Here in the Philippines, May 1 is Labor day. Well actually, this is a holiday in every country. During Labor day, we are reminded of the hard working people by giving them the recognition that they deserve.
For many Batman fans, May 1 is also a day of celebration and appreciation. This is the day Detective Comics #27 became available in newsstands.
Its a bit different for the past two years. DC Entertainment declared that June 26 is Batman Day. However, as regards to its celebration, DC Entertainment moved it on every third week of September.
Confused as to when Batman Day should be? Yeah, its a bit confusing to be honest. But here are the boys of The Dark Knight Philippines to clarify it for you.
Detective Comics #27 marks the debut of the Dark Knight. The cover date for this book is May 1, 1939. So shouldn't that be the date for Batman Day? Well, actually, DC#27 already became available in-stores as early as April 18, 1939. How is that possible?
Back in the days, people get their comics from retailers and from newsstands. Based from our research, we found out that retailers receive the comics at an earlier date as opposed to the newstand sellers. The delayed cover date is for the benefit of the newsstand sellers. So that when they display the comics, it wouldn't look like they're selling old copies of comicbooks.
Technically, Batman Day should be celebrated on April 18--the original date for Batman's debut. But he consensus among fans, the cover date marks the debut of Batman thus May 1 is Batman Day.
But is it the teal Batman Day? No, we don't think so and neither does DC Comics. We share the same opinion that May 1 is not Batman Day. Rather, May 1 is the debut of The Batman. Batman Day should be celebrated on the birth date of Batman.
Some fans think that Batman was born the moment Bruce donned the cowl for the first time. DC Comics and TDKPH is of the same opinion that Batman was born the moment Bruce's parents died.
It is a psychological interpretation of Bruce's traumatic experience. The death of the Waynes triggered Bruce's depression. And it is that depression where he found Batman. The birth of Batman should not be confused with the birth of Bruce Wayne. Bruce was never born as Batman. It was circumstances that gave birth to the Caped Crusader.
So the question is: when was the Dark Knight born? For decades, DC Comics didn't give a specific date for the death if the Waynes. It was only the year 1984 when they finally decided to give it a specific date.
It all started with Detective Comics #457 - There is no hope in Crime Alley. In this issue, Batman takes his yearly night off and visits Crime Alley. Alfred, after admitting that he's the closest person to Bruce, is baffled why Batman goes to Crime Alley during the same date yearly.
It is later found out that Batman visits Crime Alley to be reminded of his purpose. Leslie Thompkins would say, "I've been expecting you Batman -- You always come to visit on this day." Then Batman replies, "Call it a memorial... a reminder of who I am!... of my beginning and my probable end!"
Detective Comics #457 proved that Batman's birth is the day Bruce's parents died. Not only that, but #457 also indicates that Batman goes to Crime Alley every year to visit the place where his parents died. Ow and before we leave #457 behind, bear in mind this page from the same issue:
For the longest time, people never bothered to know the exact date of Batman's visit to Crime Alley. It was until Batman Special #1 where they finally revealed the date of the Waynes' death. Batman Special #1 is an amazing book. It introduces a new villain to the Batman mythos. His name is Wrath, and he's another story for another day.
At the end of this issue, Batman bumps into Leslie Thompkins in Crime Alley. She asks Batman to tell her the reason of his visits in Crime Alley during the same date. And again, Batman replies, "Call it a memorial... a reminder of my beginning..."
A little rewind. Lets go back to Detective Comics #457. Check out this panel:
Then lets look at the last page for Batman Special #1
Thompkins is reminded of the day she became Bruce's surrogate mother. Ow, and look at that--June 26th. June 26 is the day Batman was born. It is no wonder that DC Comics is of the opinion that June 26 is the legitimate Batman Day.
Mystery solved. May 1 is not Batman day. Rather, it is the date of Batman's debut. The real Batman Day is on June 26--also the anniversary of The Dark Knight Ph.
So what is May 1 all about? Well even if it is not the real Batman Day, it does not mean that we cant celebrate Batman Day today. In any case, Happy advance Batman Day everyone! Hope you enjoyed this article as much as we enjoyed writing this.
Ow and just a quick trivia. Bruce's parents died at 10:47PM. Batman uses this time as his pass code through the grandfather clock.
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