who dubbed batman the "dark knight"??

[lboinyamouf4sho]

who came up with that nickname and how long ago?? i've always thought it was the coolest nickname for a hero in comics, so cool and so fitting at the same time.

[Captain Jim]

Well, I think the original label was the "Darknight Detective." I think it goes back a long ways, certainly long before Miller. I have no idea when exactly it was first used, though.

[Calamas]

I seem to remember "The Dark Knight" being used in captions by Steve Englehart during his Detective run. It was Batman's answer to "Man of Steel" or "Scarlett Speedster."

[Gordon Smith]

The term 'Dark Knight' is listed in Michael Fleisher's reference work on Batman, but he doesn't actually cite the first usage, as far as I can tell. I'm guessing it dates back to the 1940's.

[Calamas]

That probably where Englehart found it. He researched a lot of those early issues for his run. That's where he found Hugo Strange.

[Cei-U!]

The earliest usage of the "Dark Knight" descriptor is in Detective Comics #45 (November 1940). The writer of that story was Bill Finger so he presumably coined the term.

Cei-U!
I summon the research!

[barbgrayson]

wasn't it ras al ghul

[Captain Jim]

Wasn't it Ras al Ghul what?

[Slam_Bradley]

The earliest usage of the "Dark Knight" descriptor is in Detective Comics #45 (November 1940). The writer of that story was Bill Finger so he presumably coined the term.

Cei-U!
I summon the research!

Hmmmm...I recently read that story and didn't pick up on that. Now I have to go back and look. Why must you always keep me on my toes, Kurt?

[mgs]

Wasn't it Ras al Ghul what?
jim, i think he's trying to say that it was the character, ra's who first used that name for batman, but, i could be wrong.

[lboinyamouf4sho]

The earliest usage of the "Dark Knight" descriptor is in Detective Comics #45 (November 1940). The writer of that story was Bill Finger so he presumably coined the term.

Cei-U!
I summon the research!


BRILLIANT!!!! thanx, the dark night much cooler and more appropriate than man of the steel.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

BRILLIANT!!!! thanx, the dark night much cooler and more appropriate than man of the steel.

I agree.

That term never really applied to Batman at all, and it was a bit cheap as Superman already had it.

Didn't bug me as much though as when they used to call Batman "Our Liquid Liason" and Aquaman "The Dark Knight".
I know the swap outraged some fans at the time, but you're right - it made much more sense in the long run.

[Eyeswithoutaface]

I always liked the, "Dark Knight" moniker. It makes me think of his huge collection of medieval armor which is an obvious source of inspiration.

[Gordon Smith]

Isn't the "Dark Knight" a character from medieval legend?

No. There is, however, the 'Green Knight' (*) from the Arthurian cycle, but no Dark Knight that I can recall.

(*) He appears in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

[lboinyamouf4sho]

Isn't the "Dark Knight" a character from medieval legend?


i've heard of the black knight

[Gordon Smith]

i've heard of the black knight

Perhaps you are thinking of Sir Pecard, the Black Knight of the Black Launds, or someone very similar, from the Arthurian legends.

[lboinyamouf4sho]

Perhaps you are thinking of Sir Pecard, the Black Knight of the Black Launds, or someone very similar, from the Arthurian legends.



naw, i was thinking of sir martin lawrence, WHAAAZUP!!!!

[Dizzy D]

Perhaps you are thinking of Sir Pecard, the Black Knight of the Black Launds, or someone very similar, from the Arthurian legends.

Or Prince Edward of Wales (1330-1376) who was also nicknamed the Black Knight or Black Prince.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

Didn't bug me as much though as when they used to call Batman "Our Liquid Liason" and Aquaman "The Dark Knight".


Hey funky, Liquid Liason is hilarious.*

Well, I thought so to, would've been funnier if I'd said "Land's Liquid Liason", but that would've sparked rumours that Aquaman was Superman's gay lover.

Seriously though, did Aquaman ever have a catchy phrase like Dark Knight or Man of steel?
Or a lamer one like "Scarlet Speedster"?
Sultan of the Sea perhaps?

Isn't the "Dark Knight" a character from medieval legend?

Possibly, but I reckon they travelled through time and nicked it from the 70's song "Dark Night".
What a great song - rocks like nobodies business, and makes the end shot of Dusk Till Dawn so much cooler.




*It's a dark moment on CBR when a poster resorts to this.

[RadioactiveMan]

The 'Black Knight' appeared briefly in The Once and Future King, when Lancelot kicked his a**. It turned out to be King Arthur if I remember. But I seriously doubt it was the inspiration for Batman.