REAL Origin of the BAT-SIGNAL! (Batman Month) || Comic Misconceptions || NerdSync
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- Опубликовано: 18 окт 2016
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The Bat-Signal is a crucial part of Batman's history and lore, showing that the Dark Knight is watching over Gotham City. It has appeared in almost every single Batman movie, tv show, and video game, but why was it created in the first place? What is the origin of the Batsignal? Not in the comics themselves, but in the real world? Believe it or not, there was a real-life Bat Signal created back in the 1920s by a mad scientist named Harry Grindell Matthews who was also famous for inventing the DEATH RAY! Today, we're learning about the life of this eccentric inventor to discover how one of his creations inspired DC Comics to introduce the iconic Bat-Signal!
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-------SOURCES-------
The man who invented the death ray
www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/waleshisto...
Harry Grindell Matthews, Madcap Inventor of the Death Ray and the Sky Projector
www.gizmodo.co.uk/2013/03/harr...
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Развлечения
id project another moon, that'll trip everyone out
fireyhand "The Infinite Tsukuyomi"
@@beyondw01f3 AYYYYYY
I'd shine "Hey Tom" and freak out everyone named tom.
One of the most interesting things about the Gotham TV series for me was how the first episode pointed out how the batsignal is actually more of a symbol for Gordan than batman. When most people see the light the light they think "Batman" but when Batman see's it he likely thinks "Gordan". And Gordan also subtly represents the light in the darkness that is Gotham not just with the batsignal but also the lights from the police cars he brings in to help batman or the light at the end of his cigarette. Even his glasses often reflect light, if batman is the night, James Gordan is the Day.
Love this!
+NerdSync me to
I think there's something I might not be getting, but still, why "GordAn"???
Javier Bernardo Mendez Cossio
because I'm the slave of spellcheck and can't remember how to spell some characters names off the top of my head.
And he's got a sweet trenchcoat.
Pretty sure Harry Grindell Matthews is my Hamilton. Expect a hip hop musical about the man coming next year.
222nd to view this video
Kamran Pierre why would anyone care?
amen to that
NerdSync maybe the writters knew about his death and tried to honor him by using a similar ivention to his invention also sorry for the bad english i'm portuguese
Oh hi there!
hey scott, couldn't the bat single also strike fear in the hearts of enemies? for example, when criminals see the light in the sky, they'd think "We're screwed!" .
Exactly!
“There’s actually a TON that I cut out of this script for this episode, but I’ll be sending it...over to Patreon”
Destiny 2: “Cut content? Hold my beer”.
In The Dark Knight, Gordon said he used the bat signal to remind people that Batman is out there
"Its not just a signal... It's a warning"
"A giant beacon in the sky, announcing to all my enemies where they can find me. Only an idiot would put that into effect."
Otto octavius/Superior Spider-man #3
For Batman, it makes a bit more sense, I think. The Bat Signal shines from atop the GCPD; any crook trying to attack Batman there will have to deal with not just the Caped Crusader, but also any cop in the station at the time.
Granted, if enough crooks banded together to swarm the station, it'd be bad. But then, in Batman comics, the crooks have . . .trouble maintaining alliances among themselves. If nothing else, they'd trip over each other trying to be the one who bags the Batman. The smarter crooks, knowing that, would opt to stay away and let the dumber competition take itself out of the picture. :)
Now, for J.J. to signal Spidey, just out of the blue? Yeah, that'd be pretty stupid - though, wasn't he mayor at the time? So he'd have access to police forces?
Loranna
There *is* a Spidey-signal, it's just used a different way - Seen in the Civil War Post Credit
LorannaPyrel what about super villains? They easily overcome Batman together at the same time
pinky75910 that signal you referring to it's a thing in the comic, but superior spider-man is a direct reference of batman saying is a stupid idea because bad guys would find him easily to kill him
While a villain could use the Bat signal to lure Batman, they could easily just commit a crime to get his attention, with less risk of the cops stopping the crook before Bats even gets there. And if the villains somehow did manage to team up, I doubt they'd try to summon Batman using the signal as a lure, because like I said there are better ways to get his attention of you're a villain.
I would project lightning bolts then sell umbrellas.
Well played…
Let's just hope it doesn't attract Flash, Shazam, Black Lightning, etc. Or if it does, that they're in the market for a new umbrella.
you won the internet
I'd project this video so people would get why I'm projecting something into the sky
Scott, I was hoping if you could make a video about the time Barry Allen was an official Marvel character. 5 years after he (seemingly) died on Crisis on Infinite Earths a "new" character in the Marvel Universe appeared in Quasar Issue 17, who only had shreds of an red and yellow suit on him, was blonde, could run really fast and had amnesia, but he remembered that his name sounded kinda like "Buried Alien" (I wonder what that sound like). Later he adapted the name Fastforward.
Jonah Steinfeld Wow, I never knew about that.
Jonah Steinfeld that's cool. I want Scott to make a video off of it.
fastforward is a great Character. his great line was" I can only remember two things from my past one that my name is buried alien and 2 I'm the fastest man alive" and then proceeded to beat every Speedster in the Marvel Universe in a race. it was Marvel pretty much admitting that they never write a character faster than the Flash
Jonah Steinfeld
whoaaaaaaa
7:23 Eh, Matthews would probably just sue Detective Comics.
Raziel Qwazar
hahahaha well the guy was broke
I'd project the moon from Majora's Mask just to see if Nintendo would claim ownership of the cloud.
Jk, I love Nintendo
The NerdSync logo.
You beautiful nerd!
NerdSync
Niko Miller Nah, the All-Seeing Eye
cool
Man, i finished bingewatching the main NerdSync videos i couple of days ago, and you have turned from some youtube guy to someone that looks like he could be a dear friend.
I don't even read superhero comics, i know DC and Marvel from other sources, yet these videos are REALLY interesting to me. Keep up the good work.
MrRoMaGi thank you!
I would put a plaid shirt symbol in the sky. Just to remind those of the the plaid lantern corps
Always remember the menacing Plaid Lanterns!
NerdSync We must always alert evil of the plaid lanterns
*Covers with a giant Cheeto* Gray Lantun fo eva!
Nope Nopington NUUUUU
Are there any Pastel Lanterns?
I would shine the image of a UFO in the sky. Just to mess with people
I would shine YOU NerdSync-man for YOU are the shining light that proves comics can be used to learn.
In this case I would shine a light with a plaid texture. He is part of the plaid lantern corps.
I would shine the outlines of constellations
If I had a giant signal I would shine a giant single saying "subscribe to NerdSync".
Fantastic idea! Haha
I really love this series. Keep up the fantastic content it really makes my day better
222nd to view this video
Kamran Pierre stop
Kamran do you live in Florida?
I would shine the words "Imagine others complexly"
I would put up "I'm desperate, single, and ready to mingle."
It's sure to work!
"Happy 30th anniversary, Metroid, we remember, even if Nintendont"
This show seriously gets better and more intellectual each time I watch it! Great job Scott you should be really proud of this channel!
i wouldn't shine ads or something personnel i would screen movies for people to see for free. mostly batman.
How would they hear it? Perhaps broadcast it over a radio signal? Just a giant drive in movie. Haha
The return of the silent film.
NerdSync Subtitles!
I'd keep the message in the clouds simple. "Made you look" or something like that.
I thought the bat signal was inspired by an old horror film called "the bat" where the villian would shine a flashlight style bat signal at people to scare them. kinda like spider-man's spider signal.
www.imdb.com/title/tt0016629/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3
Danny Duff that'd be creepy as hell
well maybe not creepy "AS HELL" but... still pretty sp00ky
Perhaps Scott got it wrong
Sounds like a lame horror movie.
I thought that the Bat signal was based off of a 1926 silent film called "The Bat." I saw it from an old James Rolfe (AVGN) video where he went into a little Batman movie marathon. It included a killer in a bat mask and cloak who used a grappling hook and shone a bat-signal to alert people of him. Also, he left notes with a bat symbol on them like in early Batman stories. I suppose it could've just been a general inspiration for Batman (so was Da Vinci drawings, The Shadow, and Zorro, of course).
Great video! I would love it if they made a comic misconceptions about the Vertigo comics universe, sandman, hellblazer,lucifer etc. and it's continuity with the DC universe. Thanks!
LOL! 5:07 I love this channel
NO, the Bat-Signal came from, like a lot of Comic Heroes, from the Pulp Magazines.
Specifically, the PHANTOM DETECTIVE (rather, The Phantom (he was rarely called Phantom Detective in the magazine)).
The PHANTOM DETECTIVE - July 1936: Frank Havens, publisher of the Clarion newspaper, installs a rooftop signal device to summon The Phantom.
The Phantom also had a type of proto-Batmobile:
From The PHANTOM DETECTIVE - MARCH 1935 Pg. 25-26):
"...and crossed to a parking lot. It was a dinky, small one, capable of holding only a couple dozen cars."
The car he got was "A black, heavy coupe', it was four years old in model and design. The crumpled fenders had been badly straightened out. A film of dust lay over it, and the enamel beneath showed only too obviously that it had been neither washed nor polished in many months. It was, in short, the sort of car which no one would give a second glance.
But this same black coupe' was as deceptive as a panthers velvety paw when the claws are indrawn. The glass in that coupe' was not merely shatter-proof, it was bullet-proof. So was every inch of it's body.
And the motor below that dirty hood could maintain a speed of well over a hundred miles an hour. Could maintain it easily because of an especially weighted rear... The motor was noisy, laborious - until Van pushed a button beneath the steering shaft. As if by magic, the sound of the motor dropped to a smooth, barely audible purr...that other amazing features built into that coupe' manifested themselves
.. .then pushed another button the entire right half of the seat silently swing forward and down. At the same time, a tiny overhead light flashed up in the roof of the now exposed secret compartment.
A submachine gun of a more modern, deadly design... gleaned shiny and sinister on a bracket at one wall of the compartment. Three automatics hung neatly below it. Under them, on a little shelf, were extra clips of cartridges. And experienced eyes would have identified below that shelf a half dozen tear-gas bombs.
At the opposite wall, perhaps a dozen suits". Changing suits "he drops with the the clothes into still another secret compartment accessible from the floor of the one he now used." (His flat black make-up kit is there also).
"Then he brought forth from a tiny compartment something that glittered in the light. It was an emblem forming in Platinum and Diamonds a tiny mask. The Phantom badge, and it was thus known throughout the world." (Kind of Self-indulgent here with this in the Early '30 and so on... Like saying "See how Very Rich I am and you're not" as I flash it around (in my opinion)).
(It could also be a "Proto-Black Beauty")
The Phantom Detective Magazine was edited by longtime Superman and Batman editor Mort Weisinger.
Batman's Fin Gloves/Gauntlets came from The Black Bat, from BLACK BOOK DETECTIVE (July 1939 - 1953).
DC editor Whitney Ellsworth had once worked for the Black Bat's publishers.
And finally, Commissioner Jim Gordon came from The WHISPERER pulp magazine 1936: Commissioner James W. "Wildcat" Gordon, was the crime-fighting "The Whisperer". 😊
Is it sad that if I had a sky projector I would only shine the bat signal on it?
I would shine the message "only you can see this".
Great video! nerdsync is the best comic channel on youtube!
I'm reminded of a scene from the Tick cartoon, where Tick and Arthur deliver a Tick signal to the mayor, who, while appreciative, pointed out how these things just don't work. Die Fleidermaus, for example, refuses to answer his phone and ducks out of town for a week.
On the topic of the Bat signal, I remembered a really neat callback to the Bat Signal in Batman Beyond, where someone calls Terry, the new Batman with the old Bat Signal. He arrives, destroyed the machine with a batarang responding, “Use e-mail.”
“It’s not just a signal it’s a warning” gives so much more meaning to the bat signal.
Great video.
what would I shine into the sky? a number...a number that is the greatest number in history, a number that will be the best number forever...and that number is.................69!!!
WRONG!!! It's 42!!!!
+Ron Petersen some would say 420 or 666 but not me I agree with you # 42
Spencer MacDougall Very true. To some 420 is the answer to life the universe and everything :)
You. Broke. It.
How about the number 5318008?
I would have movie night all night every night. It would be like those drive in theaters, but everyone could enjoy!
If they were silent movies. You'd still have to be wherever the speakers are.
Did I miss something? Scott you do a terrific job. I love your videos and the interesting facts you dredge up. In particular I like how you always insist on reliable sources for any claim, yet that is what I did not find here. The story of Harry Grindell Matthews was indeed fascinating and made me want to learn more of his life. However, except for the possible coincidence of timing (between the first appearance of the bat signal and his death, not with the publicity of his sky projector) you gave nothing to indicate that there actually is any connection. Was that in the additional commentary for Patreon supporters? Fair enough and good on you for giving your supporters more but I think you at least needed to make the connection in your public channel.
If it was there and I missed it, well that will teach me to pay more attention in class.
Dude, you rock at this
Love this
If I could shine something into the sky, I would shine the words "you are loved". A beacon of kindness for all who need it. And let's face it. At one point or another we all need it
I would shine the bat signal in the sky of course
Thanks for the secret History behind one of comics most iconic items.
The pepsi symbol... :| Bring me all of your pepsi
Now I want to see a large truck-sized, cannon-shaped progector on top of police headquarters in Batman comics. How can we make this happen?
*projector
I'd shine the Nerdync and Hamilton logos side by side and then a paraba underneath to make a smiley face with eyes that have Scott's two most precious things
Will you guys ever do a video on the different Lantern Corps? (Green, Yellow, Blue etc) That's a video I'd like to see.
Scott i need to know where did you get that ramona flowers drawing
I love the idea of shining advertisements onto the night sky. Saves a lot on manufacturing giant screens.
These various devices and such are part of what made Batman an interesting character. The Bat signal, the batarang, the batmobile, the Bat-Cave, etc.
love that lantern light where did you get it from?
Ahman Shah I know right
He made it himself!
Grupey no way!?!
2:25 you talked about that guy in one of the podcats.
This is actually a comment for the Batman's one rule video but that's not up now:
Probably been told this already but your picture of bill finger is actually Steve Ditko.
One a different note, you should do a Steve Ditko video sometimes, maybe discuss how his characters inspired watchmen, his dispute with Stan Lee over the "creation" of Spider-Man, his character Dr Strange (which would be very timely for the movie) or a history of the question or the more extreme version, Mr A, or about how his objectivist philosophy inspired his works (sometimes to their own detriment); as you can tell, I love Ditko a lot
Cool video. I have a request: can you explain how comic books were colored before computers and Photoshop? please & thank u.
the Marvel and DC logo with your logo (with arms) hugging them!
I would say: YOU FISH!!! YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT I HAVE!!! I HAVE A SKY PROJECTOR!
Could you make a video about Cerebro
I would shine Vargas poster pinups into the sky. Add a little sassy class to those skylines.
Gordon was like ffffffffuuuuuck that lmao
I would just play great movies in places that would require uncomfortable seating....I mean helpful information in locations of mass poverty, famine, or otherwise in need of guidance. Though that first one brings up the idea of the best place to place messages projected onto the sky. Would they have to have the message facing two ways, or maybe even four so that they could be read by the most people, and how much would that lower the amount of what they could put on or would they just buy more ad space? How much would this ad space even cost? How exactly is the cost of both the air space and what you're projecting determined? Would four directional ads have a space in the middle that you would still need to pay for, or would they be somewhat mashed together? Could that middle space be a benefit allowing for something like a logo? Would it ultimately be better to just set these up as visible by one direction in places like beaches?
good stuff....could of used some orange cats though js
i was about to yell in the comments about how this is going up early in the morning, then i relized i just woke up really really late
also... holy snap! i have to write an essay about any scientist ever... this guy might be the perfect subject to write about!
Cosmic Nerd Studios Well there was never a time when he was called a "scientist" and his obsession with 'no experts' heavily implies that he was just trying to contact officials put of their time and money
Daniel Pettit IM COUNTING IT ANYWAY
him or tesla, yeah.
I would shine random suggestions like in the horoscope for people to it according to their situation. For example I would shine a night "just ask her". A man would be getting ready to ask a girl out or to ask a woman if she's cheating.
Another one would be "don't do it" and whatever people would be having doubts with would be put on hold. It would be an amazing social experiment if we gave the same answer to different problems.
If I had the sky projector, I'd probably shine a cat winking at everyone just so that everyone could smile or laugh as they look up in the sky. XD
That's quite the interesting origin for the sky projector/The Bat Signal! Now it makes me wonder if the "Spider-Spotlight" was kind of inspired by said projector, since the beacon of light from Spider-Man's belt always had the emblem of his face.
There are a couple possibilities for shining things in the clouds. You couls sell sky projectors, watch movies, or even have the light show a livestream pointed at the same patch of clouds it is covering, esentially causing a cloud-ception.
my own superhero signal. Lumino's Saber. The light that pierces even the blackest night.
love your videos but it would be great if you could add a small line when your talking about units , e.g. pounds into the metric system so non American people like me don't have to convert it.
I always forget to do that! Thanks for reminding me!
"Goodnight, Bat-Signal."
My only real use for it would be to put it in areas with low communications and project safety warnings, evacuation message, drought and famine predictions etc.
another great episode but why are there roughly 160,000 views missing. Maybe not enough clickbait on the thumbnail
I would shine the image of a person falling out of the sky, and would run around below, pretending like I was trying to catch the person.
if I could shine an image into the sky, it would probably be the tragedy/comedy theatre mask. I love Broadway, both straight plays and musicals. And if I were a superhero or supervillain, I would definitely work that into my theme.
If I had a sky projector, I'd probably shine Spider-Man's emblem just to stick it to Bats.
It would be nice if you had a real origins playlist to easily find all of them.
Dang, this Harry Grindell Matthews sounds awesome!
Every night I would project my dankest of MEMES
I've always said the oval Bat symbol as a part of the costume makes no sense if it predates the Bat signal in continuity. The oval invokes the Bat Signal in imagery and serves as a way to let people know that it's HIS signal.
Also I always wish that when Batman came back to Gotham in Dark Knight Rises that he'd have spray painted the yellow oval around the bat on his chest. Ah well.
Not a bad video, learned something new so that's good. However I think a more direct inspiration for the Bat Signal (and most of Batman's well everything else ) came from a somewhat obscure silent movie and it's sound remake The Bat and The Bat Whispers, films about a group of rich people being stuck in an old mansion while being stalked by a psychopath who is heavy equipped with bat themed gadgets , a very early batman like costume and most importantly a flashlight that projected a bat shaped symbol in order to strike fear in his victims. Batman's had gone on record saying that that film was a huge influence on them (much like The Man who Laughs, another silent chiller, was for the creation of The Joker) however with lawsuits being a thing DC and Warner have gone well out of their way to cover up any connections to these film. Since there's only a very fine line between inspiration and plagiarism. Fact is as much as I love Batman, if you look at the character and his mythos he was basically like 75 to 85% ripped off of pulp heroes (like Zorro and The Shadow) and a lot of silent era chillers.
am I the only one that gets reminded of Benjamin McKensie (Jim Gordon in Gotham) when he saw the pics of Harry
I never go anywhere without my portable death ray.
I always love these real origins videos, this one was particularly interesting because of the rather genius, yet failed inventions made by a possibly slightly psychotic scientist.
"Calling all Plad Lanterns" and the Plad logo.
Thanks Scott. Shoutout to the resting Harry G. Matthews.
No mention of the silent movie The Bat. In one scene a moth on a car's headlight projects a bat-like silhouette.
Also police Sergeant Hainer, the original Batsignal operator.
I would use the bat signal but in red light while a batman movie was being played .With the red light the signal would be stronger and easier for the bat fans to see!!!!Plus I love your videos and the way you explain things based on real life events and science and generally I love your work!😉 ;)
I'd want to project into the clouds a gallery of moving art, to cheer up murky days :)
This shirt looks great on you
Movies! Sound could be projected from speakers on nearby buildings. Imagine watching Batman from the clouds!
I wouldn't shine anything. Do you know how many of those things I have? They're useless. Every time I shine the Die Fledermaus Signal, he disconnects his telephone and leaves town for a few days.
I would project words ,,Batman is here''.
But Scott. What about the silent film "The Bat" which has been known to be the inspiration for Batman. In that film the killer The Bat uses a Bat signal to terrify his prey before he attacks. This film came out in 1926, you said Matthews debuted his sky projector 4 years later in 1930. Wouldn't it make more sense that they got the inspiration from the film The Bat considering they took a lot from that film in the first place?
If I had a sky projector? Probably the shadow of a Star Destroyer. If not that, I would probably shine the words "First to find the light gets $500." That would be fun (If I could follow through with the promise of money)
In Superior Spider-man #3 it's almost like they make fun of the bat signal when JJJ made a spider- signal and Superior Spider-man destroys it and comedically states "A giant beacon in the sky, announcing to ALL my enemies where they can find me. Only an idiot would put that into effect". Also is it just me or does Harry Grindell-Matthews looks vaguely like Alfred from the Gotham series.
I would project the outline of the sky projector.
I am Jo King and I love your show
a normal searchlight, aka skyblaster, is incapable of projecting an image, bat silhouette or otherwise, because you need two or more lenses to focus the image. that's why the sky projector was 30 feet long, to hold the lenses.
Always thought the Zorro church bell had to do something with the inspiration of Bat Signal...
Gotta get me one of those green lanterns...