Batman and Me: Austin's Story

*Note: This is a guest article written by Austin. I had nothing to do with the writing of it. I am only posting it for him*

A flutter of a cape. A comic book sound effect. A dimly lit Gotham City with a statuesque figure looming above it, watching, waiting. A live-action show with a man in oddly colored tights leaping around punching colorful villains. An epic movie and even an even darker sequel to it with a nasty Penguin. My childhood was a mixture of all these different elements.

When I was asked if I wanted to guest-write this article about how Batman has been part of my life and what I think about him, I full-heartedly agreed. I knew it’d be a tad odd not being in the background merely making artwork and using cryptic messages to get my thoughts across. For once I could openly express my ideas about something however I wanted. No encryption needed. Well, after reading Wesley’s article I got a general idea of what I should be writing. I finally sat down and tried to start writing it. Wes painted a picture of how Batman first entered his life, so I thought I’d do the same thing and talk about when I first learned of Batman…

Well…I don’t know.

As I currently write this, it is a bit past midnight. I know it will probably be left unfinished tonight until another day due to me having to work tomorrow morning, but nonetheless at this very moment of me typing it is past 12. What am I getting at? Well my point is that this morning I asked myself to start thinking about Batman and how he first entered my life as a kid. I’ve spent all day contemplating this; I’ve recounted countless facts, episodes, and comics I’ve read. The problem is…I can’t seem to find the source of it all.

Batman has just always been there in my life. I have terrible memory recalling many things from any point in time (unlike Wesley’s absolutely crazy memory, I lack just about any, short or long term). No matter how far back I try to remember, he is always just there. It’d make sense though; I was born in 1990, the first movie was released in 1989, the animated series started in 1992, and the old Adam West show had been around for years. Batman was already there, on TV, when I was growing up. By the age of 4 when I could really start to recall any memories, he was already in my life.

From the Tim Burton movie to the Adam West TV show and to the Animated Series, I already knew of them in my first memories, and they had already been completely absorbed into my life. The Animated Series is what really did it though. This is what truly caught me and brought me into the world of Gotham City. The mere first few notes to its opening theme song was all it took to make me drop anything I was doing and come running to the TV, where I stayed glued until the final credits rolled. That opening stays imbedded in my mind today.

The city, the villains, the action…the Batman…it all appealed to me so much as a kid. I watched every episode that came on even if I had seen it before. I loved this world. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to be like Batman, the only hope for a city that no longer had any hope left.

This fascination for Batman stayed with me throughout the years. I remember going to see Batman Forever in theaters. I was so excited to finally see a Batman movie in a theater. I saw it and I was happy. I was so very happy that it was a Batman movie; I was young and didn’t really care about anything else…yet…something seemed wrong. It seemed odd: Robin made no sense to me, the villains made no sense either, it was overall very cartoony, but not in like the animated series kind of way, and Batman…well…he just didn’t seem like Batman. It didn’t make any sense to me at the time. I mean, it was Batman, or at least I thought it was… yet it seemed more like a guy dressed up like Batman than it was actually Batman. Yet, nonetheless, I was still happy; it was a Batman movie after all.

A bit later, Batman and Robin came out. I was happy yet again to see another Batman movie in theatres. Yet, I got that odd feeling yet again. Something just didn’t seem right, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. I was happy it was a Batman movie, but not completely happy, I didn’t know why…or at least not until a few years later…

It wasn’t until a bit into my high school years that I truly discovered comics. I had read a few comics here and there, usually individual random ones from series. But then I got into reading a collection for a newer Spider-Man series. At this point, I learned the appeal of comics as I got a few more short collections for this series and branched out into some other things.

But then as I was looking into the greatness of comics I came back across an old favorite…the Bat… I had just about forgotten the fact he came from comics, since I was so used to the movies and cartoons. So, I thought I might as well try a comic of his since he was my favorite hero. I started with a collection called Batman Knightfall: Broken Bat; from this I started to see a truer form of Batman, one the cartoon series wasn’t able to show due to the dark nature of him. After reading it, I needed more to truly unlock Batman’s secrets.

The Dark Knight Returns. My first true graphic novel of the Batman series. This was what truly caught me. I saw a new side of Batman never before shown in the cartoons: a darker and deeper side. I finally saw what was missing all this time, a true Batman who has come to terms with the world he lived in. A truly dark Batman, a true detective of the night, a man who knows what he has to do to get the job done.

From this graphic novel, I over time read more and more of them. I’ve slowly seen more and more of Batman, depicted from many different authors and artists’ views. Despite slight differences, one thing remained: a sense of good that rules over all else. Batman did what needed to be done to ensure the best outcomes for the citizens of Gotham City.

Despite him turning to the darker side of Gotham to do good, he never once resorted to killing people to ensure the results he needed. This was the line he never crossed, for if he did, he would be the same as the ones he was trying to stop.

Not only that but he is a pure human. He has no powers. He is just an everyday person on the physical aspects. While superheroes may risk their lives once every so often, Batman risks his life every moment he is on the street and a single well-aimed bullet is all it would take to stop him. Despite this evident mortality, he keeps doing what he is doing. He has true willpower and fears nothing. He used his god-given intelligent to overcome those stronger than him. He alone can solve the biggest and most dangerous of problems just by thinking it out, instead of flying in with punches like a certain man of steel.

What really gets me about Batman though…is what he is…he is Batman. Bruce Wayne died in the alley with his parents that night and Batman was what was born that night and emerged from the alley. Bruce remains nearly a mask to him allowing him the access he needs to equipment and the cover he needs to get around. His true dedication to the cause has taken over his life and he will never give up, even if it’s a cause that will never be completed.

Though all these years and all these aspects I’ve seen of Batman, he has become the true hero over all others and my idol.