Editing Batman (section)

=== 20th century ===

==== Origin ====
{{Main|Origin of Batman}}
[[File:Thomas Wayne 1939.png|thumb|right|[[Thomas Wayne|Thomas]] and [[Martha Wayne]] are shot by [[Joe Chill]] in ''Detective Comics'' #33 (November 1939), art by Bob Kane]]
The central fixed event in the Batman stories is the character's [[origin story]].<ref name="pearson pg 186" /> As a young boy, Bruce Wayne was horrified and traumatized when he watched his parents, the physician Dr. [[Thomas Wayne]] and his wife [[Martha Wayne|Martha]], murdered with a gun by a mugger named [[Joe Chill]]. Batman refuses to utilize any sort of gun on the principle that a gun was used to murder his parents. This event drove him to train his body to its peak condition and 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",<ref name="pearson pg 186">Pearson; Uricchio. "'I'm Not Fooled By That Cheap Disguise.'" p. 186.</ref> a situation altered by an increased effort by later Batman editors such as Dennis O'Neil to ensure consistency and continuity between stories.<ref name="pearson pg 191">Pearson, p. 191.</ref>

==== Golden Age ====
{{See also|Batman (Earth-Two)}}
In Batman's first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #27, he is already operating as a crime-fighter.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Bill Finger]]|penciller=[[Bob Kane]]|story=The Case of the Chemical Syndicate|title=Detective Comics|issue=27|date=May 1939|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref> Batman's origin is first presented in ''Detective Comics'' #33 (November 1939) and is later expanded upon 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]], and leads a happy and privileged existence until the age of 8, when his parents are killed by a small-time criminal named [[Joe Chill]] while on their way home from a movie theater. That night, Bruce Wayne swears an oath to spend his life fighting crime. 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&nbsp;..." As if responding to his desires, a [[bat]] suddenly flies through the window, inspiring Bruce to craft the Batman persona.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=Bill Finger|penciller=Bob Kane|story=The Batman Wars Against the Dirigible of Doom|title=Detective Comics|issue=33|date=November 1939|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref>

In early strips, Batman's career as a vigilante earns him the ire of the police. During this period, Bruce Wayne has a fiancé named [[Julie Madison]].<ref>She first appears in ''Detective Comics'' #31 (September 1939)</ref> In ''Detective Comics'' #38, Wayne takes in an orphaned circus acrobat, [[Dick Grayson]], who becomes his vigilante partner, [[Robin (character)|Robin]]. Batman also becomes a founding member of the [[Justice Society of America]],<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Paul Levitz]]|penciller=[[Joe Staton]]|story=The Untold Origin of the Justice Society |title=DC Special|issue=29|date=September 1977|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref> although he, like Superman, is an honorary member,<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Gardner Fox]]|penciller= |story= |title=[[All Star Comics]]|issue=3|date=Winter 1940/1941|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref> and thus only participates occasionally. Batman's relationship with the law thaws quickly, and he is made an honorary member of [[Gotham City Police Department|Gotham City's police department]].<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Bill Finger]]|penciller=[[Bob Kane]]|story=The People vs. the Batman|title=Batman|volume=1|issue=7|date=November 1941|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref> During this time, [[Alfred Pennyworth]] arrives at Wayne Manor, and after deducing the Dynamic Duo's secret identities, joins their service as their butler.<ref>''Batman'' #16 (May 1943); his original last name, Beagle, is revealed in ''Detective Comics'' #96 (February 1945)</ref>

==== 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 (DC Comics character)|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 many 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 (DC Comics)|Multiverse]] in the 1960s, DC established that stories from the Golden Age star the [[Batman (Earth-Two)|Earth-Two Batman]], a character from a parallel world. This version of Batman partners with and marries the reformed Earth-Two Catwoman (Selina Kyle). The two have a daughter, [[Huntress (Helena Wayne)|Helena Wayne]], who becomes the Huntress. She assumes the position as Gotham's protector along with Dick Grayson, the [[Robin (Earth-Two)|Earth-Two Robin]], once Bruce Wayne retires to become police commissioner. Wayne holds the position of police commissioner 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 occasionally make reference to stories from the Golden Age.<ref>One example is the Englehart/Rogers run of the late 1970s, which has editorial notes directing readers to issues such as ''Detective Comics'' #46 and ''Batman'' #1 and 59.</ref> 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 (February 1969)) after his parents' death, and appearances of his father and himself as prototypical versions of Batman and Robin, respectively.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Bill Finger]]|penciller=[[Sheldon Moldoff]]|story=The First Batman|title=Detective Comics|issue=235|date=September 1956|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref><ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Edmond Hamilton]]|penciller=[[Dick Sprang]]|story=When Batman Was Robin|title=Detective Comics|issue=226|date=December 1955|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref> In 1980, then-editor [[Paul Levitz]] commissioned the ''Untold Legend of the Batman'' [[Limited series (comics)|miniseries]] 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. As a founding member of the [[Justice League]] of America, Batman appears in its first story, in 1960's ''[[The Brave and the Bold]]'' #28. In the 1970s and 1980s, ''The Brave and the Bold'' became a Batman title, in which Batman teams up with a different [[DC Universe]] superhero each month.

==== Bronze Age ====
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. In 1974's "Night of the Stalker" storyline, a diploma on the wall reveals Bruce Wayne as a graduate of [[Yale Law School]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Why Batman went to Yale|url=https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3113-why-batman-went-to-yale|access-date=2020-08-15|website=yalealumnimagazine.com|language=en|archive-date=February 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213091414/https://yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3113-why-batman-went-to-yale|url-status=live}}</ref> Batman spends the 1970s and early 1980s mainly working solo, with occasional team-ups with Robin 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 [[Psychopathy|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]].<ref name="dc-ency">{{cite book | last = Beatty | first = Scott | contribution = Batman | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 40–44 | publisher = [[Dorling Kindersley]] | place = London | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0-7566-4119-1}}</ref>

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

==== Modern Age ====
After the 12-issue [[Limited series (comics)|miniseries]] ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'', DC Comics [[Retroactive continuity|retcon]]ned the histories of some major characters in an attempt at updating them for contemporary audiences. Frank Miller retold Batman's origin in the storyline "[[Batman: Year One|Year One]]" from ''Batman'' #404–407, which emphasizes a grittier tone in the character.<ref>{{cite book | last = Miller | first = Frank | author-link = Frank Miller| author2 = David Mazzucchelli |author3=Richmond Lewis | title =Batman: Year One | publisher = DC Comics| year = 1987 | page = 98 | isbn = 978-1-85286-077-6| author2-link = David Mazzucchelli | title-link = Batman: Year One }}</ref> 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. The guardian Phillip Wayne is removed, 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.<ref name="ComicsVerseReview">{{cite web |last1=Matchett |first1=Glenn |title=Frank Miller's Batman Part One: YEAR ONE, or How Legends are Made |url=https://comicsverse.com/frank-millers-batman-part-one-year-one-or-how-legends-are-made/ |website=ComicsVerse |date=September 4, 2015 |access-date=May 30, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008145746/https://comicsverse.com/frank-millers-batman-part-one-year-one-or-how-legends-are-made/ |archive-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref>

Subsequently, Batman begins exhibiting an excessive, reckless approach to his crimefighting, a result of the pain of losing [[Jason Todd]]. Batman works solo until the decade's close, when [[Tim Drake]] becomes the new Robin.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Alan Grant (writer)|Alan Grant]]|penciller=[[Norm Breyfogle]]|story=Master of Fear|title=[[Batman (comic book)|Batman]]|issue=457|date=December 1990|publisher=DC Comics}}</ref>

Many of the major Batman storylines since the 1990s have been intertitle crossovers that run for a number of issues. In 1993, DC published "[[Batman: Knightfall|Knightfall]]". During the storyline's first phase, the new villain Bane paralyzes Batman, leading Wayne to ask [[Azrael (comics)|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 for a return to the role.<ref>Dixon, Chuck. et al. "Batman: Prodigal". ''Batman'' #512–514, ''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #32–34, ''Detective Comics'' #679–681, ''Robin'' vol. 4 #11–13. New York: DC Comics, 1995.</ref>

The 1994 company-wide crossover storyline ''[[Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!]]'' changes aspects of DC continuity again, including those of Batman. Noteworthy among these changes is that the general populace and the criminal element now consider Batman an urban legend rather than a known force.

Batman once again becomes a member of the [[Justice League]] during Grant Morrison's 1996 relaunch of the series, titled ''JLA''. During this time, Gotham City faces catastrophe in the decade's closing crossover arc. In 1998's "[[Batman: Cataclysm|Cataclysm]]" storyline, Gotham City is devastated by an earthquake and ultimately cut off from the United States. Deprived of many of his technological resources, Batman fights to reclaim the city from legions of gangs during 1999's "[[No Man's Land (comics)|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 (comics)|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 personality disorder|sadistic]] [[Black Mask (character)|Black Mask]] the undisputed ruler of the city's criminal gangs. [[Lex Luthor]] arranges for the murder of Batman's on-again, off-again love interest Vesper Lynd (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 state's 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.