*Does his best Stephen Colbert imitation, which is pretty darn good*
Interested to hear it, am I.
(That was my Yoda, because I'm about to school you!!!!)
Bass, normally I like you... you gave a great Captain America dreamcast (though it was not voted as the top pick, sadly... aside from your Sharon Carter it was, indeed, the best) and many of your posts are insightful and educational even to a curmudgeon like myself...
Aw, shucks. ^____^
How Robin ends up being called "Robin" is pretty cool, but even cooler was Mr. Wayne (you may also know him as Batman) calling Hal Jordan a retard and a moron. That's what I really enjoy about this particular version of Bats is his total disrespect for other "heroes".
Except... two things: first of all, it's not original. John Byrne, the man who makes laws against free speech desirable, originally put it into his "ultimate" Superman MAN OF STEEL (he basically, in the 80s revamped Superman in much the same way the Ultimate comics did). In this run, for the first time, he had Batman and Superman have a kind of... professional rivalry. They didn't really get on.
Before that - woo! They loved each other. Best of friends!
But since that run, people like the idea of Batman and Superman not getting on that well. The best example of this however, is the Timmverse's JUSTICE LEAGUE cartoon - in which while there's some tension between them, there's a huge respect and friendship at the core.
The problem is that - Miller's Batman is an ***. Going up to people and calling them a retard and moron isn't cool. Or likeable. I just look at it and go, "I hope Hal kicks his ***." Having a character go around hating everything doesn't make him particularly likable - especially when he's got a kid trapped in a cave eating rats.
If it wasn't for the past 7 decades of Batman, no one would read this ****ing thing. Imagine if there was no Batman - that this was the first Batman ever, or just a new character - you'd think he's a dick.
Because he is. He goes around insulting people, telling them how he should have their powers, and enslaves children into a war against the police.
He's the goddam ***in. He's the villain.
Because remember, Batman is all about the HUMAN struggle, not the SUPERHUMAN struggle. He has no powers, he just has cool gadgets and the ability to kick everyone's *** regardless of power class. He's BETTER than all of the other superheroes in the proverbial mix, but none of them give him his props because he is just a well-trained regular-*** human being and so, yeah, he's a little bitter.
He's a LOT bitter in this version. In all other versions, virtually every single hero defers more respect to Batman than anyone else.
And Batman isn't about the HUMAN struggle. Batman is a beautiful children's character who fights bizarrely themed super criminals in a pulp setting, foiling their schemes with brains and brawns.
He's not an angst-ridden sociopath.
And he's nuts. But you'd have to be nuts to tangle with guys like The Joker. I mean, how would you react if you had to face an inevitable confrontation with a serial killer who wears grease paint and has a flair for theatrics, and a sidekick with swastikas painted across her nipply parts? That's not just like pushing another button or filling another glass. What do you do for a living, Bass? Unless you're the World's Greatest Detective, I don't want to hear about it!
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Batman is an anti-hero. Miller knows how to write that, and he has succeeded! FRANK MILLER WINS AGAIN.
But Batman isn't an anti-hero. He never has been. He's a hero.
People always use the term "anti-hero" without thinking what it means. To most people, "anti-hero", means a hero who isn't smiling all the time. He's not always perfect.
Flawed heroes aren't "anti-heroes".
An anti-hero is a protagonist who possesses every ******* villainous trait - he lies, cheats, steals, murders, manipulates, and most importantly, doesn't sacrifice himself for others.
However, he has a code of honour that he
never breaks. That's an anti-hero.
Batman routinely puts himself at risk for others. He doesn't murder. He doesn't steal. He's a goody two-shoes in a cool-looking costume.
He's a ******* boy scout.
I write this in honor of Mr. Miller:
The Dark Knight Returns!
The ******* Batman, retard,
In Gotham City.
Enjoy the haiku. You're on notice, Bass.
Yessir!
(But hey, if you like AS Batman, good for you.
)
