Basically this thread is here so that we can discuss the Batman series. And by series, I mean anything that had the word "Batman" anywhere in it (except for that awful live action show). Please avoid blind praise and general fanboy antics. Yes, I am a Batman fan (have been since I was four, which incidentally is also the age that I started playing Magic: The Gathering), but I will try to avoid trying to sound like a hopeless fanboy.
I'll kick off this discussion with a few observations I've made about the series.
1) The one thing that never, ever changes is that Batman is motivated by the traumatic loss of his parents at an early age.
2) Just about everything else in the series changes. Like say, Batman's personality. In the 40's (when Batman first appeared... I think), Batman was only slightly less of a boy scout than Super-man. And sure, he did get a little darker, and a little more ruthless as time went on, but it wasn't really until Frank Miller came along and reinvented Batman, all of Batman's advesaries, and even Gotham itself.
3) Just how did Frank Miller change Gotham? Simply put, he had Gotham respond to Batman the way that a real city would: he's a vigilante, therefore, he's breaking the law and must be arrested. Before Frank Miller, Gotham fell in love with Batman almost immediately, and barring the occasional frame-up, Gotham never STOPPED loving Batman.
4) Batman's greatest enemy is undoubtedly none other than The Joker. No other villain has lasted nearly as long as he did. No other Batman villain has ever managed to get under Batman's skin nearly as well as the Joker did. No other enemy is nearly as clever as he is (with the possible exception of the Riddler). Where does the Joker's genius lay? In his natural ability to turn other people's plans and security measures against them. Yes, the recent Dark Knight movie certainly demonstrated this, and so did Arkham Asylum when Joker took it over after about... an hour and a half (well, that's my guess anyway). But there were also plenty of moments in the comics where Joker demonstrated his demented intelligence. For example, in one issue, the Joker escapes Arkham without firing a gun, using his trademark laughing gas or killing a single guard. How did he do it? He spent month after month after month in Arkham doing everything he could to convince the doctors, guards, and wardens that he was cured. Even better, the Joker manages to pull this act off TWICE.
5) The Scarecrow is a sadist.
6) The Riddler is a narcissist.
7) Killer Croc isn't much more than hired muscle.
8) Harley Quin has a highly obsessive personality, and is desperate for approval or mutual respect from someone. The Joker was simply the first one to recognize this and take advantage of it.
9) Mr. Freeze is a tragic victim (well, so long as you hold to the "he's trying to cure his wife" story).
Let the discussion begin.
I'll kick off this discussion with a few observations I've made about the series.
1) The one thing that never, ever changes is that Batman is motivated by the traumatic loss of his parents at an early age.
2) Just about everything else in the series changes. Like say, Batman's personality. In the 40's (when Batman first appeared... I think), Batman was only slightly less of a boy scout than Super-man. And sure, he did get a little darker, and a little more ruthless as time went on, but it wasn't really until Frank Miller came along and reinvented Batman, all of Batman's advesaries, and even Gotham itself.
3) Just how did Frank Miller change Gotham? Simply put, he had Gotham respond to Batman the way that a real city would: he's a vigilante, therefore, he's breaking the law and must be arrested. Before Frank Miller, Gotham fell in love with Batman almost immediately, and barring the occasional frame-up, Gotham never STOPPED loving Batman.
4) Batman's greatest enemy is undoubtedly none other than The Joker. No other villain has lasted nearly as long as he did. No other Batman villain has ever managed to get under Batman's skin nearly as well as the Joker did. No other enemy is nearly as clever as he is (with the possible exception of the Riddler). Where does the Joker's genius lay? In his natural ability to turn other people's plans and security measures against them. Yes, the recent Dark Knight movie certainly demonstrated this, and so did Arkham Asylum when Joker took it over after about... an hour and a half (well, that's my guess anyway). But there were also plenty of moments in the comics where Joker demonstrated his demented intelligence. For example, in one issue, the Joker escapes Arkham without firing a gun, using his trademark laughing gas or killing a single guard. How did he do it? He spent month after month after month in Arkham doing everything he could to convince the doctors, guards, and wardens that he was cured. Even better, the Joker manages to pull this act off TWICE.
5) The Scarecrow is a sadist.
6) The Riddler is a narcissist.
7) Killer Croc isn't much more than hired muscle.
8) Harley Quin has a highly obsessive personality, and is desperate for approval or mutual respect from someone. The Joker was simply the first one to recognize this and take advantage of it.
9) Mr. Freeze is a tragic victim (well, so long as you hold to the "he's trying to cure his wife" story).
Let the discussion begin.
