The inner child in me has come out again. LOL. I’ve just bought another Batman Graphic novel. It really seems silly for a 26 year old to derive pleasure from comic books--- I’d probably be amused at myself if I was another person. But hey, these are not childish comic books. Most Batman stories are dark and brooding. That makes them adult friendly, I guess. Now I’m on defensive mode. Haha. It’s a fact, though. Comic books are not just for kids. Just because a story is told through drawings doesn’t mean it caters to a young audience. Take the Watchmen graphic novel for instance. The story had a very mature approach, and it was even deemed complicated, some adults can’t even figure out what it was really about. And to prove I’m not the only one in my age group buying comic books, there are a lot of adults looking through those graphic novels in bookstores. And the prestige editions of some comic books cost a small fortune! It’s amazing that they’re often sold out. I doubt any kid could afford those. Heck, when I was a child I sure can’t afford those. Even now I can’t afford those. Hehe.
I’ve just recently discovered the wonders of the Batman comic books--- just last year, at the ripe age of 25. I didn’t really like Batman before--- whom I first encountered in those reruns of the Superfriends cartoon series and that campy TV show from the 60’s starring Adam West. Even just saying his name seems silly...BAT--- MAN. Ugh. But when I saw the two Tim Burton Directed Movies (the ones by Joel Schumacher were just plain crap, and ruins the character, so I’d rather forget them), I became fascinated with the character. The animated series shown during my early teenage years fueled that fascination further. That cartoon series was dark and gothic, and definitely not for kids only. It was the first cartoon series I’ve seen which had a mature way of telling a story, making it very adult friendly. Even now when I watch the reruns I can see the difference between this series and the other cartoons from my childhood--- like Thundercats, or the Transformers, or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I can’t even watch those shows now without cringing a bit, though I enjoyed watching them before. They seem so juvenile now, they were definitely made for children. The Batman animated series, on the other hand, is something I can still watch and appreciate. Also, It arguably had the best depiction of the Batman Character from the Comic books. His translation to the live action movies pales in comparison. Then came another cartoon series which I never got to follow. It was made by different people, and I didn’t like the way they handled the character. It seemed like they made Batman kid friendly again... and he never was meant to be kid friendly. Good thing the creators of the original series went on to create the recent cartoon series, Justice League. The way they portrayed the character was the same as before. And since that cartoon series was such an excellent show, I liked the character even more. He was dark and brooding, often a loner. I guess the fascination is rooted in the fact that he’s someone I can relate to. Dark. Brooding. Gloomy. Pensive. That’s how I am on most days, especially when I’m alone. Unlike superman, who was made to be picture perfect, squeaky clean, like some goody goody obedient boy scout who can do no wrong, Batman is also a normal person, with no super powers. Maybe that’s why more people can relate to him too. His stories are believable. Batman also has the most stories ever written for any comic book character--- even more than Superman, who’s perceived to be more popular. According to records, no other character even comes close. That has got to mean something. Every comic book writer seems to have some sort of batman story to tell.
Last year, came the movie Batman Begins. Naturally, I was one of those first in line to watch it. I was totally blown away! Thanks to Christopher Nolan, it was one of the best movies that I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Add the fact that it was a movie about a comic book hero--- what the director did was simply amazing. It was expected, though. He also directed the kick ass thriller Memento. Now I'm looking forward to his next movie, The Prestige. His decision to make the Batman universe realistic was a great one. i guess it helped that i wasn't that familiar with how Batman was portrayed in comic books, otherwise I might sound like some fanboy complaining about how much they changed several aspects of the character in the movie, how the Movie Batman isn't like the comic books Batman. As seen by someone who's not exposed to the character's comic book persona, I thought Batman Begins was one damn fine movie. Anyway...That did it for me. It was about time I get to know more about the character in the format where he originated--- in the comic book world.See, I have always been a marvel boy--- mostly. As a kid, I bought a lot of X-men and Spiderman comic books. And okay, I also bought a lot of Archie Comics, too. A truckload of them. Haha. Sure, I bought the series about the Death of Superman, which was highly publicized at the time it was released--- I got caught in the hype. But when it came to superhero comics, The Marvel titles were the ones I bought on a regular basis.
First title I got was The Long Halloween, which was actually a gift from someone who found out I wanted to buy it but I was short on cash then. Hehe. I read it immediately, and read it twice. I felt such joy and elation, I was like a child who got exactly what he wanted for Christmas. It felt kind of orgasmic. Hehe. At that time, I thought the story was so good, that I wanted more Gotham stories. I searched the net for the best graphic novels. My next purchases were Batman: Year One and The Dark Night Returns, both by Frank Miller. Wow. Frank Miller is A God. I guess I’ll keep on thinking of him that way, unless I read the horrible The Dark Knight Strikes Again, so I won’t. hehe. Both stories were realistic, dark, gloomy, and violent. Definitely not for kids (so again I’m justifying my reading of comic books at my age? Hehe). The critics were right in proclaiming both titles the best batman stories ever written. What I bought today was Dark Victory, the sequel to the Long Halloween. It includes a retelling of the introduction of Robin… I hate Robin. He seems contrary to Batman’s loner persona. I prefer Batman stories without him… but what the heck. It’s written by Jeph Loeb, so it must be good. I’m normally stringy, and the book was quite expensive. But I didn’t care. Hehe. I just had to buy it. I can’t wait until I read it.
Next purchase would probably be Blind Justice, where they introduced the Character of Ducard, the man who trained Batman. I’ve seen a lot of copies, so I won’t have a hard time looking for one. But what I really want is The Killing Joke, written by Alan Moore, who also wrote Watchmen (which was named the Best Graphic Novel ever written). But I can’t seem to find it in any book store or comic book specialty shop! It seems that it’s not sold in this country!!! Argh! I’ve searched online, and apparently it costs anywhere from $30- $50, brand new. Pretty expensive for a graphic novel, even for a prestige edition... maybe I should postpone my search until I get job. Hehe.Now excuse me while I go back to my reading...
LOL. I’m such a child.
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