1 00:00:00,751 --> 00:00:03,655 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:03,755 --> 00:00:08,527 ♪ ♪ 3 00:00:08,626 --> 00:00:10,129 - What's the S stand for? 4 00:00:10,227 --> 00:00:12,999 - It's not an S. 5 00:00:13,098 --> 00:00:15,101 On my world, it means "hope." 6 00:00:19,836 --> 00:00:22,741 - As a symbol, I can be incorruptible. 7 00:00:22,841 --> 00:00:24,743 I can be everlasting. 8 00:00:27,478 --> 00:00:28,680 - I'm willing to fight for those 9 00:00:28,779 --> 00:00:31,283 who cannot fight for themselves. 10 00:00:32,617 --> 00:00:35,687 - [laughs] I can fly! 11 00:00:35,786 --> 00:00:37,389 - How is it that I can breathe underwater, 12 00:00:37,488 --> 00:00:39,158 but you can still drink me under the table? 13 00:00:39,256 --> 00:00:42,061 - It's my superpower. - [laughs] 14 00:00:42,160 --> 00:00:44,796 - I'm a superhero! 15 00:00:46,863 --> 00:00:49,768 - This town deserves a better class of criminal. 16 00:00:49,867 --> 00:00:52,838 - Wait till they get a load of me. 17 00:00:52,936 --> 00:00:58,210 - DC, to me, is the grand proscenium of superheroes. 18 00:00:58,309 --> 00:01:00,312 They all tell very different stories 19 00:01:00,411 --> 00:01:03,182 about what do you do with great power, 20 00:01:03,281 --> 00:01:05,917 and how do you help mankind to become better? 21 00:01:06,017 --> 00:01:07,619 - Hi, boys. 22 00:01:07,718 --> 00:01:09,455 - They're all so multidimensional, 23 00:01:09,553 --> 00:01:13,425 and the humanity is what people really respond to. 24 00:01:15,293 --> 00:01:17,463 - It's about saving the world. 25 00:01:17,556 --> 00:01:23,069 It's about convincing the world that there is a better way. 26 00:01:23,167 --> 00:01:24,470 - They're larger than life. 27 00:01:24,569 --> 00:01:27,873 But they're also so human and so real. 28 00:01:27,971 --> 00:01:32,744 narrator: For over 85 years, DC has been home 29 00:01:32,843 --> 00:01:37,183 to a universe of characters and thousands of stories. 30 00:01:37,282 --> 00:01:38,784 But the real people who breathe life 31 00:01:38,883 --> 00:01:42,354 into these gods, mortals, and monsters 32 00:01:42,453 --> 00:01:43,956 are far less known. 33 00:01:44,054 --> 00:01:45,958 Behind the scenes, these creative minds 34 00:01:46,056 --> 00:01:50,762 make their presence felt through words and pictures. 35 00:01:52,029 --> 00:01:54,466 - When you're reading a well-crafted comic, 36 00:01:54,565 --> 00:01:56,668 you're reading the movements 37 00:01:56,767 --> 00:02:01,107 of a human being's hand over a page. 38 00:02:01,204 --> 00:02:05,444 - There is no more minute form of storytelling 39 00:02:05,542 --> 00:02:07,846 than a four- or five-panel comic strip, 40 00:02:07,945 --> 00:02:09,815 in which you're having to tell a beginning, 41 00:02:09,914 --> 00:02:11,450 a middle, and an end. 42 00:02:11,549 --> 00:02:13,385 narrator: Comic books have always reflected 43 00:02:13,484 --> 00:02:14,987 the human experience. 44 00:02:15,085 --> 00:02:18,890 They reveal our fantasies, tap our emotions, 45 00:02:18,990 --> 00:02:21,427 and confront our demons. 46 00:02:21,526 --> 00:02:23,495 - It's stories about hope. 47 00:02:23,594 --> 00:02:25,731 It's stories about redemption. 48 00:02:25,829 --> 00:02:30,302 It's the same themes that have been underlying our folktales 49 00:02:30,401 --> 00:02:33,639 since the beginning of time. 50 00:02:33,737 --> 00:02:35,674 - People can look back and say, "Well, you know, 51 00:02:35,772 --> 00:02:37,009 you're talking about comic books. 52 00:02:37,108 --> 00:02:38,110 Comic books are for children. 53 00:02:38,209 --> 00:02:40,846 Those ideas are for children." 54 00:02:40,946 --> 00:02:42,781 Are they? 55 00:02:42,879 --> 00:02:45,684 narrator: Superheroes are wish fulfilment, 56 00:02:45,782 --> 00:02:49,021 a generation of talent, forged icons of virtue 57 00:02:49,119 --> 00:02:52,691 that embody both the dreams and fears of America. 58 00:02:52,790 --> 00:02:57,964 Those ideas triggered a worldwide cultural phenomenon. 59 00:02:58,062 --> 00:03:00,566 This is the story of the creators 60 00:03:00,665 --> 00:03:03,669 behind the legends of DC. 61 00:03:03,763 --> 00:03:10,776 ♪ ♪ 62 00:03:20,551 --> 00:03:23,922 The origin of DC begins with a heroic figure 63 00:03:24,021 --> 00:03:27,326 whose real-life adventures read like fiction. 64 00:03:27,425 --> 00:03:29,561 Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, 65 00:03:29,660 --> 00:03:32,298 a cavalry officer in World War I, 66 00:03:32,397 --> 00:03:33,632 fought in the Philippines, 67 00:03:33,730 --> 00:03:35,901 chased bandits through Mexico, 68 00:03:35,999 --> 00:03:38,737 and battled Bolsheviks in Siberia. 69 00:03:38,836 --> 00:03:42,208 As a writer, the major turned his exploits into tales 70 00:03:42,307 --> 00:03:44,810 for the pulp magazines. 71 00:03:44,908 --> 00:03:48,180 In 1935, he formed his own company. 72 00:03:48,279 --> 00:03:49,715 In three short years, 73 00:03:49,813 --> 00:03:52,184 he transformed the comic industry, 74 00:03:52,283 --> 00:03:54,720 not by reprinting old newspaper strips, 75 00:03:54,819 --> 00:03:58,324 but by publishing new all-original stories. 76 00:04:01,091 --> 00:04:05,731 That company would eventually become DC Comics. 77 00:04:07,598 --> 00:04:09,535 But despite being a visionary, 78 00:04:09,634 --> 00:04:12,438 the major struggled as a businessman. 79 00:04:12,536 --> 00:04:15,907 - To make a long and very complicated story short, 80 00:04:16,007 --> 00:04:17,609 the major was forced out, 81 00:04:17,708 --> 00:04:20,012 and the company was taken over 82 00:04:20,111 --> 00:04:23,015 exactly at the moment that Superman 83 00:04:23,114 --> 00:04:25,217 was about to hit the stands. 84 00:04:25,316 --> 00:04:26,452 'Nuff said. 85 00:04:26,552 --> 00:04:29,255 [heroic music] 86 00:04:29,353 --> 00:04:36,095 ♪ ♪ 87 00:04:39,563 --> 00:04:41,267 - Who are you? 88 00:04:41,366 --> 00:04:45,571 - He's someone who is always trying to do the right thing. 89 00:04:45,670 --> 00:04:47,873 That's his genuine intention. 90 00:04:47,971 --> 00:04:51,743 Even if he doesn't achieve what he set out to do, 91 00:04:51,842 --> 00:04:55,147 he will make the best effort to make amends. 92 00:04:55,246 --> 00:04:57,483 And there's so much which hasn't been told 93 00:04:57,582 --> 00:04:59,851 or said about him up till now. 94 00:05:01,652 --> 00:05:03,350 narrator: The origin of Superman 95 00:05:03,454 --> 00:05:05,191 starts with writer Jerry Siegel 96 00:05:05,290 --> 00:05:07,126 and artist Joe Shuster, 97 00:05:07,225 --> 00:05:08,961 two Jewish immigrant teens 98 00:05:09,060 --> 00:05:10,596 who survived the Great Depression 99 00:05:10,694 --> 00:05:13,932 by dreaming of a better tomorrow. 100 00:05:14,031 --> 00:05:17,970 - Both Joe Shuster and I were great science fiction fans 101 00:05:18,069 --> 00:05:20,106 back in the 1930s. 102 00:05:20,204 --> 00:05:22,975 I was quite meek, and I was quite mild. 103 00:05:23,073 --> 00:05:25,344 And there were attractive girls around 104 00:05:25,443 --> 00:05:27,146 who just didn't notice I exist. 105 00:05:27,245 --> 00:05:29,481 And I thought, "Gee, wouldn't it be great 106 00:05:29,580 --> 00:05:31,550 "if I was a mighty person, 107 00:05:31,649 --> 00:05:33,852 "and these girls didn't know that this clod here 108 00:05:33,952 --> 00:05:36,688 is really somebody special." 109 00:05:36,782 --> 00:05:40,759 - All my young days as a boy, I was pushed around by-- 110 00:05:40,857 --> 00:05:44,496 I was very small, and I was always pushed around 111 00:05:44,595 --> 00:05:47,933 by bullies and so forth. 112 00:05:48,032 --> 00:05:49,835 narrator: While still in high school, 113 00:05:49,934 --> 00:05:54,106 the two collaborated on samples for a newspaper strip. 114 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:55,641 After several iterations, 115 00:05:55,739 --> 00:05:58,210 a champion of the oppressed emerged, 116 00:05:58,309 --> 00:06:01,180 a Superman who hid behind the secret identity 117 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:05,751 of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent. 118 00:06:05,849 --> 00:06:07,414 - He was certainly the identification 119 00:06:07,518 --> 00:06:09,021 for Siegel in particular 120 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,323 because he physically resembled him. 121 00:06:11,422 --> 00:06:13,059 Kent is the Jewish intellectual, 122 00:06:13,157 --> 00:06:14,626 I think, you know, he's a journalist 123 00:06:14,725 --> 00:06:16,628 and he reads, a man of letters, 124 00:06:16,727 --> 00:06:18,364 and Superman is the man of action. 125 00:06:18,462 --> 00:06:21,867 - Joe brought the fascination with the bodybuilding, 126 00:06:21,966 --> 00:06:24,836 with the circus performers, the circus strong men, 127 00:06:24,936 --> 00:06:27,006 creating really the iconography 128 00:06:27,103 --> 00:06:28,907 what would be the superhero costume. 129 00:06:29,006 --> 00:06:31,843 They hadn't managed to sell it anywhere. 130 00:06:31,943 --> 00:06:33,612 Creativity requires courage. 131 00:06:33,705 --> 00:06:40,686 The great creative works in any medium lack precedent. 132 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:44,290 narrator: After six tireless years, 133 00:06:44,389 --> 00:06:45,992 their courage paid off. 134 00:06:46,090 --> 00:06:49,595 DC needed a story to anchor a new anthology series 135 00:06:49,695 --> 00:06:51,897 called "Action Comics." 136 00:06:53,697 --> 00:06:56,502 - The first time we ever see Superman, 137 00:06:56,601 --> 00:06:58,904 he's lifting a car over his head. 138 00:06:59,003 --> 00:07:03,342 It is impossible to think about this in this way today. 139 00:07:03,441 --> 00:07:07,947 But back then, no one had ever seen anything quite like that. 140 00:07:08,044 --> 00:07:10,849 - The demand for the character was high enough 141 00:07:10,948 --> 00:07:13,052 that they launched multiple books 142 00:07:13,150 --> 00:07:16,122 and they had to keep up with the workload 143 00:07:16,220 --> 00:07:18,790 and hired other artists to keep things going. 144 00:07:20,123 --> 00:07:22,461 narrator: That original idea from Siegel and Shuster 145 00:07:22,559 --> 00:07:26,365 set the gold standard for superhero characters, 146 00:07:26,464 --> 00:07:28,267 launched an industry, 147 00:07:28,366 --> 00:07:30,469 and inspired boundless creativity 148 00:07:30,568 --> 00:07:33,639 in future generations. 149 00:07:33,737 --> 00:07:35,174 - All these different points of view 150 00:07:35,273 --> 00:07:36,808 merge and meld together 151 00:07:36,907 --> 00:07:39,145 to become this one kind of uber story. 152 00:07:39,242 --> 00:07:42,509 And yet, for it to work, all those individual stories 153 00:07:42,613 --> 00:07:44,450 have to reflect the individuals. 154 00:07:44,549 --> 00:07:48,554 ♪ ♪ 155 00:07:54,125 --> 00:07:56,395 - I got the call to be the writer 156 00:07:56,494 --> 00:07:58,464 not just for "Superman," but of "Action Comics" also, 157 00:07:58,563 --> 00:08:00,799 the legacy "Superman" series. 158 00:08:00,898 --> 00:08:03,202 In my run, Superman is a father-- 159 00:08:03,299 --> 00:08:06,872 that's an important central tenet of the stories 160 00:08:06,971 --> 00:08:08,474 that I've been telling so far. 161 00:08:08,572 --> 00:08:11,343 But he's also the personification of hope, 162 00:08:11,442 --> 00:08:16,248 of compassion, of humility, of justice, 163 00:08:16,347 --> 00:08:18,784 and not just to Earth, not just to Metropolis, 164 00:08:18,884 --> 00:08:22,388 but to the universe. 165 00:08:22,486 --> 00:08:25,857 I understand how much Superman means to people 166 00:08:25,956 --> 00:08:27,893 because he meant that to me as well. 167 00:08:27,991 --> 00:08:29,528 Growing up, I always wanted to be a tough guy. 168 00:08:29,621 --> 00:08:32,098 I grew up really, really small for my age 169 00:08:32,197 --> 00:08:33,265 and got sick a lot 170 00:08:33,364 --> 00:08:35,334 and kind of got smacked around a lot. 171 00:08:35,433 --> 00:08:37,603 And I just had this fantasy of being this tough guy 172 00:08:37,701 --> 00:08:39,605 that would protect everyone. 173 00:08:41,238 --> 00:08:45,311 Seeing Superman on the page flipped this fantasy 174 00:08:45,409 --> 00:08:48,614 in my mind that became really important to me. 175 00:08:48,712 --> 00:08:51,951 I think Superman matters more now than he ever has before, 176 00:08:52,048 --> 00:08:54,453 in part because he is the living contradiction 177 00:08:54,552 --> 00:08:59,058 to the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. 178 00:08:59,155 --> 00:09:02,995 And we have to believe that somebody can wield power 179 00:09:03,094 --> 00:09:06,132 without being corrupted by it. 180 00:09:06,230 --> 00:09:13,238 ♪ ♪ 181 00:09:14,672 --> 00:09:17,709 - I think Superman fans have a very particular worldview. 182 00:09:17,809 --> 00:09:19,478 They tend to be optimists. 183 00:09:19,577 --> 00:09:21,580 They tend to think that power 184 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:24,583 should be used in a particular way. 185 00:09:24,683 --> 00:09:26,118 - Look! Up in the sky! 186 00:09:26,217 --> 00:09:28,354 It's a bird, it's a plane! It's Superman! 187 00:09:28,452 --> 00:09:31,991 - It wasn't until the radio show, 188 00:09:32,090 --> 00:09:34,126 which started in 1940, 189 00:09:34,225 --> 00:09:36,828 where Superman as a pop culture phenomenon 190 00:09:36,927 --> 00:09:40,832 really took hold in the collective unconscious. 191 00:09:40,932 --> 00:09:46,705 ♪ ♪ 192 00:09:46,804 --> 00:09:50,309 narrator: Radio introduced the power of flight to Superman. 193 00:09:50,408 --> 00:09:53,245 The silver screen lifted him off the pages 194 00:09:53,339 --> 00:09:55,081 and into the real world. 195 00:09:55,173 --> 00:09:59,151 Live action actor Kirk Alyn became the first Man of Steel. 196 00:09:59,249 --> 00:10:03,555 A series of animated shorts established his legacy 197 00:10:03,655 --> 00:10:05,958 in glorious Technicolor. 198 00:10:06,056 --> 00:10:08,160 - I think there's something incredibly magical 199 00:10:08,254 --> 00:10:09,361 about the creators 200 00:10:09,460 --> 00:10:12,398 of these characters that have taken off. 201 00:10:12,496 --> 00:10:16,402 It's hitting its target so perfectly that it just goes 202 00:10:16,500 --> 00:10:18,770 on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on 203 00:10:18,864 --> 00:10:21,007 and just new things are built upon it 204 00:10:21,106 --> 00:10:24,643 in such a fascinating way. 205 00:10:24,736 --> 00:10:26,045 narrator: For Siegel and Shuster, 206 00:10:26,144 --> 00:10:28,514 the American dream had come true. 207 00:10:28,612 --> 00:10:31,283 Their outsider insecurities inspired 208 00:10:31,382 --> 00:10:34,653 a modern marvel, whose arrival felt relevant 209 00:10:34,753 --> 00:10:37,756 to a nation of immigrants. 210 00:10:37,855 --> 00:10:39,658 - In the endless reaches of the universe, 211 00:10:39,757 --> 00:10:42,794 there once existed a planet known as Krypton. 212 00:10:42,893 --> 00:10:44,196 - His narrative is, he comes 213 00:10:44,295 --> 00:10:45,998 from this strange planet Krypton. 214 00:10:46,097 --> 00:10:48,600 It really is the pure immigrant story. 215 00:10:48,699 --> 00:10:52,838 It's about someone who comes from another country 216 00:10:52,931 --> 00:10:55,307 who essentially looks like the prevailing culture 217 00:10:55,406 --> 00:10:56,875 but knows that he's an outsider. 218 00:10:56,975 --> 00:11:00,479 - Where were you? - Me? Oh, I-- 219 00:11:00,578 --> 00:11:02,181 - I think a lot of immigrants, 220 00:11:02,279 --> 00:11:05,712 they try to be the perfect citizens because 221 00:11:05,816 --> 00:11:09,488 they don't want anybody to question their citizenship. 222 00:11:09,587 --> 00:11:11,457 And that's my theory about Superman as well. 223 00:11:11,555 --> 00:11:14,460 Superman tries to be the perfect citizen 224 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:17,863 because he doesn't want anyone to question his citizenship. 225 00:11:17,962 --> 00:11:22,134 ♪ ♪ 226 00:11:22,233 --> 00:11:23,769 - Siegel and Shuster watched Superman 227 00:11:23,868 --> 00:11:25,237 dominate pop culture, 228 00:11:25,336 --> 00:11:27,406 while their new bosses profited. 229 00:11:27,505 --> 00:11:31,443 DC President Harry Donenfeld started his career 230 00:11:31,537 --> 00:11:33,545 publishing racy magazines. 231 00:11:33,644 --> 00:11:36,448 After he escaped obscenity charges from the FBI, 232 00:11:36,547 --> 00:11:38,484 Harry and his accountant Jack Liebowitz 233 00:11:38,582 --> 00:11:41,553 sought a more legitimate enterprise to exploit 234 00:11:41,652 --> 00:11:45,591 and took control of DC at the perfect moment. 235 00:11:45,689 --> 00:11:48,660 Siegel and Shuster felt they were owed more 236 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:50,262 for making DC a success. 237 00:11:50,361 --> 00:11:52,798 They negotiated a better weekly rate 238 00:11:52,897 --> 00:11:54,466 and became the highest-paid 239 00:11:54,565 --> 00:11:56,802 comic book creators at the time, 240 00:11:56,902 --> 00:12:00,138 but DC retained ownership. 241 00:12:01,605 --> 00:12:06,812 - Comics in general were built on questionable agreements. 242 00:12:06,911 --> 00:12:09,481 It wasn't standard practice for creators 243 00:12:09,580 --> 00:12:12,184 to get the credit that was due to them, 244 00:12:12,283 --> 00:12:14,053 and it certainly was not standard practice 245 00:12:14,152 --> 00:12:16,783 for them to get royalties. 246 00:12:16,887 --> 00:12:19,258 narrator: Eager to capitalize on the growing popularity 247 00:12:19,357 --> 00:12:23,829 of superheroes, DC urged other creators to pitch ideas 248 00:12:23,928 --> 00:12:26,498 for the next caped crusader. 249 00:12:28,700 --> 00:12:33,973 ♪ ♪ 250 00:12:34,071 --> 00:12:36,542 - What are you? 251 00:12:36,641 --> 00:12:37,977 - I'm Batman. 252 00:12:41,345 --> 00:12:44,116 - There's so much history invested in the iconography 253 00:12:44,215 --> 00:12:46,185 and so many people connected on such a deep level 254 00:12:46,284 --> 00:12:48,687 and for so many different reasons. 255 00:12:48,787 --> 00:12:50,189 Batman's always, I think, 256 00:12:50,288 --> 00:12:53,225 been quite an accessible superhero. 257 00:12:53,324 --> 00:12:55,394 The fact that he's just a guy, 258 00:12:55,493 --> 00:12:58,497 I think, appeals to a lot of people. 259 00:13:01,599 --> 00:13:04,103 narrator: That global appeal attracts fans 260 00:13:04,202 --> 00:13:07,606 of all ages and backgrounds, and in doing so, 261 00:13:07,705 --> 00:13:11,277 produces its own unique celebrities. 262 00:13:15,213 --> 00:13:18,350 - I got into Batman through the art. 263 00:13:18,449 --> 00:13:20,953 A lot of the creators come into this business 264 00:13:21,052 --> 00:13:25,291 because they were fans as kids. 265 00:13:25,390 --> 00:13:27,226 I was born in South Korea. 266 00:13:27,325 --> 00:13:29,761 We were the first of my sort of extended family 267 00:13:29,861 --> 00:13:31,230 to move to the United States. 268 00:13:31,329 --> 00:13:34,666 I didn't speak any English. 269 00:13:34,765 --> 00:13:37,936 But I recognized Superman from the cartoons, you know, 270 00:13:38,036 --> 00:13:39,338 that I watched in Korea. 271 00:13:39,437 --> 00:13:42,408 And so I just gravitated towards comic books. 272 00:13:46,209 --> 00:13:48,747 Batman resonated with me at a very early age, 273 00:13:48,847 --> 00:13:50,316 like, eight or nine. 274 00:13:50,414 --> 00:13:52,218 I remember checking out books from the library 275 00:13:52,316 --> 00:13:54,987 and just being fascinated by those adventures. 276 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:57,689 I bought this when it was on the stands, 277 00:13:57,789 --> 00:14:00,960 so probably '70, '75. 278 00:14:01,059 --> 00:14:03,462 And then obviously, I read it over and over. 279 00:14:03,561 --> 00:14:06,832 And then I used both masking tape 280 00:14:06,925 --> 00:14:10,536 and Scotch Tape to hold it all together. 281 00:14:12,537 --> 00:14:14,273 If the artist did an incredible job, 282 00:14:14,372 --> 00:14:17,376 it made those worlds or those characters 283 00:14:17,475 --> 00:14:20,646 feel so lifelike to me, so immersive, and so-- 284 00:14:20,745 --> 00:14:22,314 when you opened up a comic book, 285 00:14:22,413 --> 00:14:24,050 you felt like you were in that world. 286 00:14:24,148 --> 00:14:26,085 In many ways, it kind of relieved the pressure 287 00:14:26,183 --> 00:14:29,488 of being this outsider in a strange new country. 288 00:14:31,522 --> 00:14:36,128 Batman first appeared in "Detective Comics" issue 27. 289 00:14:36,221 --> 00:14:40,366 So this is the 1000th appearance of Batman. 290 00:14:40,464 --> 00:14:43,635 Bob Kane with Bill Finger introduced the world 291 00:14:43,729 --> 00:14:46,305 to this masked vigilante, 292 00:14:46,403 --> 00:14:48,774 kind of changed the game forever. 293 00:14:48,873 --> 00:14:55,714 ♪ ♪ 294 00:14:56,380 --> 00:14:57,749 - I was 19 when I created Batman, 295 00:14:57,848 --> 00:15:01,587 and I've been with the same company ever since. 296 00:15:01,686 --> 00:15:06,125 World's most leading character, Batman, 297 00:15:06,224 --> 00:15:09,561 as done by the creator, me, little ol' me. 298 00:15:09,660 --> 00:15:13,165 - Bob, tell us about the earliest recollection you have 299 00:15:13,264 --> 00:15:15,634 with the creation of Batman. 300 00:15:15,734 --> 00:15:17,269 - There are two stories. 301 00:15:17,368 --> 00:15:20,106 There's a mythical story you kind of create and make up. 302 00:15:20,204 --> 00:15:21,773 And then there's the truth. 303 00:15:21,872 --> 00:15:25,044 And the myth and the truth become clouded after 30 years. 304 00:15:26,743 --> 00:15:28,780 - If you look at the earliest Batman stories, 305 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,383 they all say "by Bob Kane." 306 00:15:31,478 --> 00:15:32,618 The problem was, 307 00:15:32,716 --> 00:15:35,621 these stories weren't necessarily by Bob Kane. 308 00:15:37,821 --> 00:15:41,160 narrator: The controversial origin story of Batman 309 00:15:41,259 --> 00:15:42,561 begins when Bob Kane, 310 00:15:42,660 --> 00:15:44,696 a 19-year-old cartoonist from the Bronx, 311 00:15:44,795 --> 00:15:47,833 saw Siegel and Shuster cash in on Superman. 312 00:15:47,931 --> 00:15:52,238 He jumped at the chance to create his own superhero. 313 00:15:52,337 --> 00:15:53,739 - I was a great copycat. 314 00:15:53,839 --> 00:15:55,341 So I copy Leonardo. 315 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,644 I remember seeing a movie called "The Bat." 316 00:15:58,742 --> 00:16:02,148 I also was influenced by "The Mark of Zorro." 317 00:16:02,246 --> 00:16:03,682 And I saw the original version 318 00:16:03,781 --> 00:16:06,518 with Doug Fairbanks Sr., that's how old I am. 319 00:16:06,617 --> 00:16:08,754 I kind of got the combination of all of them 320 00:16:08,853 --> 00:16:11,690 and created a Batman. 321 00:16:11,789 --> 00:16:14,126 - And he comes in with a little rough sketch 322 00:16:14,225 --> 00:16:16,528 and the name Batman. 323 00:16:16,627 --> 00:16:18,597 And the editor says, "That's cute, Bob, 324 00:16:18,696 --> 00:16:20,599 but, you know, what's his story?" 325 00:16:20,693 --> 00:16:21,933 Bob said, "I don't know." 326 00:16:22,028 --> 00:16:24,636 "Well, maybe you should get a writer." 327 00:16:24,735 --> 00:16:27,173 narrator: Bob Kane hired a ghostwriter, 328 00:16:27,266 --> 00:16:30,209 Bill Finger, to flesh out the character. 329 00:16:30,308 --> 00:16:32,039 Finger wrote an origin story 330 00:16:32,143 --> 00:16:34,613 born from a fear of urban crime. 331 00:16:34,712 --> 00:16:37,183 He even darkened the look of Kane's design 332 00:16:37,282 --> 00:16:41,653 to reflect the pulps and German cinema. 333 00:16:41,752 --> 00:16:44,490 - And in short order, they create 334 00:16:44,588 --> 00:16:49,428 an amazingly specific narrative and backstory, 335 00:16:49,527 --> 00:16:51,897 his wants, his needs, why he fights, 336 00:16:51,996 --> 00:16:53,599 what he's railing against. 337 00:16:53,697 --> 00:16:56,335 Young Bruce Wayne sees the most horrible thing. 338 00:16:56,434 --> 00:16:57,736 I mean, think about that, 339 00:16:57,835 --> 00:17:00,067 to see your parents gunned down 340 00:17:00,171 --> 00:17:01,573 in front of you, and then later, 341 00:17:01,672 --> 00:17:04,176 he's kneeling over his bed and praying, 342 00:17:04,275 --> 00:17:07,046 "Please, Lord, give me the tools. 343 00:17:07,144 --> 00:17:10,449 I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life warring." 344 00:17:10,548 --> 00:17:15,187 He uses that word, "warring," against crime. 345 00:17:16,587 --> 00:17:18,257 - I always just got the impression that he's just 346 00:17:18,355 --> 00:17:20,259 wants to keep recreating the night 347 00:17:20,358 --> 00:17:22,194 where his parents died. 348 00:17:22,293 --> 00:17:25,664 He just wants to inflict pain, inflict, 349 00:17:25,763 --> 00:17:27,499 like, his kind of form of justice, 350 00:17:27,598 --> 00:17:31,603 which is kind of questionable justice. 351 00:17:31,702 --> 00:17:33,539 - Batman's a kind of satanic looking figure. 352 00:17:33,637 --> 00:17:36,442 He has horns. He operates at night. 353 00:17:36,540 --> 00:17:39,745 He relies on fear rather than trust or strength. 354 00:17:39,844 --> 00:17:42,614 He relies on stealth rather than 355 00:17:42,713 --> 00:17:46,352 this kind of grandstanding circus showman. 356 00:17:46,445 --> 00:17:49,989 It worked so well because these are two opposing figures. 357 00:17:50,087 --> 00:17:54,760 It's like finding the two poles of a potential idea. 358 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:58,730 [inquisitive music] 359 00:17:58,829 --> 00:18:00,232 narrator: As Batman's popularity 360 00:18:00,331 --> 00:18:01,767 increased over time, 361 00:18:01,865 --> 00:18:04,336 Kane renegotiated a contract that earned him 362 00:18:04,435 --> 00:18:06,705 a rare thing in the industry: 363 00:18:06,799 --> 00:18:09,241 rights, royalties, 364 00:18:09,340 --> 00:18:11,944 and sole creator credit. 365 00:18:12,042 --> 00:18:15,114 - Bill Finger was long gone by the time 366 00:18:15,212 --> 00:18:16,715 he was officially acknowledged 367 00:18:16,814 --> 00:18:19,851 as co-creator of Batman, and not just Batman, 368 00:18:19,950 --> 00:18:21,920 but the Joker and all of these concepts 369 00:18:22,019 --> 00:18:26,591 that we've come to associate with Gotham City. 370 00:18:27,758 --> 00:18:29,895 narrator: Shortly after Finger's death, 371 00:18:29,993 --> 00:18:33,465 Kane made a rare public admission. 372 00:18:33,564 --> 00:18:36,135 - Bill not only wrote the early stories, 373 00:18:36,233 --> 00:18:39,438 but he helped me innovate and create 374 00:18:39,537 --> 00:18:41,273 more than half of the villains 375 00:18:41,372 --> 00:18:43,709 and all the innovative characters in the Batman. 376 00:18:43,807 --> 00:18:46,946 Most of it, the credit should go to Bill Finger. 377 00:18:51,116 --> 00:18:52,851 [exciting music] 378 00:18:52,950 --> 00:18:55,387 narrator: Batman's solitary war on crime 379 00:18:55,486 --> 00:18:57,223 broadened when the creative team 380 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:01,460 introduced a unique concept to attract young readers: 381 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,695 the sidekick. 382 00:19:03,794 --> 00:19:07,399 - Somebody had the bright idea that, since kids read comics, 383 00:19:07,498 --> 00:19:09,368 they would want a character 384 00:19:09,466 --> 00:19:11,603 that they could kind of identify with 385 00:19:11,702 --> 00:19:13,739 and project themselves onto. 386 00:19:13,833 --> 00:19:15,341 And this was Robin. 387 00:19:18,709 --> 00:19:21,413 - DC is so famous for sidekicks. 388 00:19:21,512 --> 00:19:23,149 You have a superhero, and they have a sidekick. 389 00:19:23,247 --> 00:19:25,784 It just was a given. 390 00:19:25,883 --> 00:19:27,386 - Robin's certainly one of the first, 391 00:19:27,485 --> 00:19:30,189 if not the first, starting a proud tradition 392 00:19:30,287 --> 00:19:31,923 of child endangerment. 393 00:19:33,891 --> 00:19:36,695 He takes this young kid on as his sidekick, 394 00:19:36,793 --> 00:19:40,599 dresses him in red and green. 395 00:19:40,698 --> 00:19:42,834 Who's gonna draw the gunfire? 396 00:19:42,934 --> 00:19:44,803 The kid in the red and the green 397 00:19:44,902 --> 00:19:47,406 or the guy in the gray black suit? 398 00:19:48,639 --> 00:19:51,810 But as a kid, I loved his comics, growing up. 399 00:19:54,606 --> 00:19:56,848 narrator: The duo's dynamic shifted the tone 400 00:19:56,947 --> 00:20:00,619 from a gothic noir towards more of a playful romp. 401 00:20:00,717 --> 00:20:04,690 The DC character roster expanded, 402 00:20:04,788 --> 00:20:07,193 but it lacked a female touch. 403 00:20:07,291 --> 00:20:08,827 - What's your story, lady? 404 00:20:08,927 --> 00:20:10,629 - Story? - Okay. 405 00:20:10,728 --> 00:20:12,498 Suppose we start with your name. 406 00:20:12,596 --> 00:20:14,833 - Wonder Woman. - Sure. 407 00:20:14,931 --> 00:20:19,871 That's the last name Woman, first name Wonder, right? 408 00:20:19,971 --> 00:20:21,207 - Right. 409 00:20:21,306 --> 00:20:25,177 [bombastic heroic music] 410 00:20:25,276 --> 00:20:27,313 - The beautiful thing about Wonder Woman 411 00:20:27,411 --> 00:20:29,415 is that she's so many things. 412 00:20:29,513 --> 00:20:31,050 She's very righteous. 413 00:20:31,149 --> 00:20:32,918 She's all about justice. 414 00:20:33,017 --> 00:20:36,088 She's the greatest warrior ever. 415 00:20:36,187 --> 00:20:39,391 - [yelling] 416 00:20:39,490 --> 00:20:41,893 - She has this spark in her. 417 00:20:41,993 --> 00:20:46,465 She's--she has this fire in her eyes. 418 00:20:47,865 --> 00:20:50,069 narrator: The creator of Wonder Woman, 419 00:20:50,168 --> 00:20:51,703 William Moulton Marston 420 00:20:51,802 --> 00:20:54,740 was a radical figure who led many lives. 421 00:20:54,839 --> 00:20:56,075 - We're are now going to test... 422 00:20:56,174 --> 00:20:57,576 narrator: As a psychologist, 423 00:20:57,675 --> 00:20:59,645 he paved the way for the lie detector test 424 00:20:59,744 --> 00:21:03,149 through a series of bizarre experiments. 425 00:21:03,248 --> 00:21:04,311 [gunshot] [people scream] 426 00:21:04,415 --> 00:21:05,751 - Dr. Marston and science show 427 00:21:05,850 --> 00:21:08,454 blondes are easiest to scare. 428 00:21:08,553 --> 00:21:10,622 narrator: Marston was also a staunch critic 429 00:21:10,721 --> 00:21:12,224 of the comic book industry. 430 00:21:12,323 --> 00:21:14,226 He challenged them to confront what he called 431 00:21:14,325 --> 00:21:17,496 the bloodcurdling masculinity of superheroes. 432 00:21:17,595 --> 00:21:21,467 [dramatic music] 433 00:21:21,566 --> 00:21:25,171 DC agreed and invited him to create a female character. 434 00:21:25,269 --> 00:21:28,407 He hired editorial cartoonist H.G. Peter 435 00:21:28,505 --> 00:21:30,943 to design her signature look. 436 00:21:32,876 --> 00:21:35,747 - I always go back to that original drawing 437 00:21:35,846 --> 00:21:37,416 of the character of Wonder Woman 438 00:21:37,515 --> 00:21:40,452 where she was beautiful, approachable, 439 00:21:40,551 --> 00:21:42,888 very feminine, very strong. 440 00:21:42,986 --> 00:21:45,224 There was an everywoman quality to it, 441 00:21:45,322 --> 00:21:49,695 which was intrinsic to why she succeeded as she did. 442 00:21:52,263 --> 00:21:53,732 - She is an Amazon. 443 00:21:53,831 --> 00:21:55,567 She has connections to Greek mythology. 444 00:21:55,666 --> 00:21:58,237 Her people were children of Aphrodite and Athena, 445 00:21:58,336 --> 00:22:00,072 of love and wisdom. 446 00:22:00,170 --> 00:22:03,542 And Wonder Woman asks us to grapple with questions 447 00:22:03,641 --> 00:22:06,045 about how we feel about gender, 448 00:22:06,144 --> 00:22:07,479 how we feel about sex, 449 00:22:07,578 --> 00:22:10,082 and how we feel about war and conflict. 450 00:22:10,181 --> 00:22:12,451 What makes Wonder Woman interesting 451 00:22:12,549 --> 00:22:14,686 are the politics of feminism. 452 00:22:19,156 --> 00:22:21,927 narrator: Marston was an ardent feminist ally, 453 00:22:22,026 --> 00:22:23,929 even if his fight for women's equality 454 00:22:24,028 --> 00:22:27,133 revealed itself in subversive ways. 455 00:22:27,231 --> 00:22:30,702 Wonder Woman's lasso compelled people to tell the truth. 456 00:22:30,801 --> 00:22:33,572 However, the frequent images of restraint 457 00:22:33,671 --> 00:22:37,043 also evoked sexual bondage. 458 00:22:37,142 --> 00:22:40,579 That wasn't Marston's primary intent. 459 00:22:40,678 --> 00:22:42,409 He chose imagery that reflected 460 00:22:42,513 --> 00:22:47,019 the women's suffrage movement and symbolized emancipation. 461 00:22:47,117 --> 00:22:49,688 - The myth of it was that William Moulton Marston was 462 00:22:49,788 --> 00:22:51,223 cranking out all these stories. 463 00:22:51,322 --> 00:22:53,359 The reality was that he was surrounded by women, 464 00:22:53,458 --> 00:22:55,927 he was in an open relationship with his wife 465 00:22:56,026 --> 00:22:58,197 and another woman, and they were all contributing 466 00:22:58,296 --> 00:22:59,798 to the Wonder Woman mythos. 467 00:22:59,896 --> 00:23:01,367 They're working under the radar, 468 00:23:01,465 --> 00:23:03,335 they're working under pseudonyms and so forth. 469 00:23:03,434 --> 00:23:07,939 But their impact is huge. 470 00:23:08,038 --> 00:23:10,676 - All of them really believed in putting this out 471 00:23:10,774 --> 00:23:15,114 into the world, a female who was just as strong as men 472 00:23:15,213 --> 00:23:17,216 as a woman in every way. 473 00:23:19,149 --> 00:23:21,253 narrator: That strength allowed Wonder Woman 474 00:23:21,352 --> 00:23:23,222 to transcend time. 475 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,025 Storytellers continued to build upon her foundation 476 00:23:26,122 --> 00:23:29,128 and populate her world with new characters, 477 00:23:29,227 --> 00:23:32,231 ones that reflect a more modern audience. 478 00:23:34,926 --> 00:23:38,370 - I adore Wonder Woman, and I adore Diana Prince. 479 00:23:38,469 --> 00:23:44,176 But I can never aspire to be a perfect woman or a symbol 480 00:23:44,275 --> 00:23:45,744 like that without any flaws. 481 00:23:45,844 --> 00:23:47,779 [inquisitive music] 482 00:23:47,878 --> 00:23:49,615 Wonder Woman, when she came out, 483 00:23:49,708 --> 00:23:51,951 she's the first woman through the door. 484 00:23:52,048 --> 00:23:55,554 She had to be perfect and good at everything. 485 00:23:55,653 --> 00:23:57,923 But there's more nuance to the character 486 00:23:58,023 --> 00:24:00,159 that I didn't see before. 487 00:24:01,658 --> 00:24:04,030 I really wanted to create Wonder Girl 488 00:24:04,127 --> 00:24:08,134 in response of discovering the world of Wonder Woman. 489 00:24:08,231 --> 00:24:12,804 I wanted somebody that's more human and not as disciplined. 490 00:24:12,903 --> 00:24:15,141 You rarely see female characters 491 00:24:15,239 --> 00:24:17,243 that wear their flaws on their sleeve. 492 00:24:17,341 --> 00:24:20,812 I'm like, "Come on, I can barely get through a day. 493 00:24:20,911 --> 00:24:24,083 I want to see somebody struggle too." 494 00:24:24,182 --> 00:24:27,053 These are some really early concepts, 495 00:24:27,151 --> 00:24:29,255 playing with, like, hairstyle, body type, 496 00:24:29,354 --> 00:24:31,557 random old ladies I see on TV 497 00:24:31,656 --> 00:24:35,061 'cause I have very busy hands. [laughs] 498 00:24:35,158 --> 00:24:37,596 The female characters that I've always responded to 499 00:24:37,694 --> 00:24:39,966 or wanted to be like when I was young 500 00:24:40,063 --> 00:24:43,202 owned their sexuality in a way that empowered them 501 00:24:43,301 --> 00:24:46,138 as opposed to took power away from them. 502 00:24:46,236 --> 00:24:48,640 So like with Wonder Girl, I got called out a few times 503 00:24:48,739 --> 00:24:50,109 for her not having pants. 504 00:24:50,207 --> 00:24:52,178 First of all, I love the silhouette. 505 00:24:52,277 --> 00:24:53,980 So I'm not changing it. 506 00:24:54,079 --> 00:24:56,415 But Beyoncé doesn't have to wear pants. 507 00:24:56,514 --> 00:24:59,718 There's something about Yara that speaks 508 00:24:59,817 --> 00:25:02,688 to women's history that's moved a little 509 00:25:02,787 --> 00:25:04,723 further down the road. 510 00:25:04,823 --> 00:25:07,159 She gets to be more herself. 511 00:25:07,258 --> 00:25:09,361 That strikes me as a little bit more 512 00:25:09,460 --> 00:25:14,100 of a modern struggle than what Diana had to deal with. 513 00:25:21,605 --> 00:25:24,176 narrator: During World War II, Wonder Woman symbolized 514 00:25:24,275 --> 00:25:26,812 a cultural wave of tough, assertive women 515 00:25:26,911 --> 00:25:29,281 in the workforce. 516 00:25:29,380 --> 00:25:32,418 A call for truth, justice, and the American way 517 00:25:32,517 --> 00:25:34,153 rallied the masses. 518 00:25:34,252 --> 00:25:36,155 The industry enlisted superheroes 519 00:25:36,252 --> 00:25:38,924 to support the war effort and spread propaganda 520 00:25:39,023 --> 00:25:41,860 but often laced with racism. 521 00:25:41,959 --> 00:25:44,296 - The heroes had to become patriots. 522 00:25:44,395 --> 00:25:46,198 The need for the characters to stand up 523 00:25:46,297 --> 00:25:49,368 for American values rather than oppose them 524 00:25:49,461 --> 00:25:51,137 changed them completely, but also, 525 00:25:51,235 --> 00:25:54,173 I think, made them even more popular. 526 00:25:54,272 --> 00:25:56,976 - Comic books were being prepared for sailors 527 00:25:57,074 --> 00:25:59,645 who not only needed to be taught how to read 528 00:25:59,743 --> 00:26:03,115 but taught how to do their job. 529 00:26:03,214 --> 00:26:04,850 narrator: During the early '40s, 530 00:26:04,948 --> 00:26:07,353 comic book sales shot up to an industry high 531 00:26:07,451 --> 00:26:09,956 of 25 million copies per month. 532 00:26:10,053 --> 00:26:13,659 An explosion of new heroes heralded a golden age. 533 00:26:13,758 --> 00:26:16,062 DC brought the fan favorites together 534 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:17,663 and formed the first team-up: 535 00:26:17,762 --> 00:26:20,866 the Justice Society of America. 536 00:26:22,298 --> 00:26:25,972 But by war's end, with no Axis villains left to fight, 537 00:26:26,070 --> 00:26:30,376 a period of postwar blues hit DC. 538 00:26:30,474 --> 00:26:32,611 Superhero popularity faded further 539 00:26:32,710 --> 00:26:36,983 as a shiny new object invaded living rooms. 540 00:26:37,082 --> 00:26:38,684 - My babysitter as a kid, 541 00:26:38,782 --> 00:26:40,252 along with most of my generation, 542 00:26:40,351 --> 00:26:41,387 was television. 543 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:42,688 We had the "Mickey Mouse Club." 544 00:26:42,787 --> 00:26:44,323 We had "Howdy Doody." 545 00:26:44,422 --> 00:26:47,693 But we also had the "Adventures of Superman." 546 00:26:47,792 --> 00:26:50,396 - Faster than a speeding bullet, 547 00:26:50,495 --> 00:26:53,032 more powerful than a locomotive, 548 00:26:53,130 --> 00:26:56,402 able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. 549 00:26:56,500 --> 00:26:57,869 - Look, up in the sky! 550 00:26:57,969 --> 00:26:59,338 It's a bird! - It's a plane! 551 00:26:59,437 --> 00:27:00,772 - It's Superman! 552 00:27:05,108 --> 00:27:07,413 narrator: DC responded to the threat of television 553 00:27:07,512 --> 00:27:09,115 by embracing it. 554 00:27:09,214 --> 00:27:12,051 For six seasons, B-movie star George Reeves 555 00:27:12,149 --> 00:27:15,487 donned the cape and became the face of Superman 556 00:27:15,586 --> 00:27:16,755 for a generation. 557 00:27:16,854 --> 00:27:18,357 - Every day you go to school, 558 00:27:18,456 --> 00:27:20,926 we were all talking about the same shows 559 00:27:21,025 --> 00:27:23,629 that we saw and could discuss them. 560 00:27:23,728 --> 00:27:25,497 And what that provided us with 561 00:27:25,591 --> 00:27:28,234 was a commonality of experience. 562 00:27:28,332 --> 00:27:30,697 - My friend and I were watching a show, 563 00:27:30,802 --> 00:27:32,338 then at the end, it said, 564 00:27:32,436 --> 00:27:34,573 "Superman is based on the copyrighted character 565 00:27:34,672 --> 00:27:37,176 appearing in 'Action Comics' and 'Superman.'" 566 00:27:37,274 --> 00:27:39,445 And the two of us got up, walked to the corner, 567 00:27:39,544 --> 00:27:43,782 and bought our first comics and never stopped. 568 00:27:43,881 --> 00:27:45,712 - You asked for it, now here it is, 569 00:27:45,816 --> 00:27:47,987 the new official Superman T-shirt 570 00:27:48,084 --> 00:27:51,390 with the official Superman insignia. 571 00:27:51,488 --> 00:27:54,160 narrator: As kids sought out Superman at the newsstand, 572 00:27:54,257 --> 00:27:57,129 the lurid covers and gory art of horror comics 573 00:27:57,227 --> 00:28:01,700 also drew their eye and the concern of parents. 574 00:28:01,799 --> 00:28:06,272 [dramatic music] 575 00:28:06,370 --> 00:28:09,841 [siren wailing] 576 00:28:11,374 --> 00:28:14,380 - '50s America was afraid of the Russians, number one, 577 00:28:14,478 --> 00:28:18,617 but it was also afraid of the Martians, 578 00:28:18,715 --> 00:28:23,055 it was afraid of giant ants and jellyfish. [laughs] 579 00:28:23,154 --> 00:28:24,957 It was afraid of gay people 580 00:28:25,056 --> 00:28:27,493 and subterranean sailors writing beat poetry. 581 00:28:29,393 --> 00:28:31,797 There's hardly anything you can name that Americans 582 00:28:31,896 --> 00:28:33,832 weren't afraid of in the '50s. 583 00:28:37,534 --> 00:28:39,338 - "Confidential File." 584 00:28:39,436 --> 00:28:41,573 One of the nation's distinguished news reporters 585 00:28:41,672 --> 00:28:44,771 brings you a factual report on America today. 586 00:28:44,875 --> 00:28:48,447 - This comic book describes a sexual aberration so shocking 587 00:28:48,545 --> 00:28:50,916 that I couldn't mention even the scientific term 588 00:28:51,015 --> 00:28:52,952 on television. 589 00:28:53,050 --> 00:28:55,887 I think there ought to be a law against them. 590 00:28:58,155 --> 00:29:01,193 - There was a growing undercurrent that was 591 00:29:01,292 --> 00:29:04,130 on the precipice of becoming a tsunami, 592 00:29:04,228 --> 00:29:10,402 and that was that comic books were morally depraved, 593 00:29:10,501 --> 00:29:14,540 the root cause of the post-World War II rise 594 00:29:14,639 --> 00:29:18,277 of juvenile delinquency in America. 595 00:29:18,376 --> 00:29:20,012 - Most comics are killers: 596 00:29:20,111 --> 00:29:23,415 they kill time, they kill imagination, 597 00:29:23,514 --> 00:29:26,185 they make the rule of violence the only rule. 598 00:29:27,851 --> 00:29:30,256 narrator: Parental discord reached a fevered pitch 599 00:29:30,354 --> 00:29:32,858 with the publication of "Seduction of the Innocent" 600 00:29:32,958 --> 00:29:34,893 by Dr. Fredric Wertham. 601 00:29:34,992 --> 00:29:37,129 He preached the depravity of comics 602 00:29:37,227 --> 00:29:40,099 and the threat they posed to American youth. 603 00:29:41,432 --> 00:29:43,135 - Wertham was trying so hard. 604 00:29:43,234 --> 00:29:46,338 He would find an image of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson 605 00:29:46,437 --> 00:29:50,977 and somehow map a ton of homosexual overtones to that. 606 00:29:51,074 --> 00:29:56,715 - Dr. Wertham decided there is no reason why two young men 607 00:29:56,814 --> 00:30:00,452 should be living together and working out together 608 00:30:00,551 --> 00:30:03,255 and dressing up in tight costumes 609 00:30:03,354 --> 00:30:06,125 unless there was something going on between them. 610 00:30:08,192 --> 00:30:10,196 - "Seduction of the Innocent" claimed that 611 00:30:10,294 --> 00:30:12,898 comic books like "Batman" and "Wonder Woman" 612 00:30:12,997 --> 00:30:16,002 would encourage their readers to be gay. 613 00:30:18,363 --> 00:30:22,408 In the case of "Wonder Woman," maybe not entirely untrue. 614 00:30:22,506 --> 00:30:26,045 - There were comic book burnings across America. 615 00:30:26,144 --> 00:30:28,380 Siblings were ratting out siblings 616 00:30:28,479 --> 00:30:31,417 to their parents who were then uncovering stashes 617 00:30:31,515 --> 00:30:33,519 of hidden comic books under the bed 618 00:30:33,617 --> 00:30:36,388 or hidden away in the garage or attic. 619 00:30:38,289 --> 00:30:40,292 - There were about 400... 620 00:30:40,391 --> 00:30:42,995 narrator: Fears of a federal investigation 621 00:30:43,094 --> 00:30:45,364 and government regulation drove DC 622 00:30:45,463 --> 00:30:47,866 and other publishers to act. 623 00:30:47,965 --> 00:30:51,870 In 1954, they formed the Comics Code Authority 624 00:30:51,969 --> 00:30:55,641 in an effort to self-censor and preserve their livelihood. 625 00:30:55,740 --> 00:30:57,543 - You couldn't publish any comics 626 00:30:57,642 --> 00:31:00,947 with the word horror or terror in the title or even crime. 627 00:31:01,046 --> 00:31:02,614 They had to make sure that, you know, 628 00:31:02,713 --> 00:31:05,151 good always triumphed over evil. 629 00:31:07,484 --> 00:31:08,988 - Like, you couldn't talk about divorce, 630 00:31:09,087 --> 00:31:11,057 you couldn't present law enforcement 631 00:31:11,155 --> 00:31:13,359 in a negative light. 632 00:31:14,725 --> 00:31:17,896 - Women should not be featured in comic books 633 00:31:17,996 --> 00:31:19,665 in prominent roles. 634 00:31:19,764 --> 00:31:22,434 No zombies, no ghosts. 635 00:31:22,533 --> 00:31:26,072 It was a creative stranglehold. 636 00:31:26,171 --> 00:31:27,473 narrator: The strict censorship 637 00:31:27,572 --> 00:31:29,641 lobotomized the superhero genre. 638 00:31:29,740 --> 00:31:33,612 Many publishers folded as a generation of creators 639 00:31:33,712 --> 00:31:35,414 scrambled for work. 640 00:31:35,512 --> 00:31:38,985 - What the code and what the persecution of comics did 641 00:31:39,084 --> 00:31:40,919 was to make the people who were producing 642 00:31:41,019 --> 00:31:43,089 the comics feel oppressed. 643 00:31:43,187 --> 00:31:46,592 Was not a very happy time in comics. 644 00:31:46,691 --> 00:31:49,195 - They didn't wear their job on their sleeve. 645 00:31:49,293 --> 00:31:51,797 I mean, it was not a respected profession. 646 00:31:51,896 --> 00:31:54,233 So these men in their suits 647 00:31:54,332 --> 00:31:56,002 who could pass for insurance agents 648 00:31:56,095 --> 00:31:57,669 would go in and secretly do comics 649 00:31:57,768 --> 00:31:59,105 for eight hours a day and then get on the train 650 00:31:59,204 --> 00:32:00,439 and come home. 651 00:32:00,537 --> 00:32:02,141 - It's a very lonely business. 652 00:32:02,239 --> 00:32:04,776 You work all alone for hours on end, 653 00:32:04,875 --> 00:32:07,413 and you get strange machinations in your head 654 00:32:07,511 --> 00:32:09,481 because you think about the world outside. 655 00:32:09,580 --> 00:32:11,450 And you're really not a part of it, you know? 656 00:32:11,548 --> 00:32:13,219 And your world is that fantasy world 657 00:32:13,318 --> 00:32:16,255 you're creating on paper. 658 00:32:16,354 --> 00:32:18,190 - And we were kind of concerned, 659 00:32:18,289 --> 00:32:21,260 where is the comic book business going to go? 660 00:32:21,358 --> 00:32:24,630 So we used to hold meetings 661 00:32:24,728 --> 00:32:26,632 to plot what our next move would be. 662 00:32:26,730 --> 00:32:30,836 We had to come up with new ideas. 663 00:32:30,934 --> 00:32:32,972 narrator: While the imagination of artists 664 00:32:33,071 --> 00:32:34,540 and writers knew no bounds, 665 00:32:34,638 --> 00:32:36,408 the editors shouldered the burden 666 00:32:36,507 --> 00:32:40,546 of shepherding creativity from concept to profit. 667 00:32:41,612 --> 00:32:45,151 - I was an editor and a freelance writer for them. 668 00:32:45,250 --> 00:32:47,653 But it was all male. 669 00:32:47,751 --> 00:32:51,590 It was difficult to be friendly with these men 670 00:32:51,689 --> 00:32:55,461 because they looked at me like, "What is she doing here?" 671 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,265 They were very, very hard on artists 672 00:32:59,363 --> 00:33:01,333 because they wanted good stories, 673 00:33:01,432 --> 00:33:03,869 they wanted good artwork, 674 00:33:03,968 --> 00:33:07,239 and they could yell 675 00:33:07,338 --> 00:33:09,608 if they weren't getting what they wanted. 676 00:33:12,343 --> 00:33:15,181 - An editor's like the general of an army. 677 00:33:15,279 --> 00:33:19,046 He lays out a plan for the army 678 00:33:19,150 --> 00:33:20,719 being victorious over the enemy. 679 00:33:20,818 --> 00:33:22,554 In my case, I had to lay out a plan 680 00:33:22,653 --> 00:33:25,891 for me being victorious over the public out there. 681 00:33:25,989 --> 00:33:30,429 I had to get them to spend 10 cents to buy that magazine. 682 00:33:30,528 --> 00:33:32,164 narrator: Desperate for success, 683 00:33:32,263 --> 00:33:34,200 Julius Schwartz decided to revitalize 684 00:33:34,299 --> 00:33:37,503 a long-forgotten superhero, the Flash, 685 00:33:37,601 --> 00:33:40,639 a character who moved at lightning speed. 686 00:33:40,739 --> 00:33:44,376 ♪ ♪ 687 00:33:47,178 --> 00:33:48,580 - My name is Barry Allen. 688 00:33:48,679 --> 00:33:51,117 I am the fastest man alive. 689 00:33:51,216 --> 00:33:52,318 [exhales] 690 00:33:52,417 --> 00:33:55,321 [electric crackling] - Whoa! 691 00:33:55,420 --> 00:33:58,657 [heroic music] 692 00:33:58,757 --> 00:34:05,764 ♪ ♪ 693 00:34:09,166 --> 00:34:12,471 - Julie said, "We're gonna be doing superheroes again." 694 00:34:12,570 --> 00:34:14,273 I'm like, "Oh, my God." 695 00:34:14,372 --> 00:34:16,442 And I wasn't thrilled about the idea. 696 00:34:16,541 --> 00:34:17,709 I didn't like the superheroes. 697 00:34:17,808 --> 00:34:19,106 That was a hell of a thing to admit, 698 00:34:19,210 --> 00:34:21,013 but I didn't like doing them. 699 00:34:21,112 --> 00:34:22,481 I don't know. 700 00:34:22,579 --> 00:34:25,817 They were a little flamboyant for me, you know? 701 00:34:25,916 --> 00:34:27,519 narrator: Despite his resistance, 702 00:34:27,618 --> 00:34:29,921 Carmine Infantino's sleek artwork 703 00:34:30,021 --> 00:34:31,357 and sense of scale clicked 704 00:34:31,455 --> 00:34:33,159 with the science fiction approach. 705 00:34:33,252 --> 00:34:35,995 It proved irresistible to a generation 706 00:34:36,094 --> 00:34:37,964 raised on chemistry sets. 707 00:34:38,061 --> 00:34:41,433 - Julie brought a science angle to these characters 708 00:34:41,527 --> 00:34:44,536 in what was, you know, the Jet Age, the Space Age. 709 00:34:44,635 --> 00:34:47,573 He tapped into the kids who wanted 710 00:34:47,671 --> 00:34:50,943 to be astronauts, the kids who wanted to be scientists. 711 00:34:51,041 --> 00:34:55,181 - "The Flash" and "Flash Facts" were because of Julie Schwartz 712 00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:56,815 and him caring about 713 00:34:56,914 --> 00:34:58,884 the science part of science fiction. 714 00:34:58,983 --> 00:35:00,719 It worked for me. 715 00:35:00,818 --> 00:35:03,889 I would rather learn my science from a comic book 716 00:35:03,988 --> 00:35:06,125 than from going to school. 717 00:35:06,223 --> 00:35:08,627 [dramatic music] 718 00:35:08,726 --> 00:35:10,529 narrator: The Flash's alter ego, 719 00:35:10,628 --> 00:35:14,400 police scientist Barry Allen, was more down-to-earth, 720 00:35:14,499 --> 00:35:18,104 unlike the mythic stature of DC's Trinity. 721 00:35:18,202 --> 00:35:19,438 - Superman was Superman. 722 00:35:19,537 --> 00:35:20,839 He was an alien from another planet. 723 00:35:20,938 --> 00:35:22,741 You couldn't be Superman. 724 00:35:22,839 --> 00:35:25,711 Batman had stuff, but he was a really rich guy, 725 00:35:25,805 --> 00:35:27,174 you know, who had stuff. 726 00:35:27,273 --> 00:35:28,780 But the Flash was sort of like us, you know? 727 00:35:28,879 --> 00:35:30,582 He was just an average guy who just happened 728 00:35:30,681 --> 00:35:32,784 to get struck by lightning, and I remember 729 00:35:32,883 --> 00:35:34,253 thinking as a little kid, like, 730 00:35:34,351 --> 00:35:35,321 "I could get struck by lightning. 731 00:35:35,419 --> 00:35:36,822 "That could happen. 732 00:35:36,921 --> 00:35:39,858 I could actually become a superhero that way." 733 00:35:39,957 --> 00:35:41,693 - When I read "The Flash," it wasn't just about 734 00:35:41,792 --> 00:35:45,564 a guy ran fast, it was about a man who could travel 735 00:35:45,663 --> 00:35:48,534 through time and go through different dimensions 736 00:35:48,633 --> 00:35:50,197 and parallel worlds. 737 00:35:50,301 --> 00:35:54,773 So the Flash's canvas was, like, all of space and time. 738 00:35:57,842 --> 00:36:01,880 narrator: 1961 marked a big bang of creativity. 739 00:36:01,978 --> 00:36:04,783 Julius Schwartz introduced a groundbreaking idea 740 00:36:04,882 --> 00:36:09,721 to comics--the existence of parallel worlds. 741 00:36:09,820 --> 00:36:11,590 The theory allowed different versions 742 00:36:11,688 --> 00:36:14,560 of the same characters to meet one another. 743 00:36:14,658 --> 00:36:17,529 From that concept grew a multiverse 744 00:36:17,628 --> 00:36:21,567 that defined superhero stories for years to come. 745 00:36:23,033 --> 00:36:25,304 - Now everybody talks about parallel universes. 746 00:36:25,403 --> 00:36:27,106 Not a lot of people were talking about that. 747 00:36:27,204 --> 00:36:30,309 And certainly for a kid coming across concepts like that, 748 00:36:30,408 --> 00:36:32,011 that was incredible. 749 00:36:32,109 --> 00:36:34,580 It was like someone stuck a stick of dynamite in your ear 750 00:36:34,678 --> 00:36:36,148 and lit it and blew up your head. 751 00:36:36,247 --> 00:36:38,350 [inquisitive music] 752 00:36:38,449 --> 00:36:40,953 - It's this idea that we're not alone. 753 00:36:41,047 --> 00:36:42,354 Yes, we live in this reality, 754 00:36:42,453 --> 00:36:44,923 but there are infinite multiple realities 755 00:36:45,022 --> 00:36:48,294 that basically sit side-by-side one another. 756 00:36:48,393 --> 00:36:49,928 And in those alternate realities, 757 00:36:50,027 --> 00:36:52,164 we have our iconic versions of our characters, 758 00:36:52,263 --> 00:36:54,400 but on other Earths, they might be villains 759 00:36:54,498 --> 00:36:57,036 or they might be married with kids. 760 00:36:57,134 --> 00:36:59,705 It really expands our ability to tell different kinds 761 00:36:59,803 --> 00:37:02,975 of stories but still keep our core nucleus 762 00:37:03,074 --> 00:37:04,443 of iconic characters. 763 00:37:07,645 --> 00:37:09,448 narrator: DC plunged into a catalogue 764 00:37:09,547 --> 00:37:11,117 of unused characters 765 00:37:11,214 --> 00:37:14,320 in what became a rapid procession of reinvention. 766 00:37:14,419 --> 00:37:18,657 This renaissance marked a silver age for the industry, 767 00:37:18,756 --> 00:37:21,527 an era defined by mind-bending artwork 768 00:37:21,626 --> 00:37:23,829 and eye-catching covers. 769 00:37:23,927 --> 00:37:26,832 Many were crafted by artist Joe Kubert, 770 00:37:26,931 --> 00:37:29,068 a Polish immigrant who pushed the envelope 771 00:37:29,167 --> 00:37:32,038 of visual storytelling. 772 00:37:32,135 --> 00:37:35,074 - Storytelling sounds very easy to do, but let me tell you, 773 00:37:35,173 --> 00:37:37,509 it is really hard. [laughs] 774 00:37:37,608 --> 00:37:39,745 It's really, really difficult. 775 00:37:39,843 --> 00:37:41,513 My father could draw with a stick, 776 00:37:41,612 --> 00:37:43,649 and you could still tell what was going on. 777 00:37:43,747 --> 00:37:46,485 He was the type of person, when you're growing up, 778 00:37:46,584 --> 00:37:48,187 that wouldn't put up with a lot of stuff. 779 00:37:48,286 --> 00:37:52,992 You know, he was kinda like growing up with Sgt. Rock. 780 00:37:53,091 --> 00:37:58,130 ♪ ♪ 781 00:37:58,229 --> 00:38:00,666 narrator: Joe Kubert's dirty, scratchy artwork 782 00:38:00,764 --> 00:38:04,003 brought vitality and emotion to DC war comics, 783 00:38:04,100 --> 00:38:07,106 a genre for those that preferred grounded reality 784 00:38:07,205 --> 00:38:09,075 over superhero fantasy. 785 00:38:09,173 --> 00:38:11,910 Set against the backdrops of the World Wars, 786 00:38:12,008 --> 00:38:15,514 their popularity grew with the introduction of Sergeant Rock, 787 00:38:15,613 --> 00:38:17,883 a stoic John Wayne figure that represented 788 00:38:17,981 --> 00:38:21,487 the moral side of war and the internal conflict 789 00:38:21,586 --> 00:38:23,755 that soldiers face. 790 00:38:25,021 --> 00:38:27,293 - Eventually, every single war comic ended with a title 791 00:38:27,391 --> 00:38:29,095 that said, "Make war no more." 792 00:38:29,193 --> 00:38:31,797 And they became not war stories about the glorification of war, 793 00:38:31,895 --> 00:38:35,634 but they became war stories about the tragedies of war. 794 00:38:35,733 --> 00:38:39,738 - My father's style was very impressionistic. 795 00:38:39,837 --> 00:38:42,241 I mean, he would get the emotions in the characters, 796 00:38:42,340 --> 00:38:47,046 their feelings, what they were emoting, down. 797 00:38:47,144 --> 00:38:51,483 - You've got to kind of feel the drawing that you're doing. 798 00:38:51,582 --> 00:38:54,420 And that's not an easy thing to do. 799 00:38:54,519 --> 00:38:56,222 And I try to invest myself completely 800 00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:59,058 and totally into the story. 801 00:38:59,157 --> 00:39:01,460 And I learned early on that that's what 802 00:39:01,558 --> 00:39:03,362 this whole business is about. 803 00:39:03,461 --> 00:39:05,597 It's not a matter of doing pretty pictures. 804 00:39:05,696 --> 00:39:08,367 It's great if you could do that. 805 00:39:08,466 --> 00:39:12,399 But the whole call for our business is telling a story. 806 00:39:12,498 --> 00:39:14,974 We're communicators. We're storytellers. 807 00:39:19,976 --> 00:39:22,214 - Comic is a medium like no other. 808 00:39:22,313 --> 00:39:25,351 There is an intimacy there that is not present 809 00:39:25,450 --> 00:39:27,753 in movies and TV or whatever. 810 00:39:27,851 --> 00:39:31,190 With comics, you get to decide the pace 811 00:39:31,289 --> 00:39:33,225 at which you absorb the story. 812 00:39:33,324 --> 00:39:36,062 There's something about the comics that allows you 813 00:39:36,161 --> 00:39:40,232 to really be an intimate part of that. 814 00:39:40,330 --> 00:39:44,170 - It could explain why fans are so ravenous, like, you know, 815 00:39:44,267 --> 00:39:47,539 and they take it so personal because it is personal to them. 816 00:39:47,638 --> 00:39:49,608 They've had a personal interaction 817 00:39:49,708 --> 00:39:51,043 with these stories. 818 00:39:51,142 --> 00:39:53,579 You can see why people love it so much. 819 00:39:53,679 --> 00:39:55,681 [upbeat music] 820 00:39:55,780 --> 00:39:57,616 narrator: In the 1950s and '60s, 821 00:39:57,709 --> 00:40:00,552 love and desire brought young girls in droves 822 00:40:00,651 --> 00:40:04,523 to a genre in full bloom: romance. 823 00:40:05,957 --> 00:40:07,626 - They were drawn beautifully, 824 00:40:07,725 --> 00:40:10,496 and the stories were relatable. 825 00:40:12,691 --> 00:40:14,800 Who hasn't gone through heartbreak? 826 00:40:14,898 --> 00:40:17,603 Who hasn't loved someone and not 827 00:40:17,701 --> 00:40:20,239 had somebody return that love? 828 00:40:22,940 --> 00:40:26,812 Tony Abruzzo, who was a wonderful artist, 829 00:40:26,911 --> 00:40:28,948 I wanted him just to work for me 830 00:40:29,046 --> 00:40:34,481 because he did such beautiful, sensitive characters. 831 00:40:35,686 --> 00:40:38,890 narrator: In 1962, DC artist Tony Abruzzo 832 00:40:38,989 --> 00:40:43,229 drew a girl drowning in issue 83 of "Secret Hearts." 833 00:40:43,327 --> 00:40:46,493 One year later, a New York City based pop artist 834 00:40:46,597 --> 00:40:49,601 named Roy Lichtenstein turned that same drawing 835 00:40:49,700 --> 00:40:52,071 into one of his most famous works. 836 00:40:53,704 --> 00:40:56,242 - I go through comic books looking for material which 837 00:40:56,340 --> 00:40:59,211 seems to hold possibilities for a painting 838 00:40:59,310 --> 00:41:02,714 both in its visual impact and in the impact 839 00:41:02,813 --> 00:41:05,351 of its written message, which I rarely make up. 840 00:41:05,450 --> 00:41:07,514 I don't think I'd be capable of making them up. 841 00:41:07,618 --> 00:41:10,356 I know that my work has been accused of looking 842 00:41:10,454 --> 00:41:13,592 like the things that I copy, and it certainly does look 843 00:41:13,691 --> 00:41:15,261 like the things that I copy. 844 00:41:15,360 --> 00:41:18,564 - "The Drowning Woman" was straight out of that book, 845 00:41:18,664 --> 00:41:20,232 "Secret Hearts." 846 00:41:20,331 --> 00:41:24,503 First you feel flattered, and then you feel used. 847 00:41:24,602 --> 00:41:28,807 Since nobody interpreted it as a stolen thing, 848 00:41:28,907 --> 00:41:30,909 it was his artwork. 849 00:41:33,043 --> 00:41:37,816 - 35 million, 36 million, with Mark still at $36 million, 850 00:41:37,916 --> 00:41:40,686 37 million, 38 million. 851 00:41:40,785 --> 00:41:42,821 At $38 million. 852 00:41:42,914 --> 00:41:45,958 - You've taken these panels that these guys have drawn, 853 00:41:46,057 --> 00:41:48,494 we're making, like, 15 bucks a page, 854 00:41:48,592 --> 00:41:52,398 and you're basically just blowing up their work. 855 00:41:52,496 --> 00:41:57,936 That was a tough nut to swallow for a lot of those artists. 856 00:41:58,035 --> 00:42:00,239 narrator: Whether highbrow or lowbrow, 857 00:42:00,337 --> 00:42:03,042 Americans chased one artistic trend after another 858 00:42:03,140 --> 00:42:05,411 with a speed greater than ever. 859 00:42:05,510 --> 00:42:10,016 ♪ ♪ 860 00:42:10,113 --> 00:42:12,184 Throughout the '60s, counterculture pushed 861 00:42:12,283 --> 00:42:14,820 pop culture to reflect the times. 862 00:42:14,918 --> 00:42:18,690 And in so doing proved DC was out of touch. 863 00:42:20,591 --> 00:42:24,896 A growing competitor tapped into that reality, Marvel. 864 00:42:24,995 --> 00:42:28,200 Editor-in-chief Stan Lee made sure his heroes 865 00:42:28,299 --> 00:42:30,069 looked current on the sales racks, 866 00:42:30,167 --> 00:42:33,439 which set the stage for a lifelong rivalry. 867 00:42:33,537 --> 00:42:36,042 - Years ago, the readers were just interested 868 00:42:36,140 --> 00:42:38,144 in regular fantasy, and our villains 869 00:42:38,243 --> 00:42:40,779 were just some mad men who wanted to rule the world. 870 00:42:40,879 --> 00:42:42,748 But today, our readers, 871 00:42:42,846 --> 00:42:44,583 they're interested in real problems, 872 00:42:44,682 --> 00:42:46,752 and we find that our villains today are the kind of people 873 00:42:46,850 --> 00:42:50,556 who might be causing race riots or fermenting trouble 874 00:42:50,655 --> 00:42:52,691 between different classes. 875 00:42:55,393 --> 00:42:58,497 - Marvel was coming into its own. 876 00:42:58,596 --> 00:43:02,068 This was a time of change. 877 00:43:02,166 --> 00:43:05,737 And their superheroes had quirks. 878 00:43:05,837 --> 00:43:07,873 And they were a little nutty. 879 00:43:07,972 --> 00:43:09,575 - They were weird. 880 00:43:09,673 --> 00:43:12,178 They weren't even particularly heroic at first. 881 00:43:12,276 --> 00:43:14,613 They fought with each other, They bickered. 882 00:43:14,712 --> 00:43:16,148 They were petty. 883 00:43:16,247 --> 00:43:18,150 You know, they caught colds. 884 00:43:18,249 --> 00:43:19,918 They were jealous of each other. 885 00:43:20,016 --> 00:43:22,754 These characters are characters that could be you. 886 00:43:22,848 --> 00:43:25,824 Marvel was very much focused on being, 887 00:43:25,923 --> 00:43:27,893 you know, the world outside your window. 888 00:43:27,986 --> 00:43:31,964 All their stories take place in New York City. 889 00:43:32,063 --> 00:43:35,901 - DC established all of the conventions 890 00:43:36,001 --> 00:43:37,536 of the superhero genre, 891 00:43:37,635 --> 00:43:39,705 and Marvel made a name for themselves 892 00:43:39,803 --> 00:43:41,740 by breaking those conventions. 893 00:43:41,839 --> 00:43:45,711 They couldn't have done that had DC not first said, 894 00:43:45,809 --> 00:43:47,046 "This is what a superhero looks like. 895 00:43:47,145 --> 00:43:49,548 This is what a superhero does." 896 00:43:49,647 --> 00:43:51,783 - DC looked at Marvel like, 897 00:43:51,882 --> 00:43:54,486 "Ah, it's a passing fad, they'll come and go." 898 00:43:54,585 --> 00:43:58,057 They would look at the comics and go, "Well, this art's bad. 899 00:43:58,154 --> 00:44:01,060 I mean, I guess that's what selling comics is--bad art." 900 00:44:03,060 --> 00:44:06,365 - I don't think DC, as a group, got it. 901 00:44:06,463 --> 00:44:08,567 I don't think they had any real understanding 902 00:44:08,666 --> 00:44:10,636 of what Marvel was doing well that they weren't doing. 903 00:44:10,734 --> 00:44:14,340 It was a company that had been the dominant player. 904 00:44:14,438 --> 00:44:16,575 But the Marvel stuff was gaining strength 905 00:44:16,674 --> 00:44:20,079 and the DC stuff was not. 906 00:44:20,178 --> 00:44:22,014 - Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman 907 00:44:22,113 --> 00:44:24,984 during this era were especially bland. 908 00:44:25,082 --> 00:44:28,254 The heroes became more like jolly authority figures, 909 00:44:28,353 --> 00:44:30,422 you know, they became paternal. 910 00:44:30,521 --> 00:44:33,259 narrator: Originally conceived as a vigilante 911 00:44:33,357 --> 00:44:36,128 that struck fear into the hearts of criminals, 912 00:44:36,227 --> 00:44:38,330 the Batman of the '50s and '60s 913 00:44:38,429 --> 00:44:42,068 played in a colorful, juvenile world of fantasy. 914 00:44:42,166 --> 00:44:44,403 Interest and sales plummeted. 915 00:44:44,501 --> 00:44:48,140 As its cancellation neared, a lifeline was cast 916 00:44:48,238 --> 00:44:52,011 when DC licensed the rights to a live-action TV show. 917 00:44:52,110 --> 00:44:53,712 ["Batman" theme playing] 918 00:44:53,812 --> 00:44:55,247 - ♪ Batman! ♪ 919 00:44:55,346 --> 00:44:56,782 ♪ ♪ 920 00:44:56,881 --> 00:44:59,451 ♪ Batman! ♪ 921 00:44:59,550 --> 00:45:01,520 - When the "Batman" TV show came on 922 00:45:01,619 --> 00:45:05,924 on that cold winter night in January of 1966, 923 00:45:06,024 --> 00:45:10,129 I was 14 1/2 years old. 924 00:45:10,228 --> 00:45:13,265 I was an ardent comic book fan. 925 00:45:13,364 --> 00:45:16,763 Nobody was more excited about the "Batman" show 926 00:45:16,868 --> 00:45:18,437 coming on TV than I was. 927 00:45:18,535 --> 00:45:20,906 - ♪ Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, na ♪ 928 00:45:21,005 --> 00:45:22,541 ♪ Batman! ♪ 929 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:26,045 - Remember, Robin, always look both ways. 930 00:45:26,137 --> 00:45:29,215 - There was nothing that creative on television, 931 00:45:29,313 --> 00:45:31,817 and that show showed up fully blown. 932 00:45:31,915 --> 00:45:35,221 It had its look figured out. It had its tone figured out. 933 00:45:35,319 --> 00:45:38,624 The acting was exactly what that show was supposed to be. 934 00:45:38,723 --> 00:45:41,860 - Push yourself away, Robin. 935 00:45:41,959 --> 00:45:43,429 - I took that as a very serious show. 936 00:45:43,527 --> 00:45:45,031 I didn't realize it was funny at all. 937 00:45:45,130 --> 00:45:47,066 There was no comedy in it for me, I thought. 938 00:45:47,165 --> 00:45:48,667 And so it was a great introduction 939 00:45:48,766 --> 00:45:50,202 into the world of Batman. 940 00:45:50,301 --> 00:45:52,438 - Holy human pearls, Batman. 941 00:45:52,536 --> 00:45:55,007 - Correction, Robin-- pearls come from oysters. 942 00:45:55,106 --> 00:45:57,909 You came out of that clam. 943 00:45:58,009 --> 00:46:01,680 - About 20 minutes in, it hits me. 944 00:46:01,779 --> 00:46:03,382 Pow. 945 00:46:03,481 --> 00:46:05,551 Zap. 946 00:46:05,651 --> 00:46:08,520 Whamm. 947 00:46:08,620 --> 00:46:09,721 Oh, my God. 948 00:46:09,821 --> 00:46:12,391 This is a comedy. 949 00:46:12,490 --> 00:46:16,028 They are making a joke out of Batman. 950 00:46:16,127 --> 00:46:19,966 The whole world is laughing at Batman. 951 00:46:20,064 --> 00:46:22,701 And that killed me. 952 00:46:22,801 --> 00:46:25,604 [funky music] 953 00:46:25,702 --> 00:46:28,274 - William Dozier, you know, who's the executive producer 954 00:46:28,373 --> 00:46:31,077 of "Batman," had never read a "Batman" comic 955 00:46:31,175 --> 00:46:32,578 when he got that job. 956 00:46:32,677 --> 00:46:34,280 [uplifting music] 957 00:46:34,378 --> 00:46:36,843 - Well, the fairly obvious idea 958 00:46:36,948 --> 00:46:39,918 was to make it so square 959 00:46:40,018 --> 00:46:42,588 and so serious and so cliché-ridden 960 00:46:42,687 --> 00:46:47,960 and so overdone and yet do it with a certain elegance 961 00:46:48,059 --> 00:46:50,929 and style that it would be funny, 962 00:46:51,022 --> 00:46:53,632 that it would be so corny and so bad 963 00:46:53,732 --> 00:46:55,501 that it would be funny. 964 00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:57,903 - Holy jack in the box! 965 00:46:59,603 --> 00:47:01,207 - For a lot of folks, the bright, happy, 966 00:47:01,305 --> 00:47:03,309 TV Batman was a distraction, 967 00:47:03,408 --> 00:47:05,277 and that's a good distraction. 968 00:47:05,376 --> 00:47:07,279 We all need distractions at some times 969 00:47:07,378 --> 00:47:10,216 from what's going on outside in the real world. 970 00:47:11,983 --> 00:47:13,419 [funky music] 971 00:47:13,518 --> 00:47:16,455 - Here was this completely ludicrous show, 972 00:47:16,554 --> 00:47:20,960 they made it colorful, they made it larger than life, 973 00:47:21,059 --> 00:47:23,295 and they made it a little bit subversive. 974 00:47:23,394 --> 00:47:25,397 - The flower children think we're cool, man. 975 00:47:25,496 --> 00:47:26,932 Like, we turn them on, you know? 976 00:47:27,031 --> 00:47:28,100 - Although it may not be understood 977 00:47:28,199 --> 00:47:30,369 by more literal minds, 978 00:47:30,468 --> 00:47:32,538 in their own way, they're doing what they can 979 00:47:32,636 --> 00:47:37,443 to correct the world's woes with love and flowers. 980 00:47:37,541 --> 00:47:39,278 narrator: While the high adventure and Bat-Gadgets 981 00:47:39,377 --> 00:47:42,381 appealed to kids, adults got their kicks 982 00:47:42,480 --> 00:47:44,716 from the humor and sexual innuendo. 983 00:47:44,816 --> 00:47:46,018 - Would you like to come in 984 00:47:46,117 --> 00:47:48,220 for a glass of milk and cookies? 985 00:47:48,319 --> 00:47:51,991 - Man cannot live by crimefighting alone. 986 00:47:52,090 --> 00:47:55,727 [suggestive fanfare] 987 00:47:55,827 --> 00:47:59,498 [upbeat surf rock music] 988 00:47:59,596 --> 00:48:01,800 narrator: Even though "Batman" caused a flurry 989 00:48:01,900 --> 00:48:03,602 of short-lived excitement, 990 00:48:03,701 --> 00:48:06,338 the TV show became a parody of itself, 991 00:48:06,437 --> 00:48:08,674 and viewers tuned out. 992 00:48:08,773 --> 00:48:11,077 The network cancelled the pun-filled madness 993 00:48:11,176 --> 00:48:13,479 after only three seasons. 994 00:48:13,577 --> 00:48:16,648 No one recognized the show's true creative discovery 995 00:48:16,747 --> 00:48:20,352 until decades later-- that each rendition of Batman 996 00:48:20,451 --> 00:48:23,022 could have a different tone. 997 00:48:23,121 --> 00:48:24,390 - If you look at Batman, 998 00:48:24,488 --> 00:48:26,158 the Batman that was created in 1966 999 00:48:26,257 --> 00:48:29,361 is not the same Batman that exists today. 1000 00:48:29,460 --> 00:48:32,999 There were always moments where the creatives 1001 00:48:33,098 --> 00:48:35,601 wanted to do something different. 1002 00:48:35,695 --> 00:48:38,604 [soft dramatic music] 1003 00:48:38,703 --> 00:48:45,711 ♪ ♪ 1004 00:48:47,578 --> 00:48:50,282 - Yeah. Look at that. That is great. 1005 00:48:50,381 --> 00:48:52,418 I wanted to do a story where 1006 00:48:52,516 --> 00:48:54,553 the character Batman had an arc. 1007 00:48:54,652 --> 00:48:56,588 I wanted to do an imperfect Batman. 1008 00:48:56,688 --> 00:48:59,358 [indistinct chatter] 1009 00:48:59,457 --> 00:49:03,362 And I wanted to set him into a mode 1010 00:49:03,461 --> 00:49:05,231 that hadn't been quite done, 1011 00:49:05,330 --> 00:49:07,733 which was to lean hard into the noir side 1012 00:49:07,831 --> 00:49:10,536 of the story and make him the world's greatest detective. 1013 00:49:12,869 --> 00:49:14,873 The first days of shooting, they were really 1014 00:49:14,972 --> 00:49:18,144 about figuring out how Batman sounded, 1015 00:49:18,243 --> 00:49:20,446 how the other characters related to him. 1016 00:49:23,014 --> 00:49:25,251 - Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 1017 00:49:25,349 --> 00:49:27,053 Police section. 1018 00:49:27,152 --> 00:49:30,656 - How does a masked man with a cape 1019 00:49:30,756 --> 00:49:32,124 walk into a crime scene, 1020 00:49:32,223 --> 00:49:35,361 and how do you make that feel real? 1021 00:49:35,459 --> 00:49:38,064 And shooting this scene was really, really challenging 1022 00:49:38,161 --> 00:49:42,934 and, ultimately, sort of set the tone of the whole movie. 1023 00:49:43,034 --> 00:49:46,638 [dark dramatic music] 1024 00:49:46,738 --> 00:49:48,035 - Don't make me hurt you. 1025 00:49:48,139 --> 00:49:50,309 - You better watch it. [laughs] 1026 00:49:50,408 --> 00:49:52,644 You know my reputation. 1027 00:49:54,245 --> 00:49:55,781 - There's certain things you get 1028 00:49:55,881 --> 00:49:57,583 to do on a Batman movie. 1029 00:49:57,682 --> 00:49:59,251 You kind of have to pinch yourself 'cause you're, like, 1030 00:49:59,350 --> 00:50:00,953 going, "Oh, well, we're gonna need our version 1031 00:50:01,052 --> 00:50:02,488 of the Batmobile." 1032 00:50:04,021 --> 00:50:07,793 As a kid, I loved "Batman" '66. I loved Adam West. 1033 00:50:07,892 --> 00:50:10,629 And that Futura Batmobile, that concept car, 1034 00:50:10,728 --> 00:50:12,531 I thought that was the coolest car ever 1035 00:50:12,630 --> 00:50:14,700 with the fire that came out of the back. 1036 00:50:14,798 --> 00:50:19,371 And I knew what I wanted to do was a muscle car. 1037 00:50:19,470 --> 00:50:21,807 I wanted you to feel it was totally real. 1038 00:50:21,906 --> 00:50:26,712 ♪ ♪ 1039 00:50:26,810 --> 00:50:29,815 - The strength of this film is that it delivers 1040 00:50:29,914 --> 00:50:31,550 in all of these big moments, 1041 00:50:31,649 --> 00:50:33,953 but it really all feels grounded. 1042 00:50:34,051 --> 00:50:36,822 He's really dedicated to it feeling real 1043 00:50:36,921 --> 00:50:39,658 and being motivated by emotion. 1044 00:50:41,459 --> 00:50:43,562 - The story is a very psychological one. 1045 00:50:43,661 --> 00:50:45,131 He's basically coping with things 1046 00:50:45,229 --> 00:50:46,832 that happened to him as a child. 1047 00:50:46,931 --> 00:50:50,369 And he's driven to try and make sense of his life. 1048 00:50:50,467 --> 00:50:52,171 And for me, that's what moviemaking is, right? 1049 00:50:52,269 --> 00:50:54,840 You go and you try to tell stories because, in doing so, 1050 00:50:54,938 --> 00:50:59,211 you're kind of making order and sense of the world. 1051 00:50:59,310 --> 00:51:06,518 ♪ ♪ 1052 00:51:12,156 --> 00:51:15,527 narrator: The America of 1968 fell into turmoil. 1053 00:51:15,626 --> 00:51:18,297 In a society plagued by the Vietnam War, 1054 00:51:18,390 --> 00:51:21,968 civil rights unrest and social injustice, 1055 00:51:22,065 --> 00:51:23,869 the DC characters seemed tone-deaf. 1056 00:51:23,968 --> 00:51:26,438 They faced their own real danger: 1057 00:51:26,537 --> 00:51:28,107 becoming a relic. 1058 00:51:28,206 --> 00:51:29,875 [apprehensive music] 1059 00:51:29,973 --> 00:51:32,511 - The money is being made from licensing, 1060 00:51:32,610 --> 00:51:35,381 the money is being made off toys. 1061 00:51:35,479 --> 00:51:36,782 The money is not in the comics. 1062 00:51:36,881 --> 00:51:40,686 It's a loss leader for the merchandising. 1063 00:51:40,784 --> 00:51:44,190 narrator: DC cashed in $75 million worth 1064 00:51:44,289 --> 00:51:45,757 of Batmania merchandising, 1065 00:51:45,856 --> 00:51:47,593 a whopping amount for the time, 1066 00:51:47,692 --> 00:51:50,157 and a number that business savvy president 1067 00:51:50,261 --> 00:51:52,364 Jack Liebowitz seized upon. 1068 00:51:53,964 --> 00:51:57,003 In 1969, a corporate takeover targeted DC 1069 00:51:57,100 --> 00:52:01,240 for its licensing potential, not its comics. 1070 00:52:02,707 --> 00:52:06,312 - It was a whole other ballgame that was coming, 1071 00:52:06,410 --> 00:52:08,347 and people were afraid, they really were. 1072 00:52:08,445 --> 00:52:10,177 They didn't know what their jobs were going 1073 00:52:10,281 --> 00:52:13,953 to be as a result of that. 1074 00:52:14,051 --> 00:52:16,822 narrator: Liebowitz forced out a number of DC legends, 1075 00:52:16,921 --> 00:52:19,491 including Batman co-creator Bill Finger, 1076 00:52:19,590 --> 00:52:23,190 who died destitute in 1974. 1077 00:52:23,294 --> 00:52:24,696 Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster 1078 00:52:24,795 --> 00:52:27,633 no longer worked at the company. 1079 00:52:27,732 --> 00:52:30,369 Several acrimonious lawsuits over rights and credit 1080 00:52:30,468 --> 00:52:32,938 for Superman soured the relationship. 1081 00:52:33,036 --> 00:52:35,407 The family atmosphere surrendered 1082 00:52:35,506 --> 00:52:36,976 to corporate structure. 1083 00:52:37,074 --> 00:52:39,645 The power once held by the superheroes 1084 00:52:39,743 --> 00:52:42,348 shifted to the new executives in charge, 1085 00:52:42,446 --> 00:52:44,883 Warner Communications. 1086 00:52:44,982 --> 00:52:50,322 - The reason they bought DC Comics was very simple: 1087 00:52:50,421 --> 00:52:52,624 they wanted the rights to Superman. 1088 00:52:52,723 --> 00:52:55,995 They felt that was the only comic book character 1089 00:52:56,094 --> 00:52:59,565 capable of sustaining a blockbuster movie 1090 00:52:59,663 --> 00:53:03,302 and the merchandising that would go along with it. 1091 00:53:03,401 --> 00:53:06,872 Only if you look at it through the lens of the times 1092 00:53:06,971 --> 00:53:08,975 can anything possibly make sense. 1093 00:53:09,072 --> 00:53:12,178 Nobody understood the value of these characters 1094 00:53:12,276 --> 00:53:14,613 or thought they had any worth. 1095 00:53:14,712 --> 00:53:16,715 They looked down their nose at the creators, 1096 00:53:16,814 --> 00:53:22,288 generally speaking, and saw no value, saw no value. 1097 00:53:23,582 --> 00:53:26,158 narrator: The days of DC Comics were numbered, 1098 00:53:26,256 --> 00:53:29,895 and the fate of its universe hung in the balance. 1099 00:53:29,993 --> 00:53:32,731 If America could land a man on the moon, 1100 00:53:32,830 --> 00:53:37,736 how hard could it be to make superheroes relevant again? 1101 00:53:37,835 --> 00:53:40,006 This looked like a job for... 1102 00:53:42,307 --> 00:53:43,609 Fans. 1103 00:53:49,848 --> 00:53:52,751 [dramatic music] 1104 00:53:52,851 --> 00:53:59,858 ♪ ♪