Batman (comic strip)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Batman comic strip began a few years after the creation of the comic book Batman. At first titled "Batman and Robin", a later incarnation was titled just "Batman". It had three major runs in American newspapers and two minor runs.

1 Batman and Robin. 1943 - 1946
2 Batman and Robin, 1953
3 Batman and Robin, 1966 - 1974
4 The World's Greatest Superheroes, 1978 - 1986???
5 Batman, 1989 - 1991

[edit] Batman and Robin. 1943 - 1946

By Bob Kane (and others, see reprint books for details), daily and Sunday, reprinted by DC Comics and Kitchen Sink Press, in one Sunday and three daily volumes.

[edit] Batman and Robin, 1953

By Walter Gibson, Sunday only. This short lived attempt to revive the Batman comic strip ran only in Arrow, the Family Comic Weekly, edited by Gibson. A few of these very rare strips are reprinted in the book Batman: the Sunday Classics 1943-46.

[edit] Batman and Robin, 1966 - 1974

By "Bob Kane", (actually ghosted, as noted below), Sunday and daily, 1966 - 1974. At first a camp revival due to the popularity of the Batman tv show, with a guest appearance by Jack Benny, it later told more serious Batman stories, and featured guest appearances by Batgirl, Superman, and Aquaman.

Episode Guide

Daily only stories, written by Whitney Ellsworth:

1. Catwoman, drawn by Shelly Moldoff,
2. Joker, drawn by Joe Giella
3. Jolly Roger, drawn by Giella

Sunday only stories, written by Ellsworth

1. Penguin, drawn by Moldoff
2. Nasty Napoleon, drawn by Moldoff followed by Carmine Infantino
3. Batchap and Bobbin, drawn by Giella

Sunday and daily stories, drawn by Giella, written by Ellsworth

4. Poison Ivy
5. The Collector
6. Batgirl
7. Pretty Boy Floy

Sunday and daily stories, drawn by Al Plastino, written by Ellsworth

8. Superman's Missing Powers
9. Aqua-Batman
10. Plastic Surgery

The Sunday strip ended either on July 13 or on July 20, 1968.

daily only stories were drawn by Plastino through Jan. 1, 1972, with Nick Cardy assisting on the art toward the end. They were written by Ellsworth until July 1970, and then by E. Nelson Bridwell.

A new artist and writer took over the strip on January 3, 1972. The art and writing were not up to professional standards, and Batman disappeared from the strip, though Bruce Wayne continued as a character. The strip featured a hero called Galexo until it ended in 1974.

[edit] The World's Greatest Superheroes, 1978 - 1986???

From 1978 to the late 1980s, Batman appeared in a strip variously titled "The World's Greatest Superheroes", "The World's Greatest Superheores Presents Superman", and "The Superman Sunday Special". For information on writers and artists, see Batman: the Sunday Classics 1943-46.

[edit] Batman, 1989 - 1991

The most recent revival of the strip, titled simply "Batman", ran Sunday and daily from 6 NOV 1989 to 3 AUG 1991. The first story was written by Max Allan Collins and drawn by Marshall Rogers. All of the other stories were written by William Messner Loebs and drawn by Carmine Infantino and John Nyberg. All of these strips were reprinted in Comics Revue.

Episode Guide