166-611: The Penguin ( Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics , commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman . The character made his first appearance in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941) and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger . The Penguin is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery . The Penguin has repeatedly been named one of
332-487: A naturalistic style of superheroes with human failings, fears, and inner demons - heroes who squabbled and worried about the likes of paying the rent. In contrast to the super-heroic do-gooder archetypes of established superheroes at the time, this ushered in a revolution. With dynamic artwork by Kirby, Steve Ditko , Don Heck , and others, complementing Lee's colorful, catchy prose, the new style became very popular among teenagers and college students who could identify with
498-499: A cigarette holder in his mouth. Penguin uses high-tech umbrellas as different tools. His umbrellas have been used as guns, gas, swords/knives, a mini-helicopter and many other unconventional tools. The Penguin owns and runs a nightclub called the Iceberg Lounge which provides a cover for his criminal activity. Batman sometimes uses the nightclub as a source of criminal underworld information. Unlike most of Batman's rogues gallery,
664-455: A parallel world that was retroactively established as the home of characters which had been published in the Golden Age of comic books . This allowed creators to publish comic books featuring Robin while being able to disregard Golden Age stories, solving an incongruity, as Robin had been published as a single ongoing incarnation since inception. Robin's origin and history begins the same as
830-488: A script . After the art is prepared, the dialogue and captions are lettered onto the page from the script, and an editor may have the final say (but, once ready for printing, it is difficult and expensive to make any major changes), before the comic is sent to the printer. The creative team, the writer and artist(s), may work for a comic book publisher who handles the marketing, advertising, and other logistics. A wholesale distributor, such as Diamond Comic Distributors ,
996-493: A tabloid -sized, 10-by-15-inch (250 mm × 380 mm), 36-page magazine with a card-stock, non-glossy cover. An anthology , it mixed humor features such as the funny animal comic "Pelion and Ossa" and the college-set "Jigger and Ginger" with such dramatic fare as the Western strip "Jack Woods" and the " yellow-peril " adventure "Barry O'Neill", featuring a Fu Manchu -styled villain, Fang Gow. Issue #6 (Oct. 1935) brought
1162-455: A 68-page giant selling for 10¢. Distributed to newsstands by the mammoth American News Company , it proved a hit with readers during the cash-strapped Great Depression , selling 90 percent of its 200,000 print, although putting Eastern Color more than $ 4,000 in the red. That quickly changed, with the book turning a $ 30,000 profit each issue starting with #12. Famous Funnies would eventually run 218 issues, inspire imitators, and largely launch
1328-491: A Siegel/Shuster creation from the slush pile and used it as the cover feature (but only as a backup story) in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). The duo's alien hero, Superman , was dressed in a cape and colorful tights. The costume, influenced by Flash Gordon 's attire from 1934, evoked circus aerial performers and circus strongmen, and Superman became the archetype of the " superheroes " that would follow. In early 1939,
1494-510: A Watson to talk to. That's how Robin came to be. Bob called me over and said he was going to put a boy in the strip to identify with Batman. I thought it was a great idea." The following fictional characters have assumed the Robin role at various times in the main DC Comics Universe continuity : In the comics, Dick Grayson was an 8-year-old acrobat and the youngest of a family act called
1660-597: A cloud to sink islands. They are thwarted by Superman of Earth-One, Wonder Woman of Earth-Two, Green Arrow of Earth-One, and Spy Smasher of Earth-S. Penguin then did a heist on treasures belonging to short rulers using robot versions of extinct birds to keep Batman busy. Batman managed to apprehend Penguin. Penguin did another little man-motive crime and was apprehended by Batman again. Penguin later participated in Hugo Strange 's auction of Batman's secret identity. American comic books An American comic book
1826-468: A criminal and anthropological investigation into an apocryphal Haitian vodou cult (revealed by Batman, asserting anthropological and investigative authority, as a front for extortion and crony capitalism ); 3) the murder of Drake's mother by vilified cult leaders; 4) the beginning of Drake's recurrent nightmares and trauma ; as well as 5) the perspective of a child of one of the cult's Haitian followers, unknowingly and inadvertently orphaned by Batman at
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#17328838850451992-480: A dark version of Raven shortly after his arrival, changes his name to " Deathwing ", and serves as her assistant. He becomes so twistedly evil that he at one point tracks down his one-time lover, Mirage, and rapes her. She becomes pregnant and has a child named Julienne. During the Zero Hour event that retroactively erased this timeline, Mirage, Terra and Deathwing survive. It is later established that they are from
2158-622: A fictional character shown in Teen Titans #38 (2006), the former sidekick of Owlman , created by Geoff Johns and Tony S. Daniel . He is a former member of the Crime Society and a member of the Teen Titans during the one-year gap after Infinite Crisis . According to an interview with Tony Daniel at Newsarama , Talon is supposed to look like his mentor Owlman. He briefly battled Black Adam with his fellow Titans during World War III . It
2324-561: A force for good. Bruce asks BJ to assume control of the organization so that he can become Batman once again. A story in Generations II has Bruce's dying wife imply that BJ isn't his biological son, but this is not explored until Generations III , where BJ uses a Lazarus Pit and becomes Robin once more, ultimately learning that he truly is Bruce's son and everything was a plan by his mother to make up for never allowing father and son to work together as heroes. In Generations III , BJ's life
2490-427: A former child of trauma, guided "other trauma victims down a path of righteousness." Tim Drake, for example, endured trauma and "emotional duress" as a result of the death of his mother (father in a coma and on a ventilator). Drake contemplated the idea of fear, and overcoming it, in both the "Rite of Passage" and "Identity Crisis" storylines. Grant and Breyfogle subjected Drake to recurrent nightmares , from hauntings by
2656-415: A gang of robbers, Batman offered Todd the position as Robin. Believing that readers never truly bonded with Todd, DC Comics made the controversial decision in 1988 to poll readers using a 1-900 number as to whether or not Todd should be killed. The event received more attention in the mainstream media than any other comic book event before it. Readers voted "yes" by a small margin (5,343 to 5,271) and Todd
2822-423: A ghoulish Batman to the disquieting lullaby (or informal nursery rhyme), "My Mummy's dead...My Mummy's Dead...I can't get it through my head," echoing across a cemetery for deceased parents. Drake ultimately defeated his own preadolescent fears "somewhat distant from Bruce Wayne" and "not as an orphan." By the end of "Identity Crisis", an adolescent Drake had "proven himself as capable of being a vigilante" by deducing
2988-536: A leader of the Outlaws, a superhero team that includes Starfire and Arsenal who had spent years with Grayson in the Titans. DC Comics was left uncertain about readers' decision to have Jason Todd killed, wondering if readers preferred Batman as a lone vigilante, disliked Todd specifically, or just wanted to see if DC would actually kill off the character. In addition, the 1989 Batman film did not feature Robin, giving DC
3154-720: A lexicon of teenage behavior from which to draw, unlike when Dick Grayson was introduced and the concept of the teenager was still nascent. They wisely mobilized the expected adolescent behaviors of parental conflict, hormonal urges, and identity formation to give Tim emotional depth and complexity, making him a relatable character with boundaries between his two selves." In the Robin ongoing series, when Drake had fully transitioned into an adolescent character, Chuck Dixon depicted him as engaging in adolescent intimacy, yet still stopped short at overt heterosexual consummation. This narrative benchmark maintained Robin's "estrangement from sex" that began in
3320-417: A limited series that served as a continuation of Tim Burton's Batman films Batman and Batman Returns , ignoring the subsequent films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), in which actor Michael Keaton did not appear following Burton's departure from the franchise. This series featured a new version of Robin named Drake Winston (whose appearance is inspired by Marlon Wayans , who
3486-583: A mansion into a museum and bird sanctuary, where he started returning stolen loot to the robbery victims. This turned out to be a plot to plant gas bombs and re-steal the loot. On Penguin's birthday, he received mocking gifts from other criminals. Penguin is paroled from prison again and was asked to release his birds as a sign of good will. Penguin proceeds to open up his umbrella company called Penguin Umbrellas Inc. where he even fooled Batman into endorsing his products, which contained special magnets. Following
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#17328838850453652-437: A middle-aged Dick Grayson reclaims the Robin mantle and becomes Red Robin , not at the side of his former mentor Batman, but rather with Superman's League. His uniform is closer to Batman's in design, rather than any previous Robin uniform. Age has not slowed him down, as he possesses all of his stealth and fighting skills. In this story he has a daughter with Starfire ; Mar'i Grayson ( Nightstar ). Starfire has apparently died by
3818-596: A million copies a month each; comics provided very popular cheap entertainment during World War II especially among soldiers, but with erratic quality in stories, art, and printing. In the early 1940s, over 90 percent of girls and boys from seven to seventeen read comic books. In 1941, H. G. Peter and William Moulton Marston , created the female superhero character Wonder Woman , who debuted in All Star Comics #8 (December 1941) and Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman in 1942. MLJ 's Pep Comics debuted as
3984-459: A new mass medium . When the supply of available existing comic strips began to dwindle, early comic books began to include a small amount of new, original material in comic-strip format. Inevitably, a comic book of all-original material, with no comic-strip reprints, debuted. Fledgling publisher Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications, which would evolve into DC Comics , to release New Fun #1 (Feb. 1935). This came out as
4150-462: A price on his head), and went under the identity of Red Bird. Damian met his end at the hands of the Heretic, an aged clone of Damian working for Leviathan , bravely giving up his life. Despite his status as deceased, Damian starred in his own miniseries, Damian: Son of Batman , written and drawn by Andy Kubert , set in a future where Damian is on the path to become Batman after his father fell victim to
4316-562: A principal character in Batman and Detective Comics , Lauren R. O'Connor argues that "A Lonely Place of Dying" served as the denouement of a transition from Dick Grayson 's "absent sexuality," which earlier incited reader interpretations of homosexuality , to definitive heterosexual presence as a maturation narrative. O'Connor offers multiple examples from this 1989 storyline, such as Drake's encounter with Starfire and Grayson's heeding of Drake's concerns over Batman's psychology, to substantiate
4482-500: A profound impact upon the American comic-book industry. Their popularity, along with mainstream media attention and critical acclaim, combined with changing social tastes, led to a considerably darker tone in comic books during the 1990s nicknamed by fans as the "grim-and-gritty" era. The growing popularity of antiheroes such as Wolverine and the Punisher exemplified this change, as did
4648-464: A protégé) remain as Robin, he gave the role to Damian, who he felt needed the training that his father would have given him. Following the Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and Flashpoint events, Bruce Wayne returned to his role as Batman, while Dick resumed as Nightwing. As of The New 52 , Damian continued to work with his father, but temporarily gave up being Robin (as his mother had put
4814-451: A reason to keep him out of the comic book series for marketing purposes. Regardless, Batman editor Denny O'Neil introduced a new Robin. The third Robin, Timothy Drake, first appeared in a flashback in Batman #436 (1989) as a preadolescent boy, introduced by writer Marv Wolfman , interior penciler Pat Broderick , and inker John Beatty . Drake's first name was a nod to Tim Burton , director of
4980-410: A reclusive ornithologist named Professor Boyd where he used his ornithology stage as a front. Upon release, Penguin set up his own bird shop where he sold his birds to the prominent people of Gotham City. The birdcages had bombs that would enable Penguin to break into their houses and rob them. Penguin's next plot involved extorting the singers of Gotham City by using special microphones that released
5146-466: A red torso, long sleeves, and pants. It also included black gloves and boots, yellow stitching and belt, and a black and yellow cape. Tim Drake continued the motif of a red and black costume when he assumed the role of Red Robin before and during the events of The New 52 . Tim Drake assumes the identity of the Red Robin after Batman's disappearance following the events of Final Crisis and " Battle for
Penguin (character) - Misplaced Pages Continue
5312-459: A restaurant called the Penguin's Nest as part of a plot to get arrested to collaborate with an incarcerated forger. When a fire broke out in prison, Penguin saved the prison warden . He was released on parole and tried to go straight only for him to see a cartoon that depicted and mocked penguins. This sent him into a frenzied spree, until his eventual capture. Next, Penguin posed as an assistant to
5478-419: A separate writer and artist , or there may be separate artists for the characters and backgrounds. Particularly in superhero comic books, the art may be divided between: The process begins with the writer (often in collaboration with one or more others, who may include the editor and/or the penciller) coming up with a story idea or concept, then working it up into a plot and storyline , finalizing it with
5644-464: A short time, Penguin began his next plot that involved kidnapping a young ruler named King Peeble IV of Swawak in order to take over Swawak. Batman and Robin defeated him with help from Talia al Ghul . At the time when King Kull plotted to cause havoc on Earth-One, Earth-Two, and Earth-S, he enlists Penguin, Queen Clea of Earth-Two, Blockbuster of Earth-One, and Ibac of Earth-S for his attack on Earth-Two, where he tries to wreck Atlantis and use
5810-557: A son who was driven mad, took on the mantle of Lord Chaos and conquered his world. This version of Dick stayed in his identity of Nightwing and helped train squadrons of superpowered teenagers that became known as the Teen Titans . He was involved with the much younger Titan Mirage during this time. This alternative-future Nightwing came back in time and briefly joins the Team Titans when their mission takes them to their past, our present. This version of Nightwing, attacked and corrupted by
5976-441: A success, and Eastern Color that year produced similar periodicals for Canada Dry soft drinks , Kinney Shoes , Wheatena cereal and others, with print runs of from 100,000 to 250,000. Also in 1933, Gaines and Wildenberg collaborated with Dell to publish the 36-page Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics , which historians consider the first true American comic book; Goulart, for example, calls it "the cornerstone for one of
6142-520: A superhero, science-fiction and adventure anthology, but after the title introduced the teen-humor feature "Archie" in 1942, the feature's popularity would soon eclipse all other MLJ properties, leading the publisher to rename itself Archie Comics . Following the end of World War II, the popularity of superheroes greatly diminished, while the comic-book industry itself expanded. A few well-established characters such as Superman , Batman and Wonder Woman continued to sell, but DC canceled series starring
6308-402: A third of all North American sales in the early 1950s. Its 90 titles averaged a circulation of 800,000 copies per title for every issue, with Walt Disney's Comics and Stories peaking at a circulation of three million a month in 1953. Eleven of the top 25 bestselling comic books at the time were Dell titles. Out of 40 publishers active in 1954, Dell, Atlas (i.e. Marvel), DC, and Archie were
6474-464: A title currently belonging to the Dark Knight. Batman himself stated that one day Drake will surpass him as a detective. Despite his combat skills not being the match of Grayson's (although there are some similarities, in that they are far superior to Todd's when he was Robin), his detective skills more than make up for this. In addition, Batman supplied him with a new armored costume for his transition to
6640-552: A train. Batman and Robin found out that he was getting reward money for turning in criminals that he later sprung from prison. While Batman and Robin defeated the criminals during the conflict, Penguin fell into the Mississippi River . Penguin made his way to Florida where he set up a gambling operation with Joe Crow, Buzzard Benny, and Canary where the patrons would win big and then they would be followed by Penguin's henchmen so that they can rob them. Batman and Robin put an end to
6806-746: A trap set by the Joker. Batman eventually started a difficult quest to resurrect him, returning Damian to life with Darkseid 's Chaos Shard. Failsafe created a clone of Bruce Wayne to serve as his Robin of Zur-En-Arrh in retaliation for Damian Wayne rejecting him. To make sure the clone didn't turn against him, Failsafe made it start to rapidly age. Robin got away following Failsafe's defeat. With his memories awakeneing, Robin made his way to Crime Alley to attack any criminals that entered there. Batman and Mister Terrific arrived to confront him. When Robin reached Batman's age, he severed his right hand so that it can be transplanted onto Batman. When Robin became elderly, he
Penguin (character) - Misplaced Pages Continue
6972-466: A type of gas that affected the singers' singing abilities, which he held to ransom. Penguin's next step was to compete with Joker and Catwoman 's crime waves, with his own involving rare birds. As usual, Penguin was apprehended by Batman once again. Penguin was then forced to improvise when a thunderbolt destroyed his hideout and trick umbrellas. After his arrest, Penguin began to use codes in order to get information on how to break out of prison, but
7138-513: A way to attract young readership, Robin garnered overwhelmingly positive critical reception, doubling the sales of the Batman titles. Robin's early adventures included Star Spangled Comics #65–130 (1947–1952), the character's first solo feature. He made regular appearances in Batman-related comic books and other DC Comics publications from 1940 through the early 1980s, until the character set aside
7304-412: A young Grayson. Like Dick Grayson, Jason Todd was the son of circus acrobats murdered by a criminal (this time the Batman adversary Killer Croc ), and then adopted by Bruce Wayne. In this incarnation, he was originally red-haired and unfailingly cheerful, and wore his circus costume to fight crime until Dick Grayson presented him with a Robin suit of his own. At that point, he dyed his hair black. After
7470-504: A young adult Tim living alone at the marina, developing a closer relationship with Bernard, and adopting his own crime-fighting partner in the form of Sparrow (Darcy Thomas), a former member of the We Are Robin movement. Stephanie Brown, Tim Drake 's girlfriend and the costumed adventurer previously known as the Spoiler, volunteered for the role of Robin upon Tim's resignation. Batman fired
7636-426: Is Batgirl , and Tim Drake has picked up the mantle of Robin again after a stint as Red Robin . Damian has left behind the title Robin, but remains the title character of the Robin comic book. In recent years, Batman has also adopted new sidekicks in the form of Bluebird , whose name references Robin, and The Signal . About a year after Batman 's debut, Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger introduced Robin
7802-478: Is a thin periodical originating in the United States , on average 32 pages, containing comics . While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of Action Comics , which included the debut of the superhero Superman . This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of World War II . After the war, while superheroes were marginalized,
7968-513: Is fifteen, he and Superman 's daughter Kara ( Supergirl ) sneak out to have an adventure and, with the help of Wonder Woman 's daughter Wonder Girl and The Flash 's nephew Kid Flash join forces to defeat some of Flash's Rogue's Gallery. Afterward they decide to form their own team called the Justice League . BJ and Kara become romantically involved as adults, but BJ puts the relationship on hold when Joker kills Dick, forcing him to become
8134-479: Is greatly extended by the use of the Lazarus Pit so he can help the human resistance battle the forces of Darkseid , but when he is mortally wounded he decides to pass on, feeling that he's kept Kara waiting far too long; the sight of their spirits departing together is enough to make even Bruce Senior shed a tear. For more information on a similar concept, see Damian Wayne , Bruce Wayne's son by Talia al Ghul . In
8300-460: Is taken symbolically as the beginning of a new era, although his success was not immediate. It took two years for the Flash to receive his own title, and Showcase itself was only a bimonthly book, though one which was to introduce a large number of enduring characters. By 1959, the slowly building superhero revival had become clear to DC's competitors. Archie jumped on board that year, and Charlton joined
8466-587: Is the alias of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character was created by Bob Kane , Bill Finger , and Jerry Robinson to serve as a junior counterpart and the sidekick to the superhero Batman . As a team, Batman and Robin have commonly been referred to as the Caped Crusaders and the Dynamic Duo . The character's first incarnation, Dick Grayson , debuted in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940). Conceived as
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#17328838850458632-649: The Flash and Green Lantern and converted All-American Comics and All Star Comics to Western titles, and Star Spangled Comics to a war title. The publisher also launched such science-fiction titles as Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space . Martin Goodman 's Timely Comics , also known as Atlas, canceled its three formerly high-selling superhero titles starring Captain America (created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby ),
8798-601: The Human Torch , and the Sub-Mariner , briefly reviving the characters in 1954 only to cancel them again shortly thereafter to focus on horror, science fiction, teen humor, romance and Western genres. Romance comics became strongly established, with Prize Comics ' Young Romance and with Young Love , the latter written and drawn by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; those two titles' popularity led to an explosion of romance comics from many publishers. Dell 's comic books accounted for
8964-614: The Library of Congress as "a short-lived newspaper tabloid insert" and not to be confused with Dell's 1936 comic-book series of the same name. Historian Ron Goulart describes the 16-page, four-color periodical as "more a Sunday comic section without the rest of the newspaper than a true comic book. But it did offer all original material and was sold on newsstands ". The Funnies ran for 36 issues, published Saturdays through October 16, 1930. In 1933, salesperson Maxwell Gaines , sales manager Harry I. Wildenberg , and owner George Janosik of
9130-703: The McNaught Syndicate , the Ledger Syndicate , and the Bell-McClure Syndicate . These included such popular strips as cartoonist Al Smith 's Mutt and Jeff , Ham Fisher 's Joe Palooka , and Percy Crosby 's Skippy . Eastern Color neither sold this periodical nor made it available on newsstands , but rather sent it out free as a promotional item to consumers who mailed in coupons clipped from Procter & Gamble soap and toiletries products. The company printed 10,000 copies. The promotion proved
9296-492: The Red Hood . The premiere Robin limited series was published in 1991, featuring the character's third incarnation, Tim Drake , training to earn the role of Batman's vigilante partner. After two successful sequels, the monthly Robin series began in 1993 and ended in early 2009, which also helped his transition from sidekick to a superhero in his own right. In 2004 storylines, established DC Comics character Stephanie Brown became
9462-733: The Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency held hearings on comic book indecency from April to June 1954. In the wake of these troubles, a group of comics publishers, led by National and Archie, founded the Comics Code Authority in 1954 and drafted the Comics Code, intended as "the most stringent code in existence for any communications media". A Comic Code Seal of Approval soon appeared on virtually every comic book carried on newsstands. EC, after experimenting with less controversial comic books, dropped its comics line to focus on
9628-763: The Super-Sons . Grant Morrison used the Bruce Wayne Jr. character in JLA #9 (September 1997), in the story "Elseworlds." After the supervillain Key traps the Justice Leaguers in dream worlds, Batman dreams of a future in which he is married to Selina Kyle/Catwoman . They have a son named Bruce Junior, who was raised from birth to be a superhero and serves as Robin II alongside a Tim Drake Batman. John Byrne created his own Bruce Jr. in
9794-451: The Waterbury, Connecticut , company Eastern Color Printing —which printed, among other things, Sunday-paper comic-strip sections – produced Funnies on Parade as a way to keep their presses running. Like The Funnies , but only eight pages, this appeared as a newsprint magazine. Rather than using original material, however, it reprinted in color several comic strips licensed from
9960-457: The "Flying Graysons". A gangster named Boss Zucco , loosely based on actor Edward G. Robinson 's Little Caesar character, had been extorting money from the circus and killed Grayson's parents, John and Mary, by sabotaging their trapeze equipment as a warning against defiance. Batman investigated the crime and, as his alter ego billionaire Bruce Wayne, had Dick put under his custody as a legal ward. Together they investigated Zucco and collected
10126-555: The 'Year of the Bat'] that featured Robin sales went up because Robin did have his own fans." Although both Grant and Breyfogle initially believed that their Anarky character could potentially become the third version of Robin, they were quick to support the editorial decision to focus on Drake. The social anarchist duo adopted the character as their own in the early 1990s, during Grant's shift to libertarian socialism but before his late 1990s emphasis on Neo Tech . Breyfogle agreed that "it
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#173288388504510292-520: The 1960s, DC, and then Marvel, began to include writer and artist credits on the comics that they published. Other notable companies publishing comics during the Silver Age included the American Comics Group (ACG), Charlton , Dell , Gold Key , Harvey Comics , and Tower . Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll were featured, as the anti-authoritarian underground comix made waves in 1968, following
10458-457: The 1970s coincided with the appearance of comic-book specialty stores across North America. These specialty stores were a haven for more distinct voices and stories, but they also marginalized comics in the public eye. Serialized comic stories became longer and more complex, requiring readers to buy more issues to finish a story. In the mid-to-late 1980s, two series published by DC Comics , Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen , had
10624-421: The 1989 Batman film. The character first donned the Robin costume, and became associated with the third version of Robin, in the acclaimed "A Lonely Place of Dying" sequel storyline, which culminated in issue #442, written by Marv Wolfman with cover art by George Pérez , storyline interior pencils by Pérez, Tom Grummett , as well as Jim Aparo , and inks by Mike DeCarlo . In addition to establishing Tim Drake as
10790-419: The 21st century. Some fans collect comic books, helping drive up their value. Some have sold for more than US$ 1 million. Comic shops cater to fans, selling comic books, plastic sleeves ("bags") and cardboard backing ("boards") to protect the comic books. An American comic book is also known as a floppy comic . It is typically thin and stapled, unlike traditional books . American comic books are one of
10956-501: The Boy Wonder in Detective Comics #38 (1940). The name "Robin the Boy Wonder" and the medieval look of the original costume were inspired by Robin Hood . Jerry Robinson noted he "came up with Robin because the adventures of Robin Hood were boyhood favorites of mine. I had been given a Robin Hood book illustrated by N. C. Wyeth ... and that's what I quickly sketched out when I suggested
11122-675: The CCA) stopped publishing crime and horror titles, which was their entire business, and were forced out of the market altogether, turning to magazine publishing instead. By 1960, output had stabilized at about 1,500 releases per year (representing a greater than fifty percent decline since 1952). The dominant comic book genres of the post-CCA 1950s were funny animals, humor, romance , television properties, and Westerns . Detective, fantasy , teen, and war comics were also popular, but adventure, superheroes, and comic strip reprints were in decline, with Famous Funnies seeing its last issue in 1955. In
11288-551: The Cowl " and Damian Wayne becoming Grayson's Robin. Following 2011's continuity changes resulting from The New 52 DC Comics relaunch, history was altered such that Tim Drake never took up the Robin mantle after Jason Todd's death, feeling that it would be inappropriate. Instead, he served as Batman's sidekick under the name of the Red Robin . However, in DC's Rebirth relaunch, his original origin
11454-497: The Girl Wonder for not obeying his orders to the letter on two occasions. Stephanie then stole one of Batman's incomplete plans to control Gotham's crime and executed it. Trying to prove her worthiness, Brown inadvertently set off a gang war on the streets of Gotham. While trying to help end the war, Brown was captured and tortured by the lunatic crime boss Black Mask . She managed to escape, but apparently died shortly afterwards due to
11620-493: The Grayson years. Erica McCrystal likewise observes that Alan Grant, prior to Dixon's series, connected Drake to Batman's philosophy of heroic or anti-heroic " vigilantism " as "therapeutic for children of trauma. But this kind of therapy has a delicate integration process." The overcoming of trauma entailed distinct identity intersections and emotional restraint, as well as a "complete understanding" of symbol and self. Bruce Wayne,
11786-612: The Justice League. Penguin switched bodies with Batman. The Justice League managed to thwart this plot and apprehend the villains. Penguin, Joker, Catwoman, the Imposter Mad Hatter , Cluemaster , Getaway Genius, and Johnny Witts get concerned about the western mob encroaching in their territory. Coming together as the Gangland Guardians, they competed with the western mob in taking out Batman first. After laying low for
11952-587: The Modern Horror age. But as of 2009 historians and fans use " Bronze Age " to describe the period of American mainstream comics history that began with the period of concentrated changes to comic books in 1970. Unlike the Golden/Silver Age transition, the Silver/Bronze transition involves many continuing books, making the transition less sharp. The development of the " direct market " distribution system in
12118-685: The Multiverse was recreated in the DC Universe event, Infinite Crisis , a new Earth-Two was born, with a Dick Grayson that resembles the original Earth-Two Grayson. It was established that this new Earth-Two was not the same one as before the Crisis on the Infinite Earths, although Grayson's attitude and his status as a crime-fighter with the Justice Society certainly reflected what had gone before. After
12284-454: The Penguin is completely sane and in full control of his actions, giving him a unique relationship with Batman. According to his creator Bob Kane, the character was inspired by the advertising mascot of Kool cigarettes in the 1940s; a penguin with a top hat and cane. However, similarities have been found between Penguin's design and the appearance of the Dick Tracy character Broadway Bates, who
12450-702: The Penguin was bullied as a child for his short stature, weight, way of walking, and beak-like nose. Several stories relate that he was forced, as a child, to always carry an umbrella by his overprotective mother due to his father dying of bronchial pneumonia from refusing to take one while going out in the rain. His parents owned a bird shop, where Cobblepot spent most of his time with the birds, seeing them as his only friends, and lavishing them with attention. His love of birds would eventually lead him to study ornithology in college – only to find out that he knew more about birds than most of his professors did. In some versions, Cobblepot turns to crime after his mother dies and
12616-453: The Penguin. Tim initially suspects Jason Todd of reprising his Red Robin persona. Jason claims innocence, supposing that someone may have stolen his suit when he discarded it earlier. The new Red Robin breaks up a scuffle between Tim and Jason, and later is revealed to be Ulysses Armstrong . Armstrong later changes costumes when he reveals himself to be the new Anarky, and after being severely burned in an explosion, an embattled Tim Drake dons
12782-495: The Robin identity and became the independent superhero Nightwing . The character's second incarnation, Jason Todd , first appeared in Batman #357 (1983). He made regular appearances in Batman-related comic books until 1988, when he was murdered by the Joker in the storyline " A Death in the Family ". Jason later found himself alive after a reality-changing incident, eventually becoming
12948-554: The Spoiler, Robin, and Batgirl was retconned to have never occurred after the Flashpoint event, with her being reintroduced having just become the Spoiler in Batman Eternal . However, her history as Robin was later restored. Damian Wayne was the child of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul , thus the grandson of the immortal Ra's al Ghul . Batman was unaware of his son's existence for years until Talia left Damian in his care. Damian
13114-538: The Teen Titans after Young Justice disbanded following a massive sidekick crossover during which Donna Troy was killed. Tim served as leader of this version of the Titans until 2009, at which point he quit due to the events of Batman R.I.P . Following Infinite Crisis and 52 , Tim Drake modified his costume to favor a mostly red and black color scheme in tribute to his best friend, Superboy (Kon-El) , who died fighting Earth-Prime Superboy . This Robin costume had
13280-461: The adolescent Robin. Tim Drake's first Robin costume had a red torso, yellow stitching and belt, black boots, and green short sleeves, gloves, pants, and domino mask . He wore a cape that was black on the outside and yellow on the inside. This costume had an armored tunic and gorget , an emergency "R" shuriken on his chest in addition to the traditional batarangs and a collapsible bo staff as his primary weapon, which Tim Drake continues to use as
13446-456: The advantage that Batman and Robin would use to apprehend them. Penguin took the son of a criminal under his wing and started to teach him about crime. The uninterested boy wrote a book about Penguin's crimes, impressing Penguin to the point where he plotted to get it published. When that failed, he started to steal some publishing supplies which led to the boy attracting the attention of Batman and Robin. After Batman and Robin apprehended Penguin,
13612-407: The angsty and irreverent nature of characters like Spider-Man , Hulk , X-Men and Fantastic Four . This was a time of social upheaval, giving birth to a new generation of hip and more counter-cultural youngsters, who found a voice in these books. Because Marvel's books were distributed by its rival, National, from 1957 until 1968 Marvel were restricted to publishing only eight titles a month. This
13778-473: The back cover. Despite the publication of a series of related Hearst comics soon afterward, the first monthly proto-comic book, Embee Distributing Company's Comic Monthly , did not appear until 1922. Produced in an 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 -by-9-inch (220 mm × 230 mm) format, it reprinted black-and-white newspaper comic strips and lasted a year. In 1929, Dell Publishing (founded by George T. Delacorte, Jr. ) published The Funnies , described by
13944-471: The bandwagon in 1960. In 1961, at the demand of publisher Martin Goodman (who was reacting to a surge in sales of National's newest superhero title The Justice League of America ), writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four for Atlas, which now re-named itself Marvel Comics . With an innovation that changed the comic-book industry, Fantastic Four #1 initiated
14110-508: The best Batman villains and one of the greatest villains in comics. Penguin was ranked #51 in IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time. The Penguin is a Gotham City mobster who fancies himself the number one "Gentleman of Crime". He is most often seen as a short, fat man with a long nose who wears a monocle , top hat , and morning suit while carrying his signature umbrella . He also has
14276-518: The bird shop, along with all of her birds, is repossessed to pay her debts. Penguin's first fight with Batman and Robin occurred when he was behind a series of thefts and left behind eggs as clues. Penguin's egg clue proved to be his undoing when he got bitten by a baby alligator that hatched from one of the eggs. The injury Penguin got from the alligator caused him to briefly retire from crime. After being mocked by other criminals, Penguin began to plague Batman again by committing bird-related crimes. He
14442-420: The book is shown to the readers that "crime doesn't pay". Penguin later attempted to extort money from a shipping company by pretending to flash-freeze a member of its board of directors. This plot was foiled when Batman and Robin found that the frozen victims were all dummies. His next plot also failed. Penguin's next crimes included being tricked by three crooks into distracting Batman & Robin, and opening
14608-451: The bottom of this caper, Batman posed as a rival criminal called "Bad News Brewster". Despite Penguin realising that Batman was posing as a criminal, Penguin was brought to justice. Penguin soon became less violent and began to obsess over birds and umbrellas. After breaking out of prison, Penguin heard that Batman didn't consider him a threatening villain. To prove Batman wrong, Penguin built himself some gimmick guns and fishing poles. Batman
14774-532: The bunker. Jason keeps his new suit and identity for the rest of his tenure as a "Challenger of the Unknown", only to discard it on his return to New Earth and revert to his "Red Hood" street clothing. During the Scattered Pieces tie-in to Batman R.I.P. , a new Red Robin makes his appearance, at first only as a glimmering image following Robin ( Tim Drake ) and suspected to have stolen a briefcase of money from
14940-608: The cape and cowl. The Red Robin costume was stated to be more symbolism, than an actual costume choice, as Jason has been both the Red Hood and Robin , being shown as Red Robin . However, in Countdown to Final Crisis #17, Jason dons a Red Robin suit from a display case in the "Bat Bunker" (Earth-51's equivalent to the Bat Cave) as he and Earth-51 Batman join the fight raging on the Earth above
15106-464: The character of Robin was intended to be Batman's Watson : Bill Finger, writer for many early Batman adventures, said: "Robin was an outgrowth of a conversation I had with Bob . As I said, Batman was a combination of Douglas Fairbanks and Sherlock Holmes . Holmes had his Watson . The thing that bothered me was that Batman didn't have anyone to talk to, and it got a little tiresome always having him thinking. I found that as I went along Batman needed
15272-416: The character starred in the five-issue miniseries Robin, written by Chuck Dixon , with interior pencils by Tom Lyle and cover art by Brian Bolland . The new Batman and Robin team went on their first official mission together in the story "Debut", again written by Grant and penciled by Breyfogle. Lauren R. O'Connor contends that, in early Tim Drake appearances, writers such as Grant and Chuck Dixon "had
15438-582: The classic version except the timeframe occurs when the Detective Comics #38 was originally printed: 1940. This version of Dick Grayson ceased to exist after the multi arc DC Universe spanning event Crisis on Infinite Earths . He was killed by the Anti-Monitor 's Shadow Demons while trying to save civilians, along with Earth-1's Kole and the daughter of Earth-Two's Batman, the Huntress (Helena Wayne) . When
15604-414: The comic book industry rapidly expanded and genres such as horror, crime, science fiction and romance became popular. The 1950s saw a gradual decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television and the impact of the Comics Code Authority . The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a superhero revival and superheroes remained the dominant character archetype throughout the late 20th century into
15770-529: The comic-book debut of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster , the future creators of Superman . The two began their careers with the musketeer swashbuckler "Henri Duval", doing the first two installments before turning it over to others and, under the pseudonyms "Leger and Reuths", they created the supernatural -crimefighter adventure Doctor Occult . In 1938, after Wheeler-Nicholson's partner Harry Donenfeld had ousted him, National Allied editor Vin Sullivan pulled
15936-477: The countercultural era. Legal issues and paper shortages led to a decline in underground comix output from its 1972 peak. In 1974 the passage of anti-paraphernalia laws in the US led to the closing of most head shops, which throttled underground comix distribution. Its readership also dried up as the hippie movement itself petered out in the mid-1970s. Wizard originally used the phrase "Bronze Age", in 1995, to denote
16102-459: The country. Some cities passed laws banning comic books entirely. In 1954, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham published his book Seduction of the Innocent , where he discussed what he perceived as sadistic and homosexual undertones in horror comics and superhero comics respectively, and singled out EC Comics due to its success as a publisher of these genres. In response to growing public anxiety,
16268-567: The current timeline, and were shunted through time and given false memories by the Time Trapper , who wished to use them as sleeper agents against the time travel villain Extant . It wasn't revealed until one of the later runs of the Teen Titans that this was not Dick Grayson, in fact his true identity was never uncovered. After this storyline, this version of Nightwing has not been seen since. In Kingdom Come (a post- Infinite Crisis Earth-22),
16434-423: The darker tone of some independent publishers such as First Comics , Dark Horse Comics , and (founded in the 1990s) Image Comics . This tendency towards darkness and nihilism was manifested in DC's production of heavily promoted comic book stories such as " A Death in the Family " in the Batman series (in which The Joker brutally murdered Batman's sidekick Robin ), while at Marvel the continuing popularity of
16600-424: The early 1980s. The character was rediscovered by a new generation of fans during the 1980s because of the success of The New Teen Titans , in which he left Batman's shadow entirely to assume the identity of Nightwing . He aids Batman throughout the later storyline regarding the several conflicts with Jason Todd until he makes his final return as the "Red Hood". Grayson temporarily took over as Batman (while Wayne
16766-471: The early days of comic books, this practice had all but vanished during the 1940s and 1950s. Comic books were produced by comic book companies rather than by individual creators (EC being a notable exception, a company that not only credited its creative teams but also featured creators' biographies). Even comic books by revered and collectible artists like Carl Barks were not known by their creator's name— Disney comics by Barks were signed " Walt Disney ". In
16932-615: The end of the four-issue arc. Tim Drake eventually transitioned from late preadolescence to adolescence, becoming the third Robin over the course of the storylines "Rite of Passage" and "Identity Crisis", with all issues scripted by Alan Grant and penciled by Norm Breyfogle. Story arcs that included Drake only in subplots or featured his training in criminal investigation, such as "Crimesmith" and "The Penguin Affair," were either written or co-written by Grant and Wolfman, with pencils by Breyfogle, Aparo, and M. D. Bright . Immediately afterwards,
17098-500: The epilogue of the Batman/ Captain America crossover from 1996; this Robin is a red-head and resembles a male Carrie Kelley. Captain America wakes up in modern times after having been frozen in ice towards the end of World War II. He reunites with Batman, a friend who had helped him when Joker and Red Skull joined forces. Cap is amazed to learn that in the time he slept, Bruce Wayne has retired from being Batman, has passed
17264-399: The events of Flashpoint , Helena Wayne, daughter of Earth-2's Batman and Catwoman served as Robin and became the only partner that Batman had ever had. In this continuity, Bruce Wayne had never adopted Dick Grayson as his ward, so he never became Robin on Earth-2. However, he does appear later, married to Earth-2's Barbara Gordon, who never became Batgirl on Earth-2. The second Talon is
17430-529: The evidence needed to bring him to justice. From his debut appearance in 1940 through 1969, Robin was known as the Boy Wonder. Batman creates a costume for Dick, consisting of a red tunic, yellow cape, green gloves, green boots, green spandex briefs, and a utility belt. As he grew older, graduated from high school, and enrolled in Hudson University , Robin continued his career as the Teen Wonder, from 1970 into
17596-574: The film Batman Returns , Robin Lord Taylor in the television series Gotham , and Colin Farrell in the film The Batman , as well as the character's eponymous television series on HBO . Paul Williams , Tom Kenny , Nolan North , Wayne Knight , Stephen Root , Elias Toufexis , and others have provided the character's voice, ranging from animation to video games. The Penguin made his first appearance in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941) and
17762-526: The first half of 1990. Preorders for Batman and Detective Comics issues featuring a revived Joker and Penguin began to compete with, and even edged out, the last three parts of Grant Morrison 's and Klaus Janson 's Gothic storyline in Legends . Todd McFarlane 's Spider-Man arrived in the second half of 1990, inaugurating six months of Spidermania (or Mcfarlamania, depending on the reader). DC closed out 1990 with vendors under-ordering issues, prompting
17928-734: The first known proto-comic-book magazine in the US, The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats , in 1897. A hardcover book, it reprinted material—primarily the October 18, 1896, to January 10, 1897, sequence titled "McFadden's Row of Flats"—from cartoonist Richard F. Outcault 's newspaper comic strip Hogan's Alley , starring the Yellow Kid . The 196-page, square-bound, black-and-white publication, which also includes introductory text by E. W. Townsend , measured 5 by 7 inches (130 mm × 180 mm) and sold for 50 cents. The neologism "comic book" appears on
18094-478: The fourth Robin for a short time before the role reverted to Tim Drake. Damian Wayne succeeds Drake as Robin in the 2009 story arc " Battle for the Cowl ." The current and former Robins always feature prominently in Batman's cast of supporting heroes ; Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian all regard him as a father. In current continuity as of 2021, Dick Grayson serves as Nightwing, Jason Todd is the Red Hood, Stephanie Brown
18260-402: The gambling operation, but Penguin got away. Penguin later utilized some exotic birds to assist in his crime spree. Batman and Robin stopped this spree, but Penguin escaped again. Penguin later set himself up as an underworld advisor where he sold his foolproof plans to different criminals. When the criminals pulled off a successful heist, Penguin would kill them and steal their loot. To get to
18426-472: The intervening years). The child, named Clark Wayne, becomes BJ's Robin and is offered the mantle of Batman when he becomes an adult. Clark turns it down, having deduced that he isn't BJ's biological son, and believing that only a real Wayne should be Batman, instead adopts the identity of Knightwing. In the 1990s, BJ goes on a quest to locate his missing father, whom he eventually discovers as having taken over Ra's al Ghul 's criminal empire and turned it into
18592-483: The introduction of the Comics Code Authority in the wake of Senate hearings on juvenile delinquency , which, ignoring the social problems caused by the wars of 1939–45 and 1950–52, sought to blame those problems solely on comics. While there was only a 9% drop in the number of releases between 1952 and 1953, circulation plummeted by an estimated 30–40%. The cause of the decrease is not entirely clear. Television had begun to provide competition with comic books, but there
18758-486: The largest in the US, distributes the printed product to retailers. Another aspect of the process involved in successful comics is the interaction between the readers/fans and the creator(s). Fan art and letters to the editor were commonly printed in the back of the book, until, in the early 21st century, various Internet forums started to replace this tradition. The growth of comic specialty stores helped permit several waves of independently-produced comics, beginning in
18924-623: The late 1940s and early 1950s horror and true-crime comics flourished, many containing graphic violence and gore. Due to such content, moral crusaders became concerned with the impact of comics on the youth, and were blaming comic books for everything from poor grades to juvenile delinquency to drug abuse. This perceived indecency resulted in the collection and public burning of comic books in Spencer, West Virginia and Binghamton, New York in 1948, which received national attention and triggered other public burnings by schools and parent groups across
19090-414: The leader of the mob and attempted to neutralize Batman by framing him for the theft of a statue which Penguin, himself, had stolen. As part of the plot, Penguin actually already owned the statue and was framing Batman and Robin to commit insurance fraud. The Penguin's plans were eventually prevented, but the bandit himself escaped. Penguin was later sighted that one time when Dick Grayson was traveling on
19256-451: The limited quantity of comics printed in each press-run) continued to grow and diversify, with a number of small publishers in the 1990s changing the format and distribution of their comic books to more closely resemble non-comics publishing. The " minicomics " form, an extremely informal version of self-publishing , arose in the 1980s and became increasingly popular among artists in the 1990s, despite reaching an even more limited audience than
19422-433: The major players in volume of sales. By this point, former big-time players Fawcett and Fiction House had ceased publishing. Circulation peaked in 1952 when 3,161 issues of various comics were published with a total circulation of about one billion copies. After 1952, the number of individual releases dropped every year for the rest of the decade, with the biggest falls occurring in 1955–56. The rapid decline followed
19588-479: The mantle to Dick Grayson and that his son Bruce Junior is the new Robin. Byrne revisited Bruce Jr. in his Superman & Batman: Generations series. There, Bruce Junior is son of Bruce Senior and his wife, who is never identified but is implied to be Julie Madison . "BJ" greatly desires to be a hero and trains in the hopes of following in his father's footsteps. His mother refuses to let BJ become Robin until he turns eighteen. On Halloween night of 1964, when BJ
19754-451: The mid-1970s. Some early examples of these – generally referred to as "independent" or "alternative" comics – such as Big Apple Comix , continued somewhat in the tradition of the earlier underground comics , while others, such as Star Reach , resembled the output of mainstream publishers in format and genre but were published by smaller artist-owned ventures or by a single artist. This so-called " small press " scene (a term derived from
19920-641: The miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths , much of the DC Comics continuity was redone. Dick Grayson's origin, years with Batman, and growth into Nightwing remained mostly unchanged; but Todd's character was completely revised. He was now a black-haired street orphan who first encountered Batman when he attempted to steal tires from the Batmobile . Batman saw to it that he was placed in a school for troubled youths. Weeks later, after Dick Grayson became Nightwing and Todd proved his crime-fighting worth by helping Batman catch
20086-569: The most lucrative branches of magazine publishing". Distribution took place through the Woolworth's department-store chain, though it remains unclear whether it was sold or given away; the cover displays no price, but Goulart refers, either metaphorically or literally, to "sticking a ten-cent pricetag [ sic ] on the comic books". When Delacorte declined to continue with Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics , Eastern Color on its own published Famous Funnies #1 (cover-dated July 1934),
20252-500: The name Robin Hood, which they seemed to like, and then showed them the costume. And if you look at it, it's Wyeth's costume, from my memory, because I didn't have the book to look at." Although Robin is best known as Batman's sidekick, the Robins have also been members of the superhero groups the Teen Titans (with the original Robin, Dick Grayson , as a founding member and the latter group's leader) and Young Justice . In Batman stories,
20418-451: The notion of a heterosexual bildungsroman subplot . The ensuing Tim Drake storylines, authored by Alan Grant and penciled by Norm Breyfogle , coupled with the 1989 release of Burton's Batman , spurred sales of both comic book titles Batman and Detective Comics . For the latter, Grant attested in 2007 that "when the Batman movie came out, the sales went up, if I recall correctly, from around 75,000 to about 675,000." 1989–90
20584-587: The page count had to be some multiple of 4. In recent decades, standard comics have been trimmed at about 6.625 x 10.25 inches. The format of the American comic book has been adapted periodically outside the United States, especially in Canada and the United Kingdom . While comics can be the work of a single creator, the labor of creating them is frequently divided between a number of specialists. There may be
20750-505: The publication of Robert Crumb 's irregularly published Zap Comix . Frank Stack had published The Adventures of Jesus as far back as 1962, and there had been a trickle of such publications until Crumb's success. What had started as a self-publishing scene soon grew into a minor industry, with Print Mint , Kitchen Sink , Last Gasp and Apex Novelties among the more well-known publishers. These comix were often extremely graphic, and largely distributed in head shops that flourished in
20916-414: The publisher to push Batman #457 and the first part of the Robin mini-series into second and then third printings. The next year, 1991, witnessed the ascension of Chris Claremont 's, Jim Lee 's, and Scott Williams 's X-Men against Magneto , as well as Fabian Nicieza 's and Rob Liefeld 's X-Force , into the top of the preorder rankings. The only exception to this X-mania was, again, Tim Drake and
21082-446: The residents of his neighborhood. He is initially distrustful of both Bruce Wayne and Batman, but after witnessing his dedication towards helping people and figuring out they are the same person, the two become partners and work together to stop the corrupted Dent and arsonists terrorizing the city. The Robin of Earth-Two is a parallel version of the fictional DC Comics superhero, who was ntroduced after DC Comics created Earth-Two ,
21248-474: The robbery, Penguin fled to Oasis Beach Island in the Caribbean Sea where he attempted another umbrella-themed theft before being apprehended by Batman and Robin. In his final Golden Age appearance, Penguin pretended to be a legitimate businessman where he sold counterfeit mythological birds. Penguin then claimed that Batman was associated with a Man-Bat of his own design. Born Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot ,
21414-617: The role of fear in instigating a series of violent crimes. In the comics, Tim Drake was a late preadolescent boy who had followed the adventures of Batman and Robin ever since witnessing the murder of the Flying Graysons. This served to connect Drake to Grayson, establishing a link that DC hoped would help readers accept this new Robin. Drake surmised their secret identities with his amateur but instinctive detective skills and followed their careers closely. Tim stated on numerous occasions that he wishes to become "The World's Greatest Detective",
21580-537: The role of the Caped Crusader. Bruce Jr., having secretly trained on his own, volunteers to become the new Robin, despite objections from his mother. As Robin II, he fights alongside Batman II. Several subsequent " imaginary stories " featuring Bruce Jr. followed; the last in this series was "Bat-Girl—Batwoman II" in Batman #163 (May 1964). Bruce Wayne Jr next appeared in World's Finest Comics #215 (January 1973) as one of
21746-421: The role, Matt was eventually asked to stop being Robin after his encounter with the Joker. In the digitally rendered tale Batman: Digital Justice , James Gordon the grandson of his namesake, Commissioner Gordon , takes on the mantle of the Batman. A character named Robert Chang , who is somewhat reminiscent of the post-Crisis Jason Todd, takes on the mantle of Robin. In 2021, DC published Batman '89 ,
21912-404: The rolled-up canvases in the handle of his umbrella. The Penguin later used the stolen paintings as proof of his underworld acumen to a local mob boss, who allowed him to join his crime family. With the Penguin's planning, the mob pulled off a string of ingenious heists. The "be-monocled bird" and the mobster eventually fell out, leading Cobblepot to kill him with his umbrella gun. The Penguin became
22078-620: The satirical Mad —a former comic book which was now converted to a magazine format in order to circumvent the Code. DC started a revival in superhero comics in 1956 with the October 1956 revival of its former golden age top-seller The Flash in Showcase #4. Many comics historians peg this as the beginning of the Silver Age of American comic books, although Marvel (at this point still known variously as both Timely and Atlas ) had started reviving some of its old superheroes as early as 1954. The new Flash
22244-433: The sequel to the Robin miniseries, the first variant issue of which garnered the third spot, firmly wedged between variant issues of X-Force and X-Men . The mini-series pitted solo Robin against the Joker, in response to fan demands for a matchup since "A Death in the Family." The 1990s comic booming bust had begun. In a supplemental interview with Daniel Best, Alan Grant added that "every issue from about that time [after
22410-629: The severity of her injuries. Tim Drake keeps a memorial for her in his cave hideout underneath Titans Tower in San Francisco . She appeared alive and stalking Tim, after his return from traveling around the globe with his mentor. It turned out that Dr. Leslie Thompkins had faked Stephanie's death in an effort to protect her. For years she operated on and off as the Spoiler, but was then recruited as Barbara Gordon 's replacement as Batgirl. She had her own series, as well as making appearances throughout various Batman and Batman spin-off series. Her time as
22576-460: The small presses. The development of the modern American comic book happened in stages. Publishers had collected comic strips in hardcover book form as early as 1842, with The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck , a collection of English-language newspaper inserts originally published in Europe as the 1837 book Histoire de Mr. Vieux Bois by Rodolphe Töpffer . The G. W. Dillingham Company published
22742-620: The success of Superman in Action Comics prompted editors at National Comics Publications (the future DC Comics) to request more superheroes for its titles. In response, Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman , who debuted in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). The period from the late 1930s through roughly the end of the 1940s is referred to by comic book experts as the Golden Age of comic books . It featured extremely large print-runs, with Action Comics and Captain Marvel selling over half
22908-411: The superhero Red Robin . Neal Adams redesigned the entire costume with the exception of the "R" shuriken logo, first sketched by Norm Breyfogle. Tim Drake is the first Robin to have his own comic book series, where he fought crime on his own. Tim Drake, as Robin, co-founded the superhero team Young Justice in the absence of the Teen Titans of Dick Grayson's generation, but would then later re-form
23074-410: The third Batman. BJ and Kara eventually marry, but their wedding is halted by Kara's brother Joel Kent. Joel, who had been manipulated his whole life by Lex Luthor to hate his family, kills Kara by punching through her chest. Joel dies shortly thereafter, and BJ agrees to raise his powerless son in order to prevent another such tragedy from happening (he also marries Joel's widow, Mei-Lai, sometime in
23240-579: The three major comic book industries globally, along with Japanese manga and the Franco-Belgian comic books . The typical size and page count of comics have varied over the decades, generally tending toward smaller formats and fewer pages. Historically, the size was derived from folding one sheet of Quarter Imperial paper (15 in × 11 in or 380 mm × 280 mm), to print 4 pages which were each 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 by 11 inches (190 mm × 280 mm). This also meant that
23406-504: The time of the story, according to the Elliot S! Maggin novelization , and Nightstar calls Bruce Wayne "Grandpa", despite no blood relation. At the end of the comic and the novel, Bruce and Dick reconcile. Red Robin reappeared in promotional material for the DC Countdown event. Eventually, it was revealed that this Red Robin was not Dick Grayson, but rather Jason Todd who appeared under
23572-470: The time when Penguin was robbing a bird sanctuary in Metropolis, he nearly gets killed due to Catwoman's plot that involved her hypnotizing Lois Lane into attacking him only for it to be averted thanks to Superman 's intervention. Penguin gathered his gang and armed them with weapons from the future to combat modern crime-fighting technology. While most of these plots were foiled by Batman and Robin, Penguin
23738-461: The two fled. It is unknown how the two managed to flee to New Earth, or what has happened to Talon beyond that. In "The Second Batman and Robin Team" ( Batman #131, April 1960), Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred writes a story about the possible future of Batman and Robin. In it, Bruce Wayne marries Kathy Kane ( Batwoman ) and they have a son named Bruce Jr. When Wayne retires as Batman, Dick Grayson takes over
23904-451: The various X-Men books led to storylines involving the genocide of superpowered "mutants" in allegorical stories about religious and ethnic persecution. In addition, published formats like the graphic novel and the related trade paperback enabled the comic book to gain some respectability as literature. As a result, these formats are now common in book retail and the collections of US public libraries . Robin (comics) Robin
24070-514: The wake of his father's apparent death, his father's first Robin, Dick Grayson, took over as Batman with Damian serving as the new Robin. The version of Damian depicted in Batman: The Brave and the Bold has more in common with Bruce Jr. than with his portrayal in comics. Introduced as an alternative Dick Grayson in the pages of Team Titans from a timeline when his Titan teammate Donna Troy had
24236-469: Was a big thing to bring in the new Robin, yes. I know my fans often point specifically to that double page splash where his costume first appears as a big event for them as fans and I usually have to point out to them that Neal Adams was the one who designed the costume. The 'R' symbol and the staff were all that was really mine." In the "Rite of Passage" storyline for Detective Comics , Grant and Breyfogle intertwined 1) Drake matching wits with Anarky ; 2)
24402-408: Was a cloud with a silver lining, and proved the making of Marvel, allowing the company to concentrate its brightest and best talent on a small number of titles, at a time when its rivals were spreading their creative talents very thin across a huge number of monthly titles. The quality of Marvel's product soared in consequence, and sales soared with it. While the creators of comics were given credit in
24568-439: Was a cover for a scheme to use the penguin costume to commit robberies to obtain the money to pay off his previously hired goons. Penguin got out of jail for snitching on the criminal Squeeze Miller which led to Miller's execution. He was surprised that Miller listed him in his will. To get the inheritance, Penguin had to commit a specific robbery using specific birds. He was apprehended when it turned out that Miller's inheritance
24734-681: Was able to defeat him with an umbrella. Penguin later escaped from prison and tried to rob three eccentric millionaires. While Batman and Robin failed to catch him after the first two robberies, succeeded during the third due to the fact that the third millionaire has been dead for a year. Penguin later escaped from prison. To catch him, Batman and Robin set up an umbrella repair shop. Despite some difficulties, Batman and Robin were finally able to catch Penguin when he tripped over an umbrella. Penguin later met Joker in prison. After escaping, Penguin and Joker competed against each other in robberies until they eventually cooperated. Their differences would be
24900-461: Was affectionate to his father. After Batman's apparent death during Final Crisis , Talia left her son under Dick Grayson and Alfred Pennyworth 's care and Damian was deeply affected by his father's absence. In the first issue of "Battle for the Cowl", Damian was driving the Batmobile and was attacked by Poison Ivy and Killer Croc . Damian was rescued by Nightwing , who then tries to escape, but
25066-464: Was also a rise in conservative values with the election in 1952 of Dwight Eisenhower . The Comics Code Authority, a self-censoring body founded to curb the juvenile delinquency alleged to be due to the crime and horror comics, has often been targeted as the culprit, but sales had begun to drop the year before it was founded. The major publishers were not seriously harmed by the drop in sales, but smaller publishers were killed off: EC (the prime target of
25232-520: Was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger . The character is set to receive his first solo title as a part of the Dawn of DC initiative, with the book being written by Tom King and drawn by Rafael de Latorre. Originally known only by his alias, the Penguin first appeared in Gotham City as a skilled thief, sneaking a pair of priceless paintings (valued at $ 250,000 in 1941 dollars) out of an art museum by hiding
25398-586: Was foiled by Batman and Robin. Penguin tricked Batman into planning his next robbery by planting bugged umbrellas around Gotham City. He was foiled by Batman and Robin. Andrew Helm used his Corti-Conscious Machine to manipulate Penguin, Captain Cold , Mirror Master , and Shark into battling the Justice League . Penguin collaborated with Joker and Riddler into turning Batman into some type of Bat-Hulk using an experimental gas. Metamorpho helped to restore Batman to normal and they apprehended all three criminals. At
25564-480: Was foiled when Batman obtained his code book. Penguin broke out of prison and vowed not to use birds in his crime spree. One of those crime sprees caused Penguin to be tripped by birds. When some chicks swallowed some diamonds, he attempts to make off with them only to be apprehended by Batman and Robin. Upon being released from prison, Penguin started a sideshow attraction called Pee-Wee the Talking Penguin. This
25730-517: Was indeed the "Year of the Bat:" Capital and Diamond City Distributors reported that the Year One -inspired Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight dominated four out of the five spots for preorders ( not total sales and second printings). The only exception was the third preorder spot, snagged by Batman #442, the conclusion to Tim Drake's "A Lonely Place of Dying" storyline. The "Year of the Bat" continued into
25896-443: Was introduced in 1932. Co-creator Bill Finger thought that the image of high-society gentlemen in tuxedos was reminiscent of emperor penguins . His main color is usually purple. The character has been featured in various media adaptations, including feature films, television series, and video games. His live-action portrayals include Burgess Meredith in the 1960s Batman television series and its spin-off film , Danny DeVito in
26062-532: Was knocked out by Alfred Pennyworth . While in prison, Penguin and Joker heard the news that Batman is retiring. This turned out to be a ruse. At the time when Batman was shaking off the effects from Scarecrow 's fear pills, Penguin escapes from prison and ends up apprehended by Batman and Robin. Doctor Destiny manipulates Penguin, Doctor Light , Lex Luthor , Tattooed Man , Cutlass Charlie, Captain Boomerang , Floronic Man , and I.Q. into switching bodies with
26228-519: Was originally attached to play the role in the Burton films). Winston is a mechanic who works at Royal Autobody, an auto shop in Burnside owned by Harvey Dent's childhood mentor, Jerome Otis. His ancestors had their own automotive company that was acquired by Bruce Wayne's great-grandfather in a forced buyout. He strongly dislikes cops and authority figures and dresses up as a masked vigilante at night to help
26394-444: Was restored. In 2020s comics tying in with DC's Infinite Frontier era, Drake returns to the Robin mantle as Batman's primary crime-fighting partner when Damian goes on a soul-searching journey. Meanwhile, in his solo adventures, he goes on his own soul-searching journey, and reconnects with his old friend Bernard Dowd, whom he begins to date. Tim later comes out to Batman and is accepted. His solo series Tim Drake: Robin explores
26560-511: Was revealed in The Search for Ray Palmer : Crime Society that there have been several Talons. The first one is shown dressed parallel to that of Grayson's classic Robin costume, including brown pixie boots. On post-Crisis Earth-3, the Teen Titans' Talon and Duela Dent , the daughter of the Jokester, had been dating. When Duela revealed their relationship to her parents, her father denounced her and
26726-439: Was shot down by Black Mask's men. Nightwing tried to fight the thugs, but the thugs were shot by Jason Todd. After a fight between Nightwing and Todd, Todd eventually shot Damian in the chest. In the final issue of the series, Alfred made Damian into Robin. Damian's first task as Robin was to rescue Tim. After "Battle for the Cowl", Grayson adopted the mantle of Batman, and instead of having Tim (whom he viewed as an equal rather than
26892-536: Was subsequently murdered by the Joker in the storyline, A Death in the Family , in which the psychopath beat the youngster severely with a crowbar, and left him to die in a warehouse rigged with a bomb. Jason Todd later returned as the new Red Hood (the original alias of the Joker) when he was brought back to life due to reality being altered. After the continuity changes following the New 52 DC Comics relaunch, Jason becomes
27058-573: Was taken to see the graves to Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne, and Alfred Pennyworth until he died peacefully in Batman's presence. Batman buried his clone on the property of Pennyworth Manor. In the Future's End event and later in the DC Rebirth run, Matt McGinnis , brother of Terry McGinnis , becomes the newest incarnation of Robin in order to save his brother from the villain Payback. Initially excited about
27224-412: Was traveling through time), using the aid of Damian Wayne, making his newish appearance as "Robin", to defeat and imprison Todd. With Bruce Wayne's return, Grayson went back to being Nightwing. DC was initially hesitant to turn Grayson into Nightwing and to replace him with a new Robin. To minimize the change, they made the new Robin, Jason Todd, who first appeared in Batman #357 (1983), similar to
27390-500: Was violent and lacking in discipline and morality, and was trained by the League of Assassins . Learning to kill at a young age, Damian's murderous behavior created a troubled relationship with his father, who vowed never to take a life. Conceived to become a host for his maternal grandfather's soul as well as a pawn against the Dark Knight, Batman saved his child from this fate, which forced Ra's to inhabit his own son's body, and thus, Damian
27556-655: Was worthless. After being paroled, he tries to get the Bird Lovers' Society to elect the penguin the state bird. When that was turned down, Penguin seeks revenge by stealing from the society. After yet another arrest and imprisonment, he uses the prison's workshop to create mechanical wings and escape from prison. He and his henchmen use the wings to abduct Robin and force Batman to reveal his true identity. Batman rescued Robin and defeated Penguin and his henchmen. After so many failed attempts, Penguin had difficulty recruiting henchmen. He feigned going straight again and converted
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