PixlBit

 Because it's National Super Hero Day

So today is National Super Hero Day and I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about my favorite super hero of all time, Batman. I like Batman for plenty of different reasons. He’s smart, strong, has a great rouges gallery, and the mythos behind him. Not only that but media has been really good to him in terms of games, tv shows in both animated and live action form and movies to a certain extent .  I’ve always been a fan of Batman for as long as I can remember, in fact, Batman was the very first super hero I was exposed to at an early age.

I remember seeing Batman The Animated Series when I was a kid. I loved that show as a kid and watched it every time it was on. I loved Batman and his adventures to stop crime in Gotham City from criminals like the Joker. It was just so dark and mysterious, it reminded me of Scooby Doo in a way when Batman was trying to figure something on the Batcomputer or when he was trying to solve which criminal was behind a crime in Gotham.

    
 I was amazed at Batman’s exploits for someone with no super powers, but even then I knew as a kid that some victories were bittersweet and could be considered a failure on Batman’s part. I knew Batman wasn’t invincible based on the fact that his foes gave Batman a run for their money and even some of them could go toe to toe with him, some even overpowered him. But Batman always found a way to prevail, either with his strength or his smarts. And like Batman once said, your smarts or your wits could get you out of jams more than powers or a utility belt.

It later became the New Batman Adventures and not that many people liked this. One of the reasons might have been due to the style of the characters. It seemed more stylized  but it never really bothered me. Some didn’t like the episodes and some have even said that the episodes were more lighthearted. I actually found this series more darker as the show wasn’t afraid to touch concepts like the concept of death. Like in one of my favorite episodes involves Batgirl’s death and has the entire police go after Batman and his allies. I had never seen anything like that in a cartoon before, especially seeing the death of an important character. It wasn’t Batman’s fault, but at the same time it was. Batman knew. You also saw something desperate like Gordon getting help from Bane, a dangerous and powerful criminal, to take down Batman. Then seeing Batman and Superman on the same show. All of this to me was a mind-blowing thing at the time. Imagine seeing all of this as a kid.

I actually rewatched the show again for the first time in years not too long ago and it was such a fantastic nostalgia trip. I was amazed on all the things I might of missed as a kid and was amazed that this was a show aimed at kids. It has aged really well and is still the pinnacle of animated super hero cartoons in my opinion and is the best Batman cartoon out there. Should Spectacular Spider-man not have been cancelled, I would say it would of given Batman TAS a run for its money, or at least be on equal footing.

Eventually as I grew older, I found out that they still kept making Batman cartoons, and while I like Batman the Brave and the Bold and The Batman, nothing compared to Batman TAS. I then knew that there were new Batman movies and they seemed to be a more realistic take on Batman. I haven’t seen The Dark Knight Rises but I love Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. They work and do what they do really well. For a time, The Dark Knight was the best super hero movie and was my most favorite super hero movie and my most favorite movie, till Marvel came along with their movies like Avengers and such. I love their movies. They are really great. Marvel just keeps putting out hit after hit, while Warner and DC are still fumbling around at how to set up their cinematic universe thing. I think the reason is that Marvel has been setting up their movies for years like Iron Man, then the Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Thor and so on and having those movies connect with the next ones set up to the Avengers. They are doing a great job with that. On DC, I want to say I’m optimistic they might pull it off, but I might take a wait and see approach.

Eventually I got a PS3 thanks to some convincing of my friends for xmas. One of my friends told me that there was this really good Batman game called Arkham Asylum and decided to get it. I was stunned at just how amazing it was. You see I never played a Batman game before, let alone a good one. It felt like an episode of Batman TAS and it was just so awesome. Hearing familiar voices voicing characters in the game from the show that defined my childhood was a real treat.

Not only that but the game is really good. Arkham Asylum had this brooding atmosphere to it. You were alone against an island full of criminals and gave it this claustrophobic feeling to it when you were inside. The game also encouraged exploration as you couldn’t access many areas at the start till Batman got a new gadget. It felt strange that Batman had to get a new gadget when he has a belt full of them, but just roll with it. It also allowed you to discover the islands many secrets and mysteries as well as learning about some of Batman’s rouges gallery. Like in one of those tapes or whatever there is called that tells you about one of the villains like Harley, in one of them, it was exactly like one of the things that actually happened in Batman TAS. I was impressed at that attention to detail and the love Rocksteady had for the series.

Even Batman himself impressed me. For the first time, I was in control and knew how he fights and how to use his gadgets. Sometimes when I was against a barrage of criminals, I wondered how in the world am I going to take all of them down? You definitely feel powerful and like Batman once you prevail in a fight. You could even use Batman’s tactics against bad guys. Rather than the direct approach, you could pick them off using one of Batman’s greatest allies, stealth. It really reminded me of Batman TAS when Batman would stealth takedown a bad guy and the other bad guys would say what happened to that other guy. It felt amazing.

Then Arkham City came along. I like the game, it’s a great sequel but I prefer Asylum more. I haven’t even gotten Origins, I’m waiting till I see it for 5 bucks. I really want to try Arkham Knight, but don’t have a PS4, and probably wont get one for a long time, but I can assure that’ll be the first game I get for it.

There’s also some really good animated Batman movies, like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm which is my favorite, Batman: Under the Red Hood, and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. I really encourage people to check those out. Heck there’s even a Batman anime movie also that takes place in the Nolan Batman films. I like that one too.

Here’s is my Batman collection:

And the shirt I’m wearing right now:

As for my final thoughts, I just love Batman. Always had. I also know that people like to overrate Batman’s abilities, I’ll admit that I like so too. But then again, if something is overrated, it must of done something to be overrated, whether is good or bad. Batman to me is my childhood icon when it comes to super heroes, he’s the first super hero I was exposed to and he still is my favorite. I like him for many reasons, whether it’s for his animated tv shows, movies, or games. People question his methods, but he is just trying to ensure that no one else goes through the same pain and suffering he went through as a kid, whether you agree with his methods of justice. He ensures that innocent people could live to see another day either with their families or loved ones, and know that it isn’t over for them.

He has no super powers, but he can go toe to toe with Superman and more. We wont kill, heck one time he said that if he did kill a criminal like the Joker, he'd be as bad as he is. He even mentioned to Alfred once about guns and here is that quote: "You have to know your enemy, Alfred. I'd never use one, but even I can appreciate the attraction of a gun. The heft. The sleekness. The cool steel. The precision. And the power. The power to change lives, history. The power of God". This is one of my favorite quotes from Batman is this one: "I'm willing to put my life on the line to do what I have to. But it has to be mine, no one else's". Or who knows, maybe I'm just babbling here.

So that’s it for this one. So, who is your favorite super hero in honor of super hero day? Thanks for reading and later.