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.
List of Batman comics
The following trade paperbacks are stories that run through the "contemporary" books of the Batman Family. The earliest trade paperback, chronologically speaking, is Frank Miller's "" storyline, which rebirthed the character in the Modern Age, re-telling the first year of his existence and how he came to be. These stories are from comic books still being published and are, in a sense, ongoing. They are listed here in the chronology of the storylines, rather than the publication dates of either the original comics or collections.