| Who introduced the dark theme to Batman? -
Posted on 29-07-2008 02:26 |
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Rogue
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Was it Tim Burton or Frank Miller?
Did Frank Miller write a darker version of Batman before or after Burton's batman movies??? |
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| RE: Who introduced the dark theme to Batman? -
Posted on 29-07-2008 02:34 |
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BornAgainBatman
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miller
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| RE: Who introduced the dark theme to Batman? -
Posted on 29-07-2008 08:37 |
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Tartan Jack
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"dark" was FIRST introduced in 1939 by Bob Kane and Finger. It was "lightened up" fairly quickly and Robin showed up.
Initially, Batman killed the bad guy and had NO problem shooting them.
It was "redarkened" by Danny O'Neil in 1968 and ran for a while that way, though quite realistic. Miller took it to a "new level" after it was "lightened up" again in the late 70s/1980s (Superfriends-era). Miller's version was arguably darker than ONeil, though ONeil supported Miller's dark take.
(That is a quite short and incomplete summary. Please forgive any partial errors from the SEVERE over simplification.)
Miller's tales came out in the mid-1980s, before the 1989 Burton film. In fact, they were used as "source material" for the film and a tone-setter for Burton and the actors.
Sum Nox!
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| RE: Who introduced the dark theme to Batman? -
Posted on 29-07-2008 13:17 |
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Darknight
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Tartan Jack pretty much hit it dead on. Batman was "dark" (although I really dislike that being used as an adjective to describe a character or story) from the start.
The only flaw in what he said was that it was Denny (nickname for Dennis) O'Neil not Danny. To me, O'Neil more than Miller is the person who brought us the Batman we have today. He was the writer that gave us Ra's al Ghul, and was the editor of the comics from just before Miller's Year One through around 2000. That era really set the tone for the things we are used to today.
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| RE: Who introduced the dark theme to Batman? -
Posted on 29-07-2008 13:56 |
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Tartan Jack
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Sorry, that was off the top of me head. I meant Denny and mis-typed. I didn't even catch that.
Also, Denny is the chief editor of the stories that killed the second Robin (Jason Todd) and crippled Barbara Gordon, 2 of the major characters. It's hard to get much "darker" in a "comic book" series than that.
Sum Nox!

Edited by Tartan Jack on 29-07-2008 13:57 |
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| RE: Who introduced the dark theme to Batman? -
Posted on 29-07-2008 21:58 |
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Rogue
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Thank you for the detailed answer guys, Tartan Jack and Darknight. |
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| RE: Who introduced the dark theme to Batman? -
Posted on 29-07-2008 22:24 |
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The Red-Blue Blur
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Miller but more so Dick Giodano
"Things are always going to get worst before they get better."
[Alfred Pennyworth]
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