Adam West may have worn the batsuit 23 years before Michael Keaton’s turn as the Caped Crusader, but Tim Burton’s 1989 movie “Batman” was the film that launched an enduring franchise.

After the debut of the blockbuster ’80s movie, its legacy would span decades. From then on, no matter who occupied the suit or how strong their jawline, one thing was clear: America wanted more of the Bat.

On Sunday, fans marked the 30th anniversary of the movie’s release on June 23, 1989.

It turns out “Batman” owes New Jersey a debt of gratitude. Some point to evidence of Gotham City being in New Jersey. We also shouldn’t forget that the co-star of the film, Jack Nicholson, who took up the mantle from Cesar Romero to play the Joker, grew up in Neptune City and Spring Lake.

Still, those aren’t the only connections the 1989 “Batman” has to the Garden State. In fact, if one particular New Jerseyan who grew up with his head stuck in comic books didn’t pursue his interest in Batman, we may never have seen the film or its successors.

And boy, do we owe a debt of gratitude to Michael Uslan and his comic book collection.

Uslan, a Jersey City native who grew up in Ocean Township immersed in the world of comic book heroes including Batman, has been an executive producer of every Batman movie since 1989.

In 1979, Uslan bought the film rights to the character from Sol Harrison, vice president of DC Comics, with partner Benjamin Melniker, a Bayonne native.

At the time, the Caped Crusader hadn’t been on the big screen since Adam West played him in the 1966 film “Batman: The Movie.”

Uslan, who grew up loving the Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, had amassed 30,000 comic books by the time he graduated from high school. As a teen, he had been dismayed by the campy character he saw on screen, the one from the “Batman” TV series starring West as the titular superhero and Burt Ward as Robin. In this telling, Batman, outfitted with his blue cape, gray tights and a series of onomatopoeic exclamations, was comedy and parody, not the Dark Knight Uslan knew from Kane’s stories.

Michael Uslan, producer of all the Batman movies since 1989, at his home office in Cedar Grove in 2011.Robert Sciarrino | The Star-Ledger

“I knew the whole world was laughing at Batman,” Uslan, now 68, told The Star-Ledger in 2011, recalling his first time seeing the “Batman” TV show in 1966. “That really killed me. This particular night, I decided somehow, some day, I would find a way to eliminate from the collective consciousness of the world three little words: ‘pow,’ ‘zap’ and ‘wham.’"

“That became my mission in life," said Uslan, who lives in Cedar Grove. “I wanted to show everybody the true Batman, the way the guy was created in 1939 as a creature of the night stalking criminals from the shadows."

Why did he prefer Batman over other superheroes? For one, Batman didn’t actually have any superpowers. Batman’s version of a superpower is his humanity, said Uslan, who got to live out his childhood dream by writing Batman stories for DC Comics.

However, before Warner Bros. picked up the film, studios turned down Uslan’s pitches for a Batman movie. If they did express interest, it was for a revival of ’60s Batman, and he was surely not having any of that.

In a now-familiar commotion that follows the selection of every actor chosen to play Batman — including Ben Affleck, aka “Batfleck" and, most recently, Robert Pattinson, aka “Battinson” — Michael Keaton was originally panned by many as the man chosen to fill the batsuit. They doubted his ability to pull off a more serious approach to the character, given his roles in comedies like “Mr. Mom” (1983) and Burton’s “Beetlejuice” (1988).

Ultimately, Burton and Keaton’s take on “Batman” emerged as the No. 1 film of 1989, besting “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Lethal Weapon 2," “Look Who’s Talking," “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and “Back to the Future II” to bring in more than $251 million at the U.S. box office.

Uslan detailed the history of his Batman passion in the 2011 memoir “The Boy Who Loved Batman." He has served as an executive producer on a long list of Batman-related movies including 1992 sequel “Batman Returns,” “Batman Forever,” “Batman & Robin,” “Catwoman,” “The Dark Knight” franchise (which was partially filmed in Newark), “Batman v. Superman," “Justice “League,” “The Lego Batman Movie” and the “Joker” movie due out on October 4. That film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, was filmed locally, in Newark and Jersey City, where streets were transported to 1980s Gotham.

On Twitter Sunday, fans marked their appreciation for Burton, Keaton and the first of Uslan’s “Batman” films using the hashtags #Batman1989 and #Batman89.

30 yrs ago tonight I was working at @dominos. It was slow so the Boss sent a few of us home. I met up with @TellEmSteveDave and @BaronVnFlanagan at the Middletown movies and we saw Burton’s #Batman1989 on opening night - thus shaping my character and my career. Happy B-Day, Bats! pic.twitter.com/zaqqM3yUUs — KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) June 23, 2019

Highlands’ own Kevin Smith, director of the forthcoming “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" and owner of Red Bank comic book shop “Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash,” was among those who shared their memories of the film. Smith said Burton’s movie helped launch his interest in writing and directing.

“30 yrs ago tonight I was working at @dominos,” tweeted Smith, 48. “It was slow so the Boss sent a few of us home. I met up with @TellEmSteveDave and @BaronVnFlanagan at the Middletown movies and we saw Burton’s #Batman1989 on opening night - thus shaping my character and my career. Happy B-Day, Bats!”

Here are some other fan remembrances of the film that started the Batman franchise and demonstrated the potential of the ubiquitous superhero movies that we see today.

Michael Keaton will always be my cinematic Batman. He perfectly embodied the dark tortured vigilante that Batman is. Thank you Michael for being an awesome Batman. #Batman89 #Batman80 pic.twitter.com/nKjRY7UcXX — Adam Stabelli (@AdamofGotham) June 23, 2019

Happy 30th to #Batman89, which is still one of my favorite if not my VERY favorite superhero film. They just don't make 'em like this anymore - scary, funny, lavishly designed, and full of insane practical effects. pic.twitter.com/xF9B1CmKsw — I Coleman (@LastSpaceMarine) June 23, 2019

Happy 30th #Batman89. Batman, Prince. I was 11. Huge influence on me. pic.twitter.com/Qk4503TZbc — Andrew Stanger (@astanger) June 23, 2019

This has always made me laugh. #Batman89 pic.twitter.com/hMFWOCt6HQ — Matt the Radar Technician (@MisaDarthJarJar) June 23, 2019

30 years ago today, the best Batman movie ever came out. Happy birthday to this iconic movie, and an even more iconic album, featuring the always talented #prince. #batman1989 #happybirthday pic.twitter.com/chKEyJRzpA — King Wumpy🏳️‍🌈 (@WumpusGrumpus) June 23, 2019

30 years ago today my favourite film came out.



Still have all my odds and sods from when I was 10.#Batman1989 #Batman30 #Batman89 pic.twitter.com/mg3Dd78I5o — Anthony Roberts (@RobertsWBA23) June 23, 2019

30 years ago today I became a Comic Book fan! Happy Bday #Batman1989! #Batman @DCComics pic.twitter.com/SuoJLr4jDD — Geek Freaks Podcast (@geekfreakspod) June 23, 2019

This was the peak of my coolness. It was all downhill after this. Happy 30th #Batman1989. #Batman @MichaelKeaton pic.twitter.com/cYj2REaQWy — DJ Clulow (@djclulow) June 23, 2019

#Batman the movie is 30 years old. I was 16 years old when this was taken! #Batman30 #Batman1989 pic.twitter.com/Qoxw14iVSC — Nadroj Knarf (@CompanyManComic) June 23, 2019

In the spring of 89, I bought the first Batman shirt I saw. I’ll never forget some kids at school asking me if it was some kind of giant mouth!

30 years ago today, #Batman1989 blew my mind and showed the world why the Dark Knight is so cool. This film is etched in my DNA pic.twitter.com/LebpMzeoGq — Merrill Hagan (@MerrillHagan) June 23, 2019

30 YEARS!!! Summer ‘89 was a life-changing movie summer, and this was the event to end all events. Pretty much everything great in my life can be traced to the decisions this movie inspired me to make. So take 2 hours today to broaden your minds... #Batman1989 pic.twitter.com/b4gTpNbfEw — Kevin Knife (@KevinBurke20) June 23, 2019

Happy 30th Birthday to #Batman1989



Growing up, this was the film that made me fall in love with the character. My high-bar for Batman is was Burton films/BTAS - in terms of design, depiction etc. pic.twitter.com/TDmrrvbq5O — Charlie Ashby (@CMWAshby) June 23, 2019

Happy 30th to #Batman1989 my young teen mind was completely transported opening day at the theater. It still stands as a classic today. #MichaelKeaton forever! pic.twitter.com/nEIR5PoKjz — Gengadraws (@gengadraws) June 23, 2019

Happy 30th Anniversary to #Batman1989 where my love of #Batman began! One of my favorite memories with my Dad was when he took me to a bunch of gas stations to buy as many of the movie cards as we could find so I could have a complete set. It was a great day! @DCBatman pic.twitter.com/PmTGaWNqOO — Matt Westphalen (@Matt_Westphalen) June 23, 2019

Here's to 30 years of dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight. #Batman1989 pic.twitter.com/3wewpem2Ga — Trey Lawson (@T_Lawson) June 23, 2019

For those too young to remember (or who didn't exist), it's hard to explain just how intense the hype was for Batman. I'd say only Phantom Menace has equaled or surpassed it in my lifetime. You'd see something like this ad in Times Square and be entranced. Batman was everywhere. pic.twitter.com/c52de7sCy8 — Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) June 23, 2019

#Batman1989 is 30.



I was 3 when I got a glimpse of this film while traveling through Prague with my family.



Then, I wore out the VHS recording from a 1992 CBS broadcast.



Now, I've got the 4K restoration and a remaster of Danny Elfman's powerful score. I love this film! pic.twitter.com/WRAPWm1w6j — Adam Hlavac (@adamhlavac) June 23, 2019

I remember seeing this movie in the theater. I was just about 7 years old. Tell me, have you ever dance with the devil by the pale moonlight? #Batman1989 #Batman89 #Batman30 https://t.co/6M8wBIq0R2 — Jordan (@LegitimateGeek) June 23, 2019

Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

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