Tragedy of Batman
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Batman 49 came out this week, setting up Bruce Wayne's return as Batman for the big next issue. And what a path it was to that point in this issue, so much that I kind of felt the need to post that return in the last three-ish pages because it was a thing of art.
Couple of things before the scene itself. The issue is extremely dense and there are no side plots going on, it is healthy Bruce Wayne and Alfred debating about the return of Batman with Alfred being vehementely against it. He has finally seen his greatest dream come true, after all, the Bruce Wayne who grew to be a man not haunted by past traumas and who become a truly great man, compassionate and helpful to those in need while being able to enjoy his own happiness. Yet the nobility of that same man will not allow him to just stand around watching the city burn under Bloom's attack while knowing that he could do something to help. I cannot do justice to their scenes with that explanation
So they make their way to Bruce's backup machine where he had stored his memories and skills to be implemented on clones of himself so that there would be a Batman. It is messed up and it is totally Batman once you understand that Snyder's Batman is a thing of tragedy and hence would never want his children to have bear that legacy. Anyway, the project never worked as a human mind could never handle being Batman, projections showing that the brain would simply die unable to handle the amount of mental trauma required. In addition, Alfred trashed the machine to prevent Batman's return, but of course Bruce figures out that there was a backup program.
At this point Bruce enters the machine to have Batman's program imprinted on his mind, convinced that he can be the better Batman, the one without all the trauma weighing on him, the one who is capable of being happy. Yet as they start the simulation, the imprint continuously fails as Bruce's mind cannot handle it, constantly nearing brain death only to be pulled back. Finally Bruce understands that tragic truth: For there to be a Batman there cannot be a Bruce Wayne. The same mind cannot hold both of them and begs Alfred to have the program to go through and wipe out his mind. Alfred of course refuses, but then they are joined by a third party.



I have to praise Paquette's art in that last panel as you can just feel the difference to Bruce Wayne we saw before, see the the darkness in him again. And while it was clear from the beginning that Bruce Wayne would be Batman again, I never saw it coming like this which makes it so great. Notice that last page. That is not a scene of triumph, that is not a hell yes moment. That is sadness, as for Batman is a story of tragedy. A great child of Gotham had to be sacrificed for it to have its greatest protector.
As a last word, I've seen a lot of grousing online as we got Bat!Bruce back all dark instead of having a bright Batman and I feel there are two important points to be made of that. First, Snyder's Batman has always been a tragic character, actually the most popular version of the character has always been a tragic character. Yet here, Snyder is direct about it, he makes it clear to the reader that nobody in their right mind would want to be Batman in a way that hasn't really been been done before. This isn't us knowing the kid Bruce dying, this is us seeing the awesome human being Bruce Wayne would have been without Batman. Second, there is always an important distinction on the story being bad and the story not being what one wanted it to be. And I don't think this story can be argued to be bad.
Couple of things before the scene itself. The issue is extremely dense and there are no side plots going on, it is healthy Bruce Wayne and Alfred debating about the return of Batman with Alfred being vehementely against it. He has finally seen his greatest dream come true, after all, the Bruce Wayne who grew to be a man not haunted by past traumas and who become a truly great man, compassionate and helpful to those in need while being able to enjoy his own happiness. Yet the nobility of that same man will not allow him to just stand around watching the city burn under Bloom's attack while knowing that he could do something to help. I cannot do justice to their scenes with that explanation
So they make their way to Bruce's backup machine where he had stored his memories and skills to be implemented on clones of himself so that there would be a Batman. It is messed up and it is totally Batman once you understand that Snyder's Batman is a thing of tragedy and hence would never want his children to have bear that legacy. Anyway, the project never worked as a human mind could never handle being Batman, projections showing that the brain would simply die unable to handle the amount of mental trauma required. In addition, Alfred trashed the machine to prevent Batman's return, but of course Bruce figures out that there was a backup program.
At this point Bruce enters the machine to have Batman's program imprinted on his mind, convinced that he can be the better Batman, the one without all the trauma weighing on him, the one who is capable of being happy. Yet as they start the simulation, the imprint continuously fails as Bruce's mind cannot handle it, constantly nearing brain death only to be pulled back. Finally Bruce understands that tragic truth: For there to be a Batman there cannot be a Bruce Wayne. The same mind cannot hold both of them and begs Alfred to have the program to go through and wipe out his mind. Alfred of course refuses, but then they are joined by a third party.



I have to praise Paquette's art in that last panel as you can just feel the difference to Bruce Wayne we saw before, see the the darkness in him again. And while it was clear from the beginning that Bruce Wayne would be Batman again, I never saw it coming like this which makes it so great. Notice that last page. That is not a scene of triumph, that is not a hell yes moment. That is sadness, as for Batman is a story of tragedy. A great child of Gotham had to be sacrificed for it to have its greatest protector.
As a last word, I've seen a lot of grousing online as we got Bat!Bruce back all dark instead of having a bright Batman and I feel there are two important points to be made of that. First, Snyder's Batman has always been a tragic character, actually the most popular version of the character has always been a tragic character. Yet here, Snyder is direct about it, he makes it clear to the reader that nobody in their right mind would want to be Batman in a way that hasn't really been been done before. This isn't us knowing the kid Bruce dying, this is us seeing the awesome human being Bruce Wayne would have been without Batman. Second, there is always an important distinction on the story being bad and the story not being what one wanted it to be. And I don't think this story can be argued to be bad.
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Date: 2016-02-13 04:14 am (UTC)I'm not sure if that's just me, but I've heard Stephen King describe the shower as somewhat of a "womb" situation, so maybe that's what it is for me.
So I'm there, reflecting on what I've just read. Really trying to process the emotional weight behind what I had just read, when it hit me:
The fuck happened to Bruce's beard in that last panel?
Re-read it. Yup. That shit just spontaneously exploded off of his face halfway through the book. Hilarious.
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Date: 2016-02-13 04:30 am (UTC)Although to be fair, bearded is a happy Bruce, so it makes it blew away. Probably just withered from the emotional strain. I'm surprised the man's hair didn't turn white while at it.
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Date: 2016-02-13 05:54 am (UTC)But in an issue filled with personality imprinting, mind wiping, and wildly different interpretations of how Batman might exist in different environments, "beard exploding off of Bruce's face in a moment of heavy handed symbolism" is the most comic book-y of all.
And I didn't even notice it the first time. That's how well it was done.
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Date: 2016-02-13 06:00 am (UTC)That brings to mind the Comicosity review of this issue. The reviewer points out the big differences between Grant Morrison's "The Return Of Bruce Wayne" and Superheavy. One being that while Morrison made Bruce's inevitable return to the cowl a triumphant moment, Snyder paints it as a the worst thing that can happen to Bruce.
It really is an amazing review, and I can't do it justice. I wholeheartedly recommend giving it a read.
http://www.comicosity.com/review-batman-49/
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Date: 2016-02-13 06:25 am (UTC)I was actually thinking a lot about Morrison after reading this issue, but didn't want go in to it when doing the post as there was already a lot of text for a few scans. I think with Morrison's run, the core issue, which has become even more evident looking back due to Snyder's run, was that for Morrison Batman wasn't a tragic figure, instead he represented ultimate fantasy fulfillment. Batman's an awesome dude overcoming crazy obstacles by being awesome. Even his darker scenes, like Batman digging himself out of the grave or turning his memories in to weapons, felt triumphant because it was him again overcoming.
However, while doing that story, Morrison almost went out of his way to not address, which let to a really lackluster Dick Grayson as Batman due Morrison again just writing as wish fulfillment instead of trying to address what being Batman might require from Dick. As mentioned in the review, a lot of the emotional moments in his Batman run ended up feeling hollow because he didn't want to address that Batman might actually tragic figure. Which was problematic as one of the great things about Batman is that he is a tragic figure. He is the man among the gods, but he also had to a pay a huge price to be that person.
I think it's fair to say at the moment that Snyder's run is currently one of the defining runs of the character due criticial, fan and sales reception. What I am really curious, though, is that five years from now, if Snyder's run and time will perhaps alter how we view Morrison's run on the character.
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Date: 2016-02-13 07:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2016-02-13 07:59 am (UTC)I haven't read the issue, but...
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Date: 2016-02-13 06:53 am (UTC)It's plot device summations like that which bring my attention to a screeching halt. Great setup, very invested in a Bruce Wayne healed and brought whole, now struggling with temptation to be Batman again (for legitimate reasons). And then this hokey thing.
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Date: 2016-02-13 07:44 am (UTC)Yes, he's a billionaire martial artist detective crimefighter who battles mentally ill costumed freaks in a noir city of the damned while wearing a bat costume. Yes he has a car and a boat and a plane and a secret cave and a series of sidekicks. Yes there's an element of science fiction to him... but the classic Batman is still grounded in a sense of comic book realism. Sure, sometimes he has a satellite and a teleporter and a closet full of alien toys, but -still-, he's grounded. He fights crime with boomerangs and fists and gimmicks. He's not a super-scientist capable of cloning himself, he's not a computer genius capable of storing brains on disk--that's what you have other, more specialized scientist characters for.
Tell me that SOMEONE ELSE did this, that they brought him back because he was needed, that his brain was stored by Will Magnus or Niles Caulder, and then I can believe you. But saying this was all Batman's doing just feels like a reach too far in the "Batman can do anything" trope that has both defined and hurt him in recent years.
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Date: 2016-02-13 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-13 10:26 am (UTC)This is the thing that Makkari and Simyan did in the Morrison run, they tried to create Batclones by downloading the recorded memories of Bruce Wayne into cloned bodies, and they all ended up dying from the traumatic shock.
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