Batman Family

Batman Family

Cover of Batman Family #17 (May 1978)
Art by Mike Kaluta and Tatjana Wood
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
Schedule Bi-monthly
Format Ongoing series
Publication date September-October 1975 - October-November 1978
No. of issues 20, then 15 more as part of Detective Comics
Main character(s) Batman
Batgirl
Robin
Creative team
Written by
Penciller(s)
Inker(s)

Batman Family was an American comic book series published by DC Comics comic book which ran from 1975 to 1978, primarily featuring stories starring supporting characters to the superhero Batman. An eight-issue miniseries called Batman: Family was published from December 2002 to February 2003.

The term "Batman Family" is most commonly used as the informal name for Batman's closest allies, generally masked vigilantes operating in Gotham City.

Publication history

The Batman Family title proper ran twenty issues from September–October 1975 to October–November 1978[1] and featured solo and team-up stories starring Batgirl and Robin.[2] The lead story in the first issue teaming Batgirl and Robin was originally intended for publication in an issue of 1st Issue Special.[3] The series additionally featured reprints of Golden Age and Silver Age stories. Many issues of Batman Family featured Batman supporting characters such as Alfred Pennyworth, Vicki Vale, the Elongated Man, the Huntress, and Ace the Bat-Hound. Writer Bob Rozakis introduced the Duela Dent character in issue #6 (July–August 1976)[4][5] and revived the original Batwoman in issue #10 (March–April 1977).[6][7] The series began featuring only new material as of issue #11 (May-June 1977)[8] and Man-Bat began appearing as a regular feature.[9] Batman Family converted to the Dollar Comics format with issue #17 (April–May 1978).[10][11]

DC published several other ... Family titles concurrent with Batman Family. These included The Superman Family (1974–82), Super-Team Family (1975-1978) and Tarzan Family (1975–76). As a rule, DC's ... Family titles contained mostly reprints, and featured a higher page count (and higher price) than DC's normal books. Its final issue, #20 (Oct.-Nov. 1978),[12] ran with no advertisements.

Merger with Detective Comics

In 1978, after the DC Implosion, it was decided that DC Comics' long-running flagship title Detective Comics was to be terminated with #480. The decision was overturned following strenuous arguments on behalf of saving the title within the DC office.

Cover of Batman Family #1 (Oct. 1975); art by Mike Grell

Despite being the better selling title, Batman Family was instead merged with Detective, converting that series into a $1.00 68-page giant as of Detective Comics #481 (Dec. 1978-Jan. 1979).[13][14] This arrangement lasted 15 issues. With issue #496 (Nov. 1980) Detective Comics reverted to its traditional size and price — thus effectively canceling Batman Family for good.

2002-2003 series

Batman: Family was an eight-issue miniseries published from December 2002 to February 2003 and written by John Francis Moore. The first six issues were illustrated by Stefano Gaudiano and Rick Hoberg.[15] Steve Lieber replaced Hoberg on issues seven and eight.[16]

Collected editions

See also

References

  1. ↑ Batman Family at the Grand Comics Database
  2. ↑ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. DC launched Batman Family with its memorable debut of the Batgirl-Robin team. Scribe Elliot S! Maggin and artist Mike Grell unleashed 'The Invader From Hell'.
  3. ↑ Abramowitz, Jack (April 2014). "1st Issue Special It Was No Showcase (But It Was Never Meant To Be)". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (71): 44.
  4. ↑ Rozakis, Bob (w), Novick, Irv (p), McLaughlin, Frank (i). "The Joker's Daughter!" Batman Family 6 (July–August 1976)
  5. ↑ Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "1970s". Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 123. ISBN 978-1465424563. It would be Robin's story [in Batman Family #6] that was destined to go down in Batman's history with its introduction of the Joker's Daughter.
  6. ↑ Rozakis, Bob (w), Brown, Bob (p), Colletta, Vince (i). "Those Were The Bad Old Days!" Batman Family 10 (March–April 1977)
  7. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Dougall, p. 125: "The original Batwoman, Kathy Kane, made her first appearance in the Bronze Age of comics...in this story by writer Bob Rozakis and artist Bob Brown."
  8. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Dougall, p. 125: "With this issue, Batman Family stopped printing back-up reprints. However, instead of reducing its page count, it continued as a 50-cent title but included even more new stories."
  9. ↑ Stroud, Bryan (July 2014). "A History of the Man-Bat". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (73): 22–23.
  10. ↑ Romero, Max (July 2012). "I'll Buy That For a Dollar! DC Comics' Dollar Comics". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (57): 39–41.
  11. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Dougall, p. 129: "With this issue Batman Family included moe new material than ever before."
  12. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Dougall, p. 129: "The Batman Family title had reached its end."
  13. ↑ Wells, John (October 24, 1997), "'Lost' DC: The DC Implosion", Comics Buyer's Guide, Iola, Wisconsin (1249), p. 132
  14. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Dougall, p. 130: "With this issue, [Detective Comics] adopted the popular multi-story format of Batman Family, spotlighting many of Batman's supporting cast."
  15. ↑ Manning "2000s" in Dougall, p. 263: "After teasing the character Tracker in Detective Comics #773 (October 2002), and Bugg in Detective Comics #774, writer John Francis Moore and artists Rick Hoberg and Stefano Gaudiano launched this eight-issue miniseries."
  16. ↑ Batman: Family at the Grand Comics Database
 
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