Batman has a rich history in DC Comics, starting back in his 1939 debut in Detective Comics. Since then, the Dark Knight has gone through many wardrobe changes. Given how old so many of these beloved superhero characters are -- and the visual nature of the comic book medium -- having different artists give their renditions of character design is both natural and welcome.
Particularly in the 1970s, when the character was revamped by a number of creative teams, Batman began adopting different costumes at a more rapid rate, but there have been plenty more as the prominence of comics expanded in the mainstream.
10 Classic Blue & Gray Suit
The Bronze Age in the 1970s presented a landmark for Batman in comic books. The superhero was struggling in sales from the waning 1960s era of over-the-top camp that was driven by the brief success of the Batman TV series, and the late-and-great Dennis O'Neil -- one of Batman's best writers -- came in and revitalized the character to take advantage of his crime-noir roots.
This certainly reached a peak in the '80s with the likes of Miller, Morrison, and Moore, but O'Neil's work with artist Neal Adams was the catalyst. With this return to form, Neal Adams illustrated the iconic, classic blue and gray Batsuit. The light color palette of blue and gray still fit with the grittier street-level stories Batman took part in, and that's thanks to the increasingly modernized stylization of physique and facial features.
9 The Long Halloween Suit
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween is one of the best and most influential Batman comics, and the latter's artwork brought a memorable Batsuit along with it. It also features in the excellent Halloween Special anthology, Haunted Knight, that preceded it and the worthy sequel Dark Victory.
It keeps the blue and gray color scheme but provides a darker navy blue and deeper gray while removing the yellow oval. Along with the flowing, ethereal cape, it's a great way to fit the atmosphere of the story and Gotham that Sale illustrates. His moody, stylized noir art with the trademark long ears and other exaggerated features quickly became a fan favorite.
8 White Knight Suit
While the mainline comics are what's typically most followed, the DC Black Label imprint provided fans with some of the best Batman comics in the modern day. It allows writers and artists more freedom to play in these characters' sandboxes, and Sean Murphy designed a suitably unique Batsuit while still feeling in character.
The Batsuit features an homage to the Bat symbol on The Dark Knight Returns rendition, thigh-high black tactical boots, and a stylish high collar. The latter gives off an enticingly vampiric quality, giving Batman a character design that shows a simple, yet refreshing new visual touch.
7 Batman Incorporated Suit
Comic books have admittedly cheapened the concept of death in their stories, but Batman's return after Final Crisis was a thrilling one. Once Bruce Wayne returns, he establishes a global effort to fight crime with Batman Incorporated. Dick Grayson was then holding down the homefront as the Dark Knight, which was also one of Batman's best arcs of the 2010s.
Bruce has him maintain a presence in Gotham while working on Batman Inc., naturally donning a somewhat different suit from Dick's. David Finch's rendition of the suit is arguably the best with his brand of hardened grit. He brings back the yellow oval onto the black and gray but gives it a haunting glow and black frame that accentuates it all the more.
6 Hush Suit
Loeb returned to write one of Batman's most beloved 2000s comic arcs, this time with another acclaimed artist in Jim Lee. Hush brought a new villain in an all-star mystery thriller story, with Lee illustrating and Scott Williams inks bringing a natural evolution to The Long Halloween suit.
The blue is slightly lighter, as is the gray, and again leaves out the yellow oval for a modernized, sleeker Bat symbol. Similarly, the ears are also much less exaggerated. Lee's art style is a classic blend of comic book flair with the more modern takes on comic book art that grew more at the turn of the century.
5 Batman Beyond Suit
Though it's baffling to many fans that Terry McGinnis in the hit animated series Batman Beyond has yet to be adapted in live-action, it did expand into comics. The Beyond comics changed up the lore from the DCAU canon and were never particularly high-profile series for DC, but they certainly featured some breathtaking visual takes on the suit.
Ryan Sook and Bernard Chang's pencils and inks for the Beyond suit are a particularly beautiful sight. The red eyes are excellent touches for a more realistic take, making for a refreshing alternative to the DCAU.
4 The Dark Knight Returns Suit
Frank Miller gave two of some of Batman's most acclaimed comics in Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. The latter presented a jaded and cynical Dark Knight living in an alternate political dystopia. After being convinced to return to the Batman mantle, he wears a suit that's become exclusively synonymous with Miller's work.
While a bit artistically controversial among some fans, Miller's stocky version of the superhero is an iconic one. He uses both the classic blue/black and gray suit, with short ears and a massive Bat symbol. A grizzled, anti-hero-like "Old Man Batman" was an inevitable interpretation of the character, and Miller cemented his as the one that comes first to fans' minds.
3 Troika Suit
The live-action Batman movies certainly made the all-black look the default, but in comics, it's rarer to see it. In Troika, Batman takes part in his first major arc since the ramifications of Knightfall. Batman eventually suits up in a nearly all-black suit, barring the vintage yellow oval with the Bat symbol.
This look resembles more of Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer's suits in the Burton and Schumacher movies, showing how well they transition into the source medium. Seeing the jet-black Batsuit in the comics is a treat and the rubbery look of it debatably translates better here than in live-action.
2 Earth One Suit
Fans by now are tired of retreading the "origin story" grounds, especially for characters like Batman and Spider-Man. Though, the Earth One series did take a solid cinematically-grounded approach to Batman in comics. Readers here see a Batman that's still stuck in amateurish levels, often failing more than succeeding.
As such, Gary Frank and Jonathan Sibal's pencils and inks craft a fittingly entry-level Batsuit for this Bruce Wayne. Keeping with the black/navy blue-ish and gray color scheme, it also incorporates Inc.'s yellow oval with a black frame. Another nice touch is how the sockets for Bruce's eyes aren't covered with white lenses or conceal his skin. All of these elements combine to make a suit that looks like it was somewhat rudimentary and quickly put together.
1 Rebirth Suit
The Rebirth suit that started off the mainline Batman run didn't last too long, but it was a costume with nice incremental touches to make it feel unique. There have been a plethora of artists across Batman, Detective Comics, etc. who've penned and inked this outfit, including comic book veterans David Finch and Greg Capullo.
It feels different but still keeps with the spirit of the character by bringing the black/gray combo with a dark purple lining on the inside of his cape. It's a great touch to pay homage to the superhero's first appearance, and the gold outline of the Bat symbol is an inspired way to rework the "yellow" back into his suit in a modern setting.
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