What does Batman mean to you?

[Barb Gordon]

Well, I think almost all, if not all of us here, agree that Batman is quite awesome. But, we probably got interested in him for different reasons. There are things about him that some us like, and that some of us don't like. Enjoying Batman means something different to everyone, so, what's it for you?

Barb^-^

[Gyro]

I like the fact that he's a hero, only without super powers. I mean, you or I could be Batman if we trained.............. A lot ;).

[Failure]

Truth, justice, and the American way! Oh wait, that's Superman. :p

Batman means more to me than any other superheroes because of his humanity. I think it's a testament of what one person can do when they undertake in the necessary pains to take advantage of a given opportunity. We could all be Batman. Not in the sense that we could all go out fighting bad guys. But rather, we could all make differences in people's lives, which is what I believe is the heart behind Batman. His need to help others, not because of a superpower he has, but because of his personal experiences.

I hope this didn't come out too convoluted. I've been rush-writing a paper. Hmm, I'm taking a break from writing my paper, by writing a post. Just doesn't sound right. ;)

[Carnage]

Batman just goes to show that an individual person can make a difference. Sure, it's not easy, but a single person can eventually have an enormous effect on tons of people.

-Carnage-

[RorShaq]

I wish people would stop saying that Batman could be a real person. Show me a real person who can swing from rooftop to rooftop while carrying 50 pounds of body armor. He's pretty cool, but he's no more realistic than Superman.

[Barb Gordon]

It's not all that impossible, just highly unlikely. And I see him to be a lot more believable than Superman. I love Superman, his powers, his morals and brighter look on things, but there is something about Batman that I like even more. It's the same thing that other people have stated, and that is that he just seems more human, more real to us. Yes, the chances are slim that someone could be like him, but the fact is, it's not impossible, and that fact makes him that much more believable to me. True, it's hard to imagine a city as crime ridden and dark as Gotham, or to be able to see a guy running around all in black, looking like a bat with a cape, but that's not the part of Batman that keeps me hooked. Though, those things are pretty awesome. It's that beneath all that, he's just a man, with no super powers, like flight or speed, just an incredibly well trained body and mind.

Barb^-^

[TimTwoFace]

The thing I love about Batman is how it's so real. Every aspect of the Bat-mythos, if you train, study, and think hard enough, is possible to duplicate in real life. (Yes...even creating creations like, say, Clayface are possible.) The fact that, if I wanted, I could become a hero or villain in the same vein as our comic book counterparts, makes it all the better for me. I like realism. Somewhat heightened and exaggerated realism to be sure, but still realism.

The fact that Batman has no superpowers and is often questionable as to whether his methods are just or not make stories a lot more interesting. I hate being fed morals about right and wrong; most stories present some theories and philosophies that die-hard fans can ponder and examine. It goes to show just how deep these characters are.

The most important factor is, obviously, that Batman is just so damn cool.

-Tim

[Domino]

This is a VERY long post because Batman has meant many things to me.

When I was a toddler in 1966, Batman meant Adam West and standing in front of the TV shouting "Biff! Pow!"

A few years later, it meant my dad would come home from working his 3rd shift factory job to watch Saturday morning cartoons with me while we ate Kool Pops. I made a Batmobile out of a cardboard box using nothing but crayons and imagination.

in 1970, Batman meant reading for the first time. I still remember "The Man with Ten Eyes" and asking what a punji stake was. Ah, such was growing up in the Viet Nam era.

In kindergarten that same year, Batman meant I was staying home with the mumps and Dad bringing home comic books to cheer me up.

In 1971, Batman was a sad reminder of my former life as my new stepfather burned all of my comics in front of me. He had grown up with the Frederic Wertham "Seduction of the Innocent" hysteria. We weren't even allowed to watch Super Friends (1973)on TV. Later on, at his own parents' house at Christmas, I discovered a coverless Batman #203, an 80-page giant, featuring "Secrets of the Batcave 1968." I read that comic at every holiday until I was 18.

For the next five years, Batman was something to look forward to when I visited my father in the summer and at Christmas. My stepfather beat me every day, but did not break my spirit. Batman was my inspiration. My grandmother would buy us the DC Treasuries at Christmas. My favorite story was the one with Batman helping the guy who was stealing to give his daughter a decent Christmas. The man goes to his former boss's house to kill him, and finds him ailing instead. Batman helps him get the man to a hospital. Batman meant hope.

In 1976, I moved to my father's house and if I behaved in church, I could buy a comic book at the local store. The first one I bought was Justice League #140, with the "No Man Escapes the Manhunters" storyline. Batman saved the day in #141 when he figures out that the planet allegedly destroyed was actually still there. Batman meant salvation.

In 1977, Batman meant Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers in Detective, and Hugo Strange taking over Batman's Identity. By now I was living with my father and things were better. I read the first part of that story, but wouldn't see the conclusion until much later. Batman meant happiness.

By 1979 I was starting high school and comics were not cool. Batman was a distant memory...

...which resurfaced on my 19th birthday in 1983, in December. In my first year in college I discovered a comic book specialty store, Fanfare Comics and Cards in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I was doing a research paper and interviewed the owner. I bought my own copy of Batman #203 for 50 cents that day, and began my comic book collection. I bought every back issue of Batman and Detective I could afford, most costing 50-60 cents each. Batman meant recapturing lost childhood.

In 1986 I was helping one of my college friends, who was also a Batman fan, in his comic book business and selling comics at conventions. I remember the first time I saw the Dark Knight Returns, as one dealer had them in the booth next to us at a convention in Toledo, Ohio. We had slept in the car the night before because we didn't have a hotel room. The car's battery died, we slid off the road on the way back, and he made no money. He tried to pay me for helping him, but I refused to take his money. We have been good friends ever since. Batman helped to forge a bond between us. Batman meant friendship.

In 1989, the month before I got married, the Tim Burton movie came out. Batman meant the beginning of a new life.

Batman Returns cost me one of my best friends. We had planned to go together to see the movie a year in advance, and the night before it opened he went with another friend to a sneak preview. I still remember his too-casual words on the telephone answering machine: "You should see it. Awesome flick." Batman meant betrayal.

For the next several years I worked through a dangerous, unfulfilling job and lived through an unfulfilling marriage. Through most of it, though, I had Batman the Animated Series. I started my own business which allowed me to be away on weekends selling action figures and trading cards. Batman meant escapism.

When I finally realized and came to accept that my marriage was over, I had to protect my collection from being broken up in a property settlement agreement. I had to fight tooth and nail to keep those things I had worked so hard to obtain. Batman meant self-preservation.

Now I am 37, happily remarried, working in a rewarding environment teaching 8th graders. I own my own home where I display all of the things I have collected over the years. In my classroom, I have an Alex Ross Batman poster behind my desk and Batman magnets on the filing cabinet. I have collected original art from that first storyline of the JLA that I read when I first came to live with my father. There is an abundance of Batman material for me to enjoy, and more to be found. There are annual conventions and lifelong friends with whom to reunite and reminisce. There are message boards where I can have discussions about the character that I have grown up with, and have no fear of being labeled.

Today, Batman means happiness.

[The Game]

Originally posted by RorShaq
I wish people would stop saying that Batman could be a real person. Show me a real person who can swing from rooftop to rooftop while carrying 50 pounds of body armor. He's pretty cool, but he's no more realistic than Superman.

First of all, he doesn't wear 50 pounds of body armor.

Second of all, he is more realistic than Superman, because he could concievably be. Okay, so is it likely? No, of course not. But when it's all said and done, it could physically happen. Superman? I don't think so.

Batman is an extrordinary guy on a mission, he's not a superpowered alien. He's a man who has devoted his life to protecting the innocent.

-The Game

[Corran Horn]

I like Batman because he doesn't have any super powers. All his 'powers' are earned from hard work and extensive study.

Also, he sacrifices a lot for the safety of others. Basically, he has no real personal life at all, other than the mask of Bruce Wayne, and can't really form any lasting bonds (even the ones with the Bat-team are strained sometimes) either because of his exhaustive dedication or his lack of being able to because of what happened to his parents. 'Batman' is doing what's right, even when it distasteful/harmful to you.

[The Mad Hatter]

As others have alluded to, Batman shows the amazing accomplishments one man can achieve when he's driven enough.

[RorShaq]

Originally posted by thegame8866


First of all, he doesn't wear 50 pounds of body armor.

Second of all, he is more realistic than Superman, because he could concievably be. Okay, so is it likely? No, of course not. But when it's all said and done, it could physically happen. Superman? I don't think so.

Batman is an extrordinary guy on a mission, he's not a superpowered alien. He's a man who has devoted his life to protecting the innocent.

-The Game

Yeah, you're right. A guy could run around in a halloween costume and fight violent criminals night after night without geting killed or arrested. Guys, let's get real. Batman is a great fictional character, but he couldn't exist in reality any more than any other DC hero could.

[The Guard]

I wish people would stop saying that Batman could be a real person. Show me a real person who can swing from rooftop to rooftop while carrying 50 pounds of body armor. He's pretty cool, but he's no more realistic than Superman .

A real Batman wouldn't go leaping off of rooftops. He would have the car, and the skills, but not the Batgrapple, or even the batarangs...

Yeah, you're right. A guy could run around in a halloween costume and fight violent criminals night after night without getting killed or arrested.

You know, cops do it all the time. And when you think about it, a man who has trained in 100 plus martial arts, and has BILLIONS at his disposal...he wouldn't get caught.

[Gpoliceman]

If I could be any superhero, I would be the Green Lantern. I think his powers match my personality best........

however..........my favorite superhero to watch/read/listen about is still and always has been Batman.

The some quick reasons I say Batman is the best superhero ever created:

1. Yes, like everyone else here has already said, he's human. Everything he does somehow filters into the fact that he's human. With the JL, he can't fight all those aliens.....why.....because he's human. The aliens will kill him, and so because of that, Batman uses his brain. It's little things like that which make me like him. Everybody who writes for Batman has to remember he's only human and I like the obstacles and complications that creates. If Batman is in a bind, he can't just bust through the sement wall with his bare fists and fly to safety like Superman. If poison gas is leaking into the room and the doors are locked tight, Batman is screwed just like you, your sister, and your dad would be in that same situation. He's one of us dang-it! Plus, the fact that Batman's human and is Batman because of hard work, determination, and training makes his life seem possible, so I like that aspect too. Nobody in this world can be Superman, but Bill Gates, if he really wanted to, could have been Batman (since Bruce Wayne is also only Batman because he's rich as hell).

2. One of the other major reasons I like Batman best is because everything about Batman is psychological. All the mythos, all the stories, all the connections to Batman, everything with him is psychological. With Batman, you ask "What drove a man to do this?" You don't ask those same things about Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, or any other superhero. You never ask yourself "What drove Superman to be Superman". Why? Cause the answer is too freaking easy. If I had superpowers, I'd be using them all the time too. Everything about Batman raises issues about what the heck is going on in the guy's head. He's a psychiatrist's nightmare. He's depressed, lonely, and so many other negative things that human beings are. I don't see Superman being depressed enough, and why should he be? The things that go on in Gotham City make me wonder, especially issues like the Bat Team. The fake that Batman has assembled a family of crime fighters to replace the family he lost with the death of his parents, and the fact that he probably wont ever get married and have a real family of his own, makes me interested in him. The fact that he's recruited people throughout his journey, that's interesting to me. Batman's psychological issues make all his supporting characters psychologically interesting too. Why does Alfred help him? Doesn't Alfred think what he's doing is nuts? Why does Gordon believe there needs to be a Batman? Why do Bruce and Dick have a strainted relationship? Why does Batman need a Robin?

There's a lot of questions to Batman.

I like how you have the ability to study him.

I don't see analysis in other superheroes as much as I do in Batman.

There's nothing to study when you have superpowers and you can't be killed and you're only using your superpowers as a means to an end.

Gpoliceman