1. He’s Just a man

Yes, it’s a good time to be a Batman fan; a great time in fact. Rocksteady’s phenomenal new open world brawler Arkham City is currently lighting up the gaming word, making it possible to actually feel like the Dark Knight himself. And love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Christopher Nolan’s modern re-imagining of the iconic Caped Crusader has captured the attention of the entire world. The Dark Knight’s current lifetime gross is reportedly over a billion dollars and the franchise’s third instalment, The Dark Knight Rises, which is due for release in summer 2012, is looking poised to destroy the box office all over again.

There’s little doubt that Batman is one of, if not the most commercially successful comic book character in history, with over 20 monthly affiliated publications, a booming movie and T.V brand and enough merchandise on the market to give George Lucas a semi-on. Obviously commercial success doesn’t always guarantee quality, but we at WhatCulture believe that with the Caped Crusader, it totally does. And there’s never been a better time for us to make the case that Batman might well be the greatest superhero in existence.

For those of you who agree with our point blank assertion, we present you with fifty of the many reasons why Batman clearly pops a grapple in the competition. For those of you who don’t, here are fifty statements that are probably just going to piss you off…

If Batman were to miss his grapple (he wouldn’t, but saying he did) and hit the ground from a sufficient height, he’d die like the rest of us. It’s as simple as that. Other Superheroes may also share this base humanity, but generally when they don their alter-ego they enter altered states and become impervious (a la Green Lantern or Iron Man).

We can never know what it’s like to attain this invulnerability, or to fly or feel super-strength but we can and do strive to reach the pinnacle of our potential. That’s why Batman is so effortlessly relatable; it isn’t his frequent feats of strength or athleticism so much as the fact that even in the cape and cowl, he’s still one of us.

 

2. The Symbol

It’s more recognizable than almost any other symbol on Earth, in fiction or otherwise. You’ve drawn this from memory more than once I’ll wager, on school books and message pads. It’s simple, stark and in an instant conjures up notions of justice and compassion. In short, it’s everything a symbol should be.

 

3. The Human Mind As A Superpower

So he’s just a man, right? That’s not to say that Batman doesn’t have a superpower. His mind is his power; within it lurks a deadly, but prefectly balanced combination of insurmountable anguish, indomitable conviction, unparalleled genius and just a sprinkling of mental instability. Rarely in comics do plight and power marry so seamlessly.

 

4. He’s a Master Tactician

Batman often works angles that can barely be observed until they’re passed, but in a story’s closing panels, when all is revealed, there’s consistent delight to be found in the tactics that he’s employed. Even up against a rogue Superman, you’ll rarely see Batman dispatched with ease because he’s planned for the eventuality years in advance.

 

5. Stealth

Batman is a predator, his prey: cowardly, superstitious criminals. He stalks from the rafters, watching, planning; singling them out and using the Batman legend against them, rendering their brawn or power as practically useless.

How often have you wished you could confront someone on your terms instead of theirs? Batman often lives out that very fantasy for us.

 

6. Versatility

No matter the scale of the battle, be it side by side with the Justice League or alone in a catacomb beneath Gotham, Batman can adapt. He’s constantly engineering weapons and gadgets outside of the story too, so his mode of attack is kept consistently fresh.

Up against say Solomon Grundy, we know what Superman would do, we know what Hal Jordan would do…but what’s Batman going to do? It isn’t so easy to predict.

When most Heroes remove the tights, they become their alter-ego. Superman becomes Clark Kent, slouching, bumbling and slightly rotund. The Flash becomes Barry Allen, mild mannered, small time forensic scientist.

But Batman, even as Bruce Wayne is still Batman. He’s always watching and analysing, regardless of his guise, and communicating findings with the Bat-Computer and others in the Bat-family. In other words there is no Bruce Wayne; there’s only the mission.

With Batman, more than any other hero I can think of, the alter-ego represents less of a civilian existence, more just another weapon in the Bat-arsenal; a means to subvert his true identity as the Dark Knight by way of hiding in plain sight. Now that’s dedication at its coldest, loneliest and most admirable.

 

8. The Origin

Joe Chill, a crook with hollow eyes and a voice like glass being crushed, gunned down Thomas and Martha Wayne in a bungled mugging before a young Bruce Wayne’s eyes. On that night the seed of Batman was planted, in the shattered psyche of the traumatised orphan (although it’d be fifteen in-world years before Gotham met her ageless defender).

It’s an iconic origin that you’ll most likely know inside out, even if you’ve never picked up a comic book in your life and that speaks volumes to the character’s immense popularity.

 

9. The Code

When Batman steps to a foe he’s calculated and precise but driven by deep, insatiable anger. It’s only the Code that separates him from madness – Batman will not take a human life, or see human life extinguished through inaction under any circumstances, although he may skirt close on occasion (making for succulent drama).

The Code is a testament to Batman’s compassion; brutality is sometimes necessary but murder is never justified. The age old argument of whether or not the Dark Knight is a true vigilante can be answered here. No, he’s not. A base vigilante acts only with his own satisfaction in mind but the Code proves that it’s justice and not revenge that truly drives the Dark Knight.

 

10. He’s The World’s Greatest Anti-Hero

One of my first articles for WhatCulture was about Anti-heroes, and how they may be the best archetypes in fiction. For me, Batman is one of the greatest Anti-heroes; if not for the Code then he’d essentially be a Super-villain.

To read into the presented facts, you could say that Batman is merely a manifestation of trauma, a child’s terrified response to the murder of his parents. Technically, you could say that Bruce Wayne is well on the road to an anti-social behavioural disorder – with his frequent flights of violence and inability to conform to social norms – and yet this darkness is offset beautifully by his compassion toward life, and empathy toward Gotham’s citizens.

Whichever side the Dark Knight is on, you can be certain it’s the winning team. The on-going story constantly explores how close he skirts to the line between hero and villain, and how dangerous he would be to Gotham and even the Earth if he ever crossed it.

 

11. Bat-Constitution

Unless Batman is unconscious, he’s pursuing his goal. No manner of fear, pain or illness, whether minor or deadly, will keep him from the mission. Live your real life to this mantra and you’ll achieve any target you care to set for yourself.

 

12. Bat-Conviction

If Batman says he’s going to do something, he follows through with actions immediately afterwards, regardless of how tall the order is. Again, if we applied this mind-set to our actual lives, there’d probably be no limit to what we could achieve.

 

13. He Recovered From A Broken Back

In Broken Bat, part one of the seminal Batman: Knightfall story arc, the Caped Crusader is literally snapped in two by the superhuman venom-fiend Bane. It’s one of the rare occasions where you’ll see Batman truly bested at his own game. This and the events that followed suddenly gave the Dark Knight a whole new layer of human vulnerability.

In part two of Knightfall, Who Rules the Night, Bruce Wayne is crippled from the waist down and seeks aid in his recovery, leaving Jean-Paul Valley (a.k.a Azrael) in charge of the Bat-mantle…for now. It’s a favourite storyline for many because we see Batman at the lowest point in his career, at his most human than ever before. It was at this point in my own readership that I realised that Batman was easily the most relatable Superhero.

 

14. The Metaphor

Undeniably, one of Batman’s most enduring qualities is his humanity and how it bolsters (to the point that he’s at least as powerful as any other top-tier hero) rather than hinders his ability as a Supe.

He’s a symbol of human resilience and our capacity to excel; if we set our minds to it, we can achieve it (although maybe don’t launch yourself off a building into a gang of thugs, it’s meant as a metaphor).

 

15. The One Man War On Crime

Although Batman now has a family of sorts comprised of Robin, Red Robin and Nightwing, among others, his origin as a one-man war on crime is perhaps one of the most endearing aspects of his character. If you’ve ever been a victim of a criminal, then you’ll be familiar with the sense of rageful injustice that comes hand in hand. Bruce Wayne, as early as 8 years old, had suffered this injustice to such an extreme that he chose to arm himself with every weapon possible and suit up to take back the streets, one lowlife at a time.

I’m a Scouser and I’ve often said about my stereotypically crime-ridden home city: “Liverpool needs a Batman” (for legal reasons, it doesn’t…). I’m sure many of you can you apply that same sentiment to your city of residence too (for legal reasons, I’m sure you can’t). 

Think about this: a man dressed like a bat, on paper and without context behind it, sounds ludicrous. But take a look at that twin peaked Cowl and billowing black Cape in harsh silhouette and any looming kitschiness within the concept is immediately dispelled.

Of course it isn’t just aesthetic. The Cape not only allows him to glide, but provides a false target for gun-toting thugs. And in the more modern iterations of the character, the Cowl doubles as a face-mounted computer, giving him remote visual access to the information stored on the Bat-network. Always he maintains his fear-evoking image but never at the expense of increased functionality.

Batman’s costume plays as huge a role in his combat style as even Iron Man or Steel, if only affording him a fraction of the protection.

 

17. He’s The World’s Greatest Detective

There’s something infinitely endearing to me about the conventional lone detective figure; awash in a torrent of crime and corruption, the long-suffering gumshoe always manages to remain one step ahead of the game (think Bogart in the Maltese Falcon).

Batman takes this, one of our all-time favourite genre conventions, and makes a superhero out of it. Awesome…

 

18. The Bat Network

The immense annals of information that Batman has collected over the years, on nearly every super-villain, criminal and organisation in the DC Universe, and the network that he’s set up to hold it all are one of the very reasons that he’s earned the moniker of World’s Greatest Detective.

Desire for knowledge is an all too human ideal. It’s one of the reasons why the Bat Network is such a satisfying prop; wouldn’t you love to have that wealth of information at your fingertips?

 

19. He Has A File On Literally Everyone

It’s part of the genius, and the darkness, of Batman. He documents everything. Right down to his fellow heroes’ secret identities and their weaknesses, to exploit should they ever go rogue (as detailed in JLA: Tower of Babel, a compelling tale illuminating the true depth of Batman’s paranoia).

Whoever it may be, he knows at least something about them, even if we don’t know he knows yet.  It’s his way of bringing order to the chaos but it’s also a satisfying characterization that further points us towards Batman’s omniscience.

 

20. Gadgets

We all know Batman is the gadget master. From a simple re-breather all the way up to a fully armoured robotic Batsuit, Batman has such a range of gadgets and non-lethal weapons at his disposal that he can feasibly react to almost any situation. And if he doesn’t have the gadget for a task, you can be damn sure he’ll go back to the Batcave and engineer it.

We love Gadgets don’t we? There’s a good chance you might even be reading this article on a gadget or gizmo, like an iPad for instance (hey Apple, where’s my cheque?!). With that in mind, Batman’s penchant for gadgetry clearly taps into a deep-seated societal obsession, creating yet more relatability. As if we needed it.

 

21. The Utility Belt

A veritable Mary Poppins bag of weapons and gadgets, any eventuality that Batman meets in the field can be toppled using something from his iconic utility belt. It can contain anything from grapnel gun attachments, smoke bombs, special batarangs and signal disruptors, even kryptonite.  For me, a cooler superhero accessory just doesn’t exist.

 

22. Batarangs

To my mind, Batarangs are the single coolest weapon in any Superhero’s arsenal. They’re essentially modified Shuriken or throwing stars, and they act as a constant reminder of Batman’s all-encompassing combat ability. This is another mark of the character’s inherent humanity; that his primary offensive weapon is little more than a piece of sharpened metal. There’s no power per se, just a man at the absolute pinnacle of his ability.

 

23. Grappling

The Grapnel gun is part and parcel of Batman’s human charm and part of an undeniably iconic image from pop culture (Adam West and Burt Ward scaling ‘up’ the side of a building? Holy trick-photography, Batman!).

He can’t do the things that other Super-powered heroes can do, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get around. There’s something infinitely inspirational about a guy who just won’t accept his physical limitations.

 

24. Gliding

Of course, what goes up must come down. Like every other aspect of Batman’s character, his ability to glide not only serves a functional purpose in aiding his mobility but it also creates an opportunity for him to strike fear in any goon who happens to looks up, without him having to stop to put them in the hospital.

As with his other abilities, gliding isn’t exactly outside the realms of human possibility. Of course, it’s unfeasible (but come on, we’re reading comic books, we’re clearly not after feasibility) that such consistent height and speed could be maintained in the confines of a city, but if you’ve ever been on a hang-glider you’ll most likely have thought to yourself “I bet this is how Batman feels”.  It’d be impossible to relate in this particular way with almost any other Superhero I can think of.

 

25. The Bat Cave

It houses literally the entire Bat-legacy: from Batsuits to Batmobiles, as well as trophies of victory and oh, who could forget, a giant T-Rex statue. It’s Batman’s equivalent to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, although instead of being gifted with the Batcave (as Superman was gifted with his own crystalline retreat and indeed his entire power set), he built it from nothing just as he built his own legend.

In fact the Batcave is conceptually similar to Bruce Wayne himself in many ways; where there once was a dark, endless void deep beneath the surface, now resides the Batman. There are plenty of physical and metaphorical barriers that he places around himself and his secret identity, but the Batcave is by far the most awesome.

 

26. Bat Transport

Have we not all wished we had a Batmobile at least once in our lives? The beauty is, as the character develops at a parallel to society, the artists who draw him are able to constantly re-design the range of vehicles that Batman utilizes (which of course includes planes, boats and bikes) so that they remain fresh and contemporary, regardless of the era.

Let’s be honest, human fascination with transportation machines is one thing that will never ever wane, particularly amongst the men-folk.

 

27. The Bat-Signal

It’s such an iconic part of the character that you’ll rarely get through a storyline without seeing it somewhere. And it’s always satisfying to see how different writers, artists, animators and film-makers use its narrative power to drive their Batman stories.

 

28. Robin

One of the most criminally underrated kid sidekicks amongst the non-comic book community (we call you ‘normies’), Robin’s on-going story is tinged with just as much tragedy and dramatic brilliance as even the Caped Crusader’s himself. Whether you’re talking about Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake or Damian Wayne there’s something at the core of the character that consistently casts him as a lynch-pin in the Batman legacy.

He was traditionally there in the beginning to help children to empathise with the Dark Knight and while he still serves that purpose he’s grown over the years into his own thing all together (former Robin Dick Grayson, now Nightwing, has enjoyed his own book lines for example, even before the new 52). Whoever hides beneath the eye-mask, there’s always been a Robin and there always will be in one form or another, as long as there are kids out there that fantasize that it’s them.

 

29. Alfred Pennyworth

And while we’re on the topic of unsung heroes… Alfred Pennyworth is perhaps the most epic butler in all of fiction.  It’s not just that he’s an ex-RAF medic and the only reason Batman is able to recover from his wounds and keep hitting the rooftops; he’s also the only character in the Batman world that really knows the man behind the Cowl.

He sees further through the exterior than Robin or anyone else in the Bat-family, through the aggression, through the pain, through the Dark Knight and to the very core of Bruce Wayne.

 

30. Commissioner James Gordon

GCPD Commissioner Gordon is essentially Batman’s direct line to the heart of Gotham City. Their story together is painted to have tumultuous foundations; in the beginning, Gordon treated Batman like any other criminal, pursued him as he would a crazed vigilante. But eventually he came to recognize the fact, as we do, that Gotham does need a Batman.

Jim Gordon is faced with consistently human problems. We all know how work stress feels, we can relate to his on-going relationship complications and with the state of Gotham we can most certainly relate to his stoic reverence of the Batman. Much like how Han Solo is the human anchor in the original Star Wars films, Jim Gordon brings the plot firmly back down to Earth whenever it starts to feel like reality is taking a rain check.

 

31. The Bat-Canon of Characters

Let me list a few: Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Jean-Paul Valley, Selina Kyle, Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul and Barbara Gordon. This list is by no means exhaustive, but I’m trying to keep my word count down. Batman’s world is host to such an abundance of rich, satisfying characters that it’s little surprise that so many different lines have popped up on the shelves relating back to the Dark Knight himself (Nightwing, Catwoman, Azrael, Batwoman and Batgirl, again the list goes on).

 

32. The Joker

I’ll go on to discuss the rogues gallery in a moment, but I felt this guy deserved his own mention. The Joker is my favourite villain of all time, out of a shortlist of three (along with Magneto and Lex Luthor). He’s just such a perfect binary opposite of Batman in almost every way. Bruce Wayne needs to bring order to the chaos that claimed his parents; that’s his obsession, that’s the Batman. The Joker is that very chaos boiled down into one single, grinning psychopath.

There’s a powerful poeticism to the Joker/Batman saga, considering the fact that the Clown Prince of Crime appeared in Batman’s first ever dedicated issue back in 1940 and has wreaked havoc on his beloved city ever since. It’s almost as though one could not exist without the other.

 

33. The Rogues Gallery

Comic book lines have a habit of going silly, especially in the villain department. It’s understandable really, when lines stretch into their twentieth and thirtieth year and there’s been a constant stream of villains, usually each a little more convoluted than the last. Batman hasn’t been completely immune to this phenomenon (Gentleman Ghost, anyone?) but those villains that remain today are of prime quality.

Let me list but a few: The Joker, Two-Face, Hush, Professor Pyg, Killer Croc, Szasz and Ra’s al Ghul. It’s one of the best rogues gallery around in my opinion (for me, rivalled only by that of Kirkman’s Invincible universe), and one of the only list of antagonists that manages to consistently toe the line between dark and playful without ever becoming prosaic.

 

34. History

There are a few comic lines that have had long, illustrious runs dating back many, many years, but Batman has the accolade of being the world’s longest running continuous superhero publication of all time (continuing to print even in the face of waning interest brought on by 1954′s villainous Comic Book Code). Detective Comics first issue ran in 1937, the Dark Knight himself featured amongst its pages in 1939, before securing his own dedicated line in 1940 due to unprecedented popularity.

And the rest, as they say, is history. His original origin (in Batman #1) was one page long, designed to get us to the present day ass-whoopin’ as quickly as possible. But today there have been so many stories told, so many meanings made and so much exposition and elaboration that it’s possible to know Batman as well as one might know a close relative.

 

35. Gotham City

It’s as synonymous with crime as Hollywood is for movies and it’s not even a real place. Say the name of Batman’s beloved but treacherous city anywhere in the world and you’ll conjure an instant picture in the mind of the listener. Posed as a caricaturized version of the worst parts of New York, it’s probably the most well established fictional Superhero city out there, arguably even more so than Superman’s Metropolis.

 

36. The Tone

Crime-fiction is still one of the most enduring and well-loved genres around, throughout the varying narrative mediums. Batman was in fact directly inspired by the pulp crime serials that were popular in the 20’s and 30’s, such as the Shadow and even the acclaimed literary mystery busting of Arthur Conan Doyle’s esteemed Sherlock Holmes.

Obviously, Batman’s original tone has shifted across its behemothic lifespan but there remains a core element within the ongoing story even today that harkens back to those macabre, convention defining crime stories of yesteryear.

 

37. The Training

Plight is the key to a satisfying protagonist. Batman’s training is where his plight would have been at its fullest; he’d have been on his knees, physically weaker than we know he’ll become but always as internally strong as we know he is at the core. It’s a satisfying notion, that while most other Supes are gifted with their abilities, Bruce Wayne made a choice and earned his Superhero status with blood and sweat.

With a period of incubation this long and so largely unexplored, D.C can feasibly pull a new skill out of thin air whenever it’s required for the character, allowing for consistent unpredictability. I’m still waiting for a T.V show based on the training of Bruce Wayne; I mean why not? They made Smallville…

 

38. The Potential Ability To Take Down Superman

In the extended DC Universe, Superman trusts Batman above any other Supe, although they may fundamentally disagree on crime fighting methods. The reason for this is simple: Superman knows how potentially dangerous he is and if he were to go rogue (something which has happened on numerous occasions believe it or not), then he knows that Batman would be the one to take him down, without a doubt.

Normally, the power of a Villain is measured against the power of the Hero, but Batman doesn’t adhere to this rule. He can feasibly defeat anyone – from a lowlife rapist to a vengeful God – because he follows one fundamental ideal: nothing is insurmountable. I’ve got to be honest, I wish that wasn’t so easier said than done, because if I could see life in this way, I reckon I’d be a millionaire by now.

As you well know, Batman broke out of comic books and onto screens as early back as the 60’s.  Admittedly his film, T.V and Video Game career hasn’t always been completely on the money (who can forget the jaw-droppingly terrible ‘Bat-Mastercard’ placement in Joel Schumacher’s Batman and Robin? I wish I could…) but in general, no other costumed hero has had as sprawling or as consistently satisfying a presence across the varying platforms as Batman has.

Batman: the Animated Series will have been a staple Saturday morning ritual for many who’re reading this article, and there’ve been a number of other excellent T.V series and features since (check out the recent animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s Year One, for a definitive main canon refresher of Batman’s tumultuous origin for instance).

And of course anyone who’s played either of Rocksteady’s unbelievable Arkham Asylum or City video games will tell you that no other comic book hero has fared so well on our gaming systems before or likely will again until we hopefully see a third instalment.

 

40. Kevin Conroy’s Batman & Mark Hamill’s Joker

 

41. The Writers

Comic book writers are known to flit from line to line, label to label and pretty much anyone who’s anyone in the field of Comics has had a run on Batman at one point or another. From golden and silver-age legends like Bill Finger and David Vern Reid; through bronze-age giants such as Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Jeph Loeb; Batman traditionally and still to this day enjoys a steady stream of some of the most supremely talented writers in the field.

 

42. The Artists

Batman’s look has changed considerably over the years. Originally created by hall of famer Bob Kane, it’s a constantly re-adjusting legacy that changes in aesthetic dependent on era and artist. With names like Tim Sale, Frank Miller (again), Brian Bolland, Andy Kubert and the mighty Alex Ross in Batman’s artist canon it’s little wonder that he’s been worked over the years into one of the most aesthetically revered costumed heroes of them all.

 

43. Batman Live

The many failings of Bono’s ‘Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark’ Broadway debacle were well publicised but it clearly got DC’s creative heads thinking. Not long after, the Batman Live world tour was announced to the puzzled delight of fans worldwide. I had the pleasure of attending one of the Liverpool performances and while it certainly wasn’t as dark as some of my favourite storylines (being a family show and all) it was still a gratifying spectacle that served only to validate my fondness of the character.

 

44. Adam West & Burt Ward

The 1960’s T.V adaptation of Batman is cause for much debate amongst fans. We can all agree that it’s corny but while some of us can’t bear its camp sensibility, some of us – myself included – argue that it has inherent kitsch value. What can’t be denied is that today, Adam West & Burt Ward’s old school interpretations of the much loved Batman and Robin have worked their way firmly into pop iconography.  And if you ask me, pop iconography can always use more Batman.

 

45. There’s Always A Way Out

I wouldn’t say this is a catchphrase per se, but Batman is caught in supposedly inescapable situations with such regularity that it’s a constantly repeated sentiment throughout the ongoing story.  And there’s only one thing that Batman knows for sure about inescapable situations: they don’t exist.

There’s a wealth of satisfaction to be had from seeing how Batman will come to escape from his foe’s latest scheme, but arguably even more to come from what he inevitably does to the perpetrator.

 

46. You Can’t Fool Batman

D.C Super-Villainy 101: do not try to put the mind whammy on Batman.  No memory-wipes, no illusionary worlds, no hallucinations and no psychic suggestions remain hidden from the Caped Crusader for long. He knows, and if he doesn’t, he will.

It’s unclear to me whether he was trained in the mental arts, or whether his clarity of mind is just an inherent by-product of his superior will.  Nevertheless it’s yet another notch in the Bat-post of ridiculously admirable, entirely human abilities.

 

47. Arkham Asylum

Batman’s modern rogues gallery, unlike most others, tends to lean toward the criminally psychotic. That’s why Gotham City’s psychiatric institute is one of the most repeated locations in the Batman canon, after the Batcave and Wayne Manor of course (and maybe falling behind the GCPD too).

It’s a setting that’s so rich in history and packed with forces of antagonism that entire stories can and have been told from within its walls. Not only does Arkham provide ready-made narrative material (a must in a long running serial that passes between writers) but the dilapidated asylum is also an image that’s fairly ingrained in the horror genre, often acting in Batman as enticement for those readers with slightly more adult tastes.

 

48. He’s As Deep Or As Shallow As You Want Him To Be

If you’re a hardcore fan, and you’ve read from issue one then you obviously revere the Batman for a whole host of reasons. But if you’re only contact with the character has been a movie, animated series or a video game then chances are you’ll still hold him in similar esteem (unless you’ve only ever caught the two Joel Schumacher helmed Batman films, in which case I’m amazed you even clicked this article, let alone read down this far, well done you!)

He’s a deep enough character that he allows for academic study; you can go far beneath the surface and draw parallels to society, psychology and philosophy. But he’s also accessible enough that he can be enjoyed just as fervently by much less interested parties.

 

49. He’s the Only DC Superhero that even Marvelites Struggle to Criticise

I had a conversation recently with a die-hard Marvel fan, who sneered at my preference for D.C. Comics.  As is often the case in this situation, we had a little fan-boy tiff over whose label was better. In all honesty, his level of knowledge of both companies completely dwarfed my own and he made a compelling case for Marvel. He argued that D.C’s characters we’re flat when compared to Marvel’s and that in fact, many of D.C’s most popular concepts were pale, poorly interpreted imitations of Marvel originals.

“But surely you can’t apply that to Batman?” I rebutted. He shook his head, smiled and said “Alright, I’ll give you Batman”.  To me, that was close enough to victory.

 

50. He’s The God Damned Batman

‘Nuff said.

 

So there we have at, we’ve scratched right to the bottom of this poor writers Bat-brain. Of course the true beauty of the Batman legacy is that it allows for so many different interpretations and each fan takes something a little different away based on what they’ve read, watched or played.