ellen@reed.UUCP (Ellen Eades) (03/18/86)
> the Batman: Is he truly fighting > the forces of crime and evil, or merely a "social fascist" who > gets his kicks out of maiming (possibly) innocent citizens (who > invariably turn out to be guilty)? > > Personally, I can't help feeling that he is doing right, but > what if he should come after ME? I mean, I know I'm innocent, > and people DO make mistakes... > > Michael Richmond I read an excellent essay in _Shadow of the Bat Man_ #4 which sheds some light on this question, at least in the opinion of Steve Englehart, the writer and one of the 'definitive' Batman authors. I quote: "...the Batman is not onl sane, he's the sanest man around. He is, in fact, the purest super-hero in existence, as I understand the term. "We all remember the legend. Bruce Wayne was only a child when Joe Chill killed his parents in Crime Alley, and young Bruce swore by his parents' spirits 'to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals.' Beginning that night, he devoted his every effort to making himself the ultimate crime-fighter-detective, scientist, athlete .. superhero. Now, right away some people say, 'Ah, yes, a terrible obsession -- clearly he's insane.' But I maintain the obsession was an obsession with being the best at his chosen career, and 'best' for the Batman is being a pillar of righteousness. His obsession with being the Batman, in other words, led him to MAINTAIN his mental bearings at all cost. The world he inhabits IS a crazy one, but he's the one man who will never succumb to it. "'Ah!' say people who are willing to grant me that. 'Then he's dangerous!' Why? 'Because he's a one-man vigilante who's completely convinced he's right all the time. Hitler was like that, and Charlie Manson, and ...' Yeah, sure they were -- but what if the Batman really IS right ALMOST all the time, and when he's wrong he rectifies his error? A powerful guy who knows what to do at all times is not a priori a psychopath. That's why I say he's the purest of super-heroes -- because he has completely succeeded at becoming that ideal. All other members of his exclusive profession have problems of one sort or another -- and many villains exemplify the fears expressed above. But the Batman, to me, does not. He REALLY is right in almost any situation. If you throw out the idea that being obsessed with fighting crime is by definition insanity, then I'd like to see any other evidence that the guy's a lunatic. "...The Creeper scares bad guys by being so freakish, but the Batman scares 'em by being implacable. And dark. Oh yes, he's an ominous figure of the night, but he represents the inevitable nemesis only to the guilty. "And so, a few hardy souls pounce a third time. 'Who is HE to say who's guilty?' Well, now we're off into eternal philosophical conumdrums -- we are, but the Batman isn't. Bob Kane created the world he lives in to anwer that question absolutely: the Joker and the Penguin and the Riddler and the rest are CLEARLY guilty. You don't need to see them commit their crimes to know just what they are -- while the Batman, for his part, has devoted his life to being their OPPOSITE. To argue that he's no better than the rest of them in that world is to destroy the essence of the entire strip. "Put another way, the Batman's world is extremely black-and-white ... and that's precisely WHY he's the premiere super-hero. The world he was designed to live in IS the world of comic strips -- the world of black ink on white pages. ... It's a 40s vision, of course -- the pure super-hero standing firm against a dark and disturbing world -- but the more things change, the more they stay the same, and it sounds a lot like the 80s to me, too." I must admit that I like Steve's reasoning. Although I have never in my life heard of any vigilante or vigilantes who I did not immediately detest for their skewed vision of the world, the Batman's attitude is not selective. He fights criminals, all criminals, not just [name your social evil here]. And he does not make mistakes enough to mention. I suspect Miller is going to bring this into question, since Jason evidently died due to something Batman did or failed to do. The Batman's vision is good enough that he is able to KNOW, right off, what action to take. While I would never support vigilantism by ordinary people, the Batman is not ordinary, nor, in that sense, a vigilante. Ellen -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Who's been repeating all that hard stuff to you?" "I read it in a book," said Alice. - - - - - - - - - - - - -