List of Batman creators
Although Bob Kane achieved renown for creating the fictional superhero Batman, he and others have acknowledged the contributions of Bill Finger for fleshing the character out, writing many of his early stories, and creating the character's origin. Many other comic book creators (writers, artists, and sometimes editors who contributed important ideas or altered how the character would be presented) have contributed to the character's history since Batman's introduction in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. This list identifies some who made notable contributions with enduring impact.
Creators of Batman[]
- Bob Kane — concept, creator & artist. Co-created several secondary characters including junior partner/protege Richard John "Dick" Grayson/Robin, loyal butler Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth (as Alfred Beagle), Gotham City Police Department contact James "Jim" Worthington Gordon Sr., "clown prince of crime" and "harlequin of hate" The Joker, cat-burglar Selina Kyle/Catwoman, "gentleman of crime" Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot/The Penguin, former District Attorney turned villain Harvey Dent/Two-Face, the frozen hearted Mr. Freeze (as Mr. Zero), the master of fear Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow, shapeshifter Basil Karlo/Clayface, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland-inspired criminal Dr. Jervis Tetch/The Mad Hatter, Mad scientist Dr. Hugo Strange, master marksman Floyd Lawton/Deadshot, Mortimer Drake/The Cavalier, The Monk, gangsters Salvatore Vincent 'Sal' "The Boss" Maroni, Anthony "Tony" Zucco & Joseph "Joe Chill" Chilton, photographer Victoria "Vicki" Vale, Julie Madison, Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane/Bat-Girl, Bat-Mite, Dick Grayson's parents Mary and John Grayson, and Bruce Wayne's parents Martha Wayne and Dr. Thomas Wayne.
- Bill Finger — co-creator & developer (uncredited from 1939 to 2015, credited 2016-present), also a writer. Also Co-created several secondary characters including junior partner/protege Richard John "Dick" Grayson/Robin, loyal butler Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth (but not Alfred Beagle), police contact James "Jim" Worthington Gordon, Senior, clown prince of crime The Joker and his former alias Red Hood, cat-burglar Selina Kyle/Catwoman, prince of puzzlers Edward Nigma/The Riddler, the gentleman of crime Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot/The Penguin, former District Attorney turned villain Harvey Dent/Two-Face, master of fear Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow, Julian Gregory Day/Calendar Man, shapeshifters Basil Karlo/Clayface & Matthew "Matt" Hagen/Clayface, Alice in Wonderland inspired criminal Dr. Jervis Tetch/The Mad Hatter, mad scientists Dr. Hugo Strange & Professor Achilles Milo, Cameron van Cleer/Killer Moth, gangsters Salvatore Vincent 'Sal' "The Boss" Maroni, Anthony "Tony" Zucco, Lewis "Lew" Moxon & Joseph "Joe Chill" Chilton, photographer Victoria "Vicki" Vale, Ace the Bat-Hound, Bat-Mite, Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane/Bat-Girl, Thomas Blake/Catman, Dick Grayson's parents Mary and John Grayson, and Bruce Wayne's parents Martha Wayne and Dr. Thomas Wayne.
Notable contributors[]
This is an incomplete list.
Writers & Artists[]
The following list is of people who have both written and drawn Batman comics.
| Name/Tenure | Notable Stories/Titles | Notable Characters (Co-)Created By | Notes |
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| Frank Miller |
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He re-established Batman's origin during Crisis on Infinite Earths. He was also an artist on The Dark Knight Returns and Strikes Again. |
| Matt Wagner |
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Writers Only[]
| Name/Tenure | Notable Stories/Titles | Notable Characters (Co-)Created By | Notes |
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| Mike W. Barr 1974-2014 |
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Whilst he and Jerry Bingham originally created Damian Wayne, it was Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert who reinterpreted the character for more modern times. |
| Ed Brubaker
1998- |
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Co-created the majority of the Police Officers and Detectives featured in Gotham Central. |
| Donald Clough Cameron |
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| Gerry Conway 1980-1983 |
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| Paul Dini
1997–Present |
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| Chuck Dixon |
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| Steve Englehart
1974-2006 |
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| Gardner Fox
1939-1968 |
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| Neil Gaiman | |||
| Alan Grant |
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| Devin K. Grayson |
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Is currently the only ongoing female/non-heterosexual Batman writer. |
| Robert Kanigher |
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| Tom King (Current) |
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| Jeph Loeb |
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| Doug Moench |
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| Grant Morrison |
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| Alan Moore |
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| Dennis O'Neil |
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As well as being a long-term writer, he was also an editor of the Batman titles, and is credited with 'rebooting' the Batman character. | |
| David Vern Reed 1950-1956, 1975 |
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| Greg Rucka |
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| Dan Slott |
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| Scott Snyder |
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Court of Owls was co-created with artist Greg Capullo |
| Jim Starlin |
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| Peter Tomasi (2005–present) |
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| James Tynion IV |
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| John Wagner |
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| Len Wein |
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Was also Editor-in-Chief of DC Comics during Crisis on Infinite Earths. | |
| Judd Winick |
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Created Jasons Todd's Red Hood identity but not Jason Todd himself, created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, or the Red Hood identity, created by Bill Finger. |
| Marv Wolfman |
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Worked as an uncredited "Ghost" writer during the Golden-Silver and Bronze Age. |
Artists Only[]
| Name/Tenure | Notable Stories/Titles | Notable Characters (Co-)Created By | Notes |
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| Neal Adams 1968-2012 |
Covers only
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Known for drawing the definitive 1970s visual interpretation that returned Batman to his gothic roots. |
| Jim Aparo |
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| Brian Bolland |
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| Bob Brown | |||
| Norm Breyfogle |
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| Ernie Chan 1975-1977 |
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| Dick Giordano | |||
| Carmine Infantino |
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Penciller and primary artist of the 1964 "New Look" Batman | |
| Kelley Jones 1995-2010 |
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Artist best known for his runs on Batman with writer Doug Moench. |
| Jim Lee |
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| Doug Mahnke |
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| David Mazzucchelli |
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| Tom Mandrake |
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| Dave McKean |
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| Sheldon Moldoff |
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One of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists". | |
| Jim Mooney |
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| Don Newton | |||
| Graham Nolan |
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| George Pérez | |||
| Frank Robbins |
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| Jerry Robinson |
Early ghost artist for Bob Kane. | ||
| Marshall Rogers |
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| Tim Sale |
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| Walter Simonson | |||
| Lew Schwartz | |||
| Ryan Sook |
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| Dick Sprang |
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| Curt Swan |
Drew many late 1950s and early 1960s Batman covers (although best known for Superman work). |
Other notable contributors[]
| Name | Title | Tenure | Notable titles | Characters (Co-)Created By | Notes |
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| Tim Burton | Movie Director |
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Pushed Batman into the public eye by making him Dark outside of the comic book media. | |
| Paul Dini |
Television (Animation) |
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Came up with a newer, more tragic origin story for Mr. Freeze, in Batman The Animated Series, involving the creation of the character of Nora Fries, which is now commonly used in the comics. |
| William Dozier |
TV Producer |
1966-1968 |
Batman 1966 TV series |
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Produced and narrated (without credit in latter capacity) the Batman 1966 TV series. |
| Christopher Nolan |
Movie Director |
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Rebooted the Batman movie franchise into a more realistic setting. | |
| Jack Schiff | Comic Book Editor | ||||
| Julius Schwartz |
Comic Book Editor |
1964-1979 |
None |
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Commissioned "The Million-Dollar Debut Of Batgirl," the story in which Barbara Gordon was introduced as both herself and the Silver Age Of Comics Batgirl. |
| Lorenzo Semple Jr. |
TV Writer |
1966-1968 |
Batman 1966 TV series |
Developed look and wrote most early episodes of the Batman 1966 TV series after ABC-TV had acquired the rights and chosen 20th Century Fox Television as the studio through which it was produced. | |
| Bruce W. Timm |
Animator & Producer |
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Created the character sheets for Batman: The Animated Series. |
See also[]
External links[]
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| Characters | |||||
| Locations in Gotham City | |||||
| Technology |
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| Batman in other media | |||||
| Ongoing publications |
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| Miscellaneous | |||||
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Categories:
- Lists of comics creators
- Batman lists