DC was well aware of the impact the television portrayal of the character was making on the “ serious ” fans , and even addressed the situation in the comics . The cover of 1966 ’ s Batman # 183 features Batman “ reclining in front of a television set showing , ‘ The Adventures of Batman ,’ while Robin — functioning as a stand-in for the fan — entreats Batman to come out with him and fight crime ” ( Boichel 15 ). Ultimately , the legacy of West ’ s Batman was that the character would lack emotional intensity in popular media , conspicuously demonstrated in subsequent projects like the Super Friends Saturdaymorning cartoon , until his depiction as a brooding , dark avenger in Frank Miller ’ s influential 1986 The Dark Knight Returns comic book miniseries . Patrick Parsons , in “ Batman and his Audience : The Dialectic of Culture ,” describes the miniseries as “ the most prominent example of a shift in the superhero form from the classic , innocent clash of good and evil to the raw , doubting , often cynical vision of postmodern capitalism ” ( 85 ). In fact , “ DC more aggressively courted the older audience , forsaking comics aimed at the younger reader and establishing a general line of superheroes , including Batman and Superman ; a mature line ( which included an emotionally-troubled Green Arrow with a drinking problem )…” ( Parson 85 ).
In the late 1980 ’ s , due in part to the resurgence of the “ serious ” Batman thanks to Miller ’ s The Dark Knight Returns , Warner Bros . studio hired Tim Burton to direct a new feature film . However , when news emerged that actor Michael Keaton , at that time known best for his role in the comedies Mr . Mom ( 1983 ) and Beetlejuice ( 1988 ), was cast as Batman , an unprecedented backlash took place resulting in 50,000 protest letters being mailed to the studio . The magnitude of the reaction was immense , especially considering that the letter campaign was pre-
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