Batman 75th Anniversary

Batman's 75th anniversary came during an incredibly eventful year for the Caped Crusader, and not just in terms of celebratory publications and commemorative events. After former Vertigo editor Mark Doyle took over as Batman group editor in February, things changed, and not just for Batman himself. Supporting characters such as Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon shifted into new roles. The world of Gotham expanded with books that focused on unexplored corners, like the GCPD's supernatural unit, or the city's mysterious prep school. Even the mainline Batman titles, Batman and Detective Comics, told bold stories that weren't typical Batman fare. Creators pushed into new territory and took chances with their books, and as a result the Batman line looks much different than it did at the beginning of 2014. Mark Doyle deserves the credit for steering the line and bringing in the creators who made these changes. Comics Alliance sat down with Doyle and DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras to look back on Doyle's first year as Batman group editor, and to look ahead to 2015, as DC relocates to new offices in Burbank, California.

It's not often, but every now and then have to look at things that aren't covered by pictures of Batman, and this is clearly the biggest problem in my life. Fortunately, Mondo is taking steps to minimize this problem in the best way possible. Here at ComicsAlliance, we've been excited about this ever since it was announced a few months back, but on October 24, they're kicking off their gallery show in Austin celebrating the Dark Knight's 75th anniversary. There are some some truly incredible portraits, continuing a long year of great comics and pop-culture inspired art that's included stuff like the Batman: The Animated Series and Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks. We've seen a sample of what they have to offer, and they are beautiful. Check 'em out below!

Considered one of the foremost motion picture and television production facilities in the world, the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, CA invites visitors to celebrate the 75th anniversary of DC Comics’ Batman with a special exhibit in their VIP Tour. For a limited time, tour-goers are given an opportunity to view dozens of original costumes, props, gadgets and vehicles from all seven live-action Warner Bros. Batman films, and ComicsAlliance checked it out.

Okay, so there's good news and bad news. The good news is that ComiXology is having a massive sale on Batman comics, and has knocked a bunch of them down to 99¢ each, which means that you can grab some great stories on the cheap. The bad news? Since this whole thing is in honor of Batman's 75th anniversary, they've put 750 comics on sale, plus a handful of graphic novel collections. All things considered, that's a pretty good problem to have, but still, that can be pretty overwhelming. Fortunately, we're here to help. As the World's Foremost Batmanologist, I've sifted through the sale to bring you safe bets for what you should be grabbing during the sale. Assuming you've got the obvious ones -- like The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One and the recent runs by Morrison, Snyder, and Capullo -- here's what to grab next!

The folks over at Mondo are having a busy year celebrating all things Batman. Not only did they host an anniversary screening of Mask of the Phantasm and recently announce a limited edition pressing of the Batman: The Animated Series soundtrack on vinyl, but they're kicking things into high gear, just in time for Comic-Con. Today, they announced a full-on gallery show devoted to Batman's 75th anniversary, drawing inspiration from Batman's long and illustrious career across all media. And to promote it, they're hitting the floor at Comic-Con this week with a new poster by artist Jason Edmiston, featuring Cesar Romero as the Joker in all his moustachioed, purple-pinstriped glory.

This year's 75th Anniversary of Batman celebrations have resulted in some pretty great pieces of art from folks celebrating the Dark Knight's birthday. When artist Salvador Anguiano set out to draw a poster commemorating the event, he was faced with an interesting problem. With so many distinct eras of Batman, there was just too much to choose from. So he didn't. Instead of picking one distinct Batman to highlight, Anguiano's poster features 75 different versions of Batman (or at least their heads) pulled from all across pop culture.

Q: What does Batman's 75th Anniversary mean to you? -- Caleb, via e-mail A: That's a tough question. I mean, as you have probably noticed if you've spent more than five or six seconds browsing ComicsAlliance, I've written about Batman before. I've written about Batman before today. That's how much it happens. But to be honest, I don't really think of things in terms of big anniversaries as much as