The signal goes on and he shows up. That's the way it's been, that's the way it will be. 
History
The Bat-Signal is a large projection lamp that casts the silhouetted shape of a bat across the sky of Gotham City. Commissioner James Gordon incorporated it as a means of contacting Batman, whenever he was needed and it was placed on the roof of the headquarters of Gotham City Police Department.[1] As Batman's existence is not officially recognised by the Gotham City authorities, the Bat-Signal is explained as a method of using the "urban legend" around Batman to terrify the criminal class of Gotham.
Earth-Two
when Commissioner Gordon was removed from his charge, his replacement destroyed the Bat-Signal using an axe and ended the GCPD connection with Batman. However, when Batman uncovered a large criminal network behind Gordon's demotion, the Mayor reinstated Gordon as Police Commissioner and the Bat-Signal was repaired.[2]
The Bat-Signal played a very important role on Batman's crime-fighting career and soon it became a tool besides a summoning beacon. During its early days, some criminals shot the Bat-Signal and others stole it to prevent communication between Gordon and Batman.[3] For this reason, Batman designed a new Bat-Signal with the following features:
- Super Carbon Arc Filaments to produce a beam 100 times brighter than a normal seachlight
- Bullet-proof glass; handground for clarity
- Outer casing of duraluminium covered with bullet-proof glass
- Yellow fog filter
- Batslide
- Larger, changeable and more powerful carriage
New Earth
The Bat-Signal was once broken by Sarah Essen during an outburst of rage after which she shot the signal. Whenever it was lit, the shape of the bat appeared to be broken.[4] It was soon repaired and fully operational.
As official proven police interaction with the Bat-Signal and Batman himself can lead to cases against criminals arrested by Batman being dismissed, it is up to the civilian employees of the Gotham police department — including the Major Case Squad's civilian attache, Stacy — to operate the signal officially.
Following No Man's Land, a new Bat-Signal was given to the GCPD, which had a number of additions, including a laser writer, built into it. (The laser writer was used to skywrite directional arrows and street addresses to guide Batman straight to a crime scene, without the Caped Crusader wasting time stopping off at police headquarters.)
After Batman defeated The Body, he asked the new Police Commisioner Michael Akins to keep the signal on as a way to send a message to his enemies.[5]
However, when Akins declared vigilantes illegal, he removed the Bat-Signal, though it ended up self-destructing in the process. The original one was returned soon thereafter.
During a brief period when Batman was out of the country, The Question replaced the bat shape on the front of the signal with a large question mark.
Modified Bat-Signal
When Batman went missing after his confrontation with the Black Glove, Gordon activated the signal hoping to summon Batman, but he is disappointed when Geo-Force and Katana arrive, looking for Batman as well.[6]
When word about Batman's death spread, a Bat-Signal was turned on with the letters "R.I.P." engraved in it. Gordon followed the source of this signal to Arkham Asylum, where he found a makeshift signal left behind after the whole place was destroyed.[7] After learning of a new Batman, whose methods included murder and torture, Gordon decided to keep the signal off until it was safe to use it again.[8]
Trivia
- Harvey Bullock has named the Bat-Signal "Siggy."[9]
See Also
External Links
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Bat-Signal. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. The text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.