DC Comics announced that July 23 will now be known officially as Batman Day.

To celebrate Batman turning 75, DC Comics will be giving away the digital version of Batman's first comic appearance for free. Two versions are available - one that is a "pure" reproduction of the complete 7 pages of issue #27, while the other is an enhanced version with the original strip and some more recent comics.

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DC is also having a week-long digital sale of 750 Batman comics, each one being sold at 99 cents each.

DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, stated, "Now, thanks to this mammoth 75th anniversary sale DCE is making it easier than ever to collect an incredibly broad range of Batman's best stories, at a price that doesn't require a Bruce Wayne-sized budget."

Batman masks are also being given for free at selected bookstores.

Batman Day was named as such in commemoration of the Caped Crusader's debut in Detective Comics #27, dated May 1939. Notably, the July 1939 issue 29 had Batman wearing the iconic utility belt and had the hero fighting against Doctor Death. Issue 31, sold in July of the same year, featured Batman's Batarang and Batgyro, his first crime-fighting vehicle.

Even though July 23 may seem like an arbitrary choice, it is a calculated decision by DC Comics as it coincides with the first day of this year's Comic-Con.

DC Entertainment will have a significant presence at Comic-Con in honor of the Caped Crusader.

On Thursday, there will be a panel entitled "Batman 75: Legends of the Dark Knight", featuring the writers and artists involved in the creation and evolution of Batman. The panel includes the legendary Frank Miller.

The celebration continues on Saturday as DC teams up with Random House to hold events in more than 1,000 libraries in the United States.

TagsBatman, Batman Day, DC comics, DC Entertainment, San Diego Comic-Con 2014, Frank Miller, Dark Knight, Comics, Random House