Batman Trailer

Believe it or not, there came a time in the early 1960s when DC Comics decided that it would be better to kill off the character of Batman rather than continue to publish him. Falling sales were to blame, which were hardly surprising given the series of unfortunate events that hammered Batman in the previous decades.In the post-war era of the late 1940s, Batman (and many other DC characters) became increasingly disconnected from the real world and were presented as simple juvenile distractions. In 1954, Fredric Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent criticized Batman for its portrayal of the relationship between Batman and Robin. Batwoman and and Bat-Girl were introduced afterwards partially to refute these claims. Finally, starting in the late 1950s, DC editors started incorporating more science fiction elements into the Batman titles, hoping to match the success of some of their other books in the genre.When these plans backfired, DC attempted one more change before writing Batman off altogether. They assigned long-time editor Julius Schwartz to the line of Batman titles. Previously, he’d helped invigorate stale characters like the Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman. If anyone could save Batman, it was Schwartz.Under Schwartz’s direction, the Batman titles moved away from the previous years in almost every way possible. The change was even evident on the covers1964′s Detective Comics 327 announced the introduction of “a ‘New Look’ Batman and Robin.” The “New Look” moniker came to apply to all of Schwartz’s changes, which are often recognized as the beginning of the Silver Age of Comics.Schwartz hired Carmine Infantino to redesign the character’s costume and Batmobile. Alfred was killed off (though eventually returnedsee “Alfred through the years” for more). The sci-fi characters like Ace the Bat-Hound and Bat-Mite were phased out.At the same time as Schwartz was attempting to return the character to his dark roots, the Batman television series premiered. Its unexpected success led to mandates for Schwartz to once again emphasize camp and light-hearted adventure. When the series was cancelled in 1968, Schwartz quickly rallied and brought writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams on to the titles. The influence of these men in the dark reinvigoration of the character is undeniable.Schwartz moved on to the Superman titles in 1971 and made similar sweeping changes in these. While similarly influential, these did not prove as successful. In 1986, Schwartz retired from DC, but continued to work towards the promotion of comics and science fiction until his death in 2004.