Batman is one of the most popular characters in comic books, and with so many fans it makes sense that they'd want to celebrate their love for the Caped Crusader. For the past half of a decade, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. have held an official Batman Day commemorating the character.
Occurring in June in its first year, the event was subsequently moved to the second or third Saturday in September. With the fifth annual Batman Day on the horizon, let's take a look at how the event began, why the date keeps changing and what this year's festivities will entail.
Batman Day: Year One
The first official Batman Day occurred on July 23, 2014, coinciding with the revelry of Comic-Con International in San Diego. Although it was two months shy of the same day, the event commemorated the 75th anniversary of the character's debut. It offered Batman merchandise and paraphernalia at participating retailers, including four masks designed by artist Ryan Sook. These represented different eras for the character, from his first appearance to the modern design.
The event also took place on a Wednesday, or New Comic Book Day. That brought with it the New 52 version of Detective Comics #27, with the original being 1939 debut of Batman. Other Batman-related comic series, Robin Rises and Grayson, launched on that date. DC later extended the celebration to be held on the following Saturday at participating libraries nationwide.
Save the Date
DC set a second installment for Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, accompanied by the release of several special Batman publications, along with other merchandise. Comic book shops and other venues also hosted famed creators who had worked on Batman comic, like Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Brian Azzarello and even Grant Morrison.
The day would become an annual event from there on out, sticking with its September time frame. The exact date, however, would not remain set in stone. The 2016 Batman Day fell on Sept. 17, whereas the next two occurred on Sept. 23 and Sept. 15. There isn't any given reason for the original September date, and the changing days are probably just a matter of convenience. That it's not a highly publicized "holiday" outside of the comic book circuit allows for this kind of leniency. After all, it's not exactly the date of Christmas that's being changed every year.
Batman Day 2019
This year's Batman Day falls on Sept. 21, and promises the be the biggest installment year. That's fitting, given that this year is Batman's 80th anniversary, as well as the event's fifth. Most exciting are DC's plans to shine real-life Bat-Signals in the skies of major cities. These will include Tokyo, Paris, Berlin and the real world's Gotham, New York City. Fans can use a "Bat-Tracker" to find out more information about when and where these signals will beam.
Other events planned around the United States for Batman Day include a Batman-themed 5K marathon, a specific Batman Day celebration at Oracle Park in San Francisco and numerous Batman Story Times at national Barnes & Noble chains.
Interestingly, the event this year takes place less than two weeks before the release of the upcoming Joker film. The Clown Prince of Crime will have to wait for his holiday, though, as Sept. 21 belongs to the Dark Knight.