They turned off the Bat-Signal as the Sun set over Gotham City. A much quieter Gotham City. Down on the streets, music played, people laughed, life went on. And overhead, the gargoyles watched silently from the old Gotham Cathedral. Long ago, it was believed that gargoyles could protect a place from evil. One of the gargoyles moved. It was the Batman." ―Excerpt from end of the film's novelization. [src] Batman' breaks box-office records". Santa Cruz Sentinel. June 27, 1989. p.30. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023 . Retrieved August 2, 2023– via Newspapers.com. a b c d e f g h i Jones, Alan (November 1989). "Batman". Cinefantastique. pp.55–67. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013 . Retrieved May 2, 2008. Richard Corliss; Elaine Dutka (June 19, 1989). "The Caped Crusader Flies Again". Time. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008 . Retrieved October 26, 2008. {{ cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link) Past Saturn Awards". Saturn Awards.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008 . Retrieved May 7, 2008.

The movie ends with Commissioner Gordon announcing the Gotham police have arrested all the Joker's gang remnants, and unveiling the Batsignal supplied by Batman with a note promising to return if the city needs him. I was never a giant comic book fan, but I've always loved the image of Batman and the Joker. The reason I've never been a comic book fan – and I think it started when I was a child – is because I could never tell which box I was supposed to read. I don't know if it was dyslexia or whatever, but that's why I loved The Killing Joke, because for the first time I could tell which one to read. It's my favorite. It's the first comic I've ever loved. And the success of those graphic novels made our ideas more acceptable." Schwartz, Michael; Dykman, Joan. "Overview - Batman". allgame. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014 . Retrieved October 23, 2015. Givens, Ron (February 23, 1990). "The Elfman Cometh". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008 . Retrieved December 18, 2007.Gilchrist, Todd (June 24, 2019). "Prince's 'Batman' at 30: How the Film Saved His Career From 'Horrible' Financial Straits". Variety. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020 . Retrieved October 8, 2020. Despite the early worries, the film became the second most successful of 1989 and received praise from many Batman readers, especially those who had read the Frank Miller stories that inspired it. Furthermore, Keaton changed many doubters' minds about his casting to become hailed as one of the best actors to play the title role. Critical reaction was mostly positive, with many praising the film for its set design and production value, while others panned it as being too much of an intellectual exercise for Burton and too little of a Batman movie. Roger Ebert gave the film two stars (out of four), remarking, " Batman is a triumph of design over story, style over substance - a great-looking movie with a plot you can't care much about." Hal Hinson of the Washington Post gave a more enthusiastic review calling the film "Dark, haunting and poetic". Bill "Jett" Ramey (November 11, 2005). "An Interview With Michael Uslan – Part 2". Batman-on-Film. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013 . Retrieved May 4, 2008.

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