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“I’m the Goddamn Batman.” by Jeremy Rodden
“I’m the Goddamn Batman.”
With one stroke of the pen in 2005, Frank Miller and Jim Lee escalated Batman to a new height of awesome (many critics may disagree, but memes don’t lie http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/im-the-goddamn-batman). The truth, though, is that Miller’s Batman of All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder captures an alternate reality Batman, answering the question, “Who would Batman have become if he allowed his anger and thirst for vengeance to consume him?”
I started writing this guest post in honor of Pavarti Tyler’s Shadow on the Wall release to describe why I like Batman so much. As a lifelong comic fan (I don’t consider myself an expert . . . just a fan), I’ve historically been more a fan of Marvel. The only DC property I ever really cared about was Batman. I always thought of Batman as one of the first, if not the first, real antihero in comics.
A funny thing happened during my research for this blog post. I’m beginning to question whether or not Batman even is an antihero. Some argue that he is a “dark hero” http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/DCMARVELLOVERS/news/?a=5709 and not an antihero, but it’s a narrow distinction. He most certainly is very different from early superheroes such as Superman or Captain Marvel. Maybe Batman is not as far into the antihero spectrum like the ever-popular Wolverine or Punisher characters, but it’s important to note that those two characters weren’t created until the 70’s–decades after The Caped Crusader’s debut. Another favorite–Deadpool–wasn’t created until the 90’s.
Some people like to immediately omit Batman from antihero lists because he has a no-killing policy (even though he originally did kill bad guys http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/22/batman-kills/), but those people fail to understand what defines an antihero. It’s easy to establish an antihero who has remorse for killing (like Rorschach in The Watchmen), but with The Dark Knight, it is a much deeper psychological issue. Batman is as tortured and demented as any of the villains he’s placed into Arkham Asylum over the years. He’s just learned to channel it in a more productive way.
Let’s for a moment just allow Batman to be either an antihero or a dark hero and move on. If you’d like to debate it with me, feel free to reply to this post and we can proceed with the verbal fisticuffs! *raises metaphorical dukes*
This image makes me think of Batman and Goliath. It's the perfect picture for a post from Jeremy don't you think?
What else set Batman apart from the other early superheroes that started this wonderful genre of fiction? Superman was an alien with (obviously) superhuman powers. Flash had superhuman speed. Green Lantern had a magic ring. Fast-forward 20 years to the 60’s and Stan Lee’s heyday of character creation and the trend continues: radioactive spider, gamma radiation, and cosmic rays.
Batman? He was just a regular guy who had the means and desire to equip himself to fight the bad guys. It really isn’t until Ironman that we meet a “regular” person who elevates himself to superhero level. Even then, Tony Stark’s intelligence with technology comes across as a superhuman ability . . . it’s just natural, not something he’s had to work hard at developing. Batman’s encyclopedic knowledge that escalates him to the title of World’s Greatest Detective, much like his strength and agility, comes from intense study and focus.
What’s my point, you may ask? All of these other superheroes are “other”. They have something unobtainable in the real world that makes them unreal. Batman ostensibly possesses no natural ability that sets him apart from everyday people. What he has is a drive and determination that pushes him to his absolute HUMAN limits–both mentally and physically.
This is what makes Batman so great. All of this balled up into one amazing character that for over seven decades still draws us to him. He’s human. He has psychological issues. He has worked his butt off to be the best at what he does (yeah, shut up Wolverine, I said it). He represents to us regular people a somewhat obtainable level of superheroism. Of course, not all of us have limitless bank accounts like Bruce Wayne, but what’s more realistic: hitting the lottery or being born with a genetic mutation that gives telekinetic powers?
I guess what I’m trying to say is . . . I love Batman because he is real. He’s flawed. He has legitimate weaknesses. Even his infamous no-kill code comes across as a weakness at times (just ask The Joker in The Dark Knight how many lives could be saved if Batman would just break that stupid code). Batman is, in a way, a culmination of the American dream. If you work hard enough (and, yeah, the money helps), YOU can be anything you want . . . even The Goddamn Batman. The same can’t be said of pretty much any other classic superhero.
Hey, if it was on a Snicker’s commercial in the mid 1990’s, you know it’s true:
BIO
Jeremy Rodden considers himself a dad first and an author second. He is the author of the middle grade/young adult Toonopolis series of cartoon novels (including his own creation of an antihero in the novella Anchihiiroo – Origin of an Antihero), as well as the editor, publisher, and contributor to the #2 bestselling Kindle book on Fatherhood, The Myth of Mr. Mom – Real Stories by Real Stay-At-Home Dads. He can be found online on Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/toonopolisfiles] or on Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/toonopolis].
Jeremy, you always manage to make me laugh. How did you remember that commercial! Oh my god that had me laughing. My kids think I’m nuts this morning anyway with all the running around and computering but damn if that didn’t kill me.
I have to add to your post that not only is he the Goddamn Batman, but because of that, there’s also something exceptionally sexy about The Batman. More so than other superheros in my opinion. He’s not just a good guy, you imagine he could smack you around a little too… Fetish what?
Glad to get your day started with a laugh Pavarti! That’s a sure fire sign that it’ll be a good day.
I remember lots of odd things. I was debating between this Snickers commercial and the Celebrity Jeopardy from SNL with “Michael Keaton”. Love the Batman/Goliath shot. Ties the two of us together perfectly!
Thanks for having me. Can’t wait to read Shadow.
-Jeremy
Jeremy Rodden recently posted…Felicia Day & The Guild give Geeks A New Anti-Bullying Anthem!
While I do enjoy the “I’m the goddamn Batman” line, I can’t really say I’m a fan of Frank Miller’s take on Batman. Yes, Bob Kane’s original Batman carried a gun and killed the bad guys, but then Kane toned the character down into the rigid anti-gun, anti-killing hero we all adore in the Nolan trilogy. I did enjoy The Dark Knight Returns, but that was a futuristic take, and as in Batman Beyond (the pilot), Batman had to enforce his crime fighting in darker ways once he got old. Dark Knight Strikes Again, however, was lame. Just my opinion, though.
Agreed. Batman is great because he is so controlled. Being a Wolverine-like emotional rage machine completely takes away what is so compelling about the character.
Don’t blame you Roy. I agree with Nelson’s comment below.
hi your new to me found thru goodreads
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Welcome! Lovely to meet you
I have all kinds of feelings about Batman. I haven’t kept up with the current comics (no comic money in the budget) so I can’t say how I feel about the most recent Batman storylines. I do like All Star Batman and Robin, even if it is a little ridiculous. I absolutely love Chris Nolan’s version of Batman. I’ve been a Batman fan ever since I was very young and I’ll be a Batman fan til I die.
I think you’re onto something Angie! Even if you don’t like one version or another, once a Batman fan, always a Batman fan!
That’s how I feel about All Star. Sometimes it’s fun to play the what-if game with our favorite characters and see what they become with a new writer. Of course, sometimes it’s scary too.
Jeremy Rodden recently posted…Felicia Day & The Guild give Geeks A New Anti-Bullying Anthem!
*verbally hops back and forth on both feet and puts up his dukes*
Rodden: I posit that The Batman is both an antihero and not an antihero.
Because an antihero is classically defined as a character that is not necessarily a hero but may do heroic things in an “evil” manner, I say The Batman can be both at the same time. His pure hero status is obvious as his motives are always Justice related and his obvious no-kill policy rules him in such a profound way. To him, to those that know him, and to us, the readers/fans, he is a true hero, his motivation always known to us.
On the other hand, to the bad guys and common street thugs, they don’t know who he is, they don’t know why he does what he does (mostly – I’m not counting say, Bane, Riddler, Hugo Strange, or any others that are aware of his identity) so in their eyes, they see this shadow of a figure swoop through the night like a ghost, like a phantasmal bat out of hell and round up criminals in ghastly and violent ways. To this day, even with all the writers and reboot crap that has gone on over and over again throughout the decades, The Batman is still widely considered to be a myth, an urban legend. Only those who know him personally, who’ve fought with him consistently know he is a real human being wearing a costume, stocked from head to toe with crazy gadgets. This scary vigilante figure torments the underworld in excessive ways, maiming and thrashing and beating people to within an inch of their lives, basically leaving them for dead (or so they would believe) for the police to take and process.
So to the criminals he hunts, I believe they would see him as an anti-hero, but to everyone else, we know him to be a real and true hero.
I’ll posit you in the face.
Thanks for the comment. Was hoping you’d share your feelings on it Nelson.
Jeremy Rodden recently posted…Felicia Day & The Guild give Geeks A New Anti-Bullying Anthem!
Great post Jeremy.
I’m also arguing in favour of Batman but had I read your post first I would have just written “See Jeremy’s post!”
I’m confident Batman will finish as the outright winner in this contest.
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Wait, this is a contest?
Batman always wins. Game over.
Jeremy Rodden recently posted…Felicia Day & The Guild give Geeks A New Anti-Bullying Anthem!
SandStorm could totally kick his ass
Maybe. But I have an entire Supercity to fall back on myself.
But we aren’t talking about fictional characters here. We’re talking about Batman!
Jeremy Rodden recently posted…Felicia Day & The Guild give Geeks A New Anti-Bullying Anthem!
No chance in hell.
are them fighting words? You better be careful Justin, these guys don’t know you and they fight dirty
Very interesting post.
Great post. I have a Superman piece coming up and the HUGE difference is: it’s easy being Superman. Pretty much impossible to not be a Superhero, or villain, on Earth with Superman’s abilities. It’s hard being Batman. Almost impossible, but he does it because it’s the right thing to do.
Uh oh. I guess the same is true for Recai. How did that happen? I promise it was an accident.
And Mr. Mom, this was typed with one hand while rocking a baby.
loved the post jeremy! I wanna run around imitating batman now… well kinda, do you think the cowl comes in pink?