Mostly, this website has been about writing reviews and other articles surrounding the comic book world, in all its variations. But today I want to focus on something a little more personal: how not just comics but Batman in particular has shaped how I approach everyday life.
I wrote about Jeph Loeb a while back, and shared something personal about my life. I'm repeating myself here, but it's ok. About ten years ago, I was visiting my sister in New York when 'Batman Begins' came out on DVD. I'd seen it in the theaters that summer, and while I'd enjoyed it the first time around, I wasn't particularly thrilled with it. It was so very different from any other superhero movie I'd ever seen, and it took me a while to process how amazing it is. (Now, I count it among my favorite movies of all time)
Though I'd always known about the murder of the Waynes and the resulting trauma driving Bruce Wayne to become Batman, watching 'Begins' in that Brooklyn apartment was the first time it really hit me "jesus...that kid just watched his parents murdered right in front of him. His whole life was turned over in an instant and can never be returned." A cruel irony was that within a couple of days, my own father would die of a heart attack. So by the time I'd finally developed real sympathy for Bruce, my own time with my dad was at its end.
I bring this up because I've noticed of late how important comic books are to my life. It's not just a hobby, or a passion, it's the filter by which I can process much of what happens in not just my life, but all life.
So that being said, here are a few things I've learned from Batman.
LIFE - is hard, sometimes cruel, and definitely unfair. But you can take that shit and use it to make yourself stronger, shape it into something to help yourself, your loved ones, or just someone who needs help. Batman lost his parents and fights with every second of his life to save people, strangers, from ever having to know that pain. Sometimes he succeeds, sometimes he fails, but he never stops fighting. Sometimes no matter what you do, how much you prepare, or how hard you fight, things just aren't going to break your way. But, you get back up and try again.
LOVE - Who is Batman's OTP? Selina Kyle, of course. And what I've learned of love is that it's based on not just attraction and affection, but honesty, trust, compatibility, and communication. Which is why their relationship frequently never gets off the ground. Bruce may trust Selina with his identity, but not with his heart. He may love her, and she him, but can a thief date a hero? Can a hero date a thief? Yes, they're both costumed characters, but Selina is often playing her own angles, whereas Bruce is always angling for the good of the people. We can have eternal hope for them to finally figure their love out, but the comic has always been honest about the fact that love isn't enough - you have to fully love and accept all parts of your partner and trust that they love and fully accept all parts of you for it to work. And even then, it takes a lot of work.
COURAGE - is not never being afraid. Batman isn't afraid of Joker, or Scarecrow or Croc. But he is afraid of failing. And that drives every single thing he does. And while that doesn't mean he never fails - he does, it's not uncommon - he doesn't let it keep him down. He keeps on going despite the fear, despite the past. Courage is being afraid and fighting anyway. It's standing up for someone who can't, stepping in when you see something wrong, and sometimes putting others before yourself.
FAMILY - Everyone has family, be it your nuclear family, or your friends. Batman often feels like he's all alone, and can only truly rely on himself. But he's got a large cadre of people fighting alongside him and helping him out, with or without his asking. Alfred, Robin, Nightwing, Red Robin, Red Hood, Batgirl, Batwoman, Jim Gordon, Lucius Fox and even Catwoman. Not to mention the Justice League. "For a loner" Selina once says, "you certainly have a lot of strings." We can be alone, we can feel desperately lonely, we can feel like there's no one in the world we can turn to...but more often than not, we've got a bunch of people who will be there for us in a second when we need them.
ADVERSITY - look it right in the eye as you punch it in the teeth and do your best to never let it beat you down. You won't win every battle, but you put yourself in the best position to win the war.
WORK - Sure, it doesn't hurt to be the CEO and a multi-billionaire, but Wayne Enterprises isn't Batman's real job - it's his public face. And while the money pays for the gadgets and cars, he became Batman because he worked his ass off to do so. He built his body and his mind through sheer force of will, proving that just being good isn't good enough. If you want to be great, if you want to be the best, you have to dedicate your life to working for it. And Batman is the best. Even Superman, with all his strength, bows down and accepts lessons from Batman's fighting skills and tactical mind.
ACCEPTANCE - Most of these are about emulating Batman, but this one isn't. Bruce has never really accepted the death of his parents. He let the trauma shape and mold him for the rest of his life. Some of his friends have died and returned - Barry, Hal, Clark. Jason Todd and Damien Wayne have died and returned. But his parents will always remain dead. Bruce can never change that. And while it's driven him to be the best man he can be, he's always been, and will always remain unhappy. It's a cruel thing that happened to him, and I can't imagine the anguish that a child feels when the two pillars of his earth come crashing down. But in many ways, he's never left that alley, never left his position standing over their dead bodies, and as long as he remains there, he's never going to move past it. He keeps his family at a distance, terrified of losing them, never wanting to put them at risk, even at the expense of their own relationships with him. But... they are his family, and they accept him anyway.
The past is prologue. It illuminates the present, but does not have to define it. And in this final respect, Batman can take a lesson from the rest of us.
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