Since his creation in 1939, Batman has appeared in over 11,300 comics, his own T.V. show, several feature films, animated series, and video games. He has evolved over time to capture the imaginations of several generations of audiences and has proven to be one of the most popular superheroes ever. Batman was the brainchild of artist Bob Kane. Following the popularity of Superman, he sketched his idea for Batman wearing a black and red costume, a small facemask, and wings. Kane shared his drawing with writer Bill Finger, who suggested he wear a bat-shaped cowl to cover his head as well as wings and gloves, so he would not leave fingerprints. The pair drew inspiration from The Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, Dick Tracy, and Sherlock Holmes for Batman’s double identity and detective skills. Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. The story was so popular, Batman had his own comic books by the following year. The introduction of the Batman T.V. series in 1966 reinvigorated the comic and increased sales for all other comics as well. After the show was canceled two years later, the comics took on a darker tone that has come to define Batman today. A new series of Batman movies beginning in 1989 once again renewed interest in the comics and spawned a series of animated T.V. shows. Since then, the release of more shows, films, and video games continue to keep Batman at the forefront of our culture, continually popularizing him with new audiences. In addition to his countless appearances across various media, Batman is consistently ranked as one of the best superheroes in history, which is even more impressive considering he possesses no superpowers – making him a true hero. These stamps commemorate the 75th anniversary of Batman’s comic book debut. There are eight different designs, four picturing the evolution of Batman over the years and four round stamps showing his Bat symbol.