issues #100–114 wherein he and Dillin re-introduced the Seven Soldiers of Victory in issues #100-102 and the Freedom Fighters in issues #107-108. Libra, a supervillain created by Wein and Dillin in ''Justice League of America'' #111 (May-June 1974), would play a leading role in Grant Morrison's ''Final Crisis'' storyline in 2008. Writer Gerry Conway had a lengthy association with the title as well. His first ''JLA'' story appeared in issue #125 (December 1975) and he became the series' regular writer with issue #151 (February 1978). With a few exceptions, Conway would write the team's adventures until issue #255 (October 1986). After Dick Dillin's death, George Pérez, Don Heck, and Rich Buckler would rotate as artist on the title. Pérez would leave the title as of issue #200 to concentrate on ''The New Teen Titans'' although he would contribute covers to the ''JLA'' through issue #220 (November 1983).

Detroit

Seeking to capitalize on the popularity of their other team books, which focused upon heroes in their late teens/early 20s, Gerry Conway and artist Chuck Patton revamped the Justice League series. After most of the original heroes failed to arrive in order to help the team fend off an invasion of Martians, Aquaman dissolved the League and reformatted its charter to only allow heroes who would devote their full time to the roster. The new team initially consisted of Aquaman, Zatanna, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, the Vixen, and a trio of teenage heroes Gypsy, Steel, and Vibe. Aquaman would leave the team after a year and was replaced as leader by the Martian Manhunter. Because of his own edict of only wanting full-time heroes in the League, Aquaman's estranged wife Mera gave him an ultimatum to stay with either the group or with her to salvage their marriage.

Fan response to the series' new direction was largely negative and even the return of Batman to the team in ''Justice League of America'' #250 could not halt the decline of the series. Thus the fan deeming the name of the worst team of Justice Leaguer's ever, which eventually receded to the comics; such as in a moment of coversation in Justice League vol 2 Vixen said "With our line-up we coundn't even beat Detroit!" Which was responded by Dr Light "Anyone can beat Detroit!" The final storyline for the original ''Justice League of America'' series (#258-261) by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Luke McDonnell, culminated a story-arc involving long-time Justice League enemy Professor Ivo's murders of Vibe and Steel (and the resignations of Vixen, Gypsy, and the Elongated Man) during the events of DC's ''Legends'' mini-series, which saw the team disband.

Modern incarnations

Justice League International

The 1986 company-wide crossover featured the formation of a new Justice League. The new team was dubbed "Justice League" then "Justice League International" (JLI) and was given a mandate with less of an American focus. The new series, written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis with art by Kevin Maguire (and later Adam Hughes), added quirky humor to the team's stories. In this incarnation, the membership consisted partly of heroes from Earths that, prior to their merging in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, were separate. The initial team included Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Captain Marvel, Doctor Light (a new Japanese female character, emerging from the Crisis of Infinite Earths, not the supervillain who had appeared previously), Doctor Fate, Martian Manhunter, Mister Miracle, and Guy Gardner; and soon after inception, added Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire (then known as the Global Guardians' Green Flame), Ice (then known as the Global Guardians' Icemaiden), and two Rocket Reds (one was a Manhunter spy, and one was Dimitri Pushkin). The series' humorous tone and high level of characterization proved very popular initially, but writers following Giffen and DeMatteis were unable to maintain the same balance of humor and heroics, resulting in the decline of the series' popularity. New writers gave the storylines a more serious tone and re-focused the team on America, resulting in the book being re-branded ''Justice League America''. By the mid- to late-1990s, with the series' commercial success fading, it was eventually canceled, along with spinoffs ''Justice League Europe'', ''Extreme Justice'', and ''Justice League Task Force''.

''JLA''

title	JLA
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	January 1997 – February 2006
issues	125
writers	Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, Denny O'Neil, Chuck Austen, Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns, Allan Heinberg, Bob Harras
pencillers	Howard PorterBryan HitchDoug Mahnke
inkers	John DellPaul Neary
creators	Grant MorrisonHoward Porter }}

The low sales of the various Justice League spinoff books prompted DC to revamp the League as a single team (all the various branch teams were disbanded) on a single title. A Justice League of America formed in the September 1996 limited series ''Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare'' by Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza, which reunited the "Original Seven" of the League for the first time since Crisis on Infinite Earths. In 1997, DC Comics launched a new Justice League series titled ''JLA'', written by Grant Morrison with art by Howard Porter and inker John Dell.

This series, in an attempt at a "back-to-basics" approach, used as its core the team's original seven members (or their successors): Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash (Wally West), Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), and the Martian Manhunter. Additionally, the team received a new headquarters, the "Watchtower", based on the Moon. Morrison introduced the idea of the JLA allegorically representing a pantheon of gods, with their different powers and personalities, incorporating such characters as Zauriel, Big Barda, Orion, Huntress, Barbara Gordon (Oracle), Steel (John Henry Irons), and Plastic Man. He also had temporaries as Aztek, Tomorrow Woman, and Green Arrow (Connor Hawke).

Under Morrison, the series pitted the League against a variety of enemies, ranging from murderous White Martians, renegade angels, a new incarnation of the Injustice Gang led by Lex Luthor, the Key awakened from a coma, to the villainy of new villain Prometheus, the alien species of existing JLA villain Starro the Conqueror (revamped as a monstrous creature known as "The Star Conquerer") and Captain Atom villain General Wade Eiling, who transformed a cadre of Marines into deformed super-powered beings known as "The Ultra-Marines" as well as put his mind into the body of the indestructible Shaggy Man, and a futuristic Darkseid. Morrison's run itself featured a myth-arc involving the New Gods preparing the Earth for battle against a creature known as "Maggedon", a super-sentient weapon of mass destruction that was approaching Earth, that culminated in the final Morrison arc "World War III".

The run also had its share of editorial problems, such as Morrison's need to adapt to Superman's changing powers, the death of Wonder Woman and the loss of Green Arrow Connor Hawke, due to plans for a Kevin Smith-penned ''Green Arrow'' series. Still, ''JLA'' quickly became DC's best-selling title, a position it enjoyed off and on for several years. Despite this, DC did not create continuing spinoff series as it had done before.

Morrison departed with issue #41, after which the book saw runs by Mark Waid and Joe Kelly. Subsequent to this, the series switched to a series of rotating writers with issue #91 while Kelly (via ''JLA'' #100) was given a the mini-series ''Justice League Elite'', which featured Green Arrow, Flash, and several other Kelly created characters. The new format saw stories by John Byrne, Chuck Austen, and Kurt Busiek. Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg would take over the book with #115, which saw a multi-part storyline that dealt with the aftermath of ''Identity Crisis'', and served as a lead-in to the events of "Infinite Crisis", as Superboy-Prime destroyed the Watchtower at the end of issue #119. Bob Harras would ultimately write the book's final storyline (''JLA'' #120-125) as Green Arrow struggled in vain to keep the League afloat.

''52''

In ''52'' Week 24, Firestorm recruits a group to reform the Justice League. It consists of Firehawk, Super-Chief, Bulleteer, and Ambush Bug. They fight a deranged Skeets who takes Super-Chief's powers and kills him as well as numerous people given powers by Lex Luthor's Everyman Project. Afterward, Firestorm breaks up the team.

Also in the series, Luthor's new Infinity, Inc. was informally referred to as a "Justice League" in solicitations and on covers.

''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2)

title	Justice League of America (vol. 2)
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	August 2006 – August 2011
issues	60 (including #0) as of August 2011
writers	Brad MeltzerDwayne McDuffieLen WeinJames Robinson
pencillers	Ed BenesMark BagleyBrett Booth
creators	Brad MeltzerEd Benes }}

One year after the events of ''Infinite Crisis'', Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman reunite in the Batcave to re-form the League in ''Justice League of America'' #0, the kick-off for a new series by Brad Meltzer and Ed Benes. The series featured a roster which included Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Black Canary, Red Arrow (Green Arrow's former sidekick), Red Tornado, Vixen, Black Lightning, and Hawkgirl. The first arc of the series focused upon Red Tornado and pitted the team against a new intelligent incarnation of Solomon Grundy and the rebuilt Amazo. The new incarnation of the team has two main headquarters, linked by a transporter. The first site is The Hall, which in mainstream DC Universe is a refurnished version of the Justice Society of America and the All-Star Squadron's former headquarters located in Washington, D.C. Black Canary is elected as the first official Chairperson after the fight against Amazo and Solomon Grundy, and led both the Justice League and Justice Society in a complex quest to reunite time-lost members of the pre-Crisis Legion of Super-Heroes, who had been sent back in time to free both Bart Allen and Flash from the other dimensional realm of the Speed Force. Meltzer left the series at the end of issue #12, with one of his subplots (Per Degaton, a pre-nuclear fire mutation version of Despero, and a circa 1948 version of the Ultra-Humanite gathering for an unknown plot) resolved in the pages of ''Booster Gold''.

Dwayne McDuffie took over the writing job with the ''Justice League Wedding Special'' and the main book with issue #13. Due to DC Comics seeking to launch a spin-off Justice League book led by Hal Jordan, the character was removed from the main League series and replaced by John Stewart. Firestorm also joined the roster, with the series entering into a series of tie-in storylines towards ''Countdown to Final Crisis'', with the arrest of a large number of supervillains (gathered by Lex Luthor and Deathstroke to attack the League on the eve of the wedding of Black Canary and Green Arrow) setting up the ''Salvation Run'' tie-in miniseries. Also, roster members Red Tornado and Geo-Force were written out. McDuffie's initial issues received mixed reviews and experienced minor conroversy due to fan favorite Hal Jordan's removal in favor of Stewart. Jordan ended up being restored to the roster by issue #19 of the series, only to be removed once again by issue #31 once ''Justice League: Cry for Justice'' was completed and ready to be shipped.

Issue #21 saw the return of Libra and the Human Flame, setting up their appearances in ''Final Crisis''. Later issues would resolve issues involving Vixen's power level increase and see the integration of the Milestone Comics characters the Shadow Cabinet and Icon, who fought the Justice League over the remains of the villainous Doctor Light. The group suffered greater losses during ''Final Crisis'' with the deaths of Martian Manhunter and Batman, as well as the resignations of Superman and Wonder Woman, who could no longer devote themselves full-time to the League due to the events of the ''New Krypton'' and ''Rise of the Olympian'' storylines in their respective titles. Hal Jordan would also resign as well, clearing the way for John Stewart's return to the team. Black Canary (now team leader) found herself declaring the League no more, though the group would continue with Canary taking a secondary role in the group. Her last act as leader would be assigning John Stewart and Firestorm the task of hunting down the Human Flame, for his part in the murder of Martian Manhunter, as seen in the ''Final Crisis Aftermath: Run!'' miniseries.

Vixen would take over the team, with Plastic Man rejoining the group. Len Wein wrote a three-part fill-in story for ''Justice League of America'' that ran from #35 to #37. McDuffie was fired from the title before he could return, after discussion postings to the DC Comics message board, detailing behind-the-scenes creative decisions on his run, were republished in the rumor column "Lying In The Gutter". James Robinson was announced as the new ''Justice League of America'' writer.

Wein's fill-in run would be published as "Justice League: Cry For Justice" neared its conclusion, as Vixen and Black Canary's group (sans John Stewart) would confront Hal Jordan and Green Arrow's makeshift Justice League group, which had stumbled upon a plot by the villain Prometheus that had resulted in much death and carnage. During the confrontation over Jordan's group using torture to extra information from the villains being blackmailed into carrying out Prometheus' plan, both Roy Harper and Supergirl would discover that one of Jordan's heroes, Captain Marvel Jr., was really Prometheus in disguise. In the ensuing battle, the League would suffer horrible losses: Roy Harper was maimed and his daughter Lian and hundreds of thousands of people in Star City would be killed by a doomsday device Prometheus activated. Vixen would have her leg broken and Plastic Man would have his powers permanently scrambled, making him a slowly disintegrating puddle creature. To save other cities from being destroyed like Star City, the League reluctantly allowed Prometheus to go free. However, Green Arrow (with help from the Shade) would track down and kill Prometheus.

Following the events of "Blackest Night", Hal Jordan and Donna Troy begin the task of rebuilding the League, with Green Arrow, the Atom, Batman, Mon-El, Donna, Cyborg, Doctor Light, Starfire, Congorilla, and the Guardian.

At the end of issue #43, the majority of the new members leave for various reasons. Mon-El and the Guardian leave after Mon-El returns to the future, Black Canary returns to the Birds of Prey, Starfire leaves to join the R.E.B.E.L.S., Green Lantern leaves locate the other Lantern Corps Entities, and Green Arrow is forced to leave due to his fugitive status. James Robinson revealed this was due to him having second thoughts about his decision to use so many characters, and revealed that the team would have a different roster in the coming months. To replace the departed members, Jade and Jesse Quick were added to the team. Cyborg remained with the team in a reduced capacity, and was eventually given his own co-feature storyline for issues 48–50.

Under Robinson, the title experienced mixed reviews and lower (but stable) sales than under Meltzer and McDuffie, with negative fan respone being leveled at the series due to its usage of lesser known heroes instead of more popular Justice League members. DC eventually announced that Saint Walker of the Blue Lantern Corps would be joining the Justice League during a tie-in to the ''Reign of Doomsday'' crossover, but the character did not become a full member due to the cancellation of the title.

The series ended with issue #60 in August 2011, with the title being one of the numerous DC books cancelled after the ''Flashpoint'' crossover. The issue saw Batman disbanding the League due to most of the individual members becoming preoccupied with personal commitments.

''Justice League''

title	Justice League
Converted	y
schedule	Monthly
format	Ongoing
publisher	DC Comics
date	August 2011 – present
main char team	Justice League of America
writers	Geoff Johns
pencillers	Jim Lee
inkers	Scott Williams
colorists	Alex Sinclair
creators	Geoff JohnsJim Lee }}

In 2011, following the "Flashpoint" crossover storyline, all DC titles were canceled. Fifty-two titles were relaunched with new first issues and new creative teams. ''Justice League of America'' was relaunched as ''Justice League'', and was the first of the new titles released, coming out the same week as the final issue of ''Flashpoint''. The title will be written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee, and will feature a brand new origin for the team which is covered in the first six issues of the series that takes place five years before the events of the titles from the other relaunched series. Issue #7 of the series will begin the story of the Justice League in the present which is set to be released in March 2012.

The starting line-up of the team will consist of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, the Flash (Barry Allen), and Cyborg, with the Atom (Ryan Choi), Hawkman (Carter Hall), Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond), Green Arrow, Aquaman's wife Mera, Deadman, recently created character Element Woman, and Lady Luck, a revamp of the Golden Age character, as additional members.

In addition to this series, two other ''Justice League''-related titles have been announced and will launch during the same month; a new ''Justice League International'', written by Dan Jurgens and drawn by Aaron Lopresti, featuring a roster consisting of Batman, Booster Gold, Rocket Red, Vixen, Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Fire, Ice, August General in Iron, and Godiva, and ''Justice League Dark'', written by Peter Milligan and drawn by Mikel Janin, featuring a roster consisting of John Constantine, Shade, the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna, and new character Mindwarp.

Various origins of the Justice League

In a story told in flashback in 1962's ''Justice League of America'' #9, Earth was infiltrated by the Appelaxians. Competing alien warriors were sent to see who could conquer Earth first to determine who will become the new ruler of their home planet. The aliens' attacks drew the attentions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. While the superheroes individually defeated most of the invaders, the heroes fell prey to a single competitor's attack; only by working together were they able to defeat the competitor. For many years, the heroes heralded this adventure as the event that prompted them to agree to pool resources when confronted with similar menaces.

Years later, however (as revealed in ''Justice League of America'' #144), Green Arrow uncovered inconsistencies in League records and extracted admissions from his colleagues that the seven founders had actually formed the League after the Martian Manhunter was rescued from Martian forces by the other six founders, along with several other heroes including Robin, Robotman, Congo Bill/Congorilla, Rex the Wonder Dog, and even Lois Lane. Green Lantern participated in this first adventure solely as Hal Jordan, due to the fact that he had yet to become the costumed hero at that time (the biggest inconsistency Arrow found, as they celebrated the earlier incident's date, while recounting only the later one's events). When the group formalized their agreement, they suppressed news of it because of anti-Martian hysteria (mirroring the real-world backdrop of Martian scares and anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s). Because the League members had not revealed their identities to each other at the time, they did not realize that Jordan and Green Lantern were one and the same when he turned up in costume during the event described in #9. While most subsequent accounts of the League have made little mention of this first adventure, the animated ''Justice League'' series adapted this tale as the origin of the League as well.

1989's ''Secret Origins'' #32 updated ''Justice League of America'' #9's origin for Post-Crisis continuity. Differences included the inclusion of the original Black Canary as a founding member and the absence of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman (the 1960s time frame was retained, but the post-Crisis versions of DC's three biggest stars were young and early in their careers in the late 1980s). Additionally, while Hal Jordan served as the public face of the Justice League, this iteration of the League's origin cast the Flash as the team's unofficial leader, since it was Allen who usually came up with the plans that best utilized everyone's powers. 1998's ''JLA: Year One'' limited series, by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, and Barry Kitson, further expanded upon the ''Secret Origins'' depiction, with the revelation that the group was secretly financed by Oliver Queen, a.k.a. the superhero Green Arrow. It also stated that Superman rejected membership into the group, leading to much animus between him and the other "founders" during the early years of the group.

In 1994's ''Justice League Task Force'' #16, during Zero Hour, an unknown superhuman named Triumph appeared. In a plotline never explored before, Triumph was revealed to have been a founding member of the Justice League and was their leader. On his first mission with the fledgling Justice League Triumph seemingly "saved the world" but was teleported into a dimensional limbo that also affected the timestream, resulting in no one having any memory of him. This explained how all the heroes ended up in Washington for their first meeting.

Further convolutions came with the issue of Batman's involvement with the League; during the 1990s, the editors of Batman sought to distance Batman from the Justice League, to the point of demanding that Batman's entire Justice League membership be removed from the group's canon. According to Christopher Priest, this "Batman was never in the Justice League" edict came down ironically after DC published ''Justice League America Annual'' #9, which featured Batman as a member of the League during its early days. The edict itself was largely haphazardly enforced; while Mark Waid had Batman proclaim to have never been a member of the League in ''Justice League Incarnations'' #7, other writers such as Grant Morrison and Keith Giffen took the stance that Batman had simply never joined the team until the Justice League International era. This edict was ultimately dropped by the early 2000s, as Batman's involvement with the League is now referenced heavily by later writers such as Brad Meltzer.

The convoluted change made to Hawkman's background in the wake of the launching of the Hawkworld ongoing series, in 1990, resulted in a retcon where the original Golden Age/Justice Society Golden Age Hawkman, Carter Hall was now a member of the team as opposed to Katar Hol (who would now not join the group until 1994's Justice League America #0). The details of how Carter Hall joined the team, would be revealed in the 2001 ''Justice League Incarnations'' #1, with the revelation that Carter joined the team to serve as a mentor for then-young heroes.

In 2006's ''Infinite Crisis'' #7, the formation of "New Earth" (the new name for the Post-Crisis Earth) resulted in the retcon that Wonder Woman was a founding member of the Justice League in the early days. In Brad Meltzer's ''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #0 (2006), it was also revealed that both Superman and Batman were founding members as well. ''52 - Week 51'' confirmed that the 1989 ''Secret Origins'' and ''JLA: Year One'' origins were still in canon at that time, with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman joining the team (consisting of Aquaman, Black Canary, Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter) with founding members' status shortly after the group's formation. However, in various issues (particularly issue #12) of the 2006 ''Justice League of America'' series, the founding members of the Justice League are shown to be: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter.

With much of DC's past history rebooted by the 2011 "Flashpoint" event, an entirely new origin for the League is introduced in the subsequent ''Justice League'' series which debuted in September 2011. Issue #1 portrays the first meeting between Batman and Hal Jordan, with the two encountering each other during a battle against a Parademon in Gotham City. After realizing the creature is extraterrestrial in origin, the two heroes head to Metropolis to seek out Superman (who is a known alien in the new continuity), and are attacked by him. Later, after a brief fight to which the Flash arrives and Batman convinces Superman they are on the same side, they move to an abandoned newspress building to work on analyzing the mysterious alien box, when it suddenly activates and more Parademons arrive. While fighting them off, the heroes notice them capture people for something. During this they meet two more heroes Aquaman and Wonder Woman who join them.

Related series

''Formerly Known as the Justice League''

In 2003, Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire returned with a separate limited series called ''Formerly Known as the Justice League'' with the same humor as their Justice League run, and featuring some of the same characters in a team called the "Super Buddies" (a parody of the ''Super Friends''). A follow-up limited series, entitled ''I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League'', soon was prepared, although it was delayed due to the events shown in the ''Identity Crisis'' limited series, but was eventually released as the second arc in ''JLA: Classified''. The Super Buddies consisted of Blue Beetle; Booster Gold; Captain Atom, Fire; Mary Marvel; the Elongated Man with his wife, Sue Dibny; Maxwell Lord; and L-Ron. The second story arc of ''JLA: Classified'' focuses on the Super Buddies in a humorous story that features Power Girl, Guy Gardner, and Doctor Fate.

''JLA/Avengers''

In 2004, George Pérez and Kurt Busiek came out with a ''JLA/Avengers'' crossover, an idea that had been delayed for 20 years for various reasons. In this limited series, the Justice League and the Avengers were forced to find key artifacts in one another's universe, as well as deal with the threats of villains Krona and the Grandmaster. A key moment in League history occurs in this series, when the Avenger Hawkeye becomes the first Marvel Comics character to be inducted into the Justice League.

''JLA: Classified''

title	JLA: Classified
schedule	Monthly
format	Ended
publisher	DC Comics
date	January 2005 - May 2008
issues	54
writers	various
artists	various
creators	Grant MorrisonEd McGuinness }}

In 2004, DC began an anthology series titled ''JLA: Classified'', which would feature rotating writers and artists producing self-contained story-arcs and aborted mini-series projects that were reappropriated for publication within the pages of the series, starring the JLA. While the bulk of the stories took place within the continuity of the series (circa ''JLA'' #76–113) some of the stories take place outside of regular DC Universe canon. The series was canceled as of issue #54 (May 2008).

''Justice''

In October 2005, DC began publishing the 12-issue miniseries ''Justice'' by writer Jim Krueger, writer/illustrator Alex Ross, and artist Doug Braithwaite. The story, which takes place outside regular DC continuity, has Lex Luthor assembling the Legion of Doom after he and several other villains begin to have nightmares about the end of the world and the failures of the Justice League to prevent said apocalypse. As the Legion begins engaging in unprecedented humanitarian deeds throughout the world, they also launch a series of attacks on the Justice League and their families. In the end however, the threat that the Legion was warned about destroying the Earth turns out to be caused by Brainiac, who seeks to destroy Earth during the chaos.

''Justice League: Cry for Justice''

Originally a planned ongoing title, ''Justice League: Cry For Justice'' is a mini-series written by James Robinson and drawn by Mauro Cascioli. The mini-series, set after the events of ''Final Crisis'', has Hal Jordan leaving the League following the deaths of Batman and Martian Manhunter, as their deaths have caused Hal to seek out a more proactive manner of dealing with super-villains. Hal, along with Green Arrow and later Supergirl, Captain Marvel Jr., and Batwoman are then recruited by Ray Palmer to investigate a murder of a former colleague carried out on orders from Prometheus. This ties into another string of murders, bringing Starman Mikaal Tomas and Congorilla together as their investigation of the murders of several European super-heroes are also revealed to be the work of Prometheus.

With help from the Hawkman villain I.Q., Prometheus plans on creating the ultimate weapon in mass murder, a massive doomsday device which he plans on using to destroy entire cities, as part of his revenge scheme against the JLA for lobotomizing him. Disguised as Captain Marvel Jr., Prometheus maims Roy Harper and brutally injuring JLA members Dr. Light II, Vixen, and Plastic Man while using the JLA Satellite to activate his doomsday device, which destroys Star City, killing 90,000 innocent civilians, including Roy Harper's young daughter Lian. Prometheus ultimately extorts his freedom from the League in exchange for the codes to shut down his weapon, much to the horror of the JLA members. However, afterwards, Green Arrow (with help from reformed villain the Shade), tracks Prometheus down and kills him by firing an arrow into his head.

The mini-series leads directly into the formation of a brand new JLA roster with Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Donna Troy, Dick Grayson as Batman, Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Mon-El, Cyborg, Starfire, Congorilla, Guardian, and Mikaal Tomas.

''JLA/The 99''

Launching in October 2010, ''JLA/The 99'' was a crossover mini-series featuring the Justice League teaming up with the heroes of Teshkeel Comics' ''The 99'' series. The JLA consisted of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), the Flash (Barry Allen), the Atom (Ray Palmer), Doctor Light (Kimiyo Hoshi), Hawkman, and Firestorm (Jason Rusch).

Awards

The original ''Justice League of America'' series has won:

1961 Alley Awards for ''Best Comic Book''

1961 Alley Awards for ''Best Adventure-Hero Group''

1963 Alley Awards for ''Favorite Novel'' ("Crisis on Earth-One/Crisis on Earth-Two" in ''Justice League of America'' #21-22 by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky)

1963 Alley Awards for ''Strip that Should Be Improved''

1963 Alley Awards for ''Artist Preferred on Justice League of America'' (Murphy Anderson)

1973 Shazam Awards for ''Best Inker (Dramatic Division)'' (Dick Giordano)

Collected editions

Silver Age ''Justice League of America''

This series has been collected in the following: {|class="wikitable" |- ! # !! Title !! Material collected |- |1 |Justice League of America Archives volume 1 |''The Brave and the Bold'' #28-30, ''Justice League of America'' #1-6 |- |2 |Justice League of America Archives volume 2 |''Justice League of America'' #7-14 |- |3 |Justice League of America Archives volume 3 |''Justice League of America'' #15-22 |- |4 |Justice League of America Archives volume 4 |''Justice League of America'' #23-30 |- |5 |Justice League of America Archives volume 5 |''Justice League of America'' #31-38, #40* |- |6 |Justice League of America Archives volume 6 |''Justice League of America'' #41-47, #49-50* |- |7 |Justice League of America Archives volume 7 |''Justice League of America'' #51-57, #59-60* |- |8 |Justice League of America Archives volume 8 |''Justice League of America'' #61-66, #68-70* |- |9 |Justice League of America Archives volume 9 |''Justice League of America'' #71-80 |}

omitted issues featured reprints of material from earlier Archives.

''Justice League/Justice League International/Justice League America'' (1987–1996)

This series has been collected in the following hardcover collections:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
''1''	Justice League International Volume 1	''Justice League'' #1-6, ''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #7
''2''	Justice League International Volume 2	''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #8-14, ''Justice League'' Annual #1
''3''	Justice League International Volume 3	''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #15-22
''4''	Justice League International Volume 4	''Justice League International'' (vol. 1) #23-25, ''Justice League America'' #26-30
''5''	Justice League International Volume 5	''Justice League International Annual'' #2-3, ''Justice League Europe'' #1-6

''JLA'' (January 1997 – February 2006)

This series has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
''1''	New World Order	''JLA'' #1-4
''2''	American Dreams	''JLA'' #5-9
''3''	Rock of Ages	''JLA'' #10-15
''4''	Strength in Numbers	''JLA'' #16-23, ''JLA Secret Files'' #2, ''Prometheus'' (one-shot)
''5''	Justice For All	''JLA'' #24-33
''6''		''JLA'' #34-41
''7''		''JLA'' #42-46, ''JLA Secret Files'' #3, ''JLA 80-Page Giant'' #1
''8''	Divided We Fall	''JLA'' #47-54
''9''	Terror Incognita	''JLA'' #55-60
''10''	Golden Perfect	''JLA'' #61-65
''11''	The Obsidian Age (Book 1)	''JLA'' #66-71
''12''	The Obsidian Age (Book 2)	''JLA'' #72-76
''13''	Rules of Engagement	''JLA'' #77-82
''14''	Trial By Fire	''JLA'' #84-89
''15''	The Tenth Circle	''JLA'' #94-99
''16''		''JLA'' #101-106
''17''	Syndicate Rules	''JLA'' #107-114, and a story from ''JLA Secret Files'' 2004
''18''	Crisis of Conscience	''JLA'' #115-119
''19''	World Without a Justice League	''JLA'' #120-125

This series has been collected in the following hardcover collections:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
''1''	JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 1	''JLA'' #1-9, plus a story included in ''JLA: Secret Files and Origins'' #1
''2''	JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 2	''JLA'' #10-17, ''Prometheus'' (one-shot), plus ''JLA/WILDCATS''
''3''	JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 3	''JLA'' #22-26, 28-31 and 1,000,000''
''4''	JLA: The Deluxe Edition Vol. 4	''JLA'' #34, 36-41, ''JLA: Classified'' #1-3, ''JLA: Earth II''

''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) (August 2006 – August 2011)

This series has been collected in the following hardcover collections:

! # !! Title !! Material collected
''1''	The Tornado's Path	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #1-7
''2''	The Lightning Saga	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #0, #8-12; ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #5-6
''3''	The Injustice League	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #13-16; ''JLA Wedding Special'' #1
''4''	Sanctuary	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #17-21
''5''	The Second Coming	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #22-26
''6''	When Worlds Collide	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #27-28, #30-34
''7''	Team History	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #38-43
''8''	The Dark Things	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #44-48; ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3) #41-42
''9''	Omega	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #49-53
'' 10	The Rise of Eclipso	''Justice League of America'' (vol. 2) #54-60

Miscellaneous reprints

These trades don't reprint the series in a coherent fashion, but reprint themed issues. {|class="wikitable" |- ! # !! Title !! Material collected |- |1 |Justice League of America Hereby Elects |''Justice League of America'' #4, 75, 105-106, 146, 161, and 173-174 |- |2 |JLA: The Greatest Stories Ever Told |''Justice League of America'' #19, 77, 122 and 166-168, Justice League #1, JLA Secret Files #1 and JLA #61 |- |3 |Crisis on Multiple Earths volume 1 |''Justice League of America'' ##21-22, 29-30, 37-38 and 46-47 |- |4 |Crisis on Multiple Earths volume 2 |''Justice League of America'' #55-56, 64-65, 73-74 and 82-83 |- |5 |Crisis on Multiple Earths volume 3 |''Justice League of America'' #91-92, 100-102, 107-108 and 113 |- |6 |Crisis on Multiple Earths volume 4 |''Justice League of America'' #123-124, 135-137 and 147-148 |- |7 |Crisis on Multiple Earths volume 5 |''Justice League of America'' #159-160, 171-172 and 183-185 |}

In other media

See also

Justice Society of America

Spin-off groups

Extreme Justice

Justice Leagues

Justice League Antarctica

Justice League Elite

Justice League Europe

Justice League International

Justice League Task Force

Super Buddies

References

External links

Justice League of America at DC Comics.com

The Origin Story of the Justice League of America at DC Comics.com

Justice League of America at Toonopedia

''Justice League Unlimited'' at Cartoon Network "A Monumental Move" (April 5, 2007) WizardUniverse.com - Writer Brad Meltzer discusses the origins and implications of the JLA's new HQ

The Justice League Library

"Super-Exiles of Earth" (''JLA'' #19, May 1963)

Category:1960 introductions Category:1961 comic debuts Category:1997 comic debuts Category:2006 comic debuts Category:DC Comics titles Category:Justice League Category:Characters created by Gardner Fox

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