Batman and the full moon

Who doesn’t know Batman, the comic hero who fights the sinister subjects of the big city at night as a bat man with super powers. Who has not seen him in movies or held one of the comic books in his hand? What we are mostly interested in, at this point, are not however, his impressive appearance, nor the trendy outfit, but the affinity to the full moon. Batman can be seen standing in front of the circular moon in countless images, his black cape blowing in the wind. And also the famous batman logo is always portrayed in connection with the moon, whether hovering against the light or as a full-moon-like light projection in the black night sky (the so-called »Bat-Signal«).

The story of batman began in the 40s when the American comic book artist Bob Kane (1915–1998), together with author Bill Finger (1914–1974), launched the comic series. With batman they created a very successful figure that was supposed to deliver the material of what heroes are made of: strong, successful and advocating the good.

Originally, batman is the billionaire Bruce Wayne who swears, after the brutal killing of his parents in his childhood, to fight against any kind of crime in the future – without committing murder himself (»no killing«). This is how he trains his mind in science and his body in marshal arts, until his powers enable him to do so. Then the bat is put into play and simultaneously the full moon: when searching for a disguise that could frighten the villains, a bat flies through the open window and inspires him with the idea of the »Batman«.

Along with this, you see the full moon in the night sky which should be seen in many portrayals of nightly batman scenes in the future. However, this does not appear to have a deeper meaning, the choice of the full moon is used for dramatic purposes only: the effect is simply better in the full moon light. Furthermore, you are able to observe your favourite hero while at work, something that would be clearly more difficult at the new moon.

Batman fascinates fans of generations – whether in tights from the past or in the high-tech costume of the modern era. And the full moon keeps on shining.