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The origins of The Bat Man...please help (Comic Book Forums)

  • The origins of The Bat Man...please help

Author Discussion
  • Posted: April 18, 2014 7:56:36 pm
  • Hello all, I won't pretend to know much about comic books but I do have an important question. How early did the caped crusader first appear? Searching the internet I found 1939. I am an avid vintage trading card collector and have a card titled The Bat Man issued in 1936 by the Wolverine Gum Co. of Detroit. It seems to me that this card predates the beginning of Bat Man in the comic book world. And feel this very card could have spawned the idea of Kane. Curious to hear what knowledgeable collectors think? Thanks in advance. Please scroll down to card # 24.

    http://www1.coe.neu.edu/~dan/R144/go.html



  • Posted: April 18, 2014 10:11:08 pm
  • I would say it's unlikely there is much connection. At best, Bob Kane gave his character a similar name. But the original Batman comic book character was quite different and, honestly, quite different from the current character. He probably owes more to other great pulp detectives, particularly The Phantom, The Shadow, and perhaps Tracy, than anything else. There is likely some value to your card due to its age and connection to the pulp fiction type of stories that were popular. But I can't imagine it having any connection to the much more famous Bruce Wayne.
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