Holy birthday, Batman. Five things you never knew about Caped Crusader, who’s turning 80
- Batman first appeared in 1939 in DC Comics, and has since appeared in countless comics, on TV, in films and video games
- From Andy Warhol to Japan’s Most Excellent Super-Bat, here are five obscure facts about the superhero
Batman celebrates his 80th birthday this year – the Gotham City superhero first appeared in DC Comics in March 1939 – and an exhibition of memorabilia opened on Thursday in Hong Kong to mark the anniversary.
Although many of us grew up watching him and his sidekick Robin BAM-ing and POW-ing their way out of many sticky situations, just how much do we know about the Caped Crusader and his impact on pop culture?
Here are five obscure facts about the winged wonder.
Andy Warhol made the first Batman movie
Yea, Andy Warhol (best known for his silk screen paintings of Campbell’s soup cans) was, apparently, a Batman fan and made a two-hour black-and-white film called Batman Dracula as a “homage” to the superhero – without the permission of DC Comics.
Edited clips of the film can be found on YouTube, and the American contemporary artist’s portrayal of Batman is closer to a vampire than the rubber suited action hero we are familiar today.
There are at least three Asian Batmans
Wang Baixi is part of the Chinese Justice League (from DC Comics’ New Super-Man series, which was first published in 2016). He was recruited by the Ministry of Self-Reliance, the branch of China’s government overseeing its state-approved superheroes.
The Chinese Batman has been described as a tech genius who is a skilled fighter and designs his own gadgets and vehicle.
According to one thread on Stack Exchange, a Q&A website on a wide range of subjects including science fiction and fantasy, there is Jiro Osamu, known as the Batman of Japan, and Heino Okata who went by the code name “Most Excellent Super-Bat”.
These are not to be confused with Batman Ninja, an animated feature by Warner Bros featuring Batman from Gotham City who was sent back in time to feudal Japan during a battle in Arkham Asylum.
A university course on Batman
You’ve read it right. The University of Victoria in Canada once offered a course called “The Science of Batman” (2012-13). According to Quora, it “explores such themes as using Batman as a metaphor for both physiological and psychological human conditioning, adapting exercise and preparation for achieving personal goals and the science behind injuries and the recovery process.
“The idea of exploring limitations of humanity while using pop culture and comic book heroes as a reference point is actually a very interesting one that could be applied in a variety of different fields, from marketing to sports management.”
Ahem.
Batman: Hong Kong
While it is widely known that part of The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, was filmed in Hong Kong, there is a DC Comics title called Batman: Hong Kong, which was published in August 2003. In this story, a series of murders leads Batman (Bruce Wayne) to Hong Kong, with his butler/valet Alfred in tow.
Batman briefly dated Superman’s girlfriend
When TV series The New Batman Adventures crosses over with Superman: The Animated Series, Bruce develops romantic feelings for Lois Lane, much to Superman’s annoyance. Lane later discovers Bruce is Batman and breaks off the relationship, but keeps his secret.
In fact Batman/Bruce has had so many love interests, major and minor, throughout the past 80 years that a separate page has to be set up on his fan site to accommodate all of them.
Batman’s 80th Anniversary, UG2 Atrium and on L3, The One, 100 Nathan Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui. Until September 22
