(Not So) Friendly Neighborhood Batman
This weekend I’ve been at the American Studies Association meeting in New Orleans. Great conference! It’s my first time attending. I was here on a panel discussing race, class, and gender in the Spider-Man franchise. It was a really fun and enlightening conversation. I can’t believe I get to do stuff like this for my living.
Afterward, I went to dinner with the panel and one of the attendees. In our conversations, we discussed Charlie Brown and Charles Schulz, of course. And we talked about Batman.
I brought up just how singular Batman’s concern is for Gotham City. Scott Snyder was right! The city is an essential part of his character. Frank Miller highlighted the fact that the United States was sliding into a World War III and here comes Batman on horseback still trying to save that city from itself. (Then there’s Sean Murphy’s White Knight story about saving Gotham from Batman!)
One of the panelists, Dr. Denise Landrum Geyer from Southwestern Oklahoma State, suggested that in many ways Batman is more Spider-Man than Spider-Man.
HUH??!!, we all replied.
You know, she astutely navigated, he’s your “friendly neighborhood Batman.”
The more I think about, there’s something to it. I don’t know about the “friendly” part so much, but he is wed to his town. We often talk about how traumatized Bruce Wayne is by his parents’ murder (and that’s essential for the character too, no doubt). He is endlessly hopeful for the possibly that his city can be redeem, too, though. And he’s committed to paying any price to make that hope come true.
And, you know, when you look at it, Spider-Man does have an under-appreciated connection to Batman, doesn’t he? Our two most popular superheroes come from two creepy creatures?
Intriguing stuff. I’m going to keep thinking on it. What do you make of it?
