Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment are taking a page from Nickelodeon’s playbook and throwing a yearlong 80th-anniversary celebration for Batman.
The party starts this month at SXSW in Austin, Texas, with wild festivities only fitting for the Caped Crusader, including a moonlight flyover by 1.5 million bats. Who thinks of this stuff?
The celebration will continue with a special hardcover release of Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman-The Deluxe Edition on March 19. The book recounts the history of the Dark Knight created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in March 1939 for the Detective Comics issue No. 27.
Alllll the Events
DC Comics will also release the 1,000th issue of Detective Comics on March 27 and host panels at several conventions, including a special “Happy Birthday Batman” panel at pop culture convention WonderCon in Anaheim, California, on March 30 and Comic-Con International in July in San Diego.
The official Batman Day on Sept. 21 is slated to include 5K and 10K cosplay runs and Bat-signals in the skies of major cities worldwide.
The Dark Knight will also swoop into cities across the globe at special exhibits. These include an anniversary exhibit at the pop culture convention Romics in Rome in April, a curated Batman comic book cover art exhibit at Mondo’s Austin gallery in May, a special Batman exhibit in Shanghai this summer, and a Batman edition of Lego’s global exhibit tour The Art of the Brick: DC Super-Heroes starting in September in São Paulo.
Fans can continue the immersive experiences of the Dark Knight at Six Flags locations in North America, as well as Warner Bros. theme parks worldwide. Multiple Six Flags locations will have extended hours, exclusive Batman-themed experiences, and special merchandise in August. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. theme parks, including Warner Bros. Movie World Australia, Parque Warner Madrid, and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi, will host Batman birthday events. Madame Tussauds in Orlando, Florida, and Sydney will also get in on the fun by launching interactive, fan-friendly experiences; photo opps; and special merchandise in September.
Honor Batman’s Sidekicks
Beginning in April, fans can join forces with Batman to honor the real superheroes in our communities. The Boys & Girls Club of America and Batman will team up for the first time to honor kids, teens, and youth development professionals who stand up for positive change in their communities. Then, DC will partner with the USO in May for military appreciation month. Service members will receive Batman-themed USO2GO kits full of comics, movies, TV shows, games, and more. UK Batman fans will get the chance to support Genetic Disorders UK with exclusively designed Batman T-shirts on Jeans for Genes Day in September.
Build Your Batman Collection
The party doesn’t stop there! A new range of Batman 80th-anniversary toys and merchandise will drop this year in partnership with Funko, Lego, and Mattel. Warner Bros. and DC will also join forces with major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, iTunes, Walmart, GameStop, and Google Play, among others.
Catch up on Batman’s Adventures Online, on TV, and on the Big Screen
Media brands Rooster Teeth, Crunchyroll, VRV, and Fullscreen will celebrate Batman’s 80th anniversary with their own programming and social campaigns.
Finally, Batman will take over TV this year, starting with AT&T, which will launch a Batman-branded channel. AT&T customers will get exclusive access to Batman content, comics, merchandise, fan experiences, and more. In March and September, TV broadcast partners will host Batman marathons, while Cartoon Network will host exclusive, Batman-themed programming and stunts for kids. Streaming service DC Universe will also participate in the special year by promoting Batman content in March and September.
The epic year ties in with several other Batman events, including the 30th anniversary of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, and the premiere of Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, on Oct. 4.
Clear your calendars for the year of The Batman. Check out more details and updates on Batman’s 80th-anniversary celebration here.
Photo: DC Entertainment
