About six months ago I added Batman to my monthly order at my local comic book store. I had found Tony Daniel’s blog during one of my browsing sessions and fell in love with his depiction of the Dark Knight. I had been meaning to delve into the world of Batman comics for a while. The recent films had renewed my love of the Bat and I was interested in his comic book presence. So Batman earned a place in my exclusively Marvel lineup.
Unfortunately, Batman’s time in my list was short lived. At first I loved Daniel’s work, even to the extent of buying a few back issues, but it soon became apparent that beyond his artwork there was nothing there for me to keep him around. Don’t get me wrong. The action, pacing and all that jazz were great. But the dozen or so issues that I read gave me an insight into the true nature of my comic book interest. I was there for the superpowers.
I do not doubt the effectiveness of Batman in his defense of Gotham City. He is a more than capable defender against the many evil characters that Gotham’s streets present. But after careful reading I realized that what the Batman comics were missing most of all were the world-threatening powers and politics that draw me to the likes of the X-Men, Hellboy and the Avengers.
The X-Men defend humanity against a myriad of powerful enemies wielding god-like power while at the same time defending their own against the prejudices of those that they seek to defend. Hellboy ensures that the power struggles and magical threats of the paranormal world do not spill over into the real world. And don’t even get me started on the number of world-threatening enemies that they defeat on a daily basis. And what qualifies all of these characters to protect us from these threats are their own powers and abilities that they use in such spectacular and amazing ways that we are stunned in awe of their…… awesomeness.
Batman is a detective. A man. A caped and masked man, but a man nonetheless. Sure he faces some terrible foes. Killer Croc is still one of favorite characters of all time. But I shudder to think what would become of poor Batman if he were faced with the likes of Ultron, Magneto, or if he got on Hulk’s bad side. I am pretty sure he would be demolished in an instant. I’m sorry if I offend any fans, but Batman, as a comic book, holds no interest for me. And that is why I removed batman from my list and replaced it with Thunderbolts.
isn't there something more interesting and complex about Batman's humanity that might make his story more compelling? that his life is under threat in a way that the xmen would never experience?
ReplyDeleteI am not for a second doubting the complexity and depth of Batman's character. He is, for certain, a charismatic character and worthy of recognition. But in a staggeringly wide comic book world I would rather read of a cosmic being that consumes entire worlds than a man who throws 'Batarangs' at penguin sin top hats.
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