Batman was created by Bob Kane in 1939. In honor of Batman’s 85th anniversary this year, presenter Daniel Boone explores how Batman came to be. With the overwhelming commercial success of Superman, Kane wanted to create his own comic book hero to capitalize on that success. While Superman's origin was noble and based upon the actual creative and artistic skill of Siegel and Shuster, Kane was more opportunistic with questionable creative and artistic abilities. Kane borrowed and stole ideas and concepts from several other artists and creators, but always presented himself as the sole creator, reaping all of the financial profit that came with that.

Daniel Boone was born in Louisville and has been a resident of Jeffersonville for the last 19 years. He is a clinical psychologist, recently retired after working for the Louisville Veterans Administration for 17 years, spending most of his career there working in a substance abuse treatment program at the New Albany outpatient clinic. He helps out with the Jeffersonville Public Arts Commission, Jeffersonville Library Foundation, and Jeffersonville Food Pantry, and is involved with the Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana. Daniel is a huge comic book fan, born at the dawn of the Silver Age (1956-1970) and exposed to Marvel and DC comics passed down from his uncles throughout the 1960s. He has his own comic-book-themed museum in his basement, filled with posters, statues, busts, and vintage comic books from the Silver and Bronze (1970-1985) ages.

Image: Adam West as Batman, 1965