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  1. #1
    Bite Your Head Off, Man Deathscythe's Avatar
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    Default I miss the "weird avenger of the dark, this avenger of evil, The Batman!"

    Everybody has their take on who Batman should be. I think the pinnacle of the character's evolution in comics started with the O'Neal/Adams run and ended when the "Year One" look returned to the comics, which was after No Man's Land, IIRC.

    Batman: The Animated Series captured the essence of this version: a driven and intense avenger of the night who wasn't a psychotic paramilitary *******, but instead, a man who could still smile and even laugh despite the circumstances of his life. I especially love the runs of Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle, which gives us that very human O'Neil/Englehart Batman but with the grit and darkness of the late 80s.

    We haven't seen this version in the comics since Paul Dini's excellent run on TEC, which I personally preferred to what Morrison did over in the Batman title. Morrison's "Batgod" overshadowed the excellent work Dini did there. Then came Batman, Inc, and we got a Batgod/James Bond take on the character, reliant on advanced tech and even ridiculous stuff like Bat-Mechs, armored suits, and the "Batmobile" of Dick and Damien's time as Batman and Robin.

    I know it's not going to happen, but I wish we'd get a return to The Batman, weird creature of the night whose very name is only uttered in hushed whispers, whose shadow strikes fear into the hearts of criminals. Yet the man casting that shadow is human, can be hurt and even make mistakes and not know every single thing and is a master of detection, disguise, and science.

  2. #2
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    Isn't that just the 1930's Batman?


  3. #3
    Bite Your Head Off, Man Deathscythe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Carabas View Post
    Isn't that just the 1930's Batman?

    No, 30s Batman was still a work in progress. The O'Neil/Adams Batman was a return to the core of the character after decades of being a pure adventurer and the subsequent years continued to focus on The Batman as more than just a guy with lots of money and gadgets.

  4. #4
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    I miss the Adam West Batman. We need less dark Batman.

  5. #5
    Extraordinary Member adrikito's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Carabas View Post
    Isn't that just the 1930's Batman?

    So, the first Batman inspired the AVENGERS of Marvel..

  6. #6
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    My Batman is mid 70s-early 80s Batman. None of the campy nonsense of the 50s and 60s (though I adore that stuff as well) but still very lighthearted, a brooding tough guy but never afraid to crack a smile here and there. The radical turn into a untrusting, depressive ******* never sat right with me. If he isn't surrounded by kids and smiling once in a damn while, he isn't my Batman, simple as that. I'll still read it though...

  7. #7
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deathscythe View Post
    No, 30s Batman was still a work in progress. The O'Neil/Adams Batman was a return to the core of the character after decades of being a pure adventurer and the subsequent years continued to focus on The Batman as more than just a guy with lots of money and gadgets.
    Snyder's New52 run really overly-focused on kewl gadgets and less on his best asset: Batman's brain and deductive reasoning.
    How many times since the New52 began has Batman been totally blindsided by all these super-duper-secret organizations that were operating freely in his city without Batman having a clue?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by adrikito View Post
    So, the first Batman inspired the AVENGERS of Marvel..
    Not much, the word "avenger" was used to label a good deal of iconic Pulp characters of the era. The Shadow, Green Hornet, The Phantom, The Spider, The Black Bat and many others who may not be well known or as widespread. I kind of detest 30`s Batman as presented because k*** was a hack devoid of creativel ideas. That panel - which is traced as far as I`ve read about the subject makes Batman look like he`s about to take a quick dump before his ride picks him up.

  9. #9
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aioros22 View Post
    Not much, the word "avenger" was used to label a good deal of iconic Pulp characters of the era. The Shadow, Green Hornet, The Phantom, The Spider, The Black Bat and many others . . .

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy View Post
    Snyder's New52 run really overly-focused on kewl gadgets and less on his best asset: Batman's brain and deductive reasoning.
    How many times since the New52 began has Batman been totally blindsided by all these super-duper-secret organizations that were operating freely in his city without Batman having a clue?
    At least the gadgets were updated to modern-day technology, so it was interesting for me.

  11. #11
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    Ah the original Crimson Avenger That weird mix of Green Hornet and the Shadow.

    But yeah, meets the point and by a year.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Deathscythe View Post
    Yet the man casting that shadow is human, can be hurt and even make mistakes and not know every single thing.
    That Breyfogel Anarky sort of era is my favourite era too.

    This sentence sums up Snyder's Batman run though. He makes nonstop mistakes, is very human (being in a huff with the batfamily, being a dick to Alfred in Zero Year, having ugly emotions and being childish or stubborn sometimes) he can be hurt (outright gets his ass kicked a few times), and he definetley doesn't know everything (like any secret society or villain existing or plotting to get him).

    The two things I dislike about Snyder is all that gadgets/robots/mechs/technology stuff and all that postulating on what things are and mean. Gotham means this. Batman means that. Joker means the other.

    ...but he definitely writes a human Batman that can be hurt, doesn't make mistakes and doesn't know everything.

  13. #13
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    Out of curiosity, who is still considered the first mask of the DCU? Crimson Avenger or Sandman?

    Likely a dumb question, they haven`t touched that sort of foundations since Final Crisis, CrisisThisTimeForReal, New52Titles, AnotherRebirthTerribleSorry, AndWaitForItInTheNearFuture.

  14. #14
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    Tas Batman seems about right to me. Michael Keaton's Batman rang true. Alex West's Batman was a treasure but a campy pop art version of the character. All Star Batman has always sounded horrible from everything I've read about it. Morrison's Batman in Jla also seemed right to me.

  15. #15
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aioros22 View Post
    Out of curiosity, who is still considered the first mask of the DCU? Crimson Avenger or Sandman?
    Crimson Avenger first appeared = Detective Comics #20, October 1938

    Batman first appeared = Detective Comics #27, May 1939

    Sandman first appeared = Adventure Comics #40, July 1939

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