What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader?
Comic book super heroes are everywhere. I never read comic books
growing up, but I definitely knew who Batman and Superman were. I knew
the origin stories, the costumes, the main villains. And I learned most
of it by osmosis. There was always some sort of Batman cartoon on TV,
along with those wonderfully cheesy movies from the 90s. And I loved Smallville
in high school, though I didn't make it through all ten seasons. The
heroes were larger than life. The details ultimately didn't matter that
much. All that really mattered was that Bruce Wayne dressed up as a bat
with high tech gadgets and saved Gotham City from the likes of The
Riddler and Two-Face. Or Clark Kent took off his glasses and put his
underwear on the outside and saved Metropolis from Lex Luthor while
seducing Lois Lane. Or Peter Parker got bit by a radioactive spider and,
um, liked redheads? I know less about Spiderman.
Of the classic superheroes, Batman is my favorite. It may be because I was exposed to Gotham City earlier and more frequently, but his world always seemed richer. I loved the bad guys. I loved the allies (something Superman never seemed to have). I loved all the gadgets. I really loved the incredibly cheesy 90s movies. So when I did start getting into comic books recently, I gravitated to Batman.
I'm more comfortable with his mythology, so I feel a bit more comfortable jumping in to the story. (Unlike the X-Men, which I really want to read but am unsure of where to start). Of course, I picked an origin story first (Batman: Year One) and loved it. I really want to read Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns at some point, because I kind of love Frank Miller.
But I love Neil Gaiman more.
Gaiman penned a two-issue arc called Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? that I picked up cheap at Border's going out of business sale. It's a little strange to jump from an origin story to a story meant to close off an arc right before a reboot. I'm comfortable enough with Batman in general to get most of the references. Well, enough that I didn't feel completely lost. The thing is, there's decades of history with these characters, and more than one complete reboot. So everything is possible and everything has happened at some point. Only the basics must remain constant: Bruce Wayne, murdered parents, Alfred, Bat signal, Batmobile, Gotham City. The details? Those are whatever this particular author wants them to be.
This story plays with that. It is story of Batman's funeral, which Batman himself is attending and narrating in non-corporeal form. Everyone he's ever met has come to pay their respects. Each of them tells the story of his life and death from their perspective. None of them agree. But that doesn't matter. Batman is still Batman, whether or not Alfred was the Joker. I really liked all the different stories that get told. Batman dies saving the world, saving the city, saving a baby. He is larger-than-life and a personal hero at once.
The artwork, done by Andy Kubert, is also pretty incredible. Each story told has a slightly different style. From what I understand, Kubert was imitating the style of whichever artist had penned the original tale being told. Or rather, he was attempting to draw as though these artists were imitating him. I don't really get it, but that's probably why I'm a scientist, not an artist. Regardless, there were some stunning images throughout the story.
The story ends with Bruce Wayne reborn. His reward for all his hard work is ten years of pure bliss, a perfect childhood. Up until the night his parents are murdered and the cycle repeats. It doesn't sound like much of a reward at all. But the universe needs Batman.
Of the classic superheroes, Batman is my favorite. It may be because I was exposed to Gotham City earlier and more frequently, but his world always seemed richer. I loved the bad guys. I loved the allies (something Superman never seemed to have). I loved all the gadgets. I really loved the incredibly cheesy 90s movies. So when I did start getting into comic books recently, I gravitated to Batman.
I'm more comfortable with his mythology, so I feel a bit more comfortable jumping in to the story. (Unlike the X-Men, which I really want to read but am unsure of where to start). Of course, I picked an origin story first (Batman: Year One) and loved it. I really want to read Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns at some point, because I kind of love Frank Miller.
But I love Neil Gaiman more.
Gaiman penned a two-issue arc called Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? that I picked up cheap at Border's going out of business sale. It's a little strange to jump from an origin story to a story meant to close off an arc right before a reboot. I'm comfortable enough with Batman in general to get most of the references. Well, enough that I didn't feel completely lost. The thing is, there's decades of history with these characters, and more than one complete reboot. So everything is possible and everything has happened at some point. Only the basics must remain constant: Bruce Wayne, murdered parents, Alfred, Bat signal, Batmobile, Gotham City. The details? Those are whatever this particular author wants them to be.
This story plays with that. It is story of Batman's funeral, which Batman himself is attending and narrating in non-corporeal form. Everyone he's ever met has come to pay their respects. Each of them tells the story of his life and death from their perspective. None of them agree. But that doesn't matter. Batman is still Batman, whether or not Alfred was the Joker. I really liked all the different stories that get told. Batman dies saving the world, saving the city, saving a baby. He is larger-than-life and a personal hero at once.
The artwork, done by Andy Kubert, is also pretty incredible. Each story told has a slightly different style. From what I understand, Kubert was imitating the style of whichever artist had penned the original tale being told. Or rather, he was attempting to draw as though these artists were imitating him. I don't really get it, but that's probably why I'm a scientist, not an artist. Regardless, there were some stunning images throughout the story.
The story ends with Bruce Wayne reborn. His reward for all his hard work is ten years of pure bliss, a perfect childhood. Up until the night his parents are murdered and the cycle repeats. It doesn't sound like much of a reward at all. But the universe needs Batman.
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