Batman Light Signal Views

General Goods

The Bat-Signal is a fictional distress signal device appearing in the various interpretations of the Batman mythos. It is a specially modified Klieg searchlight with a stylized symbol of a bat attached to the light so that it projects a large Bat emblem on the sky or buildings of Gotham City. In the stories, the signal is used by the Gotham City Police Department as a method of contacting and summoning Batman to their assistance in the event of a serious crisis and as a weapon of psychological intimidation to the numerous villains of Gotham City.

The origin of the signal varies between timeline and media. It made its first appearance in Detective Comics #60, February 1942. In the 1989 Batman film, Batman gave the signal to the police as a gift enabling them to call him when the city is in danger; in 2005's Batman Begins, then-lieutenant James Gordon creates his own signal light, inspired by an incident when Batman strapped the defeated mobster Carmine Falcone to a large searchlight, which created a roughly bat-like image from the light's beam due to Falcone's tattered coat.

In Joel Schumacher's 1995 sequel Batman Forever, the criminal psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian uses the Bat-Signal to call Batman, in order to seduce him. Batman is slightly peeved at her usage of the Bat-Signal as a mere beeper . A music video for Kiss from a Rose , also from the film, features singer Seal performing the song while standing near the Bat-Signal. Also in Batman Forever, the Riddler alters the Bat-Signal by projecting a question mark into the sky with the first symbol forming the dot at the base. Similarly, in Batman: Dark Victory, after brokering a tentative alliance with Batman, the Riddler changes the signal, projecting a question mark into the sky in order to let Batman know that he has an answer for him.

In the 2005 film Batman Begins, Batman initially 'improvises' a Bat-Signal by draping crime boss Carmine Falcone over a spotlight at the docks after defeating him, his shredded and spread-out coat making the light look like a bat. At the conclusion of the movie, then-Lieutenant Gordon creates the actual Bat-Signal to call Batman to the roof for a talk, although he jokingly comments that he only uses it because they could not find any mob bosses to strap to it.