When did comics stop using "the batman" and start saying just "Batman?" I've always thought "the batman" makes him seem more mythological and impressive. Does anyone know when and why the title changed?

I think it stopped the minute Robin came around (1940's). After that, Batman was a child's character with the success of Robin and the TV show that follwed (1960s-70s). I think they started calling him The Batman again after Frank Miller took the reins in the 80's. Since then, I think he's only called The Batman from characters who either aren't familiar with Batman or the ones who still don't believe he exists. To his colleagues and the a-list villains, he's just Batman.

Well Scarecrow refers to him as "The Batman" in Batman Begins..... but then again the title of the movie isn't The Batman Begins, so there's a fail in there somewhere.... I definitely prefer The Batman, and if you read some of the darker stand-alone comics you still see it occassionally...

@Gambit1024 said:

I think it stopped the minute Robin came around (1940's). After that, Batman was a child's character with the success of Robin and the TV show that follwed (1960s-70s). I think they started calling him The Batman again after Frank Miller took the reins in the 80's. Since then, I think he's only called The Batman from characters who either aren't familiar with Batman or the ones who still don't believe he exists. To his colleagues and the a-list villains, he's just Batman.

He did star off as The Bat-Man. I agree the "the" makes it better.

I think it's just a writing thing. You'd have a hard time making some scenes flow if you called him the batman every time. Let's look at one of the common happenings in Arkham City, occasionally you'll hear some of the thugs call him the batman, but when they're horrified they tend to say BATMAN or IT'S THE BAT! those wouldn't always come off as well if it was always the batman. The same could be said of more personal scenes between batman and other characters that don't know his secret identity in just about any medium.

Sergio Aragones used The Batman as a Joke, when Batman decide to say to everybody they should call him The Batman.

Oh my gawd is Batman!!!!

THE BATMAN FOR YOU SCUM!!!!

The Batman isn't a good name of me:

My first language is Spanish so it is translated like "El Hombre Murcielago" (I will do a post of how much I hate this terms' translates to Spanish)

Don't try translate it in google (I do it and I get the same and with the " including it get "The Dark Knight" ^^ lol )

• el = The
• Hombre = Man
• Murcielago = Bat

And here in México, in the animated series always that in english u say The Batman they say el hombre murcielago and I hate it, sounds bad >:(