This page only shows primary logo variants. For other related logos and images, see:
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| 1939 | 1939–1941 | 1941–1944 | 1944–1946 | 1946–1950 | 1950–1956 | 1956–1960 |
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| 1960–1964 | 1964–1966 | 1966–present | 2000–2011, 2018–present | 2011–2016 | 2016–2018 | |
1939
When Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, the logo on his chest was simply designed as a pair of wings without head or ears and with five wing points along the bottom (although the amount varried from panel to panel). This logo only lasted one issue, begin the shortest-lived used by the chararcter.
1939–1941
In Detective Comics #28, the logo got an update: this time the wings became sharper and the head and the ears of the bat were added for the first time. Also, two more wing points were added along the bottom (although it was still ocassionally drawn with five, seven became the standard for years before another update in 1941).
1941–1944
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The Batman symbol went through a series of transformations throughout its early years, with DC’s artists constantly altering and tweaking many of its most basic design elements. In 1941, the bat wings became more stylized and angular, while the head receded slightly. The wing points along the bottom went back down to five, and became longer and sharper.
1944–1946
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Over the next years, the bat gradually widened in size. During this time, the points below the wings had a tendency to waver between five and nine, depending on when the comic issue was released.
1946–1950
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In 1946, the wings became a little less angular, the head became a little more prominent and the number of wing points along the bottom was reduced to five once again. The bat also started to resemble to its modern design.
1950–1956
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In 1950, the bat grewed in size and the top of the wings became more rounded.
1956–1958
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In 1956, the logo reverted to a compacted and triangular version of the earlier bat.
1958–1960
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Two years later, the logo had a drastic redesign: the bat became thinner with long and sharp wing points and slightly raising the height of the head.
1960–1964
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The logo went back to the bulkier aesthetic in 1960, while the remained slightly more prominent than before.
1964–1966
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In Detective Comics #327, the artist Carmine Infantino barely modified the bat, making the wings less angular and wider and the ears a little bit shorter. He also added the iconic yellow-ellipse for the first time.
It has been speculated that the ellipse was added to make the logo easier to trademark (just like with
Wayne Boring's Superman logo from 1944), but according to the editor at that time Julius Schwartz, the only goal was to unveil a "New Look" for Batman to more easly distinguish the Silver Age era of the hero from what came before. Ironically, a similar logo was seen in a crossover with Superman in World´s Finest #141 a little before Detective Comics #327 was published.
1966–present
In 1966, the logo was improved, making the wings spread out and fill the ellipse. This logo was used during the rest of the Silver Age, Bronze Age and Post-Crisis/Modern Age era of DC Comics, with a total of 34-years run until it was discontinued in 2000. Despite this logo is no longer used in the comics, it can still be seen in other media (commonly in merchandise) and remains as the most memorable and longest-lived logo used by the character, aswell as one of the world's most recognized logos.
This logo was also seen in the theatrical posters of the first Tim Burton's film in 1989 and it was also used as Batman's chest symbol in Batman: The Animated Series, The Adventures of Batman & Robin and in the animated theatrical feature, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm as well as the direct-to-video animated feature Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero.
2000–2011; 2018–present
After more than 3 decades of use, the yellow-ellipse was removed when the new millennium arrived. This logo is shaped like the previous logos, only that the top the wings are more pointy and curved. This logo was used for eleven years until it was replaced when New 52 was released in 2011.
In Batman (Vol. 3) #53, Batman returned to his classic suit reviving this logo after more than 7 years of desuse.
2011–2016
After the events of Flashpoint, the DC Universe was once again rebooted, and the continuity of Batman's franchise was changed completely. A new version of Batman debuted in Detective Comics (Vol. 2) #1, with this logo on his chest. It was used during the New 52 era of DC Comics, until it was concluded in 2016.
2016–2018
Contrary to Superman and Wonder Woman, Batman didn't bring back the classic logo when Rebirth was released. Instead, a new logo was unveiled in wich the wings are more elongated, the head of bat is no longer visible, the ears are pointing to each other and an orange border was added (probably as a replacement of the yellow-ellipse).
This logo only lasted two years until it was reverted to the 2000 logo in 2018.
References
- https://visual.ly/community/infographic/entertainment/75-years-batman-evolution-batman-logo
- https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/history-of-the-batman-symbol.html/
- https://www.zonanegativa.com/batman-new-look-1964-1969/ (Spanish)
- https://boundingintocomics.com/2018/08/15/batman-53-review/
