It’s that time of the year again. No, not Christmas. It’s better than that. We’re celebrating the Dark Knight and his 78 years of fighting crime. Batman was orphaned as a child when his parents were killed in an alley. He used his family’s money, his intelligence, and his fighting skills to help keep the crime rate lower. Batman isn’t perfect. He’s tough and capable, but he has a no-kill policy, so even the craziest of bad guys are just sent to the Arkham Asylum. Sometimes they even escape. He is the face of DC (Detective Comics) Comics.

Batman Day is in its fourth year

It’s not really known why we have Batman Day but the celebratory day started in 2014, during the 75th anniversary of Batman. It’s not to remember the death of his parents, which happened in June and the first Batman appearance was in May. It’s speculated that this holiday might just be for the purpose of commercialization, but would fans really mind? Of course not. It's a great excuse to get more Batman merchandise and often for a good deal.

Free and discounted sale merchandise snapped up on the weekend

Most Batman fans celebrated the anniversary achievements of their favorite character this past weekend. Many comic shops, bookstores or pretty much anyone who sells comic paraphernalia had a sale this weekend.

As is tradition, comic shops were also giving away (yes, for free) exclusive comics and paper masks. There were four masks, three of Batman and one harley quinn and three Harley Quinn comics.

The Clown Princess

Wait, if it’s Batman Day, then why did they give out Harley Quinn merchandise? (Some sites like DaysofTheYear flagged Batman Day as the 26th, but DC wanted to celebrate it on the 23rd).

According to DC Comics, September 23, 2017, is Batman Day this year so they also honored Harley Quinn’s 25th anniversary. Harleen Quinzel was introduced in "Batman: The Animated Series" in September of 1992. She was meant to be a supporting character and one of Joker’s henchmen, but quickly became a recurring character and rose in popularity.

She started out working in Arkham Asylum as a doctor, but fell for her Clown Prince and turned to a life of crime for him. Now, she is celebrating her 25th year of being insanely awesome, by taking over Batman’s holiday.

If you missed this weekend's giveaways, don’t give up yet. Sometimes there are leftover comics that are still free. So, wear your comfy Batman jammies, re-read your favorite Detective Comics Comics and Harley Quinn comics, marathon all the movies (from the best to the worst) and have a great Batman-come-Harley Quinn Day.