From what I’ve seen, I understood Batman to be intelligent, wealthy playboy. From reading the Batman Chronicles, however, I’ve come to realize that’s a modern adaptation of Batman. He wasn’t seen as a playboy instead as we say in his first appearance in the May 1939 issue of Detective Comics, issue #27, Batman is described as a socialite. By being the first superhero we have seen without superpowers, Batman is seen as the most relatable superhero to children. Through his extraordinary combat skills, Batman fights crime with ease which provides the image that anyone can do what Batman does if they are dedicated and train hard enough. In class, we also discussed writers using New York as the setting in their comics but creating different names for it such as Gotham City and Metropolis. Gotham City was not known until Detective Comics #48 in February 1941. Brooker also touches on the subject of Batman comics becoming widely popular during the wartime probably because they didn’t revolve around the war which provided people with a difference in superheroes. People probably were tired of reading comics about the war and Batman comics provided them with stories that got their mind off of the war. Another interesting fact I found reading this article was the editorial policy established in 1940 changing Batman to be viewed as being outside the law but helping the Police force and also changing his behavior to being less violent.
I found “The Joker’s Five Way Revenge,” to be one of my favorite comics we’ve read so far. As I reflected to Christian in a reply to his post on my blog Monday, I find the Joker to be one of the best villains we’ve encountered and this comic illustrates it best. When given the opportunity to destroy Batman, the Joker refrains from doing so because he wants to win in a more cunning and long battle. The game that the Joker has with Batman is more important to him than simply killing Batman. He wants to beat Batman but doesn’t want it to be easy. This comic was very intriguing because it really illustrated Batman’s detective skills. It showed how Batman’s mind works and how he figures out the Joker’s next move. Joker is probably the funniest villain we’ve encountered as well especially when he tells Batman he chose death by a shark because the shark and the Joker resemble each other. Another observation I made was the Joker’s toxin changing from just a poison that resulted in his victims dying with a permanent grin to a toxin that causes someone to laugh to death. Joker’s trademark really makes him stand out as a villain which is why I find his character to be so fascinating.
In “Robin Dies at Dawn,” Batman is illustrated as a normal human being. The tests being run on Batman were to determine his reaction to being isolated and how regular human beings would react as well. From Batman’s reaction, it’s clear he’s just like anyone when he experiences the fear of ending up alone just like many people fear. As Batman hallucinates about Robin dying, he’s overcome with emotion which expresses how anyone would react to losing a loved one. Even though Robin’s death was not real, Batman continues to hallucinate Robin dying in the real world leading him to put both their lives in danger. In this comic, Batman can be seen as the most relatable superhero we’ve seen because his emotions and thoughts are similar to the ones we express in times of loss.
In “There’s No Hope in Crime Alley,” we see the first instance where Alfred, Batman’s butler, is illustrated. From modern adaptations of Batman, I feel that Alfred plays a prominent role in Batman’s life yet this comic wasn’t written until 1976 which is 37 years after Batman was first introduced meaning Alfred wasn’t created in the beginning of the Batman comics. Batman says, “Your choice, punk! Drop the knife…or have it crammed down your throat—sideways” providing a violent image for children to be reading. My question is since the editorial policy in 1940 slightly changed Batman’s character and behavior to be viewed as less violent, how was this line not seen as violent? The panels in this comic almost give the comic a 3d effect with the arms of the characters reaching out into other panels. It’s revealed that Mrs. Thompkins was there the night Bruce’s parents were killed and she comforted him. Every year he goes to visit her in Crime Alley to eliminate the bad in Crime Alley in memory of his parents. In Brooker’s “1939-1945: Origins and Wartime,” Brooker mentions how many comic revisited Bruce Wayne’s origin story and changing it which is what we see in this comic. Mrs. Thompkins wasn’t mentioned in the original story but in 1976, she is. This comic also illustrates Batman not caring if the crime is a simple mugging or not, he still views each crime, no matter how small, to be important.