You don’t have to be a comic fan to have heard of the iconic Batman. Batman is a cultural icon that has been around since his first appearance in 1939. Since then, he has taken the world by storm by making memorable changes to the comic industry and superheroes overall. Batman was initially mentioned in Detective Comics in 1939 and is now known as one of the most famous and influential superheroes ever.
What’s the secret to the superhero’s longevity? The key to Batman’s ability to stay popular despite the new superheroes that have come around and the new eras that comic books and television have seen is Batman’s ability to adapt to change. Batman is a superhero who has evolved and changed over time, just as social media has. The famous Batman symbol exemplifies the evolution of Batman from being shown in comics and novels to TV and film.
The legendary Batman logo has changed along with its character throughout time and has adapted with the times. The symbol is featured directly on Batman’s armor and all the superhero’s advertising, including comic book covers and games.
Wondering how the symbol reflected the superhero’s changes throughout the years? Let’s take a look at the history of the Batman logo and how it became the iconic symbol we see today.
The History Of The Batman Logo
1939: The First Batman Logo
The first Batman logo was released in 1939 and featured a simple black emblem. It was quickly the most minimalistic version of the logo that came around. This version simply featured wings, nothing else. Embellishments came around with the later versions of the logo. This logo featured five wing points on the Batman wings, which is an element that was continuously edited throughout all the versions of the logo. This first version was smaller than the following few versions that would come around, not taking up much space on the superhero’s chest when appearing on his armor. During this same year, the logo underwent a modification where sharp ears were added and the start of a head. The wings appeared sharper; in some versions, there were seven wing points.
1939–1941: A Few Changes
1940 marked the period for Batman, when he got his solo title. For the first year of its existence, the logo remained the same, but in 1940, it got a slight modification.
In 1940, the logo became nearly twice as large as the original, and now the head was shown a great deal more prominently on the logo. The wings also grew, and in some versions of the logo, there were even blue details featured on the wings.
1941–1944: A Signifigant Edit
Three years later, the logo received a significant edit, with the changes being quite obvious and standing out.
This version almost appeared gothic, showing long and pointed wings that appeared to be standing straight up. In this logo, the head became even less visible, and the wings were straight up, incredibly pointed at the top.
1944–1946: Wide Wings
As the Batman logo versions continued to emerge, the number of wing points continued to vary in the number of wing points shown. The number of wing points varied from five to nine wings depending on which version it was revealed. This particular logo created in 1944 was far more comprehensive than before, showing long points along the top and shorter ones on the bottom. The ears got sharper and more prominent, standing upright while the head was still partially hidden.
1946–1950: Less Wing Points
In 1946, the Batman logo received another change, reverting back to the same simplistic elements used in the first logo. In terms of length, this logo brought back elements similar to the previous one, including the length of the central wing point. The central wing point stood out and was more prominent, obviously being shown longer than the other wings. The head grew larger in this logo, and now it was more evident that the head stood out.
1950–1956: Rounded Wings
Up until 1950, the Batman logo had primarily prioritized keeping the wings pointed and sharp. However, in 1950, a new version came out that showed more rounded wings at the top. It showed a smooth curve that lapped down into the pointed tips, where the wing points remained pointed. As this logo emerged, the Batman symbol continued to take up more and more space on the superhero’s chest, appearing larger in every version that emerged.
1956–1958: The Curve is Removed
The rounded wings didn’t last long before they were removed, again replaced with the triangular shape it had initially used. The triangular version was popular and continuously used throughout the years.
1958–1960: The Logo Becomes Thinner
Throughout history, the Batman logo was constantly revised and changed until slowly morphing into a new version. The new version developed by 1958 was a wider and thinner logo that looked unique in comparison to its predecessors. The wing points were long and sharp, and the head was more visible than in the previous versions.
1960–1964: A Thicker Logo
Only two years after the thinner logo had come around, a new logo replaced it. This logo was thicker and resembled those that had shown wider wings.
The only difference this time was that the head was still very prominent and high, now more evident than in previous designs.
1964–1966: Color is Added
1964 marked a historic moment for the Batman logo; color was added to the logo for the first time. The emblem was placed inside a bright yellow ellipse with a black outline.
The logo used previously was shown inside, with the most notable change being the color surrounding the familiar logo. What was the reason for the addition of color? Although there’s no definite answer, there are a few different theories about why the logo was changed.
One is simple: it was easier to trademark the colored ellipse version. However, it’s also been suspected that the editor thought it was time for a new era with Batman’s logo design and opted for what would be the most identifiable difference: color.
The logo had previously only been black and white, so seeing a bright yellow part was surprising for many fans. The only slight change to the black symbol placed inside the ellipse was that the sides of the wings became more curved to fit the ellipse perfectly.
1966–2000: The Symbol Changes
A couple of years after the yellow was added to the logo, it was decided that it needed another modification. This time, the symbol inside the ellipse drastically changed for the first time since its creation. For the first time, the Batman symbol changed the sides of the wings to a very prominent curve. The wings spread out to fill the ellipse, now directly linked with the curved edges of the ellipse. The curved shape was also reflected in the top and bottom of the wings, with the edges curved perfectly to match the shape of the ellipse. In this version, the head and ears changed again, with both design elements more prominent and the ears now slightly tilting out to the sides.
2000–Present: The Logo Today
The yellow ellipse with the modified symbol stayed with the superhero for 36 years. But then DC Comics decided it was time for a new era in the Batman universe and completely removed the yellow oval. The logo’s shape reverted to its original version, with the wings only slightly rounded now and the wing points still pointed. The head was shorter, but the ears were still slightly tilted. The main difference with this logo from the previous logos was that it was significantly larger than the other versions. This version is most commonly seen today, from stickers to shirts and everything in between.
Who is Batman?
Now that we’ve looked at the history of the incredible logo displaying Batman let’s look at the superhero himself. For those who haven’t heard of the famous superhero, let’s look at who Batman is and how he’s changed throughout the years.
It all started in 1939 when DC Comics was looking for a new superhero who would meet the same success as Superman, their previous superhero. Gag cartoonist Bob Kane was responsible for creating a new superhero for DC Comics. Kane and writer Bill Finger created Batman, the popular and iconic character. Together, they created the first Batman title, “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” The story hit the stands on March 30th, 1939.
In the first story that was released, readers were introduced to a superhero who would don an iconic costume and fight crime with a grim demeanor. His identity was kept secret, and he had a desire for justice. Batman was always willing to get his hands dirty for the greater good.
The story was consistent throughout the new Batman stories that emerged; Batman dressed up as a bat and set out to fight evil. There was a clear message that if Batman got involved with crime, he would take care of it. Batman’s real identity was Bruce Wayne, a billionaire whose parents were shot and killed when he was young. Those who know Wayne in real life are completely unsuspecting of Wayne’s superhero powers and just see him as an ordinary, public man.
1943 marked the period when the first Batman film debuted, and since then, Batman has been featured in countless films and has more than ten of his own live-action films.
As with many superheroes, the actor who portrays Batman has changed throughout the years. Adam West took the role in 1966, followed by Michael Keaton in 1989, George Clooney in 1997, Christian Bale in 2005, Ben Affleck in 2016, and the most recent Batman was Robert Pattinson. Each new actor brought their unique elements to the character of Batman and helped to evolve him into the famous superhero we see him as today.
Conclusion
Overall, the iconic Batman superhero has significantly impacted the comic industry, television, and more.
You can’t think of Batman without associating him with his iconic logo that is proudly displayed on comic book covers, Batman’s armor, and everything in between that is used to represent the character.
The logo has undergone many changes in it’s time to get to the point where we see it today. Above, we discussed the history of the iconic logo and how it got to where we see it today. We also looked at the history of Batman himself, and how he got to the famous superhero, we recognize him as today.
Check out these awesome Logo Contests run on Hatchwise: