Simple answer: it's hard to make pure black work in printing, especially against dark backgrounds, so the shiny black of the cape and cowl was accented in blue and the matt black of his bodysuit was accented in grey, and the colour choices stuck.
Exactly! Merely blue highlights on black, in two-dimensional comic book art. Batman's cape & cowl was never supposed to be interpreted as blue, just as Superman's blue-highlighted hair was never supposed to be interpreted as blue.
@@kevinmacmullin6892 just like with the Hulk. he was supposed to be grey but their were issues with a grey hulk coloring at the time. . so he became green.
The yellow symbol is to actually draw enemy eyes and gunfire to his chest because it's actually the most armored part of the suit, so if he does get shot it'll minimize harm
Fun fact, real historical ninjas would use all dark blue suits because it better blends in with the starlit night sky of old Japan when running across rooftops. But with light pollution and smog, Gotham City probably has a more black night sky so black suit is more practical for modern stealth like what Batman does, but in some cases away from the city dark blue suits could still be useful. Same for a white suit when in a snowy artic environment.
I just wrote a similar comment! You got it first though so I give you credit and deleted it 😆. I also heard dark blue was the cheapest dye of the day and thus very popular. so a ninja could also disappear in a crowd.
Wow I saw the title and came here to post this exact fact but you beat me to it. However the blue light from the moon would actually make a dark blue more useful for stealth than Black Cheers mate
Norm Breyfogle for me, but yes. Batman isn't just about terrorizing socially acceptable victims for his wrath. Batman is about not letting any other child suffer what he did.
@@TheInfiniteSheldonthe jaw is super small, and the spread would make it miss. also the yellow is prolly reflective, making it brighter than the jaw in the darkness of goth ham sitting.
Interesting fact here If you wear pure black it actually looks like a moving shadow But if he wears a mix of dark grey, dark blue, and some black, but make it hard to tell where it is changing between the colors like digital camouflage but smaller, it actually fits the colors of darkness to the point where it’s easier to see pure black than that
Any dark color would work for stealth. The CW version of Green Arrow and the Netflix Daredevil are great live action examples of showing characters in dark green and red blending into shadows. My favorite version of Batman's costume is midnight blue and dark gray.
That's what it originally was, then someone back in the 1960's took too much LSD and actually colored it blue. The only person to ever see a blue bat had to be on an acid trip.
I mean this has happened in older comics originally the blue on Spider-Mans costume was black and the 2099 suit was black and everyone thought it was blue now that's a permanent part of the costume (even though the black would look better)
@@RyanGP1203_MemeLord I like that they actually made the radioactive spider blue and red in the Toby Maguire Spider-Man movie. I think the blue works with Spider-Man just fine. Batman, not so much. I mean when has anyone ever seen a blue bat? lol Also, a colorful suit just doesn't fit Batman's personality. I kinda loath the blue cape and cowl. The Zur-En-Arrh Batman suit is horrendous as well.
If I'm not mistaken, Batman wearing all black started with the 1989 Batman movie. The original 1939 comic book colors were black mask and cape with grey tights. Later came the blue and grey.
In Spider-Man, Green Goblin's suit has a purplish hint to it when it's in the light. I like the idea of whatever material Batman's cowl/cape is, it would reflect some blue in the light, while still being black.
I have always just seen the blue as representing the light hitting the black parts of the suit. Much like Spider-man 2099 who was always described as being black in the original run of comics despite being blue most of the time.
@@thomasjohnson1885 It’s literally artists misintepreting what his colors are. Batmans cape and cowl are black, but comicbook shading often makes it blue when it touches the light (not real light mind you, but in the comic story).
But blue is more realistic. The night sky isn't black. It's dark blue, and provides a dark blue hue to the world. Black is too dark. Dark blue is the perfect camouflage of his profession. Even ninjas in real life wore dark blue clothing. Because Black is too dark and noticable.
I like the dark knight returns comic reason for the yellow bat symbol. Basically it draws gun fire to his chest which is the only place he wears armour for greater speed. Which begs the question is he using Robin and his bright costume as an distraction? lol
Yes. Yes, he did. But honestly, it was to sell comics. Kid sidekicks were all the rage and making him red with a bright yellow cape and green shorts drew the reader's eye.
Blue and gray only time I liked it was on the 90's animated series R.I.P Kevin Conroy you'll always be my Batman. I always liked the black and gray with black symbol.. But when Rebirth came out and I really dig the purple on the inside of the cape now.
The reason he suit is often originally seen as grey and blue is because blue was the only available color at the time to add depth to black. Same with Spiderman's original suit, and supermans hair. It was thought so widely to be the color of his suit the just went with it same as why spiderman has a blue suit to this day. It was originally supposed to be black
I love the blue and grey look for Batman, but only if they go all the way with it with a royal blue cape and cowl, light grey suit, and bright yellow oval and utility belt. I'd rather have a fully black batsuit than a navy blue/dark grey one.
The blue was originally supposed to be the highlights of the black of the cape and cowl. It's the same way with Clark Kent/Superman's Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Bruce Wayne's hair. Jet black with a blueish highlight which emphasizes the blackness of the hair.
Because Batman is a true grandmaster-level shinobi they wear bluish colors to blend in better with the night. Which is something modern film writers keep forgetting. Or they are lazy and didn't research something essential to the character in the first place.
I love the Rebirth suit, the black belt with yellow outlines, the batsymbol with golden outlines too, and that purple inside cape really does it for me
Real-life ninjas actually wore dark blue because it made them blend into the moonlight. The idea of them wearing black comes from old Japanese stage shows.
In the field, black makes lousy camouflage. The color black rarely appears in nature, but in the city, in manmade landscapes, it's an advantage, especially at night when we see more in black and white than in color. At night when Batman is usually operating, blue would be seen as a dark shade of grey.
Bob Kane & Dennis O’Neil have both stated that the blue is canonically black. That’s why there’s comics of Batman wearing bright blue on the page but the dialogue describing it as black.
🎵 Grey and blue, Grey & Blue. The man from Gotham, wore the Grey & Blue.🎵 🎶 He fought the vilest of villans to numerous to list. Rendering his verdict with bat wing covered fist.🎶 🎵 descending from the night sky, his Sapphire cape would flow. Those who broke the law deserved the punches he would thrown.🎶 Batfleck bat suit from both BVS and JL, JL: Snyder cut.
I always thought the blue was a stylistic choice to light a black cape+cowl. I guess sometimes the blue is a little too overpowering for that to be true, but its just always how I saw it
Ninja’s supposedly wore blue outfits, and not black as we normally think they would, because moonlight is a blue light, so therefore a blue suit blends in better when outdoors than a black one. However, that probably wouldn’t apply to Batman operating in a modern city, where most of the nighttime lights are electric lights that cast harsh, bright lights and produce dark, black shadows. Overall I do have a strong affinity for the blue and gray. It cuts a striking look. But also pretty much anything he wore in the Arkham games is overall my favorite Batman costume I’ve seen yet.
The real reason is, in comics and cartoons, blue is the highlight for black. Like yellow is the highlight for red, orange or green. Batman's earliest illustrators shaded his costume's black parts with black ink and left some parts unshaded to be colored with blue by the colorist. Later Batman artists became lazy (or probably due to deadlines) with the black ink shading that Batman was left with an all-blue cape, cowl, boots, trunks and gloves. It was editor Julius Schwartz that introduced in the 60's the yellow oval around the chest symbol. He just wanted changes to remember him by due to his impending retirement.
Blue is also a color that, according to color theory and the effects of different hues on the human brain, a deep, cobalt blue elicits a sense of calm power.
A lot of his appearance does uses symbolism. iirc the rebirth bat symbol is meant to invoke hope. My ideal classic style batsuit would be a black or navy blue cape and cowl with medium sized ears and caped shoulder spikes, a gray suit base that looks like spandex but conceals armor, and either a scary-looking black bat symbol or a Batman-returns style yellow circle bat symbol. For the belt, a bronzed look is best.
Neat fact: Batman was depicted as "blue" and grey in older comics of Batman because the sky and background were often black, so without white outlines you wouldn't be able to see the character and shade them. So they decided to use the color Blue to represent the black on his suit while the real blacks are used for shadows and details. Later Batman films would ignore this detail and just found his suit kinda cool when it's blue and more light hearted. Bonus fact, Batman before the blue was Black and Grey. He also worked during the day more rather than strictly night so they didn't have the black on black issue.
I've never understood why everyone moans about the yellow oval symbol, yet never complains about the BIG YELLOW BELT. Sometimes it's toned down to baige or gold/bronze, but it's still always brighter than the rest of the suit. At least the yellow oval still has a black bat in the centre. And yes, I know the belt's colour is to provide contrast between the torso and trunks, but is that really necessary? Look at Magneto's classic outfit - his belt and trunks were the same colour. For the record, my preferred batsuit is black and grey, with classic oval logo and capsuled utility belt. Long ears, too. So essentially the Neal Adams look, but the blue replaced with black.
Batman has a myriad of suits for specific types of situations and missions. Personally, I grew up with the blue and gray suit in the 80s and 90s. But I do love all of his costumes!
Pretty sure it’s just artistic tradition for how Batman has most often been portrayed in the comic book medium through most of his history, not some cue to portray hope or to look like a cop or to not be too stealthy in Gotham.
I grew up on the blue and gray. It’s just so cool. My favorite would be that, with the yellow background don the symbol. Tall ears, long fins on the gloves and a cape that just wraps him up.
Like Spider-man, too much black on the costume would bleed through to the other side of the page on the cheap paper used in comics in those days, so blue was used, also for highlights with Superman’s hair.
There's a tie-in comic to the Brave & The Bold cartoon that explains Batman changed to blue because he was scaring people he was trying to save (in that case a kidnapped little girl) with the all black look, so the blue could still care the criminals but not the people he saves. I think the change was done in the Silver Age for a similar reason, to look more heroic to the kids reading the comic. I'm admittedly biased because I grew up with the blue & grey but I do prefer that costume for similar reasons. The right treatment could make for a dull enough finish to not be reflective. He does look more heroic with the blue (the grey was part of his original costume in the Golden Age to make it easier for the readers to see) to me, but as you say, there might be times where black is better. What I find interesting is that Gaijin Goombah, another YT channel, suggested that Batman wore black because it worked better in the city at night, nothing that ninja wore blue because it actually worked better in the days before all the electric lights in the big city. So the opposite of your theory. I wonder if anyone actually tested Batman's various colors to see what would work best?
Something to consider is the animation color choice. In the comics, the night sky is dark blue whereas in live action, it is black. Dark blue is the best color choice of black in the comics. If you look into the color of black hair for Robin and Batman, both are black with the same color blue highlights as the Bat suit. So, what you are seeing is just an artistic choice for a lighter color of black and not the literal blue itself. It not only makes the black shine through, but it’s much more beautiful artistically than gray.
Although blue and grey in the original comics. It's supposed to be black and grey. Much like the Hulk was supposed to be grey originally, dark colors were tough to print and changed to a brighter color( green ) for better printing. Printers had a color sceme palet they could use in printing. Blue with heavy shadows and ink work to simulate black. Really the only reason for the blue. It just simply printed better.
I like how Miller started Batman off with his blue, grey and yellow oval bat symbol/target costume, then switched it to the black one he'd used in Year One. I think that Batman started off with the black and grey and no yellow oval due to his role as a vigilante ala Year One. Then, as he transformed into the "hero" role, working with others like Superman, Green Arrow, etc., he switched to the Blue, since it was more "public friendly." In other words, it was a PR move when society regarded him as a hero. However, once he came out of retirement, and the blue one got messed up, he reverted back to his original role of lone vigilante, and hence the black, no yellow oval, made a comeback. At least that's how I think of it.
Side note; the yellow symbol has a heavy armor plate behind it. The idea is to give his enemies a highly visible target to shoot at, but ultimately ineffective.
Personally I like the blue cape with Grey suit and plain black bat ...no yellow . I'm still waiting for them to do live action blue / Grey with white eyes.
My favorite Batman is Christian Bales all black Dark Knight Batman costumes but I would like to see them bring back the blue and gray costume at some point in the future 👍🏻
As others may have pointed out, it had to do with printing back before the process improved. It was always black. When made blue in other media it was simply to represent what was seen in the comics.
As I understand it, the blue costume came from limits in printing technology during the Silver Age, hence blue highlights in characters with black hair. The blue and grey were likely cemented in our minds because of the 60's sit-com and it wasn't until Tim Burton's movie that the black became popular again. From what I can tell, anyway. That being said, I prefer the all-black outfit. The blue just looks goofy to me.
I've never thought about it, but definitely Jokers favorite outfit would be reddish purple suit. The combination of grey and blue is a great combination and better than black, but the black was really great in some episodes where Batman had to deal with his troublesome past. I aggree about the yellow on his costume, eventhough it looks great on logo.
I always imagined it was like the Spider-Man 2099 suit. It’s called black but blue’s just easier to make work on a page so it’s drawn to look more blue.
The original Animated Series suit is my personal favorite outside of comics. I also like the modern black cape and cowl with a grey suit but with the bat symbol outlined in yellow.
Black is actually a bad color for stealth, as nothing is going to be actually black in the dark (unless total darkout, in which case NO color will be visible) sobblack items end up sticking out like a sore thumb due to the silhouette black objects give off. That is why grays and blues are more often used by professionals when it comes to stealth.
I've always thought the Black cape and cowl with the grey bodysuit to be the best look for Batman. But the guy is honestly so smart and rich that I wouldn't be surprised if he's developed a type of super fabric that can change color whenever he wants, changes from pure black to black and grey to blue and grey and back again.
It was intended to be black and dark gray. The blue is the sheen/highlights of the black parts. Look at the wsy it's handled in BTAS. They choose to use less black ink. Look at Spider-Man in his early appearances.
I do love the blue and grey suit myself, absolutely iconic. ut if Batman is to be a stealthy boy, he needs black and grey. It kind of depends on what story is being told, the right suit for the right scenario.
The answer is that Bill Finger didn't like the predominantly red outfit Bob Kane initially devised and suggested more somber colours and replacing the domino mask with a cowl. They settled on grey and black, but in 1939 things coloured black in comics were given dark blue highlighting to avoid a black and white effect in full colour panels. As years went by, the black areas were inked less and less (to save ink and time?) and so became mainly dark blue. A later example is Spider-Man, designed by Ditko to be red and black in 1962, but now always red and blue.
It would be cool if he had in a live action film a black, iridescent cowl or suit where you could see shades of dark blue or purple, depending on the angle he is viewed
My theory on why he had yellow on his chest is it calls attention to the eye and some people might instinctively aim for that with their gun instead of his face
Funnily enough, navy blue and gray actually work better than black for hiding at night, because black makes too stark a silhouette. Many historical ninja outfits were in those very colors.
To be honest, as a artist…the gray and blue makes him stand out more on panels …also that yellow circle behind the Black bat on his chest…looks like more of a marketing strategy but in the Comics…the yellow circle was used as psychological tool to draw gun fire to his chest because that was where the most armor was!
Hands down the definitive look for Batman is blue & grey, with the yellow oval symbol. It just pops so much more more. Now if it's real life, a darker scheme (but not totally black) obviously works better. But perhaps still keeping with the yellow oval symbol because it's the most protected part of Batman's suite. It's bulletproof, and with it being in the center mass area (and standing out so much), that's where most will shoot him. The preference mostly just comes down to how old you are. I was born in 1980, so my introduction of Batman was Adam West, the Super Friends show, and the Super Powers figure. If you're younger and the Keaton Bats and animated series was your introduction, then it's probably the black & grey. The Hush storyline is a testament to how the fans are split down the middle; with the suit being dark blue & grey, but so many prints were recoloured to have it black.
Simple answer: it's hard to make pure black work in printing, especially against dark backgrounds, so the shiny black of the cape and cowl was accented in blue and the matt black of his bodysuit was accented in grey, and the colour choices stuck.
Exactly! Merely blue highlights on black, in two-dimensional comic book art. Batman's cape & cowl was never supposed to be interpreted as blue, just as Superman's blue-highlighted hair was never supposed to be interpreted as blue.
I think you guys are bang on with your observations.
@@kevinmacmullin6892
Your observation is bang on.
@@kevinmacmullin6892 just like with the Hulk. he was supposed to be grey but their were issues with a grey hulk coloring at the time. . so he became green.
Someone who understands the Artform, nice.
The yellow symbol is to actually draw enemy eyes and gunfire to his chest because it's actually the most armored part of the suit, so if he does get shot it'll minimize harm
Indeed. Punisher had the same concept with the skull logo. Draws the eyes and fire right to his plate.
Yup. That and when he wants to be seen he just opens up his cape to show the symbol.
arkham knight explains this well in the beginning of the game
This was the original take by Miller in DKR.
Fun fact, real historical ninjas would use all dark blue suits because it better blends in with the starlit night sky of old Japan when running across rooftops.
But with light pollution and smog, Gotham City probably has a more black night sky so black suit is more practical for modern stealth like what Batman does, but in some cases away from the city dark blue suits could still be useful. Same for a white suit when in a snowy artic environment.
I just wrote a similar comment! You got it first though so I give you credit and deleted it 😆. I also heard dark blue was the cheapest dye of the day and thus very popular. so a ninja could also disappear in a crowd.
Nah Gotham's pollution levels are so high the sky is just blood red now
Wow I saw the title and came here to post this exact fact but you beat me to it.
However the blue light from the moon would actually make a dark blue more useful for stealth than
Black
Cheers mate
lol i came to the comments just to add this, but you did it for me lol
What's your source?
I very prefer blue and grey, I loved the Neal Adams illustrations of the dark knight
Norm Breyfogle for me, but yes. Batman isn't just about terrorizing socially acceptable victims for his wrath. Batman is about not letting any other child suffer what he did.
Being black all the time is dull.
@@Critic_Chris90210
100% man!
Blue, grey and yellow. Nothing beats a classic
Absolutely! Even though that wasn't his first look, it quickly became his quintessential iconic colour scheme.
The yellow is a target, it gives enemies something clear to shoot while he stands in the darkness, only for the upper body to have the strongest armor
so that means batman has cock armour, because of the yellow belt.
Or they could aim at his jaw, which also stands out in darkness and happens to not be armoured.
which comic artist/ comic book is the picture art 3:50 taken from? does anybody know?
@@TheInfiniteSheldonthe jaw is super small, and the spread would make it miss. also the yellow is prolly reflective, making it brighter than the jaw in the darkness of goth ham sitting.
@@PlaceHolder007YT "the spread would make it miss" Many weapons use spread to make it easier to hit. Like shotguns.
Interesting fact here
If you wear pure black it actually looks like a moving shadow
But if he wears a mix of dark grey, dark blue, and some black, but make it hard to tell where it is changing between the colors like digital camouflage but smaller, it actually fits the colors of darkness to the point where it’s easier to see pure black than that
Any dark color would work for stealth. The CW version of Green Arrow and the Netflix Daredevil are great live action examples of showing characters in dark green and red blending into shadows. My favorite version of Batman's costume is midnight blue and dark gray.
I always thought it was black, blue being just a coloring technique in comic books
That's what it originally was, then someone back in the 1960's took too much LSD and actually colored it blue. The only person to ever see a blue bat had to be on an acid trip.
I mean this has happened in older comics originally the blue on Spider-Mans costume was black and the 2099 suit was black and everyone thought it was blue now that's a permanent part of the costume (even though the black would look better)
@@RyanGP1203_MemeLord I like that they actually made the radioactive spider blue and red in the Toby Maguire Spider-Man movie. I think the blue works with Spider-Man just fine. Batman, not so much. I mean when has anyone ever seen a blue bat? lol Also, a colorful suit just doesn't fit Batman's personality. I kinda loath the blue cape and cowl. The Zur-En-Arrh Batman suit is horrendous as well.
That’s what I always thought
Because if his cape and cowl was blue, then so is superman and wonder woman’s hair in those old comics!
@@RyanGP1203_MemeLord In the case of SpiderMan I disagree, I think the colorful suit suits his upbeat persona
Blue & gray with the yellow bullseye to keep the badguy's focus off of shooting him in the face.
Peak Batsuit design IMO
which comic artist/ comic book is the picture art 3:50 taken from? does anybody know?
Yup ... a more practical Batman would have an ironman helmet.
If I'm not mistaken, Batman wearing all black started with the 1989 Batman movie. The original 1939 comic book colors were black mask and cape with grey tights. Later came the blue and grey.
You are CORRECT my friend
A grey suit with black cape and cowl and a black bat symbol always favourite...
In Spider-Man, Green Goblin's suit has a purplish hint to it when it's in the light.
I like the idea of whatever material Batman's cowl/cape is, it would reflect some blue in the light, while still being black.
Hush Batsuit is my favorite, either in dark blue or black.
I have always just seen the blue as representing the light hitting the black parts of the suit. Much like Spider-man 2099 who was always described as being black in the original run of comics despite being blue most of the time.
exactly
Yep the same way they use blue to make black hair to look like it's shining sometimes
But like it’s been literally blue
@@thomasjohnson1885 It’s literally artists misintepreting what his colors are. Batmans cape and cowl are black, but comicbook shading often makes it blue when it touches the light (not real light mind you, but in the comic story).
Grey and black, with dark bat in the chest. No yellow.
The superior and most classic batsuit.
Yellow belt?
But blue is more realistic. The night sky isn't black. It's dark blue, and provides a dark blue hue to the world. Black is too dark. Dark blue is the perfect camouflage of his profession.
Even ninjas in real life wore dark blue clothing. Because Black is too dark and noticable.
@@NorthstarKen. He's saying no yellow around the bat symbol
idk I’m kinda sick of the black and grey suit
I like the dark knight returns comic reason for the yellow bat symbol. Basically it draws gun fire to his chest which is the only place he wears armour for greater speed. Which begs the question is he using Robin and his bright costume as an distraction? lol
Well most robins created there own costume , so
So…he allows kids to create their vibrant costumes knowing it attracts more attention
Yes. Yes, he did. But honestly, it was to sell comics. Kid sidekicks were all the rage and making him red with a bright yellow cape and green shorts drew the reader's eye.
@@ericpeterson8732kid sidekicks weren’t that big a thing until Robin. Robin was made for kid appeal and for Batman to have someone to talk to
@@marqet14Considering Dick’s an acrobat it’s not like anyone can touch him
Blue and gray only time I liked it was on the 90's animated series R.I.P Kevin Conroy you'll always be my Batman.
I always liked the black and gray with black symbol.. But when Rebirth came out and I really dig the purple on the inside of the cape now.
The reason he suit is often originally seen as grey and blue is because blue was the only available color at the time to add depth to black. Same with Spiderman's original suit, and supermans hair. It was thought so widely to be the color of his suit the just went with it same as why spiderman has a blue suit to this day. It was originally supposed to be black
Blue and grey is my favourite type of bat suit
I love the blue and grey look for Batman, but only if they go all the way with it with a royal blue cape and cowl, light grey suit, and bright yellow oval and utility belt. I'd rather have a fully black batsuit than a navy blue/dark grey one.
The blue was originally supposed to be the highlights of the black of the cape and cowl. It's the same way with Clark Kent/Superman's Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Bruce Wayne's hair. Jet black with a blueish highlight which emphasizes the blackness of the hair.
Because Batman is a true grandmaster-level shinobi they wear bluish colors to blend in better with the night. Which is something modern film writers keep forgetting. Or they are lazy and didn't research something essential to the character in the first place.
Or they just don't know.
nice semantics OP... good job
Still say black does it better
The Dawn of Justice suit is the prime example of my ideal suit and color.
Blue and Gray is the definitive depiction of Batman. All black is the Dark Knight.
I love the Rebirth suit, the black belt with yellow outlines, the batsymbol with golden outlines too, and that purple inside cape really does it for me
Real-life ninjas actually wore dark blue because it made them blend into the moonlight. The idea of them wearing black comes from old Japanese stage shows.
I love the blue & grey Batman suits! Idky but ive always been a fan of the color on him!
I find it absolutely hilarious that your standard of the classic traditional starts in 1989. Not 1939.
In the field, black makes lousy camouflage. The color black rarely appears in nature, but in the city, in manmade landscapes, it's an advantage, especially at night when we see more in black and white than in color.
At night when Batman is usually operating, blue would be seen as a dark shade of grey.
Bob Kane & Dennis O’Neil have both stated that the blue is canonically black. That’s why there’s comics of Batman wearing bright blue on the page but the dialogue describing it as black.
🎵 Grey and blue, Grey & Blue. The man from Gotham, wore the Grey & Blue.🎵
🎶 He fought the vilest of villans to numerous to list. Rendering his verdict with bat wing covered fist.🎶
🎵 descending from the night sky, his Sapphire cape would flow. Those who broke the law deserved the punches he would thrown.🎶
Batfleck bat suit from both BVS and JL, JL: Snyder cut.
I like the blue and gray suit with a yellow bat symbol on it. Like what Neal Adams would draw.
Growing up i never thought of it as blue. Similiar to black Spiderman suit or Black Panther, blue is sometimes used for highlights.
I prefer gray and black as the perfect costume of Batman Ben Affleck in Batman V Superman.
and here I thought it was just the color the artists were feeling at the moment of doing the coloring.
Gray, dark blue and brown, muted dark hues are generally better than black for blending in in the dak as well as most other situations
I always thought the blue was a stylistic choice to light a black cape+cowl. I guess sometimes the blue is a little too overpowering for that to be true, but its just always how I saw it
I cant even lie, I'm a huge fan of the Rebirth Batman suit. The purple on the inside of the cape just looks so cool.
Ninja’s supposedly wore blue outfits, and not black as we normally think they would, because moonlight is a blue light, so therefore a blue suit blends in better when outdoors than a black one. However, that probably wouldn’t apply to Batman operating in a modern city, where most of the nighttime lights are electric lights that cast harsh, bright lights and produce dark, black shadows.
Overall I do have a strong affinity for the blue and gray. It cuts a striking look. But also pretty much anything he wore in the Arkham games is overall my favorite Batman costume I’ve seen yet.
The real reason is, in comics and cartoons, blue is the highlight for black. Like yellow is the highlight for red, orange or green.
Batman's earliest illustrators shaded his costume's black parts with black ink and left some parts unshaded to be colored with blue by the colorist.
Later Batman artists became lazy (or probably due to deadlines) with the black ink shading that Batman was left with an all-blue cape, cowl, boots, trunks and gloves.
It was editor Julius Schwartz that introduced in the 60's the yellow oval around the chest symbol. He just wanted changes to remember him by due to his impending retirement.
Blue is also a color that, according to color theory and the effects of different hues on the human brain, a deep, cobalt blue elicits a sense of calm power.
It’s easy to go unnoticed when you have a sidekick who’s wearing a bright red, green and yellow costume 😂
The Jim Aparo Batman will always be my favorite version
To be more kid friendly
He is the caped crusader after all
A lot of his appearance does uses symbolism. iirc the rebirth bat symbol is meant to invoke hope.
My ideal classic style batsuit would be a black or navy blue cape and cowl with medium sized ears and caped shoulder spikes, a gray suit base that looks like spandex but conceals armor, and either a scary-looking black bat symbol or a Batman-returns style yellow circle bat symbol. For the belt, a bronzed look is best.
Neat fact: Batman was depicted as "blue" and grey in older comics of Batman because the sky and background were often black, so without white outlines you wouldn't be able to see the character and shade them. So they decided to use the color Blue to represent the black on his suit while the real blacks are used for shadows and details.
Later Batman films would ignore this detail and just found his suit kinda cool when it's blue and more light hearted.
Bonus fact, Batman before the blue was Black and Grey. He also worked during the day more rather than strictly night so they didn't have the black on black issue.
I've never understood why everyone moans about the yellow oval symbol, yet never complains about the BIG YELLOW BELT. Sometimes it's toned down to baige or gold/bronze, but it's still always brighter than the rest of the suit. At least the yellow oval still has a black bat in the centre.
And yes, I know the belt's colour is to provide contrast between the torso and trunks, but is that really necessary? Look at Magneto's classic outfit - his belt and trunks were the same colour.
For the record, my preferred batsuit is black and grey, with classic oval logo and capsuled utility belt. Long ears, too. So essentially the Neal Adams look, but the blue replaced with black.
Batman has a myriad of suits for specific types of situations and missions. Personally, I grew up with the blue and gray suit in the 80s and 90s. But I do love all of his costumes!
Pretty sure it’s just artistic tradition for how Batman has most often been portrayed in the comic book medium through most of his history, not some cue to portray hope or to look like a cop or to not be too stealthy in Gotham.
It was what they could print when they created them with the inc certain things are limited
The BatFleck will be one (if not the), BEST Batman ever.
I grew up on the blue and gray. It’s just so cool. My favorite would be that, with the yellow background don the symbol. Tall ears, long fins on the gloves and a cape that just wraps him up.
Some shades of blue become invisible in moonlight, the grey blends in with the concrete colours of buildings
Like Spider-man, too much black on the costume would bleed through to the other side of the page on the cheap paper used in comics in those days, so blue was used, also for highlights with Superman’s hair.
"brave and the bold" as I call it such a classic color
There's a tie-in comic to the Brave & The Bold cartoon that explains Batman changed to blue because he was scaring people he was trying to save (in that case a kidnapped little girl) with the all black look, so the blue could still care the criminals but not the people he saves. I think the change was done in the Silver Age for a similar reason, to look more heroic to the kids reading the comic.
I'm admittedly biased because I grew up with the blue & grey but I do prefer that costume for similar reasons. The right treatment could make for a dull enough finish to not be reflective. He does look more heroic with the blue (the grey was part of his original costume in the Golden Age to make it easier for the readers to see) to me, but as you say, there might be times where black is better. What I find interesting is that Gaijin Goombah, another YT channel, suggested that Batman wore black because it worked better in the city at night, nothing that ninja wore blue because it actually worked better in the days before all the electric lights in the big city. So the opposite of your theory. I wonder if anyone actually tested Batman's various colors to see what would work best?
Love the video! and my favorite has to be Black Cape and Cowl with the Grey Suit and Black Bat Symbol
I love the blue look. A healthy bit of yellow brings it together.
Something to consider is the animation color choice. In the comics, the night sky is dark blue whereas in live action, it is black. Dark blue is the best color choice of black in the comics. If you look into the color of black hair for Robin and Batman, both are black with the same color blue highlights as the Bat suit. So, what you are seeing is just an artistic choice for a lighter color of black and not the literal blue itself. It not only makes the black shine through, but it’s much more beautiful artistically than gray.
Although blue and grey in the original comics. It's supposed to be black and grey. Much like the Hulk was supposed to be grey originally, dark colors were tough to print and changed to a brighter color( green ) for better printing. Printers had a color sceme palet they could use in printing. Blue with heavy shadows and ink work to simulate black. Really the only reason for the blue. It just simply printed better.
Thanks for the amazing video ❤
I like how Miller started Batman off with his blue, grey and yellow oval bat symbol/target costume, then switched it to the black one he'd used in Year One. I think that Batman started off with the black and grey and no yellow oval due to his role as a vigilante ala Year One. Then, as he transformed into the "hero" role, working with others like Superman, Green Arrow, etc., he switched to the Blue, since it was more "public friendly." In other words, it was a PR move when society regarded him as a hero. However, once he came out of retirement, and the blue one got messed up, he reverted back to his original role of lone vigilante, and hence the black, no yellow oval, made a comeback. At least that's how I think of it.
I personally love the Batman Beyond suit the best.
All that Technology and the Enhanced capabilities
It is actually better night camo then black. Black is only good if completely covered by shadows or hidden in them.
Side note; the yellow symbol has a heavy armor plate behind it. The idea is to give his enemies a highly visible target to shoot at, but ultimately ineffective.
Personally I like the blue cape with Grey suit and plain black bat ...no yellow . I'm still waiting for them to do live action blue / Grey with white eyes.
My favorite Batman is Christian Bales all black Dark Knight Batman costumes but I would like to see them bring back the blue and gray costume at some point in the future 👍🏻
I always thought that it was black with blue being used for highlights (at least with how older comics were colored).
Don’t give me wrong, as much as I love the black and gray suits, I wish we got to see more of navy blue and gray Batman
Which horror villain would you think would be better at going up against Batman and why?
Freddy. Because he could play on Batmans biggest fears. Similar to scarecrow, but without needing a toxin, using his sleep.
Would Arkham be able to hold Freddy @@thebatcave111
@@thebatcave111Nice idea.
@@thebatcave111kinda like Doctor Destiny in the Justice League episode
The best looking suit is definitely the animated series suit for me but my favorite takes place just a few years later in the new Batman adventures
As others may have pointed out, it had to do with printing back before the process improved. It was always black. When made blue in other media it was simply to represent what was seen in the comics.
As I understand it, the blue costume came from limits in printing technology during the Silver Age, hence blue highlights in characters with black hair. The blue and grey were likely cemented in our minds because of the 60's sit-com and it wasn't until Tim Burton's movie that the black became popular again. From what I can tell, anyway.
That being said, I prefer the all-black outfit. The blue just looks goofy to me.
I've never thought about it, but definitely Jokers favorite outfit would be reddish purple suit.
The combination of grey and blue is a great combination and better than black, but the black was really great in some episodes where Batman had to deal with his troublesome past.
I aggree about the yellow on his costume, eventhough it looks great on logo.
I always imagined it was like the Spider-Man 2099 suit. It’s called black but blue’s just easier to make work on a page so it’s drawn to look more blue.
The original Animated Series suit is my personal favorite outside of comics. I also like the modern black cape and cowl with a grey suit but with the bat symbol outlined in yellow.
Black is actually a bad color for stealth, as nothing is going to be actually black in the dark (unless total darkout, in which case NO color will be visible) sobblack items end up sticking out like a sore thumb due to the silhouette black objects give off. That is why grays and blues are more often used by professionals when it comes to stealth.
I've always thought the Black cape and cowl with the grey bodysuit to be the best look for Batman. But the guy is honestly so smart and rich that I wouldn't be surprised if he's developed a type of super fabric that can change color whenever he wants, changes from pure black to black and grey to blue and grey and back again.
It was intended to be black and dark gray. The blue is the sheen/highlights of the black parts. Look at the wsy it's handled in BTAS. They choose to use less black ink. Look at Spider-Man in his early appearances.
I do love the blue and grey suit myself, absolutely iconic. ut if Batman is to be a stealthy boy, he needs black and grey. It kind of depends on what story is being told, the right suit for the right scenario.
I agree with you!!!! Black cape and cowl and grey suit with black bat symbol. Definitely the Affleck suit my fav…..
Gray and black, underside of cape and accents to cowl in bright blue. Illuminated yellow bat
Batman Hush suit is the best. Modern looking with the classic colors.
Blue and grey with the yellow will always be my favorite even tho the black and grey are a close second
Meanwhile Robin out here catching strays
The answer is that Bill Finger didn't like the predominantly red outfit Bob Kane initially devised and suggested more somber colours and replacing the domino mask with a cowl. They settled on grey and black, but in 1939 things coloured black in comics were given dark blue highlighting to avoid a black and white effect in full colour panels. As years went by, the black areas were inked less and less (to save ink and time?) and so became mainly dark blue.
A later example is Spider-Man, designed by Ditko to be red and black in 1962, but now always red and blue.
It would be cool if he had in a live action film a black, iridescent cowl or suit where you could see shades of dark blue or purple, depending on the angle he is viewed
I’ve always essentially liked the Superfriends or BATMAN TAS version. I liked the new frontier reason that he wanted to scare criminals but not kids.
My theory on why he had yellow on his chest is it calls attention to the eye and some people might instinctively aim for that with their gun instead of his face
Funnily enough, navy blue and gray actually work better than black for hiding at night, because black makes too stark a silhouette. Many historical ninja outfits were in those very colors.
To be honest, as a artist…the gray and blue makes him stand out more on panels …also that yellow circle behind the Black bat on his chest…looks like more of a marketing strategy but in the Comics…the yellow circle was used as psychological tool to draw gun fire to his chest because that was where the most armor was!
I feel like blue and grey bats suits work really well for the more comedic Batman stories
I’m thinking that the blue, gray and yellow suit was used when he was working with Commissioner Gordon and Police as allies !
Blue and grey all the way. It adds to the classic comic book feel and makes his silhouette pop out more.
The yellow he wears on his chest serves a purpose,his chest is better protected then his head.
I like the blue cape with the yellow oval, but that's the one I grew up with. I do like the bat symbol without the yellow oval also.
Thanks for making this video because it’s more Batman content, but some of these explanations feel like more of a reach.
Hands down the definitive look for Batman is blue & grey, with the yellow oval symbol. It just pops so much more more. Now if it's real life, a darker scheme (but not totally black) obviously works better. But perhaps still keeping with the yellow oval symbol because it's the most protected part of Batman's suite. It's bulletproof, and with it being in the center mass area (and standing out so much), that's where most will shoot him.
The preference mostly just comes down to how old you are. I was born in 1980, so my introduction of Batman was Adam West, the Super Friends show, and the Super Powers figure. If you're younger and the Keaton Bats and animated series was your introduction, then it's probably the black & grey. The Hush storyline is a testament to how the fans are split down the middle; with the suit being dark blue & grey, but so many prints were recoloured to have it black.
Grey and blue but afflecs is really really good too