The Hidden S takes a look at the Batcave's History...
The Batcave has been a part of the Batman mythology almost from the beginning but where did it originate as an idea? Batman had entered and exited from his home via secret passages from behind a clock since his very first appearances (yet another idea likely cribbed from Doug Fairbanks's Zorro film from the 1920's). But the idea of a fixed, subterranean headquarters took some time to develop.
Originally, the Batcave was simply a secret tunnel that ran underground between Wayne Manore and an old barn where the Batmobile and Batplane were kept. In Batman #12 Batman co-creator Bill Finger made mention of a “secret underground hangar.” The illustration of this was a kind of cross-section shot of several subterranean rooms where there were labs, gear and vehicles. This space was clearly man-made and not yet named the Batcave.
Oddly enough, the first named appearance of the Batcave came in the live action Batman serials of the early 40s. The writers gave Batman and Robin an extensive underground crime lab in the serial’s first chapter “The Bat’s Cave.” Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger (on the set for this development) soon picked it up as part of the Batman universe. Interestingly enough, the first definitive Batcave (with the stalactites and stalagmites and bats) was in the Batman dailies by 1943. The first genuine comic book appearance of what comic fans would define as the Batcave appeared in Detective Comics #83.
Initially, the cave seems to have been merely a baroque version of a police station with a file cabinet, a desk and a kind of rudimentary lab. As time went on the Batcave grew in grandeur and scope, adding a trophy room, forensics equipment and an early version of a supercomputer. The trophy room was an especially nice visual touch that made the Batcave particularly memorable. Bill Finger, a big fan of oversize props, helped add the giant penny, dinosaur and other outside props which are still depicted in contemporary versions of the Batcave. Indeed, the trophy room has many memorable and familiar props including Jason Todd’s Robin costume, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl uniform and even the skull of Hunter Rose (a souvenir of the Grendel/Batman crossover).
The cave’s use also evolved over time from a basic storage and research facility into a kind of sanctuary and bulwark for Batman to strategize, hone his considerable physical skills and monitor his own particular crusade. As with other aspects of a character with a baroque and contradictory history, the Batcave’s purpose and appearance has evolved over time. For the most part, however, the contemporary Batcave has a large library, physical training areas, specialized labs, medical facilities, a JLA teleporter, and a dizzying array of specialty vehicles like aircraft, seacraft, and even a subway rocket on occasion.
The centerpiece of the Batcave is the supercomputer which has similar capacities as those used by the NSA. These computers capacities are typically rooted in reality, however, and can’t compare to the JLA computers which utilize Kryptonian, Martian and Thanagarian technology. Batman has used these computers when necessary and has also consulted the Oracle (Barbara Gordon) on occasion.
A recent evolution of the Batcave has to do with security. Recent storylines have suggested that Batman has built in elaborate safeguards against natural catastrophes and even potential nuclear incidents. The result of this is that the Batcave is more than just a headquarters, it is in effect a bomb shelter and even a panic room of sorts.
Another fairly recent development is the appearance of satellite Batcaves, mainly as part of the Knightfall and No Man's Land story arcs when Batman/Bruce Wayne swore he would never be caught unprepared to defend Gotham again. There are/have been several Batcaves that Batman uses in a jam. One of them, Central Batcave, is located fifty feet below the bottom of Robinson Park Reservoir and accessible through a secret entrance; Batcave South Central is located in an old Gotham subway station which was sealed in the late 19th century and basically forgotten; Batcave East is an abandoned oil refinery owned by Wayne Enterprises which had been used until the energy crisis of the 70s when it had been abandoned.
Live Action
Much of the allure and mystique of the Batman films and television versions have had to do with the Batcave. As previously mentioned, the original serials took the lead with the naming and development of the imagery of the Batcave. The television series of the 60s featured a Warhol-esque, Pop-Art version of Batman and Robin’s HQ which was mainly accessed through two “Bat-Poles” (memorably labled “Bruce” and “Dick”) triggered by tipping the head of a bust of Shakespeare and punching a secret button.
With a couple of notable exceptions, the film series has mostly tended to be realistic about portrayals of the Batcave. The first Burton film had only a small Batcave with a chair, some sleek computer equipment and a chamber to house the Batsuit. Batman Returns featured a slightly more elaborate Batcave with more computers some equipment for maintaining and repairing the Batmobile and a larger chamber to house the Batsuits.
Predictably, the two Schumaker films featured the most elaborate, over the top Batcave setups thus far; Batman Forever and Batman and Robin made a real production of Batman activating the Batmobile (on a turntable no less) for action. In Batman and Robin, a long neon-lit tunnel served as the exit for the Batmobile and Robin’s Redbird Motorcycle. Batman Forever also added a long, pneumatic chute that shuttled Bruce Wayne from Wayne Enterprises to the Batcave in a matter of moments.
(Oddly enough, I don’t think that the first two Batman films actually made a verbal reference to the Batcave. I looked, but couldn’t confirm this so it is merely my own memory. The Schumaker films did mention “The Batcave” as I remember, but again, I am relying on my own memory).
With the Nolan/Bale films the Batcave’s history is more played up (it was a part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War) and the idea that the Batcave was discovered in Wayne’s youth is emphasized as well (an idea that was touched on in Batman Forever). Again, I don’t remember the term “Batcave” being utilized and the space is pretty minimal, acting mostly as a garage and workshop for the young Caped Crusader. The Dark Knight found Bruce Wayne/Batman utilizing a well-lit bunker under a shipping yard as a substitute Batcave after the destruction of Wayne Manor at the end of Batman Begins. The space was visually generic and acted as a basic HQ and garage.
With the comics at least, there has been the idea of late that the Batcave is a kind of outgrowth of some of Batman's psychological quirks. The set-up is so elaborate and so complete that it renders the outside world potentially obsolete (consider the several page layout from the recent All Star Batman and Robin) It is hard to say where the development of the Batcave might go next. I have the sense that the "Batman as asshole" arc that has defined the character in comics for over 20 years might be cycling out and if this is the case it might be that the Batcave will become slightly less sinister in its overtones. How this might happen in particular is hard to say, but the possibility is intriguing.
the hidden s...
The Hidden S takes a look at the Batcave's History...
The Batcave has been a part of the Batman mythology almost from the beginning but where did it originate as an idea? Batman had entered and exited from his home via secret passages from behind a clock since his very first appearances (yet another idea likely cribbed from Doug Fairbanks's Zorro film from the 1920's). But the idea of a fixed, subterranean headquarters took some time to develop.
Originally, the Batcave was simply a secret tunnel that ran underground between Wayne Manore and an old barn where the Batmobile and Batplane were kept. In Batman #12 Batman co-creator Bill Finger made mention of a “secret underground hangar.” The illustration of this was a kind of cross-section shot of several subterranean rooms where there were labs, gear and vehicles. This space was clearly man-made and not yet named the Batcave.
Oddly enough, the first named appearance of the Batcave came in the live action Batman serials of the early 40s. The writers gave Batman and Robin an extensive underground crime lab in the serial’s first chapter “The Bat’s Cave.” Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger (on the set for this development) soon picked it up as part of the Batman universe. Interestingly enough, the first definitive Batcave (with the stalactites and stalagmites and bats) was in the Batman dailies by 1943. The first genuine comic book appearance of what comic fans would define as the Batcave appeared in Detective Comics #83.
Initially, the cave seems to have been merely a baroque version of a police station with a file cabinet, a desk and a kind of rudimentary lab. As time went on the Batcave grew in grandeur and scope, adding a trophy room, forensics equipment and an early version of a supercomputer. The trophy room was an especially nice visual touch that made the Batcave particularly memorable. Bill Finger, a big fan of oversize props, helped add the giant penny, dinosaur and other outside props which are still depicted in contemporary versions of the Batcave. Indeed, the trophy room has many memorable and familiar props including Jason Todd’s Robin costume, Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl uniform and even the skull of Hunter Rose (a souvenir of the Grendel/Batman crossover).
The cave’s use also evolved over time from a basic storage and research facility into a kind of sanctuary and bulwark for Batman to strategize, hone his considerable physical skills and monitor his own particular crusade. As with other aspects of a character with a baroque and contradictory history, the Batcave’s purpose and appearance has evolved over time. For the most part, however, the contemporary Batcave has a large library, physical training areas, specialized labs, medical facilities, a JLA teleporter, and a dizzying array of specialty vehicles like aircraft, seacraft, and even a subway rocket on occasion.
The centerpiece of the Batcave is the supercomputer which has similar capacities as those used by the NSA. These computers capacities are typically rooted in reality, however, and can’t compare to the JLA computers which utilize Kryptonian, Martian and Thanagarian technology. Batman has used these computers when necessary and has also consulted the Oracle (Barbara Gordon) on occasion.
A recent evolution of the Batcave has to do with security. Recent storylines have suggested that Batman has built in elaborate safeguards against natural catastrophes and even potential nuclear incidents. The result of this is that the Batcave is more than just a headquarters, it is in effect a bomb shelter and even a panic room of sorts.
Another fairly recent development is the appearance of satellite Batcaves, mainly as part of the Knightfall and No Man's Land story arcs when Batman/Bruce Wayne swore he would never be caught unprepared to defend Gotham again. There are/have been several Batcaves that Batman uses in a jam. One of them, Central Batcave, is located fifty feet below the bottom of Robinson Park Reservoir and accessible through a secret entrance; Batcave South Central is located in an old Gotham subway station which was sealed in the late 19th century and basically forgotten; Batcave East is an abandoned oil refinery owned by Wayne Enterprises which had been used until the energy crisis of the 70s when it had been abandoned.
Live Action
Much of the allure and mystique of the Batman films and television versions have had to do with the Batcave. As previously mentioned, the original serials took the lead with the naming and development of the imagery of the Batcave. The television series of the 60s featured a Warhol-esque, Pop-Art version of Batman and Robin’s HQ which was mainly accessed through two “Bat-Poles” (memorably labled “Bruce” and “Dick”) triggered by tipping the head of a bust of Shakespeare and punching a secret button.
With a couple of notable exceptions, the film series has mostly tended to be realistic about portrayals of the Batcave. The first Burton film had only a small Batcave with a chair, some sleek computer equipment and a chamber to house the Batsuit. Batman Returns featured a slightly more elaborate Batcave with more computers some equipment for maintaining and repairing the Batmobile and a larger chamber to house the Batsuits.
Predictably, the two Schumaker films featured the most elaborate, over the top Batcave setups thus far; Batman Forever and Batman and Robin made a real production of Batman activating the Batmobile (on a turntable no less) for action. In Batman and Robin, a long neon-lit tunnel served as the exit for the Batmobile and Robin’s Redbird Motorcycle. Batman Forever also added a long, pneumatic chute that shuttled Bruce Wayne from Wayne Enterprises to the Batcave in a matter of moments.
(Oddly enough, I don’t think that the first two Batman films actually made a verbal reference to the Batcave. I looked, but couldn’t confirm this so it is merely my own memory. The Schumaker films did mention “The Batcave” as I remember, but again, I am relying on my own memory).
With the Nolan/Bale films the Batcave’s history is more played up (it was a part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War) and the idea that the Batcave was discovered in Wayne’s youth is emphasized as well (an idea that was touched on in Batman Forever). Again, I don’t remember the term “Batcave” being utilized and the space is pretty minimal, acting mostly as a garage and workshop for the young Caped Crusader. The Dark Knight found Bruce Wayne/Batman utilizing a well-lit bunker under a shipping yard as a substitute Batcave after the destruction of Wayne Manor at the end of Batman Begins. The space was visually generic and acted as a basic HQ and garage.
With the comics at least, there has been the idea of late that the Batcave is a kind of outgrowth of some of Batman's psychological quirks. The set-up is so elaborate and so complete that it renders the outside world potentially obsolete (consider the several page layout from the recent All Star Batman and Robin) It is hard to say where the development of the Batcave might go next. I have the sense that the "Batman as asshole" arc that has defined the character in comics for over 20 years might be cycling out and if this is the case it might be that the Batcave will become slightly less sinister in its overtones. How this might happen in particular is hard to say, but the possibility is intriguing.
the hidden s...
Comments
Post a Comment