Since 1939, Bob Kane's unmistakable line and bold electric coloration, embodied in his classic fictional characters of Batman and Robin, have been a constant part of America's consciousness. Kane was born in 1921 and created Batman for D.C. Comics when he was 18. He retired from D.C. Comics in 1966 to concentrate on fine art. The animated cartoon versions of "Batman" (1974) and "Batman and Robin" (1977-78) were based on Kane's Batman and Robin characters. Kane also created the animated series "Courageous Cat" (1958) and "Cool McCool" (1974). In 1969, he wrote the screenplay for "The Silent Gun." Kane's Batman was included as an example of American culture among 20th century memorabilia in the 1939 World's Fair Time Capsule, to be opened in the year 2000. Works by Kane are in many private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and St. John's University, Jamaica, N.Y.