BATlog

So today being May the fourth, I really ought to write something about Star Wars.  Well, too bad calendar, you're not the boss of me!!  Today's blog is all about the Batman.  Use the force on that!

*Ahem*

I've been wracking my brain trying to remember the first time I became aware of the dark knight, and for the life of me I can't recall.  I probably knew who he was before I knew how to talk.  I remember the first time I learned about the other super heroes, Spider-man and Superman and the X-Men and everyone, but Batman might as well have been implanted in my brain at birth.  He was my first super-hero.  From the old campy 60's show to Superfriends, a seemingly endless pile of comic books, the '89 blockbuster and it's less inspired sequels, Batman The Animated Series, the Arkham Asylum video game and finally the exceptional Chris Nolan movies, Batman has always been around.  I suspect that the morality of the Bat has influenced my interpretation of right and wrong more than any other single source (with the possible exception of my parents) up to and including the Bible.  Never mind WWJD, I'm more inclined to wonder WWBD???  I suspect that this is hardly unique among my age group and likely will continue far into the future since the caped crusader shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.  Perhaps in 2000 years there'll be a religion.  Stranger things have happened...


I've been thinking about Batman more lately due to a couple of trade paperbacks I managed to pick up.  "Cacophony" and "The Widening Gyre", both written by Kevin Smith and drawn by Walt Flanagan, have shown me a new side to my premier super hero, and really inspired me to think about him more as a human being.  The man behind the cowl.  Both books are excellent, and in particular "The Widening Gyre" left me both introspective and excited for what comes next.  I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but the way that Smith and Flanagan dangle hope, like a carrot on a stick in front of the face of Bruce Wayne, and then whisk it away without warning...well, it's just something that I relate to on a level too deep to go into in this post.  If you get a chance, you won't go far wrong picking up these books.  Both story and art start out well in "Cacophony" and improve on almost every page until the end of "Gyre".  I particularly love the cameos and the little touches throughout the books that both elevate and ground our heroes.  My only complaint is the wait for a third part.  Of course, when it comes to comics and Kevin Smith, patience is a virtue...


Speaking of Kevin Smith and Batman, everyone's favourite writer/director has joined forces with a young lady by the name of Jamie Walton to create what I deem a most heroic effort of their own.  Named "The Wayne Foundation" (in tribute not just to Batman, but also to Wayne Gretzky, who is legendary for assisting others), this organization is a charity dedicated to stopping possibly the worst crime humans commit. Sometimes known as "commercial sex exploitation" or "human trafficking", what it amounts to is a bunch of scumbags who pay people to rape little children who've been enslaved for this purpose.  It is insanely wide-spread and needs to stop now.   Please check out the web site HERE and HERE for more information about the Wayne Foundation.  You don't have to do anything, although if you can it would be great, but more than anything I think that awareness of this issue is key to eradicating this lowest of human behaviours.  


Need more convincing?  I implore, nay, BEG everyone to listen to this podcast (Sminterview #2), in which Kevin Smith interviews Jamie Walton.  She's not just a concerned party, but also a survivor of the highest order.  I couldn't help but weep at the magnitude of her story, not out of pity but out of despair for humanity's wrongness.  Luckily, some good can be pulled from all the evil.  I have so much respect for Ms. Watson and the strength that she's shown.  Anyway, I'm not the one to convince you.  Please listen to the podcast and tell your friends to listen as well.  This is a story everyone in the world needs to hear.


What Would BATMAN Do???