Posted By Dan Greenfield on Mar 24, 2024 | 8 comments

BATMAN WEEK: Toys based on the Dark Knight’s first appearance are a collector’s dream…

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Welcome to BATMAN WEEK 2024 — celebrating the 85th anniversary of the release of Detective Comics #27, on March 30, 1939. Over seven days, you can look forward to all sorts of groovy and offbeat columns, features and cartoons that pay tribute to the greatest comics character in the history of mankind. Click here for the rest of the BATMAN WEEK features. You’ll be glad you did! — Dan

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By CHRIS FRANKLIN

Batman has the best design in comics. I don’t think that’s much of a hot take. His silhouette is instantly recognizable worldwide. All you need to see is the ears, and perhaps a hint of a cape, and you know who you’re looking at. Few fictional characters can rival such visual iconography at a glance. And that strong visual came from some suggestions co-creator Bill Finger gave to Bob Kane upon seeing the latter’s original, domino-mask wearing vigilante concept.

The Batman who somewhat brutally solved The Case of the Chemical Syndicate in Kane and Finger’s introduction in Detective Comics #27 wasn’t too far afield visually from the Batman we know today. Yes, his cape still looked in some shots to be stiff wings as Kane had originally envisioned (particularly on that legendary cover). The ears of his cowl not only went up but pointed outward away from the head. His bat-symbol had no head or ears. And he wore small, purple/lavender gloves.

But still, at a glance, you know, this is Batman. With nearly every issue that followed, Kane and his artistic collaborators like Jerry Robinson and Sheldon Moldoff would slightly alter this look. The round utility belt buckle from #27 would become a square on the cover, and in the interiors by the second issue. The ears became at first longer, and then began pointing upward. The gloves evolved into loose gauntlets, then grew scalloped wings like his cape. And a more convincing bat-silhouette emerged on the chest.

By the time Robin debuted in 1940’s Issue #38, the basic Batman of today was nearly fully formed. But there’s something about that embryonic look. Particularly the very first story, the only time in print Batman looked like THAT. The most mysteriously mysterioso of ALL Batmen. We barely knew him. Heck, it wasn’t until story’s end that we even knew he was Commissioner Gordon’s foppish friend Bruce Wayne. And Kane and Finger didn’t really know him either, not divulging an origin until the opening segment of Detective #33.

Unlike today, where the original look is often trotted out for special projects (like the recently launched The Bat-Man: First Knight mini-series) Detective #27 wasn’t readily in print until the late 1980s, so homages in comics to it were few and far between. I first encountered the story, and the proto-Masked Manhunter in a mail-away premium courtesy of Oreo cookies, reprinting that story (and its cover) along with the first appearances of Robin, and the Joker (Batman #1). At the time, there was ZERO merchandise based on that nascent look. But boy has THAT changed!

Toy and collectible companies know that Batman is a license to print money, and they’re aware that diehard fans want to acknowledge that they are up on their Bat-game. There’s no better way to relate to the most devoted of Bat-fans than to produce a piece of merchandise based on the ORIGINAL Caped Crusader. And so, in the past 25 or so years, there have been plenty of plastic Dark Knights inspired by Kane and Finger’s very first story.

Despite the new-found familiarity, the mystery remains: What is it about THIS Batman design that captivates fans generation after generation, approaching a century since his creation? That’s a mystery even “The Bat-Man” (as he was known in that first story) might not be able to solve. But while we search for clues, we can take a look at 13 mysterious and adventurous figures inspired by the first chapter in a legend that began 85 years ago and shows no signs of stopping. A fitting end for his kind.

Here are the TOP 13 FIRST APPEARANCE BATMAN Action Figures — RANKED:

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13. Batman “Screen Test” Chase Variant – Batman Classic TV Series (Funko, 2017)

Okay, this one takes a bit of a circuitous route from Detective Comics #27. The costume worn by both Adam West and another Bat-hopeful, future Wonder Woman TV series love interest Lyle Waggoner, while screen-testing for the classic 1966 Batman TV series, was based on the original serial costumes worn by Lewis Wilson (1943) and Robert Lowery (1949). The large bat with no oval and the ears going out at angles to the side are clearly inspired by these costumes… which in turn were inspired by Batman’s earliest comics look. It’s the closest we’re going to get to a “Year One” or “First Appearance” figure based on Batman’s most legendary live-action actor, so it makes this list!

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12. Batman: Year Zero – Designer Series (DC Collectibles, 2015)

During Scott Snyder’s and Greg Capullo’s run on the Batman series during the New 52 era, it was revealed Batman’s first in-continuity suit took some inspiration from the real deal. It really just comes down to the simplified bat and the small purple gloves, but the more wing-like cape is also a bit of a nod. Mattel also produced a figure in their Multiverse line, but DC Collectibles captured the look best.

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11. Retro Batman – Batman Mask of the Phantasm (Kenner, 1993)

Kenner based this figure on flashbacks to Batman’s early days, as seen on Batman: The Animated Series in episodes such as “Robin’s Reckoning, Part 1.” Clearly Bruce Timm, Eric Radomski and co. were harkening back to the Dark Knight’s original design, with a bit of David Mazzuchelli’s revisionist “Year One” aesthetic mixed in. The tiny bat and the ears seem particularly inspired by that ’Tec #27 look, while the gauntlets look like pre-scalloped Golden Age gloves.

Too bad Kenner gave into their variant-crazy tendencies and gave the body suit a silver/blue sheen. Timm was apparently fond of this look, carrying the ears over to the future Batman Beyond costume, and Batman’s redesign on his animated Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series.

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10. The Caped Crusader: Batsuit Collection – The Flash (Hot Toys, 2024?)

Another “partially inspired by” example. When the trailer for 2023’s The Flash debuted at last year’s Super Bowl, all the buzz was about Michael Keaton, and his return as the Dark Knight. Intriguing was the brief glimpse at an armory of Batman costumes, featuring Keaton’s action suit from the new film, as well as his original suits from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992).

But beyond those were four other costumes, and the two on the left had comics fans giddy trying to figure out what they were looking at. Thankfully Hot Toys was already on the merchandising bandwagon and revealed that they were planning on releasing 12-inch scale figural representations of each suit.

Now we could see that the suit on the far left was indeed a bit of an amalgam of “first Batman” designs. The gray body suit, short gloves and black cowl with ears pointing slightly outward was definitely a nod to the Detective #27 look. And the gun holsters on each side (which several people involved in the production assured fans were grapple guns) evoked later Golden Age stories where Batman was briefly packing heat. The chest symbol however was pure West, lifted from the Batman ’66 TV series. Was this meant to be Keaton’s original suit, pre-Batman 1989?

With chances of a sequel or prequel now completely dead in the water, we’ll probably never know for certain. Despite most agreeing Keaton was the highlight, The Flash underperformed at the box office, so sadly it’s unsure whether this Batsuit collection will ever make it into the hands of collectors. But at least we have the pretty pictures!

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9. Batman: Ascending Knight – One:12 Collective (Mezco Toyz, 2018)

Although they are making more straight adaptations now (like their excellent Golden Age Batman series inspired by Dick Sprang), historically Mezco Toyz has always modified comics-inspired designs in their One: 12 Collective line of high-quality, 6-inch action figures. So, their “Ascending Knight” figure is no exception, taking Batman’s earliest look, and modernizing it.

Before The Flash gave us another example, you could see this as the Detective #27 look on film, keeping the basic aesthetic, but armoring it up, ala all Batman costumes since 1989. If the name didn’t give away what this was based on, the positioning of the ears and the short gloves should. The bat-symbol has ears, but is still small, and the round belt buckle also harkens back to that look. The laced up tactical boots give the ensemble a DYI feel, which makes sense if this is Bruce Wayne in his early days.

With their painstaking attention to detail and loads of accessories, Mezco never fails to impress. They even included an articulated structure to place the cape on, so you can recreate those early, stiff wing-like poses. There are blue/gray and all-black variations of this figure as well. One of my favorite Batman figures in my collection, it only ranks this low because it’s not a straight adaptation of the original costume.

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8. Detective Comics No. 27 Batman (1939) – Imaginext DC Super Friends (Fisher-Price, 2019)

A true surprise for Batman’s 80th anniversary was Fisher-Price’s tribute to Batman’s first appearance in its Imaginext “preschool” line of figures. Packed on a blister card with cover art from the immortal issue behind him, this Batman may have a standard head, but he has the purple gloves, and headless bat-symbol to mark this milestone design.

Although they also appeal to collectors, the Imaginext line is geared mostly at very young children, so for Fisher-Price to go the extra mile and acknowledge Batman’s beginnings is just utterly charming.

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7. Batman First Appearance – Batman Missions/True Moves (Mattel, 2019)

Using molds originally created for their 11.5-inch Justice League Action animated line, Mattel released this nice, affordable figure in 2019 to mark Batman’s 80th anniversary. Packed with a mini reprint of the seminal comic, a Batarang and extra-long cape, this Batman cuts a striking figure, and nicely homages the initial design in this format.

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6. Batman: Detective Comics #27 – DC Multiverse (McFarlane Toys, 2024)

McFarlane Toys recently announced its own take on Batman’s first appearance in time for the Cowled Crimebuster’s 85th birthday. While filtered through the McFarlane Toys aesthetic, the design seems to be pretty accurate, with the proper symbol, purple gloves, correct ear placement, etc. Bonus points for including a very nice wired cape for some Kane-esque posing, and most impressively, a blue wrench, for Batman to escape his first death trap, that giant glass dome from the comic.

A few minor quibbles, all about the multiple hands that are included; I think some glove cuffs would be nice to hide those big gaps between the arms and wrist joints, and none of the hands can hold the wrench properly. There is a chase variant of this figure with blue gloves (like he wore on the cover of Detective #27), blue highlights on the cowl and boots, and an inner blue lining on the wired cape. Not sure which one I prefer until I see them in hand!

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5. Batman First Appearance – Batman Legacy (Mattel, 2011)

An offshoot of the excellent 6-inch DC Universe Classics line, Batman Legacy gave us Batman and his cast of characters from across the decades, and different artists’ interpretations. They managed to get most of the initial design right, but somehow the presentation falls flat a bit. I see what they were going for with the cape draped over the shoulders, but it sits too high off the neck, and it makes it look like Batman has run afoul of Dr. Death’s shrunken head powder or something.

Not their best effort unfortunately, but I’m still glad this important look was represented in the line.

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4. Batman 1939 First Appearance – DC Super Heroes Mini-Figures (Lego, 2020)

Lego has proved that they know how to do Batman right, given their wonderful interpretations in toys, video games and films. So, leave it to them to produce a Lego mini-figure based on Batman’s first story that really clicks all the bricks. From the newly sculpted, dead-on cowl to the tiny, no-head bat and purple hands, this Batman looks like he swung right off the cover of Detective #27 in Lego mini-figure form.

And if you want to know what that comic looked like in the Lego-verse, just pick up the Bat-Mite figure from the same series of blind-bagged mini-figures. The little imp comes with a copy of that Famous First Edition for his idol to autograph!

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3. 80th Anniversary First Appearance Batman (NJ Croce, 2019)

Full disclosure, I’m not much of a “bendy” guy (and I know Dan is). I had a few as a kid, and I enjoyed them, but I always longed for a true action figure instead. That’s carried over into my adult collecting for the most part as well. That being said, NJ Croce makes some nice-looking bendy figures, and they absolutely NAILED the Bob Kane art style in their First Appearance Batman figure! He looks like he was literally peeled from the panel with a glob of Silly Putty and brought to 3D life!

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2. Batman – First Appearance (DC Direct, 2004)

Produced in the glory days of DC Direct’s output, the First Appearance series often perfectly captured the art from the character’s original comics appearance. And Batman may be the best of the lot. A nicely articulated version of Kane’s original renderings, you can recreate nearly every pose from The Case of the Chemical Syndicate. And with the wired cape, you can even get a nice approximation of those moody rooftop panels the initial Golden Age Batman stories are noted for. It would take the top spot if not for…

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First Appearance Batman – Batman Masterpiece Edition (Hasbro, 2000)

Packed in a beautifully designed box with a book by Les Daniels and a facsimile of Batman #1, this 9-inch figure from Hasbro has quite a pedigree, designed by comics master Alex Ross, publishing design guru and author Chip Kidd, and sculptor Joe DeVito. Originally conceived as a statue/figurine like the one included in the previously released Superman: The Golden Age, somewhere along the line the decision was made to instead create an action figure, utilizing the existing 9-inch body mold Hasbro had issued for a line of DC collector figures.

The result is a Batman figure that actually makes you believe it could have come from 1939… if articulated plastic action figures existed before the advent of 1964’s G.I. Joe (also by Hasbro). The head is straight out of Kane’s look, even with the somewhat strange proportions, as is the utility belt with its giant circular buckle and small capsules. The costume seems more woolen than most of the spandex bodysuits the other 9-inch figures came wearing, harkening back to superhero costumes in serials of the Golden Age. And like many others on this list, Batman has a wired cape, but the impressive wingspan here fully lets you recreate the cover to Detective #27. Throw in a Batarang, and you have an amazing and unique First Appearance Batman!

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MORE

— The BATMAN WEEK 2024 INDEX! Click here.

— JERRY ROBINSON: How a Tennis Match Led Me to the World of BATMAN. Click here.

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Regular 13th Dimension contributor Chris Franklin is a graphic designer, illustrator, writer, and podcaster, who co-hosts and produces several shows on the Fire and Water Podcast Network, including JLUCast. In the early ’90s, longing for a First Appearance Batman figure, he created a custom out of a Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars Wolverine and a Kenner Batman cape. Unfortunately, he decided to modify it later, and ruined it. Thankfully all of these came along!