Batman - Created Bob Kane (artist) and Bill Finger (writer), Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). After witnessing the murder of his parents as a child, young Bruce dedicates his life to protecting the citizens of Gotham City from criminals. Why is Batman #1? Because. Unlike most heroes, he has NO POWERS, and he still kicks butt. He's just a dude, like you and me, but he has honed his body and mind into such a powerful weapon that he strikes fear in the hearts of evil-doers everywhere. While the 1960s television show was, perhaps, a low point for the Caped Crusader, he is generally portrayed as the Dark Knight, a brooding, complex character, obsessed with the oath he has sworn to protect Gotham's citizens. A cultural icon, Batman has spawned multiple tv shows, cartoons, movies, video games, action figures, and a whole family of comic books. Even his secret identity is cool. While Clark Kent is chasing down stories for the Daily Planet, Bruce Wayne poses as a billionaire playboy, industrialist, and philantropist, lounging in jacuzzi's with scantily-clad supermodels. Can't beat that.
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