Batman's sales in the early 60s were at an all time low. The character had devolved into a weak copy of Superman and had lost his way-- often taking on interstellar alien invaders or gaining strange powers or transforming into a giant gorilla or any other host of nonsense that all but the most juvenile of readers found ridiculous.
Editor Julie Schwartz revitalized The Flash and The Green Lantern and was brought over to the Bat-titles to save the Caped Crusader. One of the first things he did was to bring Flash artist Carmine Infantino with him. Infantino's stylized but realistic artwork was perfect for a strip that was going to return to its detective roots.
Infantino defined the look of the Caped Crusader and together with Schwartz they saved the character.
TOMORROW: Batman gets Creepy
