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Grant Morrison and who Batman is


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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