When did the Yellow ellipse fall out of style?

[Bruce Malone]

Most current comic artists depict the batsuit without the yellow ellipse bat symbol that came about in the 60's. They've actually went as far as to remove it from the 20th anniversary edition of the killing joke. When did artists decide to do away with it? Also what motivated this?

 

[TruerToTheCore]

YOu know, Batman is a creature of the night and not ...
You know, the yellow ellipse doesn't make sense!
Batman's costume is absoluteley practical, realistic and senseful, contrary to that stupid yellow thing


I think they changed it after the "Zero Hour" event.

 

[Nepenthes]

Frank Miller wanted to return Batmans costume more to its original look in his future story Dark Knight Returns - for 25 years there was only the black bat until the oval was inserted in in 1964 as part of the New Look. However Miller was told the logo was a fairly substantial trademark and had to appear in the book. Appear being the keyword. So in issue one of DKR the logo is shot out of his costume and in issue two he continues without it.

When Miller was asked to write the 1987 follow-up Year One follow up he just went and told Batmans origin story without it again. In 1990 the Legends of the Dark Knight series began which continued the year one style stories and usually featured batman without the oval.

I'm pretty sure the main titles still had the yellow after Zero Hour and the Knightfall stories in early 1990's, even where Bruce Jones started drawing the all black costume with no underwear, the oval was still there.

In 2003 the Hush story began with Jim Lee drawing Batman without the oval in the main title for the first time in a long while to the best of my knowledge. and it's pretty much been gone then

these are the most significant occasions the oval has been dropped i can think of.

 

[[A]]

This thread needs more ""

 

[MattMetalHead]

He dropped it after No Man's Land. In all the New Gotham stories from early 2000 you can see that it was suddenly gone.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

Batman's costume is absoluteley practical, realistic and senseful, contrary to that stupid yellow thing

Are you serious?

 

[TruerToTheCore]

Are you serious?

No

I'm not

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Yeah... I think it was after No Man's Land and Scott McDaniel became the regular artist on Batman around the year 2000.

I don't care... I like the yellow oval.

If I wanted reality... I wouldn't be reading comic books!

 

[Majic Walrus]

I can take it or leave it. I still have Zebra Underwater Scuba Flight Batman action figures.

 

[Will44]

double post

 

[Will44]

Frank Miller wanted to return Batmans costume more to its original look in his future story Dark Knight Returns - for 25 years there was only the black bat until the oval was inserted in in 1964 as part of the New Look. However Miller was told the logo was a fairly substantial trademark and had to appear in the book. Appear being the keyword. So in issue one of DKR the logo is shot out of his costume and in issue two he continues without it.

When Miller was asked to write the 1987 follow-up Year One follow up he just went and told Batmans origin story without it again. In 1990 the Legends of the Dark Knight series began which continued the year one style stories and usually featured batman without the oval.

I'm pretty sure the main titles still had the yellow after Zero Hour and the Knightfall stories in early 1990's, even where Bruce Jones started drawing the all black costume with no underwear, the oval was still there.

In 2003 the Hush story began with Jim Lee drawing Batman without the oval in the main title for the first time in a long while to the best of my knowledge. and it's pretty much been gone then

these are the most significant occasions the oval has been dropped i can think of.

In Detective Comics #600, when Batman celebrated his 50th anniversary, Jeanette Kahn (then Editor in Chief at DC) revealed that she initiated the yellow oval on the chest. I take her word for it.

And it was removed when she retired. Either to celebrate her passing the torch, or to bring Batman back to a more classic look to Batman. Remember, the test tube belt was replaced with the traditional belt with pouches.

Also, Frank Miller has no preference from what I can tell. In the Dark Knight Returns, Batman states he wears the yellow target to draw fire towards it because he can armor his chest, and not his head.

Once ruined by a gun shot, Batman uses the older outfit a brief time, until he switches to the armored look for the Superman fight.

______________________________________________________
You say you're Dick Grayson fan? Then check out the fan club!
www.nightwingfanclub.com

 

[The Batman]

In Detective Comics #600, when Batman celebrated his 50th anniversary, Jeanette Kahn (then Editor in Chief at DC) revealed that she initiated the yellow oval on the chest. I take her word for it.

And it was removed when she retired. Either to celebrate her passing the torch, or to bring Batman back to a more classic look to Batman. Remember, the test tube belt was replaced with the traditional belt with pouches.

Also, Frank Miller has no preference from what I can tell. In the Dark Knight Returns, Batman states he wears the yellow target to draw fire towards it because he can armor his chest, and not his head.

Once ruined by a gun shot, Batman uses the older outfit a brief time, until he switches to the armored look for the Superman fight.

______________________________________________________
You say you're Dick Grayson fan? Then check out the fan club!
www.nightwingfanclub.com

right...except kahn started working for dc in 1976...12 years after the oval was introduced...not to mention that the oval was julius schwarz's idea, all apart of the "New look Batman" movement in 1964.

Not only that...the capsule belt WAS the traditional belt....since 1939, when bob kane drew it.Frank Miller was the one whos started the whole pouch belt thing. where the hell are you getting these "Facts" from?

 

[The Batman]

what motivated the disappearance of the oval? Everyone's desire to rip off frank miller. The Oval will probably be back soon enough, as everything in comics nowadays is cyclical. Hell, I wouldnt be surprised if Bruce returns in the oval suit.

 

[CLARKY]

^yeah I agree, nowadays it seems everything works in circle.

Most current comic artists depict the batsuit without the yellow ellipse bat symbol that came about in the 60's. They've actually went as far as to remove it from the 20th anniversary edition of the killing joke. When did artists decide to do away with it? Also what motivated this?

I agree with TheBatman, it was part of Julius Schwartz "kind of" revamp for batman. Personally, I prefer the oval rather than the black bat. But I remember times when the oval was really badly done, or times the black bat was really well done ... so ...
For the pouches belt, it is after No Man's Land, certainly Miller's "influence".

 

[Cain]

Well I know a lot of fans say they never liked the oval. I grew up during the late 80's and early 90's so I never minded the oval, for instance that was all over Grant/Breyfogle's comics at the time which was the majority of Batman comics from the '89 - '92 era. I was always used to it also especially since the movies that dropped when I was growing up also all featured it. I like the plain black bat too but if the ellipse made a comeback I wouldn't ***** about it

 

[The Batman]

^yeah I agree, nowadays it seems everything works in circle.

I agree with TheBatman, it was part of Julius Schwartz "kind of" revamp for batman. Personally, I prefer the oval rather than the black bat. But I remember times when the oval was really badly done, or times the black bat was really well done ... so ...
For the pouches belt, it is after No Man's Land, certainly Miller's "influence".

You misunderstand me. Schwarz was the guy who brought in the oval back in 1964 as his revamp for batman, which included getting rid of the 50's sci fi elements and characters like batwoman, ace the bathound, and batmite

 

[raybia]

Most current comic artists depict the batsuit without the yellow ellipse bat symbol that came about in the 60's. They've actually went as far as to remove it from the 20th anniversary edition of the killing joke. When did artists decide to do away with it? Also what motivated this?

For the same reason why people should wear T-shirts with this symbol on it.

It makes them all look like geeks.

 

[The Guard]

I don't believe the oval was dropped to make the suit look more like YEAR ONE, though I'm sure that was part of it. I think it was done to look more like the more recent animated series, perhaps in an effort to draw in younger readers. When Gotham and the heroes were redesigned, following NO MAN'S LAND, The Batmobile ended up looking suspiciously like its animated counterpart, as did Batman's look, Robin's new outfit, Nightwing's suit (which had undergone this redesign a few years before) Gotham cops, Gotham itself in some ways, and many of the rogues. Even Batman's weapons, and in some ways, the cave, got an "animation" makeover.

 

[Travesty]

No

I'm not

LOL

Awesome!

 

[Nepenthes]

In Detective Comics #600, when Batman celebrated his 50th anniversary, Jeanette Kahn (then Editor in Chief at DC) revealed that she initiated the yellow oval on the chest. I take her word for it.

believe whoever you want. if you choose to believe that she was editor in 1964 then that's fine too

 

[Bruce Malone]

So it was dropped around the no mans land arc but overall was the inspiration to drop it just based on miller's work then? kind of random to just drop a long established symbol arbitrarily. Does anyone know of any backlash from going away from the yellow?

also B:TAS originally did feature batman with the oval.

 

[The Guard]

I don't think anyone really knows why. I suppose Miller could have been an inspiration. I think as Batman got darker over the years, artists felt a bright yellow symbol wasn't keeping with the image (although apparently a bright yellow belt does, go figure).

BTAS had the oval, but TNBA did not. The majority of the new designs after NO MAN'S LAND are dangerously close to the ones in TNBA, with pseudo elements of BTAS for some of the characters.

 

[Nivek]

When did the New Batman & Robin adventures come out? He didn't sport the Oval suit in those cartoons.

artisticly, I think it was added to give Batman something as recognizable and identifiable as Superman's logo. But starting in the 80's, as the more serious version of the character hit it's peak, many fans started to point out that it's become something like a DC rip-off of the Punisher skull.

Batman is too fast and cool to wear a target on his chest saying "shoot me, I'm bulletproof".

 

[Will44]

believe whoever you want. if you choose to believe that she was editor in 1964 then that's fine too

Maybe I'm mis-remembering the issue. It could have been Schwartz who said it in the book then. I don't have access to it anymore sadly. If anyone else does, can they look it up?

www.nightwingfanclub.com

 

[Cain]

When did the New Batman & Robin adventures come out? He didn't sport the Oval suit in those cartoons.

artisticly, I think it was added to give Batman something as recognizable and identifiable as Superman's logo. But starting in the 80's, as the more serious version of the character hit it's peak, many fans started to point out that it's become something like a DC rip-off of the Punisher skull.

Batman is too fast and cool to wear a target on his chest saying "shoot me, I'm bulletproof".

considering it lasted all throughout the 80's and the 90's the bolded doesn't make any sense.