There are a few literary characters that have the distinction of either appearing in the more films or written about in the most novels over the last 100 years. These induce….

Sherlock Holmes
Dracula
Tarzan
Philip Marlow
James bond
and Batman

But for times sake let’s just focus of one character in particular: Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes was created by sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887 – a Scotland Yard detective with the uncanny ability to deduce the slightest clue from items most of us wouldn’t give a second glance. Holmes would go on to appear over 4 novels, 56 short stories and over 200 films and currently holds the distinction of being the most prolific screen character in the history of cinema. But do you think he got that honor by staying completely staunch and unwavering to his original origin given to him in a 126 years ago? Do you really think the character would still be gracing our television sets in the year 2013 if not for a constant re-imaging of the character? Doubtful.

Over the years Holmes has changed looks, locations, styles, motives, personal problems, affairs, failures, and many many more revisions that have kept the character relevant and fresh. In fact he at one time had a problem with cocaine, but in the Nicholas Meyer pastiche “The Seven Percent Solution” Holmes is successfully treated for his addiction by Sigmund Freud – and now this this little interlude written in 1974 has become part of Sherlock Holmes “cannon” and is accepted by the fans.

Here are a few highlights of the milestones in Holmes long history of revisions and retelling:

* William Gillette’s 1899 play Sherlock Holmes, or The Strange Case of Miss Faulkner was a synthesis of several stories by Doyle, mostly based on A Scandal in Bohemia adding love interest, with the Holmes-Moriarty exchange from The Final Problem, as well as elements from The Copper Beeches and A Study in Scarlet. By 1916, Harry Arthur Saintsbury had played Holmes on stage more than a thousand times This play formed the basis for Gillette’s 1916 motion picture, Sherlock Holmes.

*Basil Rathbone starred as Sherlock Holmes alongside Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson in fourteen US films (two for 20th Century Fox and a dozen for Universal Pictures) from 1939 to 1946, as well as the radio show “The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” on the Mutual Broadcasting System from 1939 to 1946 before passing the role to Tom Conway. The 1939 20th Century Fox Hound of the Baskervilles contains an unusually direct reference to Holmes’s drug use in the last line of the film, “Watson, the needle”. The Universal Pictures are distinctive for being set in the then contemporary post-World War II era.

* In The Return Of Sherlock Holmes, a TV movie aired in 1987, Margaret Colin stars as Dr. Watson’s great-granddaughter Jane Watson, a Boston private eye, who stumbles upon Sherlock Holmes’s (played by Michael Pennington) body in frozen suspension and restores the Victorian sleuth to life in the 1980s. The film was intended as a pilot for a TV series which never materialized. A similar plot line was used in 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns where Dr Amy Winslow (played by Debrah Farentino) discovers Sherlock Holmes frozen in the cellar of house in San Francisco owned by a descendant of Mrs Hudson. Holmes (played by Anthony Higgins) froze himself in the hopes that crimes in the future would be less dull. He discovers that consulting detectives have been replaced by the police department’s forensic science lab and that the Moriarty family are still the Napoleons of crime.

* In the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, based on a story by Lionel Wigram and images by John Watkiss, directed by Guy Ritchie, the role of Holmes is performed by Robert Downey, Jr. with Jude Law portraying Watson. It is a reinterpretation which focuses on Holmes’s more anti-social personality traits as an unkempt eccentric with a brilliant analytical mind and formidable martial abilities. Robert Downey Jr. won the Golden Globe Award for his portrayal Both Downey Jr. and Law returned in the 2011 sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

* Benedict Cumberbatch plays a modern-day version of the detective, with Martin Freeman as Watson, in the BBC One TV series Sherlock, which premiered on 25 July 2010. The series changes the books’ original Victorian setting to the shady and violent present-day London. The show was created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, best known as writers for the BBC television series Doctor Who. Says Moffat, “Conan Doyle’s stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they’re about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes – and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that’s what matters.”

Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939 – right from the get go, issue #33 of Detective Comics to be correct, Batman’s origin is reviled to us in 2 pages where is it shown that a young Bruce Wayne’s parents are gunned down in a robbery at Crime Alley. Bruce would vow to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of his life waging war on all criminals. In the years that followed Bruce would grow to be a man and learn how to fight, be a master scientist, and perform miraculous acrobatic feats. One night he is sitting in his study thinking how we can better strike fear into the hearts of criminals when a giant bat crashes through his window – and well, the rest as they say is history.

Over the years Batman would take sidekicks under his wing, change his costume look, get new gadgets and go on fantastic adventures all over the world and even in space. But for 74 years the origin of Batman as remained UNCHANGED. Oh sure, there have been a few “updates” to the character from time to time in order to keep the public interested. For instance in 1964 Batman titles were doing so horribly and not selling that DC was planning to kill Batman off altogether. In a response to this editor Julius Schwartz was assigned to the Batman titles and immanently started making drastic changes – beginning with 1964’s Detective Comics #327 (May 1964). Scheartz introduced changes designed to make Batman more contemporary. The Batmobile was redesigned and Batman’s costume was modified to incorporate a yellow ellipse behind the bat-insignia. He got rid of all the silly space aliens that Batman was fighting and also did away with Bit-Mite and Ace the bat dog. Even Alfred was killed. Things got serious in Batman;s wold.

Then came along Adam West and fucked everything up. The word “Campy” entered our lexicon and forever tired to the Batman Television series. For many this put the Dark Knight Detective in a place that we would never be able to fight his way out of – he had become a joke,

But in 1969 Dennis O’Oneil and Neal Adams were ready to take Batman back to the shadows were he belonged. And in the classic Detective Comics issue #395 in 1970 they did just that and Batman would slowly emerge from Adam West’s cod-piece. This was the turning point for the character and brought it officially into the Silver age.

And so the Silver Age brought us many a great tale and created more mythos to the world of the cape crusader – but still, the origin remained UNTOUCHED” holy ground so to speak that no one wanted to defile. And that was okay – the origin was still relevant and worked. For now.

Years and years pasted and 1000’s of Batman stories were told, and all this time nary an attempt to re tale or re image the origin. Was it just too good an origin to mess with? Perhaps but as time marched on the origin became “dated”. Over on Superman they acknowledged this dilemma and gave the Man of Steel a make over courtesy of John Byrne – a new retelling of Jor-El for a modern audience, and it worked. The series was a success and fans loved it.

Recognizing this DC brought in Frank Miller, who’s Dark Knight Returns a year earlier took Batman to a place that he has remained ever since – A Legend. DC wanted Miller to work his magic yet again in re-telling Batman’s beginning years for a modern audience. Miller accepted and boy did he deliever – Batman: Year One is one of the finest works of art to ever be produced. A perfect tale.

This was in 1987 and since then no one as ever treaded close to that world, dared to enter Year One. This was hollowed ground. For ever 25 years this has been fan of Batman had gone to read about how Bruce Wayne become Batman. Period.

Till now.

Now the time is right and a young upstart, some may say naive, comic book writer has entered the Holy of Holies and with reverence in hand is ready to attempt what others have feared to go – and there upon the throne sits Frank Miller. He motions for Scott Snyder to come closer – he has something to whisper in his ear.

He whispers, “give him hell kid.”

Batman #21 is my Pick of Week.