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.
Batman: Year One
Launched in 1989, following the success of the film "Batman", the title "" examines crime-fighting exploits primarily, not exclusively, from the first four to five years of Batman's career. This title rotated in creative teams and time placement, but several stories directly relate to the events of "Year One", especially the first arc "Batman: Shaman". In 1998, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale created "" and "", two 13-issue maxiseries that recounted Batman's early years as a crime-fighter following the events of Miller's original story and retold the origins of Two-Face and Dick Grayson. The "Year One" story was continued in the 2005 graphic novel "", following up on Gordon informing Batman about the Joker, and thus recounting their first official encounter. Two other stories, "Batman and the Monster Men" and "Batman and the Mad Monk" tie into the same time period of Batman's career, filling in the gap between Year One and the Man Who Laughs. The comics "" and "" describe his sidekicks' origin stories.