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subject appears to be a white male, early 50's, pathologically tall/skinny. brain patterns show evidence of a life in alcohol - first swimming in it then running from it. fingers show wear from years of guitar playing. heart presents slow repair, through writing, from being broken by rock and roll.
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A Cowardly & Superstitious Lot: The Gospel According to Batman
Lately, w/the tragic death of Heath Legder, many local and cable channels have been showing every movie he's ever made except for 'Brokeback Mountain, of course, gay cowboys being verboten anywhere west of NY, east of LA or to the left of an enlightened mind. But that's not the issue, at least not right now, but seeing all the Ledger deathnews I found that he had completed the next Batman movie, 'The Dark Knight' playing, of all things, The Joker.
So, homicidal maniac, OK, but keep those gay cowboys to yrself. Again, that's not why I'm here. I wanna talk about Batman.
Before anyone gets crazy I realize that Batman is a fictional character who has gone thru many revisions in his 60 plus years in print. But it is the concept of the character, especially in his earliest appearances (say, up until Robin was introduced in 1940 and of course Frank Miller's groundbreaking 'Dark Knight Returns' in 1986) that I find so attractive.
Dig: the 11 yr old scion of a wealthy industrialist sees both his parents murdered in cold blood in a street robbery. Turning his grief and anger outward, for a change, the boy grows into an obsessed adult w/access to the money and technology to outfit himself w/all sorts of high tech gear and exotic martial arts training among other specialized training regimens. He discovers a natural cave under his stately manor to use as a headquarters and is, in the beginning, aided only by Alfred Pennyworth, who Miller classically described thusly: "... and blessed w/a butler trained in combat surgery." Yeah it's ridiculous. He's a hero ( NOT a superhero, there's a difference!) and all heroes are a little ridiculous. Feet of clay on pedestals, kill yr idols etc. But what gets me about Bruce is the darkness imbued in what's ordinarily (and often quite incorrectly) a 'children's character'. Take away the costume. utility belt, Batmobile/plane/cycle etc. and whattaya got? A psychotic obsessive stalking the streets, taking the law into his own hands, reclaiming his stretch of turf for those he declaims decent from those he declaims indecent. And, I guess if we take away the cars bikes and boats he'd be doing it on foot. So, what the hell, let a brother have his Batmobile.
What I love especially is the paradox: a defender of law who beaks the law. The vigilante mindset given free reign and unlimited financing all in the service of an impossible revenge. That this legend had been despoiled, 1st by the godawful '60s tv series and a string of failed movies dating back to 1989 (the closest thing I've seen to a Batman movie that captured the tone of the way I see the character was 'The Crow', the 1st one w/Brandon Lee) is a shame in that I think it trivializes, if not, the essence of humanity than certainly of America. Destroying the village to save it; the power of the will supersceding the rule of law and, my favorite: violence solving everything.
Before the Comics Code and 'Destruction of the Innocent' (look 'em up) saddled him w/a teenage sidekick and sucked all the character's blood in the name of 'decency' Batman was a motherfucker! I'm talking throwing crooks off of buildings, shooting up everything in sight and returning murder w/murder. While I firmly believe in 'thou shalt not kill' I have to admit it's a hell of a fantasy. Right making might dressed in black, kicking ass and taking names.
The violent antihero to my mind provides a wonderful service to mankind by allowing an avenue for the violent fantasies we all have. Whether it's Bruce Willis dying hard or, say, the wrestlers of the WWE or, as in my case, the Batman, the need for a vehicle for the collective revenge jones runs deep and to the ends of the earth.
About 18 or so years ago, a rehab group I was in went on a field trip to the Cartoon Museum in Rye, NY. You can't make this shit up, can you? Anyway, one of the exhibits was a costume worn by Michael Keaton in the 1989 movie. As Keaton is only something like 5'8", 5'9" the effect was less than terror striking in my heart. But the Batman is not a suit or even a cartoon. The Batman is a spirit, a yearning in the heart for something resembling fair play and, yes, a spirit willing to kill the right people if neccessary to achieve it's goals. Bigger than us all is this spirit, and right now it's ticking like a timebomb in schools, homes and offices (and convenience stores!) across this once great nation of ours.
Batman lives and no dead psychotic gay cowboy murderer of the mind can stop him.
tb
Posted by: timbyrnes at 01:12 |
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