1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 2

  Even though my favorite superheroes are Superman and Captain America, I have a strong relation to Batman. It's been a nickname of sorts since 6th grade and is why I still use Batman for my avatars and holiday greetings.

    Since this is my daily article on turning 40, I thought I would share with you what some members of the Batman family looked like in 1977 vs their appearances today. 

Here's what the Batman emblem looked like circa 1977 (top) and circa 2015 (bottom).

Here's a look at Batman in 1977 in the comics and what Batman looks like now on the big screen.

In 1977, Batman's sidekick was Robin who secretly was Dick Grayson, a former circus performer (left). In 2017, Robin is secretly Damian Wayne, son of Batman and a former assassin (right).

In 1977, Jim Gordon was an elderly man who sat behind a desk as the Gotham City Commissioner of Police. In 2016, Jim Gordon donned a mechanical suit and became Batman for a while.

Batgirl in 1977 was a librarian

who later became a Congresswoman. In 2016, she's more of a Millennial computer nerd.

Let's look at the Batmobile. In 1977, it was a sleek convertible very similar to the 1960s version on the live-action series (top). By the mid-2010s, the Batmobile basically became a tank (bottom).

In 1977, The Joker was getting more and more demented. But he was still a clown. By 2016, he had morphed into full-on homicidal maniac...

If you've read my blog before, you'll know that I absolutely love Harley Quinn, the Joker's girlfriend. So let's look at her at 1977 and today...

Okay, in 1977 Harley Quinn didn't exist yet. She might have been floating around in the back of Paul Dini's brilliant little head, but at the time of my birth, the Joker was a swinging single man. So,on the left, here's the earliest photo I can find of actress Arleen Sorkin, who would later voice Harley Quinn on Batman: The Animated Adventures. On the right is Harley Quinn taken from a 2016 Holiday special. I don't care if she's now dressed like a rolling skating trollop. This is how Harley will always look to me.

I had fun doing this first article. (Don't worry, I'm still doing reviews of comics and stuff. I've just been busy with other things.) In my searches for images of Batman and Robin, I got a lot of hits for a cartoon that actually aired on CBS in early '77. The New Adventures of Batman had the Caped Crusader, the Boy Wonder, and the rest of the Batman family. Why even Adam West and Burt Ward did the voices. So, for my last look at the Dark Knight of 1977, here's a video of what the show looked like the year I was born.

Enjoy...