Is Batman An "Urban Commando?"

[James Harvey]

Now I thought this was a rather odd comment made during the recent Batman Panel @ Wizard World: Philly (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=35268). Dan Didio called Batman an "urban commando." Didio says the editorial team has been emphasizing him as the commander of a group of other characters. By mentoring all his lieutenants, Didio said, Batman himself had created his own franchise after a fashion.

Personally, I think this might give us some insight into why Batman appears to be so "off" these days in the comics. Yes, he's still a jerk who's been betrayed by the League, but since when did he become a commando? Doesn't that phrase better describe someone like the Punisher.

Batman was never an "urban commando." Even when he was an all-out vigilante and pragmatically killed criminals rather than throw them hogtied out of a speeding Batmobile to the steps of Gotham City Police Headquarters, he was never an "urban commando." He was a dark force for justice, a detective, and a scholar set to rid Gotham of crime.

Commando is described as "a small fighting force, or member of such a force, specially trained for making quick destructive raids against enemy-held areas." I can actually see where they are coming from, Batman leading a such characters as Robin, Batgirl, Huntress, and any other nameless, rotating costumed hero that pops up in Gotham. But...this isn't Batman. Yes, he has partners when it comes to fighting crime, but in this "commando" manner.

Batman is the literary descendent of the Shadow, the Spider, Doc Savage, Zorro and Sherlock Holmes. He is one of the greats. None of these heroes could possibly be described as "urban commandos," and some of them even packed heat! These were brilliant men, who used their minds, wits, and even brawn to help reach their goal. Not destructive raids, but their minds.

Batman anticipates crime. He does not just react. but uses his experience and knowledge in criminal psychology to predict when crime will occur. Now, I'm not saying this isn't happening in the mainstream books. Detective Comics has been a pretty solid read, despite going overboard on the darker elements of Gotham. With rumors that Grant Morrison and The Kubert Bros. taking over the title, I must admit I'm curious to see where they'd take the book.

I guess this is why Batman: Dark Detective (talkback (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=140266)) seems like such an enjoyable series. He acts like he should. He acts like the world's greatest detective, a consummate crimefighter, a figure of terror to criminals and a figure of hope to the people of Gotham City. He himself is a weapon against crime, not whatever weapons or gadgets he has, but himself. I'll admit that Batman: Dark Detective isn't perfect, but this Batman seems almost dead on. It has that classic feel and approach to the hero that seems inviting and enjoyable. This interpretation is tied with the version we saw on Batman: The Animated Series, which managed to emphasize the traits that Batman...well...Batman.

Maybe I'm completely wrong. Or maybe I'm just getting too fed up with what's happening to Batman in the Mainstream "Infinity Crisis" DC Universe right now.

Special thanks to Silver Bullet Comic Books (http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/) and Newsarama (http://newsarama.com) with some information and assistance.

[Ed Liu]

Howdy,

I think you may be getting hung up on a Hollywood image of what a commando is versus its reality. Most people will think of Rambo when asked to visualize a commando. Anecdotally, Army Special Forces guys all really hate Rambo, because its skewed reality attracted all the wrong candidates to SF (many of whom washed out or quit in disappointment). The common comment you hear when someone meets an actual commando is, "They're not what I was expecting at all." It's true that the fundamental function of a soldier is to kill the enemy, but examining the selection, training, tactics, and methodology of any military Special Ops organization will reveal a bunch of commonality between them and a Batman-style vigilante.

The selection process for SpecOps guys may all differ, but the one consistent thing throughout them all is that the ones who make it through are the ones who refuse to quit. That's as much a function of mental toughness as physical toughness. It's also not coincidental that the average Special Forces soldier in the US Army has a higher IQ than his conventional Army counterpart. SpecOps wants soldiers with brains as much as brawn, especially considering the high likelihood that an SF soldier will need to operate independent of command for long stretches at a time.

It's also mandated that SF soldiers get trained in a variety of skills and techniques, and often are required to learn additional languages and study regions and cultures as part of their team assignments. The goal of all this is to know your enemy before you encounter them and to be ready for the unexpected. SF will be perfectly happy to use this knowledge in any way possible to achieve their objective without firing a shot. "You can beat any enemy in the world with enough prep time."

In the case of the US Army Special Forces and the British SAS, it's worth pointing out that they are teachers as much as soldiers. One of their stated goals, and the one they probably spend more time doing on average, is to train soldiers in foreign countries. I think it's this training aspect that DiDio is latching on to when he's mentioning the assorted Bat-family members.

When it comes down to brass tacks and there is a direct action raid required, SF will try to attack in the cover of night, with cooler toys than the other side has, and with speed, stealth, guile, surprise, and fear being their weapons as much as rifles or pistols. Commandos have to be able to think on their feet and be ready to adjust their tactics in an extremely fluid situation that can change in a heartbeat. In a worst-case situation, they're also all trained to work alone and with improvised materials if need be.

On a tactical level, SF often gets trained more in urban combat operations, in which there are lots of techniques that I imagine Batman would need to use as well.

All of the above put together suggests that the major distinction between Batman and a commando is that commandos are ready to kill people and Batman isn't. Other than that, if I had to find a guy right now to put on the Bat suit and do it for real, I'd go find someone in SF.

There is another big distinction in that Batman wears his underwear on the outside. Commandos may not wear underwear at all. There's a reason why they call it "going commando (http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/archive/index.php/t-24339.html)" ;).

-- Ed/Ace