52 BATMAN
increasingly tamer and childish, characterized by Dick Sprang’s cartooning and stories
pitting Batman against mischievous, yet generally harmless, adversaries. Th is period
also saw an expansion of cast, most notably Batgirl and Batwoman, and the trend of
putting Batman through bizarre transformations, such as making him a giant or a
“Zebra Batman.”
Sales plummeted during this time, and in 1964 legendary editor Julius Schwartz
reinvigorated the franchise. Schwartz’s “New Look” Batman included a yellow oval
around his chest’s bat insignia, as well as Carmine Infantino’s more realistic art style and
a return to classic villains and detective stories. Th is reinvention was curtailed some-
what by the camp trend of the mid-1960s, which aff ected Batman more than any other
character due to the popularity of the campy ABC television show, Batman (1966–68).
DC was more successful at returning Batman to his dark roots in the 1970s, particu-
larly with a series of stories written by Dennis O’Neil and illustrated by Neal Adams.
Th is creature-of-the-night period saw Batman leaving Gotham City more frequently;
villains such as the Joker reverted to their homicidal, dangerous characterizations; and
the introduction of new villains, such as eco-terrorist Ra’s al Ghul. Batman’s world con-
tinued to grow darker, perhaps reaching its apex in 1986 with two publications: Frank
Miller’s Th e Dark Knight Returns , a story set in the future where an aging Batman
comes out of retirement to wage war on both a corrupt establishment and uncontrol-
lable street crime, and Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One , a gritty
retelling of Batman’s origin. Th e dark, hard-edged approach to Batman has remained
generally consistent since Miller’s work, and unavoidable variations to this style tend to
be in the slight diff erences of degree.
Batman’s success is not limited to comic books. Batman has appeared in virtually
all media, and Batman’s logo and likeness have also been used on any number of mer-
chandise. Th e ironic, live-action Batman television series starring Adam West in the
titular role was a massive success, yet burdened the character with the stigma of silli-
ness. Tim Burton’s fi lms, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), which initiated
a second round of “Bat-Mania,” preserved the dark atmosphere that was in vogue with
that period’s comics, but two subsequent sequels by director Joel Schumacher returned
to campiness. Although somewhat restricted as children’s programming, the stylistic,
Emmy Award-winning Batman: Th e Animated Series , which premiered in 1992, main-
tained a surprisingly mature tone and a consistently high level of quality. In 2005,
Batman returned to fi lm in the serious, somewhat ponderous, Batman Begins , directed
by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale. Th at fi lm’s sequel, Th e Dark Knight
(2008), would go on to earn the second-highest box offi ce gross in history, and receive
nearly unanimous critical acclaim. Although levels of quality vary greatly, Batman’s repre -
sentations in other media have not only kept the character in the public’s consciousness,
they have also contributed to the overall mythology: for example, Batman’s subterranean
headquarters, the Batcave, was introduced in the Batman daily newspaper strip.
Batman has endured, even thrived, since his inception for many reasons. For instance,
Batman tends to attract the highest talent, maintaining a relatively high level of quality
