Sooo, Batman and his 'one rule'...

[Anwar]

It's kind of strange how Batman is portrayed as being so close to madness from his life when you compare him to other characters in similar situations.

Look at Spider-Man, his situation is very similar to Bruce's (worse actually, because he was actually responsible for Ben Parker's death and he doesn't have the unlimited resources Bruce did) yet you don't see him on the razor's edge. In fact, he tried to maintain as much sanity and love as he can in his life.

So why is Bruce so much worse off in comparison?

 

[Nerys Myk]

It's kind of strange how Batman is portrayed as being so close to madness from his life when you compare him to other characters in similar situations.

Look at Spider-Man, his situation is very similar to Bruce's (worse actually, because he was actually responsible for Ben Parker's death and he doesn't have the unlimited resources Bruce did) yet you don't see him on the razor's edge. In fact, he tried to maintain as much sanity and love as he can in his life.

So why is Bruce so much worse off in comparison?

The close to madness thing is a recent development. Mostly from a misunderstanding of the character.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Here's Batman talking about his one rule.
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kscfb9XzPs[/yt]
In this version, he thinks if he breaks his rule, he'll be no better than the scum he put away.

What happens???!!!!!!!

 

[Hound of UIster]

The close to madness thing is a recent development. Mostly from a misunderstanding of the character.

Not really. For example Morrison treated the madness as a result of just 70 years of Batman continuity being compressed into less than 20 years of his life with landmark events such as Death in the Family, Knightfall,, No Man's Land, Hush, Identity Crisis/OMAC Project and Under the Hood happening in quick succession.

It's kind of strange how Batman is portrayed as being so close to madness from his life when you compare him to other characters in similar situations.

Look at Spider-Man, his situation is very similar to Bruce's (worse actually, because he was actually responsible for Ben Parker's death and he doesn't have the unlimited resources Bruce did) yet you don't see him on the razor's edge. In fact, he tried to maintain as much sanity and love as he can in his life.

Spider-Man tried to sell his marriage to the Devil. Batman compromised his sanity by not compromising his ideals and stood down the ultimate incarnation of evil. Peter Parker took the opposite route. He is all about compromising himself and selling out.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The close to madness thing is a recent development. Mostly from a misunderstanding of the character.

Not really. For example Morrison treated the madness as a result of just 70 years of Batman continuity being compressed into less than 20 years of his life with landmark events such as Death in the Family, Knightfall,, No Man's Land, Hush, Identity Crisis/OMAC Project and Under the Hood happening in quick succession.

That's just a hand wave. Most superhero Comics books are a rapid succession of incredible/horrific events. Why is Batman affected and not the others? Batman as a tormented psycho/ninja with an aversion to shaving is the result of pop psychology meets "realism" on the part of writers and editors who can't imagine a sane Batman.

 

[sidious618]

Or, instead of blaming it on pop realism, it's just a different take on the character that most fans seem to like.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Or, instead of blaming it on pop realism, it's just a different take on the character that most fans seem to like.

Pop realism sucks. Yeah fans like psycho/ninja Batman, doesn't mean its the best version of Batman. I'd like to see more the calm cool detective Batman who has an air of mystery about him.

 

[the G-man]

It's kind of strange how Batman is portrayed as being so close to madness from his life when you compare him to other characters in similar situations.

Look at Spider-Man, his situation is very similar to Bruce's (worse actually, because he was actually responsible for Ben Parker's death and he doesn't have the unlimited resources Bruce did) yet you don't see him on the razor's edge. In fact, he tried to maintain as much sanity and love as he can in his life.

So why is Bruce so much worse off in comparison?

The close to madness thing is a recent development. Mostly from a misunderstanding of the character.

While I will concede that Marv Wolfman as far back as the early 80s was referring to Batman is a psychopath, I much prefer the Steve Englehart characterization where he described Batman as the only sane man in an insane world. I think the latter is much more on the money.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I prefer Steve Englehart's work to Marv Wolfman's in most instances.

 

[the G-man]

On another note, I think Grant Morrison was one of the worst things to ever happen to Batman. Yeah Arkham Asylum was kind of interesting, but the whole uber-bat prep time crap then the silver age fan wank theorizing, culminating in Batman Incorporated (Bruce Wayne as Tony Stark) did some real long-term damage to the character in my opinion

 

[Hound of UIster]

Why is Batman affected and not the others?

Because Batman has most of his continuity intact post-crisis. The progression of WW and Superman's characters starts from their reboots after CoiE. The only other major character that has retained so much of his continuity was probably GL and even then he became Parallax.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Why is Batman affected and not the others?

Because Batman had all of his continuity intact in every reboot. The progression of WW and Superman's characters start from their reboots. The only major character that has retained so much of his continuity is probably Hal Jordan and even he doesn't have his share of everyday tragedies that Batman.

So it's the fault of continuity??? Sorry that just doesn't play.

 

[Showdown]

It's kind of strange how Batman is portrayed as being so close to madness from his life when you compare him to other characters in similar situations.

Look at Spider-Man, his situation is very similar to Bruce's (worse actually, because he was actually responsible for Ben Parker's death and he doesn't have the unlimited resources Bruce did) yet you don't see him on the razor's edge. In fact, he tried to maintain as much sanity and love as he can in his life.

So why is Bruce so much worse off in comparison?

In real life, different people handle situations differently. During a tragedy, some people get really sad, some get really mad, many a bit of both. Also, various versions of a character handle the same tragedy differently. Adam West's Batman is definitely not the same as Frank Miller's Batman. It really depends on the writer or director.

But let's take a look at Batman's and Spiderman's similar, but different circumstances.

For young Bruce, he had a loving parents that were taken from him at an early age. Add that to the fact he saw it happened right in front of him. From greatest happiness, without much care in the world, in a blink, turns to horrible sadness. No amount of time or money can fill that void. In some incarnations, they never found his parents' murderer. No closure.

For Peter, his life was not so grand, very ordinary. He was a teenager when Uncle Ben was killed. While death in the family is extremely painful whether as a child, teen, or adult, I think Peter was more mature than 10yr old Bruce. Plus, Aunt May is still alive and, in most incarnations, he caught Uncle Ben's murderer right away.

Different characters, different variations of the same character, different writers, different ways of handling tragedy.

 

[sidious618]

Or, instead of blaming it on pop realism, it's just a different take on the character that most fans seem to like.

Pop realism sucks. Yeah fans like psycho/ninja Batman, doesn't mean its the best version of Batman. I'd like to see more the calm cool detective Batman who has an air of mystery about him.

I find that most complaints of pop realism tend to be vague, I'm not even sure what the term actually means, and boil down to "I don't like this." See most complaints about nuBSG. And it's fine not to like something but blaming it on pop realism or being too "dark and gritty" is meaningless in most cases. As far as the comics go, I don't see Scott Snyder's current Batman being much different from how you describe the Batman you want. The gritty realism Batman tends to exist only in Frank Miller's work. I mean, current comics Batman works with like ten other people so he's hardly an anti-social monster.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

On another note, I think Grant Morrison was one of the worst things to ever happen to Batman. Yeah Arkham Asylum was kind of interesting, but the whole uber-bat prep time crap then the silver age fan wank theorizing, culminating in Batman Incorporated (Bruce Wayne as Tony Stark) did some real long-term damage to the character in my opinion

Yeah, I think we can attribute Morrison as the true creator of "Bat-God". Reading Morrison's JLA run makes that apparent. Morrison's JLA stories were then adapted in to the JL + JLU cartoon series by Bruce Timm. This all feeds in to the inner fanboy of the writers of the comics. The lead ups to Infinite Crisis being the most egregious cases in recent memory. Where the writers and editors involved let their nostalgia for the Silver Age/Bronze Age get cloud their better judgment This led to retcons + reversals the character changes set forth after the COIE reboot of 1985.

It turned Batman in to a paranoid genius, capable of taking down any threat with prep time.

It gave WW an identity crisis, where she didn't know who she was inside.

Lastly, it turned Superman in to a puss. Instead of being a confident leader/role model. Supes became a waif who shied away from the morally questionable deeds the league was doing under his nose.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Or, instead of blaming it on pop realism, it's just a different take on the character that most fans seem to like.

Pop realism sucks. Yeah fans like psycho/ninja Batman, doesn't mean its the best version of Batman. I'd like to see more the calm cool detective Batman who has an air of mystery about him.

I find that most complaints of pop realism tend to be vague, I'm not even sure what the term actually means, and boil down to "I don't like this." See most complaints about nuBSG. And it's fine not to like something but blaming it on pop realism or being too "dark and gritty" is meaningless in most cases. As far as the comics go, I don't see Scott Snyder's current Batman being much different from how you describe the Batman you want. The gritty realism Batman tends to exist only in Frank Miller's work. I mean, current comics Batman works with like ten other people so he's hardly an anti-social monster.

I had never heard the term "pop realism" until you used it. I thought it was a shortened version of my term "pop psychology meets 'realism'", but I guess its a real thing. I've no problem with grim and gritty. It works for some characters, but I'm not sure Batman is one. My problem is trying to "psychoanalysis" Batman and graft all sorts of mental problems on him in the name of realism. Yeah, Snyder's been doing decent job.

 

[sidious618]

I loved Morrison's take on Batman. Loved it. But I find it works only in his hands and in the hands of a few others.

Edit: Me saying pop realism was shortening the pop psychology meets realism, yes. Glad you like Snyder's work, though. Hoping he sticks around. I do like the more depressive take on Batman, though, because it allows for a distinct difference from other superheroes and I think it's nice to see a depressive person in mainstream work who is still a hero.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I have to admit I get a kick out of Morrison's Silver Age on acid take on Batman. But I was a child of the Silver Age.

 

[the G-man]

I'm somewhat a child of the silver age. Probably more a child of the Bronze Age. I love the Adam west and Danny O'Neil versions of Batman more or less equally. I wouldn't have that much of a problem with Morrison's version of Batman if it had been a Noble experiment that came and went. Unfortunately however it's become the standard

 

[AgentCoop]

For me there's a "sweet spot" of perfect Batman characterization, and it's roughly equal parts Grant Morrison and Batman: The Animated Series.