Batman & Me

BatFan Cave Logo 250x250.jpg

By  Phil Perich for Before the Bat: The Gotham Podcast

Welcome to the BatFan Cave.

My name is Phil Perich and you may have heard me on the Before the Bat: The Gotham Podcast so you may have some idea of my love of all things Batman.  You’ll see any and all things about Batman here every week, whatever pops into my head about Batman and his friends.  Trust me, they are always there!  If you are reading this, odds are you are a Batman fan, maybe not.  But either way, you may be saying to yourself, “Why Batman?”  I remember first seeing Batman as a more light-hearted character in the Super Friends cartoon and reruns of the old Batman 66 (what they call it now).  But it wasn’t until I started to read the comic books in 1987/1988 that I started to see a darker, more driven, more serious Batman.  And then…June 23, 1989.  Any devoted Batman fan knows that date.  Batman hit theaters!

I still remember my mom coming home from work that day and taking me to see it (I was 11 at the time).  From the scene of Batman taking down the muggers on the roof, I was hooked!

This (fictional) man, this idea is what we should hold up as something to emulate.  Along with real life doctors, police officers, firefighters and teachers.  Not professional athletes or reality stars.

I’ll leave the real life figures for another time.  But why Batman?

Why should this fictional, basically cartoon man be held in such high regard?  Because he is the definition of the self-made man.

He took the horrible tragedy that defined his life and used it as the foundation to build his crusade upon, to rebuild himself into something better.  Something more than human, a force to hold back the darkness.  I remember a Batman quote from 1993’s Detective Comics #663 (Knightfall part 10). It was about people and their limits and Batman Ignoring his. Don’t believe me?

There!  It seems like a simple little throw-away line, but when I read that in the summer of 1993 at age 15, it stuck with me.  This fictional man and his traits can and should shape the behavior of most of us.  Why? What traits?

-His mind (Young Bruce Wayne decided on a course of action after his parents deaths and went out into the world to learn all he could to help him in his mission, skills he knew he’d need and some he thought he could need.)

-Always prepared (Better than any boy scout out there, not only does Batman always have the right tools for any job or problem, but he prepares and thinks out every possible scenario no matter how likely.)

-Persistence (Batman never quits, NEVER. No matter what you saw in the Dark Knight Rises movie.  No matter how hopeless a situation, Batman always outs forth his best effort and gives 110 percent.)

-Always Wins (Batman can conquer any problem and defeat any foe, The man can beat Superman, SUPERMAN!)

Aren’t these admirable traits all humanity should strive for?

Oh well, I’m sure I’ve bored everyone long enough.

I should have a new Bat blog every week or so. Everything from comics, cartoons, movies, TV, and video games. Basically anything Batman.  

Any thoughts, comments, or ideas for this blog?  You can email me at beforethebat@gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Batman-Incorporated/148988678488215

&

Before the Bat: The Gotham Podcast, both on Facebook.

Until next week, be good. Remember, The Dark Knight is watching!