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: Gotham Knight
Note: Though the film credits give "story by" acknowledgment to first-time writer Jordan Goldberg, Josh Olson acknowledged it was actually based on a very similar story by Frank Robbins called "The Batman Nobody Knows". The story was first printed in "Batman" #250 in 1973, and subsequently adapted as "Legends of the Dark Knight" in "The New Batman Adventures". According to Olson: "The first time it's stealing, the second time it's borrowing, the third time you're creating a genre". Also, the three different versions of the Man in Black have many similarities to other members of Batman's Rogues gallery, though they all resemble a member of the League of Shadows. The first story features a tech-wielding villain who has teeth similar to Killer Croc, the second uses a jetpack (Reminiscent of Firefly), and the third has similarities to the villain Deadshot. Also, the Batman of the second encounter is very similar to the villain Man-Bat. When the Man in Black is seen by all the teenagers, he has no identifiable characteristics. Lastly, the story is told backwards, with the kid who claims he saw Batman most recently going first, ending with the kid who actually saw him first."Crossfire" was written by Greg Rucka and animated by Production I.G.