I didn’t want to write about this. Saying Batman rocks is like saying umbrellas keep you dry. I know it, you know it, and even Marvel fans can admit it.
It’s not just the character. Not just his being the classic young person who devotes his life to avenging his parents, and who uses his every means to make the world a better place, and separate good from evil.
It’s also the stories that ask us what good and evil are, and how one person can define them in the real world. They ask what it means to be a hero, and often, what it means to stand up for what one believes in.
We, as students, are all Batmans, aren’t we? We all similarly struggle to find, define, and do “good.” (I like to think.)
But sometimes it’s more interesting to watch this expressed in its most physical form, one that fights, grows old, and faces death head-on, in its full force.
Boohoo: Gotham
No, I’m not talking about Batman’s city. I’m talking about a new Fox prequel Batman series titled Gotham. I’m also kind of talking about the suspected Batman vs. Superman movie.
Prequels are usually nothing but a means to mentally masturbate over a beat-down concept of a show, especially one as fetishizable as Batman. If companies are so hell-bent on making superhero franchises, where are the new ones? Does the comic book remain the only medium acceptable for superhero experimentation?
If you agree, you might be interested in the countless other Batman prequels that have already been published as comics, and that Fox was not involved in. Cough.
Frankly, I think we’ve had enough Batman in general. The Batman of today probably won’t differ much from the Batman of two years ago.
And damn it, if you agree with me, then don’t watch the movies or series. Don’t talk about them. Preserve the concept of Batman.
