Is Batman A Rip-Off? - #ThrowbackThursday
|By- Gayatri Tilgulkar|
Nearly 33,000 days ago a character came into existence but left the fictional world when his stories saw a decline. Today we meet him halfway to bury the hatchet, making him significant as he was in that day and age. This #ThrowbackThursday, we understand the claims which say Batman is a rip off.
Enter -Detective story magazine 31 July 1930, Radio listeners were intrigued by a mysterious voice. James La Curto was the voice for a character called the shadow. The shadow was broadcasted on radio and advanced in no time to be a crowd-puller.
1st April 1931, a spell was cast on readers enthralling the nation to make the first pulp fiction for the shadow, tilted ‘The Living Shadow’, a smashing hit which was impossible to avoid.
Although there were several writers for the character, Walter b Gibson is considered to be the architect for shadow’s peculiarities.
Fast forward nine years
The guardian of Gotham stood on his feet-Detective comics #27 World’s greatest detective without any question, and a relentless moral compass always in session. Artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger developed batman, who lived two lives. He was the owner of Wayne enterprise, Bruce Wayne by day and a crime fighter superhero by night.
“I must have a disguise, criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot.so my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts, I must be a creature of night, terrible…a. a. a bat!” -Bruce Wayne
Batman gripped the leading light headlong since 1939, nine years after the shadow was introduced.
Batman and the shadow-blurred lines The knight in shining armour batman and deity of darkness the shadow have a resemblance when it comes to unlock the quickness of mind to solve crimes and strength in reserve for the evil doers. The masters of strategies and combat nearly share the same personality, but these are all the superficial parallels. The speculation of imitation starts with the case of chemical syndicate.
The case of chemical syndicate- the debut novel for Batman. Detective comic #27, MAY 1939
Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne examine the demise of Lambert. The suspects are Lambert’s partners Alfred, Paul Rogers and Steven crane.
Steven crane is assassinated but before the murders escape batman effects an entrance into the scene. He further uncovers Paul Rogers visit to the laboratory of Alfred. Batman forces his way in, rescuing Paul. It is clarified that Alfred organized the murders to achieve extensive custody of their business. Alfred fires on batman but instead batman punches him over a fence, and Alfred dies in a tank full of acid.
Gordon narrates the entire story to Bruce Wayne who pays no heed to it.as soon as Gordon leaves the premise, it is revealed batman is none other than Bruce Wayne.
Partners of peril-the shadow’s pulp fiction,
SHADOW MAGAZINE VOL 1#113 November 1936
Lamont Cranston visits commissioner who takes Lamont on the chemical manufacturing where a murder has taken place. A partner is killed. Soon after another partner is murdered. Third partner is captured by forth partner. But shadow saves the day and, in the end, when commissioner leaves, we know the shadow’s real identity -Lamont Cranston.
More extension from the cut cloth
Owing to shadow’s unpredictable arrival, people would call him an unforeseen bat of the night. The shadow smuggled himself into the mummy case, in 1950 one of the villains in batman fiction did the same. The case of ruby idol from batman and serpents of Siva from the shadow nearly had the same premise.
Professor Radium from Batman was inspired by a radio episode of the shadow. Theodore Tinsley came up with an idea to have to have a fight between the shadow and a clown based on past grudges. Doctor Death, first super-villain confronted by Batman survived an explosion, similarly Voodoo Master, a cross over villain survives the fire disaster, reappearing in the shadow story later on.
Sudden enlighten In 1973 Dennis O’Neil, a writer of batman universe saw uncanny resemblance between batman and the shadow.so he considered writing a cross over for batman and the shadow. #253 VOL1, November 1973 The story takes place in Arizona, where batman has to take down a bunch of goons. He assisted by a mysterious figure who never reveals his identity. But when all is said and done, we learn it was the shadow all along.
Batman utters “I don’t tell many people about this, but you were my biggest inspiration” he further tries to bring the shadow out of retirement “no! Don’t leave! The world needs you! Will you help? Will you come out of retirement?” Soon after this many batman comics implied that batman was trained by the shadow.
#259, December 1974 Improvement takes place, the story has flashbacks of Bruce Wayne’s parents getting killed and shadow rescuing young Bruce from a villain, even setting out a path for Bruce to think of becoming a crime fighter.
It is assumed that throughout batman’s adventures the shadow was always present with him, since he is the master of disguise. Further when confronted the shadow explains that even though shadow taught batman to be a better hero, batman brought a human touch and empathy to his journey making him a promising hero than the shadow ever was.
End of the line
Batman might be heavily influenced. However, Batman rubbed the rough edges off making him more hyper-vigilant and aware of his surroundings.
Dash Shaw once said “Sometimes I think everything I draw is just a combination of all the millions and millions of drawings I’ve seen”.
Many people perceived The Shadow to be an inspiration from the Zorro and Sherlock Holmes. For more than thirty years The Shadow didn’t receive the credit where it was due, and even then not just as much on a day like today, we will go more than halfway to admit, he was the dawn of knight in shining armour.
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