Comic book writer Grant Morrison said it best: “[Every bat-suit is] completely different” – sometimes insanely different – “but they’re all instantly recognizable as [the-bat-suit].”
Unlike Superman, who has more or less been wearing the same blue and red strongman since Action Comics #1 in 1938, Batman just keeps changing his appearance every few years to keep up with the times. Basically, he’s the Madonna of superheroes.
Which is why I created this Batman infographic — to keep track of every single “significant” bat-suit across all mediums (which excludes a grand majority of the bat-suits featured in non-canonical comic books, in case you were wondering).
In part, what makes Batman such an excellent comic book/movie/television/video game/theatrical character is his unique ability to comfortably exist inside of just about every kind of story. He can fight gods. He can play superhero. He can be the world’s greatest detective or just solve petty street crimes. Whether the story is gritty, ridiculous, or brimming with science-fiction – or in the case of Grant Morrison’s work on the character, all of the above – Batman is always capable of thriving creatively.
Batman’s neverending bat-suit wardrobe is a symptom of that. He can wear just about any sort of outfit, for any sort of story or scenario, and still be the most popular superhero in existence. He’s just that good, man.