I would argue the following:

Golden Age Batman: 1939-1954 (ended with the publication of The Comics Code) 16 years.

Atom Age Batman: 1955-1964 (ended with Julie Schwartz taking over and introducing the "New Look" Batman) 10 years.

Silver Age Batman: 1964-1969 (ended with Batman #217) 6 years.

Early Bronze Age Batman: 1970-1978 (ended with the DC implosion and the consolidation to one writer now solely in control of both Batman titles, allowing greater experiments with sweeping story arcs and longterm continuity). 10 years.

Late Bronze Age Batman: 1979-1985 (ended with the conclusion of CoIE and Doug Moench resetting continuity/characterizations) 7 years.

Non-Era Batman: 1986-1988 (ended with Post-Crisis Batman continuity first firmly beginning in Batman #426, after numerous earlier resets that were all somehow later contradicted, including in Batman #400, Detective #569, and Batman #408) 3 years. Note that, while a few details from this era do get referenced later on (most notably Year One and the shooting of Babs Gordon), too many other details from this era are later contradicted to count it as one continuity.

Copper Era Batman: 1988-2011 (ended with Flashpoint/Nu52) 24 years. Note that, while continuity gets two soft reboots in this era, they only change minor details.

Modern Era Batman: 2011-Present

An ongoing list of people who helped to train Batman (as of Detective Comics #227, January 1956)

I did something like this for my Post-Crisis Batman reviews once it became obvious that Denny O'Neil was placing a heavy emphasis on exploring Bruce's early training. Now that we are presumably seeing Jack Schiff do the same thing three decades earlier, it seems appropriate to try the same thing here.

So here's the list of Batman trainers that we know thus far:


Harvey Harris: Briefly mentored Bruce in detective work while he was still a young teen (Detective Comics #226).

Gotham College: Bruce "trained his body to muscular perfection on athletic teams" and took one criminology course (Batman #96).

Mr. Kean: Taught Batman the art of disguise at the beginning of his career (Detective Comics #227).


Note: While Batman #47 establishes that Bruce "mastered scientific criminal investigation" and "trained his body to such physical and athletic perfection that he could perform any daredevil feat," it does not specify when/how he gained these skills, allowing ensuing stories to fill in the blanks.

I read one an interesting article that explained that, while pre-Crisis Batman was master of multiple martial arts, it was never explained when and where he learned them. By DC Wiki he knew:

Boxing
Aikido
Capoeira
Judo
Jujutsu
Karate
Kung Fu
Tae Kwon Do
Wrestling.

The only one we know something is probably wrestling in college.

Probably this is the reason why they focused so much on his training in the post Crisis version.

And the pre-Coie Batman was never shown on any trip around the world during his training years. So he probably found all these martial arts teachers in Gotham. A billionaire becomes a champion of countless martial arts without anyone in the city noticing.

"And here's a pile of cash!"

Now this makes sense!

World's Finest Comics #80 (January-February 1956)



Script: Edmond Hamilton
Pencils: Dick Sprang
Inks: Stan Kaye
Colors: ?
Letters: Pat Gordon

Grade: C+


I'm starting to see a pattern in many of these stories. As I argued here, once the Comics Code had been implemented, it became nearly impossible for Batman to fight actual crime. The Code expressly forbid excessive violence, as well as the usage of guns and knives, making it very difficult for Batman and Robin to actually fight bad guys. One work-around that we've now seen used by both Finger and Hamilton involves having the story centered on some totally benign conflict like raising money/awareness for an important cause (in this case, the ailing Gotham Gazette newspaper) or defending someone's good name. There's then a B plot present throughout the entire story in which some gang is at large with a brilliant scheme that would have made for a great pre-Code story (in this case, using intricate tunnels beneath the city to rob Gotham blind). By the climax, the A plot and B plot somehow intersect, allowing Batman and Robin to thwart these villains at the last minute without having to stretch the struggle out across 8 or 12 pages with lots of fighting. We still get the satisfaction of seeing Batman and Robin bust up the caper with some sparse action at the end, but with most of the story having been spent on a non-violent struggle.

I suppose it works well enough, but these never end up being the more memorable stories of the bunch.

One thing I've repeatedly noted in these reviews is my surprise at how often the Gotham Gazette gets invoked. In an age before anyone cared much about continuity, it's such a minor detail to keep bringing back. The Daily Planet matters in most issues of Superman, but the Gotham Gazette is just a newspaper conveying news for Batman most of the time. And many cities back then had multiple major newspapers. No one was going to cry foul if Bruce is suddenly reading from "The Gotham Herald" an issue later.

However, in this instance, the Gotham Gazette is at the very center of the plot.



Its just interesting that this paper gets so much attention when there are maybe four other recurring names in the entirety of Gotham City at this point (Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Vicki Vale, and Carter Nichols). No other person nor business seems to have a recurring proper name, so what makes The Gotham Gazette so special?


Really the only memorable part of the story for me is Clark's choice to have Lois serve as Editor In Chief of the Gazette while he and Bruce serve as reporters. Clark's logic makes sense (he can't be tied to a desk if Superman is needed, and Perry White can't give up working for the Daily Planet, so that leaves Lois as the most capable choice), but it makes for an unusual dynamic, especially considering just how awful Hamilton has been to Lois in so many of these stories, constantly punishing and tormenting her for seemingly no reason beyond her being a woman attempting to exist in a man's world.

At first, I can't tell whether Hamilton is asking us to admire Lois or laugh at her in the role of EIC:



But she quickly shows up Bruce Wayne, clearly understanding reporting better than he does:



It's important to note that, while Bruce does play dumb at various points in this story, he genuinely did not realize what Lois considers obvious here. Sure, Lois has been doing this full-time for years now and Bruce has not, but the reader understands she just showed up BATMAN, the hero known more for his intellect than for any other quality in this era.

"Wow," you start to think. "Hamilton is doing right by Lois for once! A female Editor In Chief of a major newspaper in 1956 -- AND she knows what she's doing! This is downright FEMINIST of Hamilton!"

But no...



Haha. Girls forgetting their place or something.



Minor Details:

1. Considering how frequently these team-ups are occurring, Batman really needs a permanent way of getting a hold of Superman.



"Sure to see it" if he's outdoors and facing the right way. It's not like Superman is scanning every neighboring city in America 24-7 in case he is needed.


2. I'm pretty sure the entire point of this story was to boost The Gotham Gazette's SALES.



How does it help to have Superman giving away all those copies of the big issue with the big exposé that was supposed to save the paper from cancellation?? Were loss leaders part of the business plan?


Not a memorable story for the most part, but the idea of Editor In Chief Lane was really cool until it suddenly wasn't.