Batman
The first Batman story, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate", was published in "Detective Comics" #27 (May 1939). Finger said, "Batman was originally written in the style of the pulps", and this influence was evident with Batman showing little remorse over killing or maiming criminals. Batman proved a hit character, and he received his own solo title in 1940 while continuing to star in "Detective Comics". By that time, Detective Comics was the top-selling and most influential publisher in the industry; Batman and the company's other major hero, Superman, were the cornerstones of the company's success. The two characters were featured side-by-side as the stars of "World's Finest Comics", which was originally titled "World's Best Comics" when it debuted in fall 1940. Creators including Jerry Robinson and Dick Sprang also worked on the strips during this period.
Alan Grant (writer)
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was the 12-issue "Outcasts" limited series (Oct. 1987–Sept. 1988) for DC Comics. Although it was not a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in "Detective Comics" from issue 583 (Feb. 1988), largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles. Grant and Wagner introduced the Ventriloquist in their first Batman story and the Ratcatcher in their third. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. He has long stated that Wagner left after five issues because the title did not sell well enough to give them royalties, and that Wagner's name was kept in the credits for the remaining seven issues because Grant was afraid DC would fire him.