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Even the famedBatman: The Animated Seriespicked favorable spots from Batmans legend to meld into quality TV.
This wasnt an outlier; even Spider-Man had to share his 1962Amazing Fantasydebut with a gaggle of forgettable weirdos.
But it shows that, despite his bare-bones inauguration, something about The Bat-Man stood out.
And eventually, theDetective Comicsline would become entirely devoted to his adventures.
Detective Comics #33 November 1939
Bare bones might sound like an exaggeration for Batman.
But so many of the attributes that we consider key features of Batman didnt show up until later.
It would also take months after his debut for readers to find out Batmans origin story.
The Legend of the Batman Who He Is and How He Came to Be!
is rather beautiful in its lack of complication.
A frequent misconception of Batman is that his early stories are bereft of the fantastical.
This is mainly because we tend to associate the fantasy elements with the more lighthearted stories to come.
But as this comic andCaped Crusadershow us, Batman has always dabbled in nightmares and flights of pure imagination.
Instead of working against his noirish trappings, he instead filters them through it.
But Clayface (or Clayfaces, as there have been a few) wasnt always a pile of mud.
Again, Batmans early years arent one unified entity.
Rather, theyre a growing amalgamation of things that provide a rich resource for an adaptation.
For a sort of greatest-hits collection of the era, look no further than theStrange Apparitionscollection.
The 1970s was big on this.
How is Batman both a haunted avenger and a centerpiece of superhero derring-do?
Every adaptation of Batman has an answer for this balance, andStrange Apparitionsprovides one of the most memorable ones.
This focus on Gordon, an integral supporting character in the DC universe, does a lot for him.
She manages to keep Catwomans origin as hard-boiled as Batmans while also making her a more dynamic character.
It was free of the pressing continuity issues that would envelop the other series.
Thus,Legendsallowed writers to tackle stories from Batmans past, with a major one beingBatman: Gothic.
Its an exciting turn, one that recalls the renewal of longtime Batman foe Hugo Strange inBatman: Prey.
And as well see in the next recommendation, this extends beyond the household names.
Its much more than a revolving-door system of crimes and crooks.
Rather, its an ecosystem where courses meet and diverge.
But few have been as successful asBatman: The Man Who Laughs.
Hes cruel, methodical, and ghastly, a noirish nightmare clad in a corpselike grin.
As weve seen, Batmans origin wasnt just an endless line of thugs and neer-do-well industrialists.
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