For all the discussion about Superman becoming a public domain character in about a decade, somehow the fact that the same fate will befall everyone's favorite Dark Knight as well tends to be forgotten
But as it stands, on January 1st 2035 (so a little less than 12 years from now), Batman will enter the public domain. I'm assuming its just the first few Detective Comics stories from 1939 that'll enter the public domain that year, but the number will increase every year - by 2036, Robin, Joker and Catwoman would all be fair game. And in the years that follow, stuff like Alfred, the Batcave, the Batmobile, the Batsignal etc.
How do you think DC would handle this? And what kind of Batman projects could we potentially see in the early years of the public domain, given that so many elements of the Batman franchise as we know it today would be off-limits?
Compared to Superman, where the early Golden Age version of the character retains some popularity and inspires a great deal of curiosity, the early Golden Age Batman really does not have the same exposure. So would people really be interested in seeing a public domain version of the original Kane/Finger Bat-Man? Or a 10 year old Dick Grayson as Robin? A Catwoman who isn't Selina Kyle and doesn't have a sympathetic backstory? No Batcave or Batmobile to start with? A Gotham (well, New York City to begin with) that can't be a cesspool for crime and corruption run by the Mob?