Most of those close to me know me as a huge Batman fan. Since I was three years old when I got an electric batmobile for my birthday, Batman has been my superhero of choice. You may even find me reading comics under my Batman snuggy. I was just brewing beer with my batman apron yesterday in fact. Needless to say, Batman embodies much of what I love about comics. Today is his 75th birthday and because of that, I really want to talk about why he is so wonderful.
Bruce Wayne is the suffering hero. He could have moved on from his parents being murdered and continued to live a typical rich kid life. He doesn’t. He chooses a life of suffering for others. He doesn’t deal with his own problems but instead takes on those of the world. He doesn’t kill, and he doesn’t stand for anyone killing anyone else. He is extremely vulnerable but he hides it from the rest of the world so that he can be strong for them. He puts all his hope in others, Robin, Superman, and the rest of the Justice League. Who he is is almost the antithesis of his persona. He is weak, so he acts strong, he is afraid, so he strikes fear, he is a child, so he emits the extremity of masculinity.
Also he is brilliant and immensely skilled….but I don’t think anyone cares about that.
