Batman taught me that I can do anything with my tool. But then again, I am old enough to know that Batman is really Adam West.

Whoa whoa whoa whoa...... whoa... whoa.... I DEFINATELY do not agree with this at all!




Since when does Batman have any friends?

Pleasantries aside, give a little credit to Ra's! He devised his own ways of dealing with the JLA from the notes that Bats had. Other than the mutated kryptonite, Ra's invented all the nifty ways to deal with them, not Batsy. From the notes that mention "Wonder Woman LOVES competition", he devised a way to put her in a "virtual world" where all she did was fight someone who was exactly her power level, and she would have eventually kept it up until her heart gave out. As I've stated earlier, it wasn't even Ra's himself that dealt with the JLA. He sent his daughter and a bunch of nameless cronies to do it, so he not only devised a way to deal with the JLA, but also made it easy enough for the lowest common denominator of evil to do it. THAT is style.

On topic, I think one of Batman's bigger feats was revolutionizing the cartoon industry. The original animated Batman cartoon was arguably the darkest cartoon to play in an "after school" time slot. It appealed to audiences of diverse age categories and helped change how the world looked at cartoons. It wasn't designed for cheap laughs and slap-stick comedy.

Good old Batman.

Depending on the writer. Back when my only experience of Batman was the Adam West TV show, he represented quite a different figure than I would invisage him as now.

There is the element of 'look how far you can get on grit, determination and brainpower'.

There is the suggestion that one gets about the hollow, soul shattering existence one can fall into when becoming too focused on revenge.

In many respects, Batman and Superman sit on opposite sides of the debate as to what constitutes 'good and evil'. Superman, while being a 'big blue boyscout' in comparison to Bats, sees the best in people, and will not stoop to what he deems 'evil' in his enactment of the law. To him the ends do not justify the means. Batman meanwhile takes a more utilitarian view, along with a harsher moral outlook, lacking in forgiveness or hope.

Between the two there is some sort of message on questioning comparative morality, and appraising the grey areas between 'good' and 'evil'.

Has Batman changed my life? Not conciously, but there is something to be said for the way he's let me contextualise a few things.

TW

I think batman is so popular because he is basically a normal man with a lot of gadgets and has refined his body/mind to near perfect as tehy can be. This means that (theoretically) anyone could become like him, meaning that it is easier for people to imagine/dream/fantasise about "being" a batman-like figure because it is (relatively) real, unlike, say, superman (flying? heat vision? invulnerability? ) where it would all be completely make beleive.

I've always liked batman, mainly introduced through the aforementioned batman cartoon, which was very different to all the other cartoons I saw at the time. I guess the character just appealed to me, and I cant really explain why. Maybe the whole someone who works alone but has quite a few associates/comrades but very few friends (ie just alfred), but without them, he wouldn't be able to function effectively for any length of time in the way that he does, indicating man's need for community and support.

My opinion

Ah Batman we meet again...

Batman to me is that guy who cant move on. He went through a huge loss and instead on moving on he lives his life in Survivors regret. What he should have done was accept what happened and taken control on his fathers Company, as that was his fathers true legacy.

Instead he seeks revenge but not knowing agaist what, so the anwser is to make sure he is always in control so it can never happen to anyone (but mainly him) again. So he squanders his fathers money training with the best people in everything around the world. He returns to his home city which is still gritty and instead of being a source of Hope (like Superman or Shazam) he becomes a source of fear. Because thats all he knows.

The most important thing Batman has done for me was taking in a Orphan named Dick Grayson who faced a similar problem but instead didnt follow the same lonely path. He still trained with the best but in stead of being a engine of fear (black costume) he is brightly colored (Red and Green). He leaves as he outgrows what batman is (as bruce should have) He leaves and leads a team of young people and while he remains as effective as his mentor, but is a well rounded person.

Batman is the most dangerous person in the DC unverise not because of all the skills, but because he is a little Boy with uncanny skills and the only motive for using them is fear. He tries to change the world but does it through a problem. He is the best example I can think of of what happens when you try to hard for the wrong thing.

I other Words I agree with Biz.

Well said madtitanfan. I think that is a very good analysis of who Batman is and what drives him. I do disagree, however, with the opinion that Batman is not a hero. If he truly was just a dark avenger with only an overwhelming obsession with beating up criminals, then why does Batman take on a Robin? Why does Batman chose to save a person's life over beating up the bad guy? Why doesn't Batman just kill his villians instead of bringing them before the law? In short, although Batman is an incredibly flawed character he still is a hero in terms of his values and his actions.

Not Killing someone doesnt make you a hero

its the reason Batman doesnt kill that makes him flawed. Superman doesnt kill because he repects life, and doesnt want to see anyone hurt.

This isnt the same for Batman, Batman doesnt kill cause he is still afraid of it cause he cant control it and never could, (other wise his parents would still be here). If Batman Could kill someone and bring them back he would to get information out of them.

Here is how I define a hero and his Villians:

If Batman Died Joker would stop being Joker, cause Joker exsists to toy/kill Batman. No Batman= Joker most likely kills himself.

If Joker (and all the other Villian died/ including Thugs and all) Batman would still exist. Why cause Need to do its cause its all he knows now. He would continue to watch until the littlest things set him off, causeing people to get angry and new "Villians:" show up.

These are just my Thoughts. Batman is indeed a tragic Hero as he cant stop it even if there was no need for it.

Batman.....I dispise the character. His very name brings pure hatred into my small little world.


I think my hatred for the bat really stems from the 'bat-fans' like cyke said although I have run into way too many 'bat-fans' so far in my life.

Batman (probably more like 'bat-fans') is only second to my pure undying hatred for Wolverine.

I don't really agree with this, except for the sociopathic control freak part.

I don't think he's selfish, as he puts his life on the line to protect Gotham. Arrogant, it doesn't really seem like it unless he's being written badly (like lately). I'd say he's confident but he's not overly cocky unless he's hiding behind the "dumb millionare playboy" mask.

I wouldn't say Batman is a jerk but he isn't a pushover. He can't be a pushover because he has to have an intimidation factor. It is part of the way that he strikes fear into criminals.

Any of those problems you listed is because of people writing him that way lately.

batman is a pimp indeed. love the guy, prolly up their in the top fav. characters. i got a batman utuility belt on my 8th birthday! Yaaaauuuus!


i should find it and wear it next pcq! or comicon! YAAAUUS!

You need to reread tower of babel, batman DESIGNED all those plans. Ra's diid no form of designing work, he merely built the tools and implemented them...It can be easily inferred from the part where batman sits alone in the Batcave designing the vibration bullet to deal with flash, den Alfred comes in and asks whether this is needed since 'Master Allen'(Barry Allen) is gone, batman den replies that there are plenty of sppedsters around and proceeds to give the bat computer orders...
Trust me, I've got the comic right beside me...

He's been written that way since The Dark Knight Returns, the story that ruined the character.

Whats with everyone saying that batman is a sad case and a lunatic. What if you were SIx or so and your perants got killed right in front of you, I'm almost positive most of you would lose a little sanity. And I mean look at him he thought about it and decided to do something about it in the form of travelling around the world and becoming the best at everything a bit drastic i know but he was really drivin by this death of both his mum and dad. And the only reason he was so strict and mean to tim drake was cause the previous robin was killed and batman didn't want that to happen again because he appreciates him, not cause he's a lunatic.

Batman to me is awesome. he can get a full nights rest in 3 hours , I'd sooo love to be able to do that and his butler is the best. I mean the guy is his most faithful friend and do you see batman being rude and arrogant to him. Well sometimes but most of the time hes pretty nice to him.

and for my closing statement i would like to say...
"some days you just cant get rid of a bomb"
the best quote ever and who said...BATMAN nanananananannananana BATMAN

Or, conversely, made the character interesting. As opposed to most superheros, who are interesting only for their powers.

i really can't stand causal fans, people who don't read the character as much as other's yet they think he is so cool, and not a jerk and not a raving lunatic. he constantly pushes people awy, it is a reflex to not get too close to anyone, alfred puts up with it cuz he understands, but alfred does take alot of crap.

bruce did not need to become batman, he could have went to thearpy, dealt with the greif process like normal folks, used his families money to take care of gotham's homeless and soppurt charities, he can do more good as just millionare bruce wayne, than he could ever do as batman.

normal people don't dress up like a bat. he is insane and crazy and a jerk.