Character of the Century, Comic Buyers Guide

Best Character, Eagle Awards 2000

Favourite Hero Wizard Fan Awards 1999

"Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever Gods may be
For my unconquerable soul."

WE Henley

Any character that has lasted for as long as Batman will have had countless creators adding to their history, leading to a number of interpretations of the character. This turnover of creators is probably central to the characters continuing popularity. Batman has managed to maintain his popularity by changing to reflect the times; the trick is always to not lose sight of what made the character popular in the first place.

The original character of Batman reflected the times of his creation; America had just been through a deep depression, war was visible on the horizon and gangsters were glamorous. Batman, therefore, used methods that wouldn't have been unfamiliar to gangsters including killing. The editors quickly became very concerned about the level of violence that Batman used and told the creators that Batman mustn't kill. In retrospect this decision probably went a long way in making the character the legend that he is today. Not only did it mean that villains could reappear, the Joker was originally supposed to be killed of in his story but they decided that he was too good to kill off, it also makes for a more moral and interesting character.

Nightwing: "Bruce is the Batman. You or me might step into his boots someday. But it could never be the same. I mean, he might have a successor. But he'll never have a replacement." Robin #8, Knightsend Part 5

Why should Batman being a moral character be important? All heroes are role models and, as unfashionable as it may be nowadays, it is in society's interests that our heroes are responsible. What message do we send when as in many modern comics it is difficult to tell the difference between hero and villain?

Through much of the 50's and 60's Batman was treated in a way that now seems like a joke, there was a major attempt to take Batman back to his roots as a detective with the new look in 1964 but outside events doomed him to being a figure of fun. It has to be said that it was his very adaptability that enabled Batman to survive when most 'superheroes' were cancelled. After the introduction of the Comics Code DC would never have dared publishing the type of stories that were told in the characters first year. It wasn't until the Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories appeared in 1970-71 that DC decided to ignore the constraints of the Code and publish a comic without its seal of approval.

Since O'Neil and Adams work on Batman, his characterisation has been much more consistent: the major difference has been in the level of obsession. Dick went off to college, spent more time with the Titans and became his own man. When Jason Todd tried to steal the wheels of his car, Batman decided that he might have found himself a new Robin and leaving Dick Grayson with no option but to get a new name. Nightwing.

Jason Todd never achieved his potential, the writers even changed his character in an attempt to make him more popular. Sadly, it didn't work, when the readers were asked in a phone poll whether he should live or die. Despite accusations of multiple voting, Jason narrowly lost the vote.

Robin: "Bruce wasn't exactly prepared to pick a replacement."
Nightwing: "Not prepared? I've been doing this all my life. He trained me for this. Instead he picks some psycho with a religious fixation. What was Bruce thinking?"
R: "He was thinking you'd moved on. That you were your own man now. He didn't think you'd want to come back."
N: "Want to? No, I didn't want to. But I'd do anything for Bruce. I thought he knew that." Detective Comics #678, Knightsend Part 3

Jason's death made Batman even more insular: his anger at his own failings over Jason and the lack of a partner to temper his actions led to a worrying increase in his level of obsession and the subsequent amount of violence. It took the introduction of Tim Drake to show Bruce where he was going. The traditional role of the sidekick arose because of the dramatic need to give the, much smarter, hero someone to explain the solution to but when there's action they have to watch each other's backs, which means that Batman has to think about someone else.

The realisation of the mistakes that Batman made in choosing Azrael to replace him in Knightfall, and in keeping Robin and Nightwing out of Gotham for so long during No Man's Land, has forced Batman to rethink the way in which he operates. He seems to have finally accepted that he doesn't need to do everything himself, that there are other people on whom he can rely. Even so Batman remains very much in control.

Batman is, of course, only half of the story, Bruce Wayne also has an important role to play in Gotham City. Bruce Wayne is more important to Gotham than Batman, the companies he owns, Wayne Enterprises, Wayne Tech and any others the editors decide he needs, provides jobs for thosands and the Wayne Foundation funds lots of social programs. Despite his public image as a playboy Bruce is clearly a shrewd businessman, he hired Lucius Fox to run his companies, who realises the importance of investing in people and infrastructure. In essence Batman is about believing in people, the belief that most people just want the opportunity to prove themselves. If you look Bruce's relationship with Harvey Dent it doesn't matter what crime Two-Face commits, he still knows that Harvey is in there somewhere, he just needs to receive the right help to bring back the Harvey he knew.