Batman Is Celebrating His 75th Birthday and You’re Invited

One day to celebrate Batman’s 75th birthday is just not enough.

Batman Day is officially on July 23, but Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have organized a month-long series of events to commemorate the caped one’s milestone. Think of it as Comic-Con exclusively for Batfans.

Fans around the U.S. will be able to take part in the festivities, which include a studio tour (including a peek at the Batmobile and other props) and a free special-edition comic book at participating stores. There will also be new merchandise and DVD releases.

Artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger created Batman in May 1939 in response to the success of Superman — and comic-goers soon fell for the wealthy character of Bruce Wayne, who, come nightfall, swapped his suits for a black mask and cape to fight Gotham City crime.

Danny DeVito, who starred as the villain Penguin in the 1992 film Batman Returns, discussed the edgy comic hero’s success in an interview with AFP.

“The world has no heroes … Batman gives you some hope and some faith,” he said.

DeVito added that Batman’s appeal resonated with people who have little or no faith in politicians and the present generation. “We look around at us, our leaders and the young people we are supposed to look to. There’s really nobody you can have faith in,” he said.