Batman

We saw Batman v Superman today.  I really enjoyed it as did my boys.  The references and similarities to The Dark Knight Returns made me enjoy it even more.  Oh, and spoiler, I really enjoyed seeing Batman kick Superman's ass.

Don't worry about evil Santas...

Batman's got you covered!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Brave and the Bold

So, I didn't watch Batman the Brave and the Bold much until recently. When I saw the first episode I thought it was goofy. But it grew on me. Now I really like it. And I caught the last episode last night. And it made me sad for some reason.

Batman: Lovers and Madmen

Warning! This post contains spoilers! Key plot points are revealed below!

OK. You've been warned. Batman: Lovers and Madmen is set early in Batman's career. He is feeling a bit smug because he has cleaned up Gotham and the streets are safe again. He knew ability applied correctly, logically would win the day. But then a new criminal appears. A man called Jack. Logic does not apply to him. His crimes and murders, though they could be well planned, are, in a word, crazy. Batman has troubles dealing with this. Logic does not apply. At the same time, Bruce Wayne, seeking balance in his life, begins a relationship with a beautiful museum guide. Of course the two parts of his life collide and Jack gravely wounds the woman. Batman stays with her instead of chasing Jack. But Batman wounds Jack on both cheeks with his razor sharp batarangs to let him know it is not over.

Batman is at a loss. His logical style of crime fighting is not succeeding against Jack. Batman is feeling inadequate, feeling like a failure. He comes to the conclusion that the only way to deal with Jack is to remove him. Permanently. Not being able to do the deed himself, Batman uses his contacts with the underworld to put a hit on Jack. Even other criminals dislike Jack. Well, the hit fails, Jack falls into a vat of pharmaceuticals and becomes the Joker. Batman has created a creature even more monstrous than Jack was. In order to focus on his quest to eradicate evil and not endanger loved ones, Bruce Wayne plays the cad and breaks off his relationship with the woman.

My verdict? I hated this graphic novel. Hated? Maybe despised is a better world.

And of course, I will tell you why:

I can accept Batman in his many versions. Dedicated Batman. Scary Batman. Genius Batman. Techno Batman. Hardcore Batman. Slightly unbalanced Batman. Even funny Batman. But the one thing Batman despises is killing. And this version of Batman takes out a freakin' hit on Jack! I cannot swallow this and reject it. Even in The Dark Knight Returns where Batman is the direct cause of the grievous wounding and perhaps the death of at least one criminal, he does not actively seek the death of the criminals. In fact one of the moral choices Batman faces is whether to kill the Joker or not..

So, despite the excellent characterization of Jack/the Joker as a psychotic, I cannot and will not enjoy this book because, in my opinion, it does not stay true to the essence of the character of Batman.

Inspiration Thursday

An image of an old warrior I find inspiring.

I Love this Picture

My two favorite graphic novels are Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. Thus I love this picture.

Dark Claw

Paladin in Citadel, in response to my Batman post, mentioned that Wolverine was his favorite superhero character. Which makes sense. Wasn't Wolverine originally from Canada? Gotta root for the home team.

Well, in the interest of international harmony, I present Dark Claw. Dark Claw is the product of the Amalgam Universe DC/Marvel crossover, in which the greatest heroes of each universe combined by some strange occurrence that I can't remember. So, Superman and Captain America combined and became Super Soldier. There was also Iron Lantern, Amazon, Spider-Boy and many others. Dark Claw is the combination of Batman and Wolverine. How badass is that?!?

You can find a history of the Amalgam Universe here.

Batman Unmasked

I'm watching a documentary on the History Channel called Batman Unmasked. It analyses the psychology of Batman. Interesting stuff. Particularly since he is my favorite superhero.

Batman

The Geek Orthodox contest got me thinking about Batman. Batman is my favorite superhero. He really has no rivals in my opinion. Dark, brooding, skilled. One of the Batman's major selling points for me is that he doesn't have superpowers. Can't fly, no super strength, no beams shooting from his eyes, etc. Just a powerful intellect and dedicated physical training. A triumph of the will. Theoretically, that is something any of us can aspire to. Yeah, I know he's rich and that gives him an immense advantage but it is still his willpower that makes it possible. The other thing I like about Batman is that he will not kill. That just strikes a cord with me. He could so easily remove so many of the threats to Gotham by simply killing the villains but he doesn't. He wants justice and an end to the killing.

I have two favorite incarnations of Batman. The older Batman of The Dark Knight Returns and the animated Batman from the early '90s. One of my favorite episodes from the series is entitled "Legends of the Dark Knight." In it three kids tell each other what they think Batman is really like. This episode is actually based on one of the comics from the '70s. But for me cool thing for me is one of the kids describe Batman as he is in The Dark Knight Returns. Not just cool but very cool. The intersection of my two favorite Batmans.

I could go on a long time about this but keeping with the gaming theme of this blog here is Batman stated up for Supercrew.

Batman

3 - Equipment: Utility Belt
2 - Skill: Martial Arts
1 - Skill : Detective

Reroll: (Detective) Fear of the Batman
Change to 5: (Utility Belt) The Right Tool for the Job
Effect 2: (Martial Arts) Surprise Attack

As much as I would like to claim this as my own, I can't. I originally found this on a thread at RPG.net. You can find the entire thread here.