Recently, I finished the
first volume of Grant Morrison’s legendary Batman run, “Batman and Son”, and I’ve
just started his compelling sequel, “Batman R.I.P.” Batman is my favorite superhero
and what I’m really loving about Morrison’s run is his perfect understanding of
The Dark Knight’s character.
Most comic book heroes treat
their superhero identities as alter-egos, a persona that is alike to their actual
personality but not really them. Take Clark Kent as Superman for example. Superman
is not who Clark Kent truly is as he would much rather just be like everyone
else and fully accepted by humanity. Superman is his mask. Batman is not the mask
of Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is the mask of Batman, the mask of a little boy who
never got over the death of his parents. This flawed mental state of Batman is
part of what makes him such a compelling character to me and Grant Morrison as
well.
Morrison’s writing conveys
how flawed the character of Batman is mentally by presenting the two types of
personas of the caped crusader. The early chapter’s of “Batman and Son” show a
Batman who has thwarted most his rogues’ gallery and must conform to being
Bruce Wayne. Morrison writes Bruce Wayne as a completely contrasting character
from Batman which is the best way for the reader to understand the duality
within Batman. Both personas are strong; Bruce Wayne is played brilliantly in
Morrison’s run. No one would ever think that Bruce Wayne is just the mask of
Batman on the surface. Batman is so strong because it’s who Bruce really is
underneath, however, he cannot share his true self with the rest of the world, so
he must assume the identity of Bruce Wayne.
Have you ever felt like you
weren’t truly being yourself around your colleagues, friends or even your
family? We all have masks that we put on if we feel our true selves will not be
suitable. Batman always wears his mask for the alternative is unleashing the
unhinged mental state of a man dressed like a bat who’s hellbent on a vengeful war
on crime.
Batman’s mental state is one
of the most interesting aspects of his character and one that doesn’t always
get the proper attention it deserves. Batman’s always been a little crazy, he
lives two different lives and there are few comic book writers who understand
that better than Grant Morrison.
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