10 Untold Secrets About The Batcave
3. The Idea Of The Cave Didn’t Come From The Comics
It’s hard to think of Batman without the Batcave. The two concepts just seem to mesh together so well, but it was well into the first several years of the Dark Knight's career before he had a dedicated place to hang his cowl, and the idea did not come from the pages of his comic. The cave was actually featured for the first time in the film serial titled “Batman”, appearing in the second chapter, “The Bat’s Cave.”
After seeing the film, Batman creator Bob Kane spoke to his collaborator, long uncredited co-creator and the initial scripter of the Batman Daily Strips, Bill Finger. He showed Kane a Popular Mechanics article on underground hangers. Thus inspired, Bob added a study, workshop, lab, hanger, and garage in the Oct. 29, 1943 strip titled “The Bat Cave.”
The Batcave debuted in the comics in Detective Comics #83 in Jan. 1944. In the beginning, the underground study was little more than an alcove with a desk and some filing cabinets. As in the film, a bat symbol is carved into the wall behind the desk and the room is lit by candles. Eventually, the cave grew over the years in size and scope and became filled with the tools, equipment, and vehicles the Dark knight needed for his ongoing war on crime - not to mention a growing amount of colorful memorabilia from his successful cases.