Humble Beginnings: Batman! I Choose YOU!

Much like our own early years, comic book characters can have awkward or downright comical aspects of their past they'd just as soon forget...even heavy hitters like The Batman.

Like Iron-Man's unfortunate iron skirt from last week, the earliest Batman adventures also featured some highly questionable costuming.

As anyone with a pulse knows, the origin of Batman's costume comes from that fateful night in Bruce Wayne's study as he contemplated how to strike fear into criminal hearts... 

Yes...good choice, Bruce!  A bat IS a frightening, ultra-creepy creature...and the perfect motif for your war on crime.  Unfortunately, THIS was the sight that was supposed to send the bad guys running for the hills?...

(from Detective Comics #30, 1939)

Hmmm...let's see...what do those wacky ears remind me of?...

Ahh, that's it!  "Batman! I choose YOU!"

(not from Detective Comics #30, 1939)

Comments

[Reggie]

And here I was thinking that you were going to talk about his snazzy purple gloves that he wore. Boy, those would really strike terror into the hearts of criminals.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, the gloves were pretty unfortunate as well...but man, those big goofy ears pointing at 11:00 and 1:00 have always struck me as anything BUT scary. Plus, something that doesn't come through in the artwork above, but it's shocking how SKINNY Batman is in so many of the early adventures. Once again, hardly something a to strike terror into the hearts of criminals.

[Greg Walter]

I agree, Mark. But look at those slits and head tilt. It's as if the entire future run of Bats is all there.

Also: wasn't he holding a pipe in those famous panels? Or perhaps I'm conflating the original with some of Frank Miller's Year One notes from the deluxe ed.

Happy Memorial Weekend, fellow MN-er.

[Ralph C]

He did smoke a pipe in the early issues. Also, he was packing heat and knew how to use it!