In the darkest night: Batman as a cultural icon

• Main Author: Tiu, Gremer Eldridge Yu
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2004
• Subjects: Batman (Fictitious character); Batman (Comic strip); Cartoons and comics; Cartoons; Comparative Literature
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/2132
• Institution: De La Salle University

Batman. The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. The World's Greatest Detective. One of the greatest superheroes there is, Batman has been around for almost 65 years and is known the world over. Bob Kane and DC Comics introduced the Caped Crusader in Detective Comics # 27 on May 1939. Batman would become one of the world's most popular, loved, and respected comic book superhero. He would also become a very significant cultural icon not only in the United States but across the globe. When a young Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents, he vowed to protect the innocent to make sure that no one else would ever have to go through what he has. He left Gotham City and traveled around the world searching for people that can help him on his quest. He dedicated his life learning and perfecting all of the world's martial arts. He trained his body into the physical zenith of human perfection. He mended his mind even more as he studied endlessly. He learned detective work from only the best the world has to offer. 13 years later, he came back to Gotham and waged a one-man war against criminals who are a cowardly and superstitious lot . Using Roland Barthes' study of semiotics in his book Mythologies, I would describe the symbolisms and signs that Batman carries in the three medium that he regularly appears in: television, movies, and comics. The entire Batman image is a sign. And it is my objective to attempt to reveal the signs that the myth projects.