10 Factors That Give Batman The Best Extended Comics Universe

5. The 'Bat-Family'

In the entry on Batman's association with superhero teams, we touched on the fact that despite DC's tendency to portray Batman as a loner, he actually has the largest extended 'family' in all of comics. As well as Robin in his many forms, Batman has an array of well-trained heroes in his network: Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood and Batwoman are currently part of the family, as well as the likes of The Huntress, Oracle and Azrael in years gone by. Why does Batman surround himself with these people? One must never forget that while Batman is the very pinnacle of the human being, with the keenest intellect and peak physical conditioning, he is still limited somewhat because he is 'only' human. Therefore, having so many capable allies operating in different areas is a great aid to Batman, who can't be everywhere all at once (although he sure as hell tries). The Bat-Family are all fascinating character's in their own right, and several of them appear in their own monthly titles. Nightwing's original series lasted 13 years and 154 issues, before being relaunched in The New 52 to a further 30 issues. Dick Grayson has since dropped the Nightwing identity and now his solo series, Grayson, details his adventures as an undercover secret agent in the spy outfit Spyral. Tim Drake's Robin was also the star of a series that ran for 15 years before being relaunched as Red Robin in 2009. This series ran for a further 2 years. Currently, Batgirl and Red Hood also have their own titles. These are all keen indicators that the Bat-Family is essential to the Bat-universe. Fans want to read about these characters in their own stories, not necessarily always featuring Batman, because they are all interesting in their own right. Hell, even some of Batman's villains have held their own long-running series', including Catwoman and Harley Quinn. No other hero in comics has spawned so many successful spin-off titles.