Clicking on the following links or images will take you to the Batman Silver Age comic lists covered in this section.
Note: The lists are in two parts: Early Silver Age (1954-1964) and New Look (1964-1969).
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Batman’s Silver Age can be divided into two distinct periods. During the first period (Part 1), Batman transitioned from a dark, brooding crimefighter of the Golden Age to a respectable and benevolent member of the community. During the second period (Part 2), Batman underwent a major change in appearance (the “New Look”) and returned closer to his roots as a detective fighting against the criminal underworld. For more details on the Silver Age of Batman comics, please see this link.
Silver Age Part 1 (1954-1964)
Unlike the case of Superman and most other DC super-heroes (for whom there was a clear point in time when their respective Silver-Age periods started), exactly when Batman’s Silver Age began is still a point of debate. Based on my careful (albeit subjective) assessment, I have chosen 1954 as Batman’s transition year for the reasons described below. In making this decision I am in good company, since the notable DC Comics fan-turned-pro E. Nelson Bridwell who was an avid historian of DC comic books also held the opinion that Batman’s Silver Age began in 1954 with the re-introduction of Batman villains Two-Face and Catwoman in new incarnations which have endured until the present day.
The year 1954 also saw the publication of the book Seduction of the Innocent which cast many aspersions on comic books in general and Batman comics in particular, and asserted that comics were a bad influence on children. This triggered a major effort to revamp Batman comic books to take them away from their dark roots and make them more mellow and respectable. Following the trend of what was happening on Superman comic books, the Batman family began to expand with the addition of more wholesome and family-friendly characters such as Bat-Hound, Batwoman, Bat-Girl and even quaint characters like Bat-Mite (presumably to match Superman’s Mr. Mxyzptlk). The continuing reassuring presence of Alfred the butler and Commissioner Gordon rounded out the Batman family.
In addition to the expansion of the Batman family, during this time there were many new or revamped villains introduced in the Batman universe. As mentioned above, these included Two-Face and Catwoman, who returned to a career in crime after an extended hiatus. Other Golden-Age villains like Clayface and the Mad Hatter were also reinvented. Of course, Batman’s two longtime nemeses the Joker and the Penguin continued to appear regularly, not having changed much from the Golden Age. There was also Mr. Zero, an early prototype of Mr. Freeze who was to become a major villain in Part 2 of the Silver Age.
The other thing that happened in 1954 was the first team-up of Batman with Superman in World’s Finest Comics, which became a regular feature from that point on, with many beloved stories published during both parts of the Silver Age. This inevitably led to the pairing of Superman and Batman villains such as Luthor with the Joker. With the addition of Superman to Batman’s universe, the Batman mythology began to be established, paralleling the establishment of Superman mythology in the mid-1950s.
During the first part of the Silver Age, most Batman comics were drawn by Sheldon Moldoff, though he never received credit because he was a ghost-artist for Bob Kane, who always made it a point to sign all the stories. However, the comics world has retroactively attributed these stories to the real artist, and I have done so on my lists as well. The predominant scripter of Batman stories during this period was the indefatigable Bill Finger, continuing his yeoman’s work on Batman which had had started in the Golden Age.
Unfortunately, starting in the late 1950s, some fantastic elements of Superman stories began to creep into Batman comic books. These included strange bodily transformations, visitations from space aliens (and regular visits to other planets), and all kinds of bizarre monsters showing up with barely any explanation. While these plot devices were more naturally suited to Superman’s Sci-Fi-based character, they were totally incongruous in Batman comic books. This trend ramped up even further in the early 1960s, taking Batman to a never-never land which caused his popularity with the reading public to plummet. This led to the Batman comic books being on the verge of being cancelled, but thankfully there was a “Mr. Fixit” in the person of Julius Schwartz who came to the rescue. The rest is history.
Silver Age Part 2: Batman’s “New Look” (1964-1969)
The story goes that in 1963 DC’s editorial director summoned Julius Schwartz and artist Carmine Infantino to his office and told them they were both assigned to take over the Batman comic books and they had six months to turn things around, else the comics would be cancelled. Schwartz and Infantino immediately went to work and made many dramatic changes.
Julius Schwartz made the decision to jettison not only the monsters, space aliens and strange transformations that had become common with Batman, but also all the other silly elements like Batwoman, Bat-Girl, Bat-Hound and Bat-Mite. Infantino took Batman back to his roots as a dark, brooding crimefighter and changed his look by adding a yellow oval over his Bat-emblem on his chest and making his appearance more streamlined. Batman and Robin were also given a much sleeker Batmobile. Last but not least, a new writing team was assembled to emphasize Batman’s detective skills along with his athletic and acrobatic capabilities. Schwartz selected four writers for Batman’s rebooting effort: John Broome, Ed (France) Herron, Gardner Fox, and the old reliable Bill Finger. (Coincidentally, around the same time, Edmond Hamilton was also brought in by Superman editor Mort Wesinger to script Batman-Superman stories for World’s Finest Comics, and he produced some real masterpieces working with artists Curt Swan and George Klein.)
Along with Carmine Infantino (who drew most of the covers), the predominant artist for the Batman stories during much of this period was Sheldon Moldoff, though he never received credit because he was a ghost-artist for Bob Kane, who always made it a point to sign all the stories. However, the comics world has retroactively attributed these stories to the real artist, and I have done so on my lists as well. Towards the end of this period, the artwork on Batman comics was taken over by Irv Novick and Bob Brown, both working in collaboration with inker Joe Giella.
Batman comics have always been notable for memorable villains, and this period was no exception. While some villains were carried over from previous periods (such as Batman’s longtime foes the Joker and the Penguin), several others were introduced during this period, including Poison Ivy, the Blockbuster and the Outsider. Other villains such as the Scarecrow, the Riddler and Mr. Freeze were reinvented and updated. Most of these villains are still part of the Batman mythos even today.
In the mid-1960s, there was a huge jump in Batman’s popularity because of the launch of the Batman TV show, which quickly caught fire with the American public and zoomed to the top of the television ratings. This also helped to boost the popularity of Batman comic books, on which the show was based. Although the TV show was done in a ‘camp’ style and not intended to be taken seriously, it showcased many prominent villains from the comic books such as the Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman, who often stole the spotlight from the main characters Batman and Robin. There was at least one instance where the reverse happened, i.e., a character first made her debut on the TV show and was then introduced in the comics. This character was Batgirl (without the hyphen, to distinguish her from the earlier, younger incarnation): she was an incognito crimefighter who was secretly Barbara, the daughter of Commissioner Gordon. (Barbara Gordon later became an enduring character in the DC universe, with an eventful career that included an element of tragedy during Batman’s Modern Age, which led to her transformation into the Oracle.)
An interesting side effect of Batman’s rise in prominence in the mid 1960s was that the Brave and the Bold comics which had previously featured rotating pairs of DC super-heroes became an exclusive showcase for Batman, who was paired with a variety of DC characters (not all of whom were super-heroes). These comics were a great vehicle for an up-and-coming artist Neal Adams to display his talents, which did not go unnoticed by Julius Schwartz and other senior editors at DC Comics.
The nationwide ‘Batmania’ did not last very long, and the decline of the Batman TV show was as rapid as was its rise. Camp can be enjoyed for so long before it starts grating on you. When the TV ratings began to fall, the sales of Batman comic books began to drop as well. Another rescue effort was needed. In the late 1960s, Julius Schwartz tried to change both Batman and Detective Comics to become even darker and more serious in tone, but these efforts were only halfway successful. It needed the combination of a highly talented artist with a highly creative writer to effect the change that Batman needed. This happened when Neal Adams teamed up with Denny O’Neil to transform Batman into a true creature of the night at the dawn of Batman’s Bronze Age.