Batman has become the most legendary and cherished superheroes of the golden era of comic strips. Compared with Superman or Spiderman, Batman didn’t have any phenomenal powers to give him the extra edge over evildores. He was not faster than a speeding bullet or capable of leap tall buildings in a single bound, nor did he have a spider-sense to notify him of forthcoming peril or give him superhuman speed, quickness and strength. All he had were his wits, his martial arts training, and his amazing, wonderful toys.
Of course Batman then had been not exactly what we know of as Batman these days. And batman costumes reflect as much, since the character himself is becoming darker and more variable in both how he behaves and what he symbolizes. “Chaotic good” continues to be his modus operandi, but batman ends up staying true neutral in predicaments even more than he once did.
You will see this in Frank Miller’s reimagining of Batman in his epic 1980s comic book series “The Dark Knight.” Batman’s ulterior motives hadn’t changed, but his internal foundations had, and even the batman costumes he dressed in had a darker and much more menacing image. The Dark Knight was really dark, a man of contradictions and moral ambiguities who, with each passing phase became even less the conventional super hero and even more something totally brand new and unpredicted. This contrast and range of character is what made The Dark Knight a real hit from the beginning, and the batman costumes that came out of that series’ accomplishment reflect the change.
Of course, a few very powerful and successful motion pictures also came out of that series’ success, the first of which was Tim Burton’s 1989 masterpiece “Batman.” In it, the batman outfits for instance Batman’s own suit, along with the costumes of the Joker and other characers, all mirrored what Miller had dreamed in his graphic novel. As more sequels were made, the batman costumes strayed further and more from the source material to eventually become a parody of what it really once was. The nadir was Joel Schumacher’s 1997 travesty, “Batman and Robin”, which is viewed as by many to be among the worst films ever made. And deservingly so.
The franchise’s had been rehabilitated starting in 2005 with Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, and followed by the 2008 hit The Dark Knight. Critics were not exactly enamored of these films – and to be honest they do not actually compare to Burton’s original effort – but they are a substantial step up from what Schumacher provided. Don a Batman Brave Costume for your next Halloween holiday or costume party.