10 Things That Make Me Joyful: Number 7 (Batman)
7. Batman. Those of you reading this are probably thinking this is a bit of a trivial topic to address in comparison to the lofty themes of such issues as abortion, gay marriage, economics, war, etc. Just hear me out on this one, I do implore you. I am going to make this super short since many of you will probably laugh at me, and since it’s almost 3 a.m. and I need to get some sleep. Needless to say, today, May 1, 2009, is the 70th anniversary of the Batman comics, and while many of you may not care or may not see the significance of it, nerds and superhero fans like myself the world round have something to celebrate.
Let’s face it, he’s the best. He embodies everything a superhero should be: amazing skills; a deep-seeded concern for everyday people like his own parents who were murdered by a monster; a love of justice and liberty; a sense of loyalty to his family, home, and country; and a propensity to draw the most vile, vain, villainous criminals to him so that he can, well, kick them into oblivion. He risks his multimillion dollar mansion and financial well-being, his worldwide reputation as a great businessman, his own life and limb to do what’s right, even if it takes a bit of force and fear to impose his will. Yes, Superman is wonderful, but a shade too corny; yes, Spiderman is quite possibly the best superhero to be created in the last half-century, but a bit too hip perhaps; and of course, the X-Men contain a plethora of creative ideas and inspirations… but I insist, the Bat is the best.
No one has the inner conflict of Bruce Wayne; no one can compete with his arsenal of goodies; no one has as many ridiculously powerful and intimidating, yet somehow cool, arch-enemies; no one defends fair Gotham the way he does. If nothing else, Batman is a literary symbol (if he doesn’t exist—how do we know he doesn’t, eh?) who stands for everything good about America and, indeed, humanity. Yes, he’s just a superhero in a comic book, but most of us love watching the movies, reading the novels and comics, playing the video games. There’s something that draws us to him. We all have a desire deep within us to do something great and heroic, if only for a short time for a small audience, and perhaps Batman helps us fulfill that fantasy if only on the screen or in the pages of a text.
In any case, seventy years is a long time for any idea or institution to be sustained, which begs the question… if a character like Batman is so trivial, then why has he stood the test of time? Seven feature films (if you count the atrociously campy 1966 one and 1997’s disaster), several TV series, dozens of books, great music, all built around the idea of a man in a cape and a batsuit who flies from building to building in the middle of the night looking for bad guys and a bit of glory. When he was first introduced, most people probably laughed at this notion, but yet he’s still here with us, through half a dozen wars, a dozen recessions, countless disasters and tumultuous events. Like any great heroic character, he comforts us, challenges us, changes us for the better. He is dark and fearsome, he sees the pain and suffering in everyday life…but he has a heart of gold and wishes to help those in need. All I can say is, I hope I live my life the same way. Sorry, that wasn’t exactly short. Happy Birthday, Batman. Oh, and you too, Bruce Wayne. Of course. I’ll let the cries of “Nerd” and “Obsessive” commence. Bring it on, my friends.
Let’s face it, he’s the best. He embodies everything a superhero should be: amazing skills; a deep-seeded concern for everyday people like his own parents who were murdered by a monster; a love of justice and liberty; a sense of loyalty to his family, home, and country; and a propensity to draw the most vile, vain, villainous criminals to him so that he can, well, kick them into oblivion. He risks his multimillion dollar mansion and financial well-being, his worldwide reputation as a great businessman, his own life and limb to do what’s right, even if it takes a bit of force and fear to impose his will. Yes, Superman is wonderful, but a shade too corny; yes, Spiderman is quite possibly the best superhero to be created in the last half-century, but a bit too hip perhaps; and of course, the X-Men contain a plethora of creative ideas and inspirations… but I insist, the Bat is the best.
No one has the inner conflict of Bruce Wayne; no one can compete with his arsenal of goodies; no one has as many ridiculously powerful and intimidating, yet somehow cool, arch-enemies; no one defends fair Gotham the way he does. If nothing else, Batman is a literary symbol (if he doesn’t exist—how do we know he doesn’t, eh?) who stands for everything good about America and, indeed, humanity. Yes, he’s just a superhero in a comic book, but most of us love watching the movies, reading the novels and comics, playing the video games. There’s something that draws us to him. We all have a desire deep within us to do something great and heroic, if only for a short time for a small audience, and perhaps Batman helps us fulfill that fantasy if only on the screen or in the pages of a text.
In any case, seventy years is a long time for any idea or institution to be sustained, which begs the question… if a character like Batman is so trivial, then why has he stood the test of time? Seven feature films (if you count the atrociously campy 1966 one and 1997’s disaster), several TV series, dozens of books, great music, all built around the idea of a man in a cape and a batsuit who flies from building to building in the middle of the night looking for bad guys and a bit of glory. When he was first introduced, most people probably laughed at this notion, but yet he’s still here with us, through half a dozen wars, a dozen recessions, countless disasters and tumultuous events. Like any great heroic character, he comforts us, challenges us, changes us for the better. He is dark and fearsome, he sees the pain and suffering in everyday life…but he has a heart of gold and wishes to help those in need. All I can say is, I hope I live my life the same way. Sorry, that wasn’t exactly short. Happy Birthday, Batman. Oh, and you too, Bruce Wayne. Of course. I’ll let the cries of “Nerd” and “Obsessive” commence. Bring it on, my friends.
posted by Douglas Schrock at 11:57 PM
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