When did Batman become so dark?

[Minerboh]

Okay, going to my collection and grabbing some copies. The Dark Knight Returns came out in February to June 1986. I don't see Batman #420, June 1988 being any darker than Batman #380, December 1985.
Or even Batman #240, March 1972. So I am wondering where the idea that Batman became darker after The Dark Knight Returns comes from. Because what is in the comic books doesn't justify that assertion.

Though i admit i haven't red Batman #240 and i do admit that the cover i googled looks promising with that talking brain in the jar, i do not think that it suggested that Selina Kyle was a prostitute. It also didn't depicted commisioner Gordon having an affair or the full corruption of the Gotham Police Force.

[HeroShack]

I'd say joker made him dark. He drove him crazy with all the deaths torture and crimes that he just turned dark against him and other criminals. Especially after losing jason todd.

[CrazyOldHermit]

Okay, going to my collection and grabbing some copies. The Dark Knight Returns came out in February to June 1986. I don't see Batman #420, June 1988 being any darker than Batman #380, December 1985.
Or even Batman #240, March 1972. So I am wondering where the idea that Batman became darker after The Dark Knight Returns comes from. Because what is in the comic books doesn't justify that assertion.

Batman #420 ends with Batman murdering the KGBeast (or trying to, anyway). So really that alone makes it quite a bit darker than the pre-Dark Knight stuff.

The reaction to Dark Knight (and Year One) was delayed for a while. Jim Starlin's work, starting with Batman #414, was really the beginning of a dark Batman in the main titles. He's the guy who made Bruce and Dick pissed off and bitter at each other, and he's the guy who turned Jason Todd into an angry punk and killed him. The Grant-Wagner team started on 'Tec at the same time and they definitely moved the character into a darker spot as well, but not so aggressively.

I wouldn't say the Bronze Age Batman comics are particularly dark, just moody. Batman's personality is still pretty "normal."

[Restingvoice]

Bronze age atmosphere is darker than the silver age, and Batman was more solitary since Dick went to college, but he's still expressive, romantic, has a lot of thoughts in his head and can joke around. He's not yet the broody mcbrood brood.

Batman Year One Batman isn't dark in the sense that he's broody, but the world around him is darker, more adult and more complex. Selina was a hooker, something I noticed they often do whenever they want to make something more adult, make the female villain more sexual... Gordon has an affair where he's previously has squeaky clean moral... and there's more realistic enemies in the form of corruption within the GCPD and the mob. The silver age has mobs too but GCPD wasn't corrupt or at least not as corrupt as today. Overall, Gotham City itself became a cesspool of crime where previously it's a normal city.