SEEKERS OF THE BAT

Here, we have the Bat Signal; the only way for the authorities to contact the Batman. Its introduction marked the ascendancy of James Gordon to Gotham City police commissioner and the shift in Batman’s role from mysterious vigilante to trusted ally.

Although the good commissioner clearly needed to swallow his pride to admit his police force needed help, there is no doubt that the signal also serves as a valuable reminder to Gotham’s underworld that they are being watched.

Batman meets Batman for the first(?) time.  It must be like looking in a mirror. A dark, vigilant mirror.

This scene from the infamous All-Star Batman and Robin run shows Batman tending to a severely beaten Catwoman. The horror of the situation is that the realization that the Joker now has a weakness in the young Batman to exploit.

One common trope in the comics is that Batman’s inner monologue is often depicted as being hand written.  Before computers were ubiquitous, Batman kept meticulous handwritten logs and journals of his cases, and so the convention of using his ‘diary’ entries as narration has continued to the present day. For all his machismo, his journals often reveal an introspective, tortured emotion under the stoic, confident exterior .

Batman’s greatest challenge has always been the murderous Joker. Both insane and brilliant, the Joker epitomizes the supervillain; the unstoppable criminal that can terrorize an entire city. Moreover, his seemingly random crimes strike a stark contrast to Batman’s calculated sense of order.

Batman started his career content to fight common street crime as an unseen urban legend, but foiling the Joker’s elaborate plans led him to up the ante and become a public defender of the city. However, some surmise that the Joker’s theatrics wouldn’t have surfaced in a world without a Batman. So which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Here we see the progression of how the animated Batman has been portrayed over a 14 year span. Notice how Batman’s physique has gradually slimmed from a beefy heavyweight boxer in 1992 to a lighter, leaner version in 2006. This coincided with a heavier emphasis on acrobatic fighting in the 2001 Justice League series. The black and red suit on the right houses a 50+ year old Bruce Wayne from the Batman Beyond series. Amazing what exercise can do for you, eh?

Batman and Robin from a parallel earth?

Here’s a fun sketch of Batman re-imagined as a Gatchaman-esque manga hero. What’s interesting is that newer animated versions of Batman (2000 on) move and fight in a more acrobatic way eerily reminiscent of the 1970s Gatchaman team. Some inspiration there? Artist: Cliff Chiang

For reference, the Gatchaman intro:

Going into nightly fights against thugs with guns and knives, leaping off rooftops, escaping from burning buildings, straitjackets, ticking bombs, swinging saw blades …  All this action is bound to leave a few permanent marks on a human body. Bruce Wayne does his best to explain his visible scars as mishaps from any number of polo matches, skiing accidents, spelunking excursions, etc.  but the rest need to be covered up at all times.

With his history of mistakes or failures literally carved into his body, it is a constant reminder to himself that he is still only human. And that he has to be better.

After spending a full day as Bruce Wayne, Batman might need a little late night energy boost once in awhile.

A fan favorite element of Batman’s characterization is that he always wins in the end, no matter the odds stacked against him. His ultra preparedness ensures that he always has just the training or tool needed in his infamous utility belt.

Here, Dustin Nguyen pictures the result of an oft-debated match against a familiar foe. No matter that Wolverine instantly heals from any wound, has superhuman agility and reflexes, or is from a wholly different publishing universe, Batman still finds a way to stand triumphant.