Originally Posted by
bat39
Agreed. Though I don't think this 'back and forth' happens all the time though. Rather, its a more gradual, cyclical process.
Even Frank Miller envisioned his Batman as being the guy from the 60's TV show who, 20-odd years later, was older and wearier and a bit psychologically damaged from the long years of the crusade.
Grant Morrison took a similar view of Batman's history. He starts out as fairly well-balanced, despite the persona of the grim ruthless vigilante he adopts to terrorize criminals. When Robin joins him, he actually finds his work fun and revels in all the superhero craziness. But after Dick leaves, his world steadily starts to become darker, culminating in a series of tragedies that almost break him emotionally - Jason Todd's death, Barbara's crippling, and later, Knightfall and No Man's Land. But eventually, he picks himself up again and regains the optimism of his early years.