Alex Biese

@ABieseAPP

For 75 years, Bruce Wayne has donned the cape and cowl and kept his beloved Gotham City safe. Through thick and thin, dark times and bright days, he has been there: He's been Batman.

Now, Wayne and Batman's lifelong publishing home, DC Comics, is commemorating 75 years of the Caped Crusader, who was introduced to readers on March 30, 1939, in "Detective Comics No. 27," with artwork by Bob Kane and a script by Bill Finger.

Since then, countless writers in the business have delivered their own distinct takes on the character, from Neil Gaiman to Alan Moore to Highlands' own Kevin Smith.

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Over the years, acclaimed artist and DC Entertainment co-publisher Jim Lee, a graduate of Princeton University, drew his version of the Dark Knight for writer Jeph Loeb in the 2002 to 2003 story arc "Hush," and for Frank Miller's "All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder" from 2005 to 2008.

Does Lee think there are elements of the character that need to stay consistent, regardless of the writer or artist telling his or her particular tale?

"Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that there are things that Batman stands for thematically and conceptually, like justice, and his incredible drive and his tenacity," said Lee. "I mean, one of the great things about that character is he's just this regular person who has been scarred for life by injustice done to him as a kid, and that's turned into this incredible ambition to be the best he can be.

"I think people are inspired by that, that if you set your mind to something, you can be the very best at something.

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"And, at the same time, I've seen so many different incarnations of the character that have worked for different media and different age groups, and I would never tell a creative team, 'Hey, you have to always do it this way,' because I think you might unnecessarily chain them to a creative concept that might not work for their telling of the story."

A Bat-career

Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1964, Lee was a child when he and his family emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri. He was first introduced to the character through the camp classic "Batman" TV series, which starred Adam West in the title role and aired from 1966 to 1968, Lee said.

"Like most kids, I think, at that time, I grew up watching the reruns in the '70s," said Lee. "I took it very seriously. The cliffhangers, 'Same Bat-channel' ... all of the phrases that they coined ... I took it all very seriously and thought it was an action-adventure TV show."

As part of the Batman anniversary celebration, Warner Bros. Entertainment recently announced that later this year, that TV series, billed as "Batman '66," would make its debut on DVD and Blu-ray after years of anticipation. West and Burt Ward, who played Robin on the show, will appear at Monster-Mania Con 28, Aug. 15 to 17 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill.

Lee said he later discovered a hardcover collection of old Batman comics in his local library and recalled checking the book out "and just losing weekends perusing this tome of all things Batman."

In 1986, while Lee was in his senior year at Princeton, Miller shook the comics world to its core with the game-changing and grim graphic novel "The Dark Knight Returns," which had a profound impact on Lee's life and career.

"I was still following comics. I still had subscriptions to my favorite comics that were being mailed to my parents' home, and I would read them when I was on break, but I kind of lost interest in comics because the story lines were extensions or continuations of the kinds stories I'd read as a little kid," he said.

"And when 'The Dark Knight Returns' came out, it was just this incredible tornado. It was so different.

"I was going to say 'breath of fresh air,' but it was a tornado of creativity in how it was packaged, the quality of the paper, the sophistication of the storyline, the hand-painted coloring and the mythical presentation of not just Batman but his Rogue's Gallery, his supporting characters, all of the members of the Justice League, including Superman.

"Also, it spoke to the era it was published in, the mid-'80s during the Reagan era, and it just had a lot of subtext and social commentary about vigilantism and the role of authority in the modern era. So, it just worked on so many levels for me. And, that actually inspired me as a an adult reader of comics to not just get back into reading them full time, but also kind of challenged me to (think), 'Hey, this is something I can do for a living.'

"So, I started drawing again, looking to find employment within the comic book business."

After graduating cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Princeton (the school, Lee is quick to point out, which Bruce Wayne is said to have attended in Christopher Nolan's 2005 film "Batman Begins"), Lee began his professional career at Marvel, working on the X-Men comics for the company. After starting his own production company, WildStorm Productions, in 1992, and co-founding Image Comics, Lee joined DC in 1998.

Lee said he still draws on his time at Princeton in both his artist and executive roles at DC.

His psychology background, he said, "gives you insight into why these characters work, beyond the incredible costumes, beyond the toys that Batman has from the Batmobile to the Batwing to the Batcave. It makes you look at the core concepts, what they represent thematically and why characters like the Joker or the Riddler work in relation to a character like Batman. You don't overthink it, but it certainly helps when you sit down and are looking for some contextual, emotional elements to drive the story forward.

"That said, it's not something that's a prerequisite for working in comics. ... I think one of the things that definitely pulls from the Princeton experience is working towards deadline, thinking critically and presenting your ideas in a clear and hopefully concise fashion.

"Those are elements that have helped me through my career in comics. So, there's not a lot of direct influence, but I actually credit the years I spent there towards this kind of duality I have between my day job and my night job that I have today."

Batman Day

Batman's 75th year already has included the launch of a new weekly DC series, "Batman Eternal," and this fall will see the release of the video game "Batman Arkham Knight" and the Fox prequel television series "Gotham."

On July 23, comic book retailers and bookstores across the country will mark Batman Day, with participating locations offering a free special-edition re-imagining of "Detective Comics No. 27" designed by Chip Kidd with a script by Brad Meltzer. DC Entertainment, according to a news release, will also provide retailers with assorted collectibles to mark the occasion, including capes and masks. The publisher, in partnership with Random House, will also present Batman Day to over 1,000 libraries across the country on July 26.

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Then, there's the latest cinematic venture for the World's Greatest Detective: On May 6, 2016, Warner Bros. Pictures is scheduled to release "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," starring Ben Affleck as Batman facing off against "Man of Steel" (2013) Superman Henry Cavill.

Under the direction of "Man of Steel" filmmaker Zack Snyder, the cast also includes East Brunswick native Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Ocean Township native Michael Uslan is on board as one of the film's executive producers.

What does Lee think of Affleck taking over the cape and cowl, most recently previously donned by Christian Bale for Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy?

"I'm excited as a fan. I thought he was great in 'Argo' (2012), and I think he's got the chin for it, which I think is a big part. If I can visualize that face behind a cowl, I think he can be a very impressive-looking Batman. So, I'm excited. He's in very capable hands in Zack Snyder. I loved 'Man of Steel,' and Zack is a great storyteller and visualist, so I think it's going to be dynamite."

ON THE WEB

For more information on Batman and the character's 75th anniversary, visit batman75.com.

BATMAN DAY

WHEN/WHERE: DC Comics will partner with comic book retailers and bookstores across the country to celebrate Batman Day on July 23 and will present Batman Day to over 1,000 libraries across the country in partnership with Random House on July 26.

MONSTER-MANIA CON 28

WHAT/WHEN/WHERE: "Batman" TV series stars Adam West and Burt Ward will appear at the convention Aug. 15 to 17 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill.