Batman was originally introduced in the Detective
comics issue #27. The first issue of Batman was released in 1940 which deterred
Batman and Robin, and Batman's nemesis; Joker.
While reading Batman I noticed differences between the comics back in
the 40's and the comics we have nowadays. When the Detective comics and other
fan favorites were released the story was straight to the point to get the
reader going. In the first issue of Batman the reader is given a backstory into
who the Batman is and how he came to be. The writers decided to use the plot of
the death of a loved one to push a person to become a hero. In this comic
Batman, or Bruce Wayne, loses his parents to a mugger. The dialog used in the
comic reflects what time period the comic was made in.
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If you read the dialog you'll notice that the mugger seems to have a Chicago or Brooklyn feel to it. And the way the dialog is read the time frame would be placed in the 1940's or 50's |
One major thing I noticed was the use of violence in the comic. During
the 40's everyone was focused on family friendly viewings and non violence. For
example, when Batman the tv show released they were not allowed to show people
being punched or beaten so they used action words to show the actors being hit.
However, in this comic you see the Joker making death threats on a public radio
station. And low and behold the guy is dead. What's really disturbing is way
the character dies. They die of poison then their face forms a smile because
the poison forces the face muscles to pull back.