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6.23.05

Batman and America

By Nicholas Allanach

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I was ten years old when Warner Brothers released the first Batman (1989, directed by Tim Burton). The ongoing myth began with Bob Kane, who originally created the Dark Knight in 1940. But for me, the first Batman was the campy, gray-gutted Adam West, followed by serious Michael Keaton, who countered West with a six-pack of black rubber-latex. What fascinated me most about this superhero was his ability to transcend the weaknesses and restrictions of human life. Bruce Wayne is an everyday guy, who can only become Batman through training, education, and (of course) a generous financial inheritance.

Back in 1989, the summer-blockbuster-media-blitz inundated my maturing consumer conscience to a point where I feld the need to purchase and collect as much Batman merchandise as possible. Somehow, by owning pieces of the Batman, I could be the Batman. But eventually, trading cards and action figures were not enough and, although the comic books enabled me to vicariously experience the caped-crusaders adventures, I was still unsatisfied. It was then that I decided to make the suit.

I began by putting a mask together from sratch, knowing this would be the toughest part. A pair of dark thermal underwear, black gloves, and last Halloween’s Dracula cape would work fine for the rest of the costume. To make the mask, I first wrapped my head in tinfoil and then covered the mold with black electric tape. I put two cardboard ears on the top of the mask and then cut out a hole for the mouth and two for the eyes. I painted the bat-symbol on the thermal underwear with yellow paint, found a gold belt in my mother’s closet, and used my black, Velcro sneakers for shoes. The suit was complete.

I spent the afternoon chasing the cat and my brother around our house as if they were Gotham City's vilest criminals. I jumped off the couch, slid down the stairs, and ran around the backyard as if swinging from a skyscraper's ledge to land in a dark alley.

Of course, my parents, younger brother, and childhood friends all laughed at my silliness. I was only a little kid with a big imagination, but part of me really wanted to be the Batman. I seriously thought that I could be just as brave and bold as my favorite superhero. After all, Bruce Wayne was just a regular guy who - driven by revenge - pursued his passion to successfully become more than human (or at least insane). Why couldn't I?

Obviously, I soon outgrew dressing up as Batman. Nevertheless, my passion to become a stronger, smarter, and cooler looking person hasn’t gone away. In many respects, I am still making masks to disguise some features and highlight others; but somehow, all these ‘masks’ reveal pieces of the whole person I continue to become. The mythology of the Batman is an interesting way to not only consider how such figures (working alongside the commercialism they produce) affect the social development of adolescents but also how such iconographic figures reconfirm a unique American ideology, a set of beliefs created by tie-wearing adults who were once themselves children in bat-suits.

Recently released Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan and staring Christian Bale, is far from the homoerotic and colorful version developed by Joel Shumacher in the mid-nineties. Instead, Nolan’s take on the Dark Knight will remind fans of Frank Miller’s aging hero from his graphic series, “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.” Nolan’s and Miller’s depiction of Batman is similar in that both are complex psychological glimpses into the inner workings of an antihero, torn between justice and vengeance. Batman’s war is never over.

Driven by a need to avenge his parent’s death, Bruce Wayne becomes what he fears most – the bat. Wayne himself is unable to exact the justice he desires and so must create an alter ego (or symbol) to confront his past demons. Batman is Wayne’s daimon. (i.e. “For the ancient Greeks, the word ‘daimon’ defined the otherwise unknowable power that drove an individual more or less blindly forward.”) All of us are passionate about something. Bruce Wayne has an unrelenting need to avenge his parent’s death. To achieve this, he becomes Batman.

In many ways, the character of Batman illustrates an interesting aspect of American ideology. On the surface, Bruce Wayne exemplifies the image America presents to the world: wealthy, philanthropic, playboy-esque. However, an event that “must never be forgotten” reveals a more violent and sinister side to his character-type. Batman is like America in that both are trying to avenge a past by operating above the law. Batman is fair and humane in that he reports to Commissioner Gordon and at least tries to get his job done within the confines of the law. But there are also times when Batman’s justice is executed violently and without repercussions from the legal system he is, ostensibly, sworn to protect. Moreover - as seen in Batman Begins when Wayne trains with an underground group known as “the league of shadows” who plot to “destroy Gotham City” - Batman’s tactics often mirror the methods of those he wishes to eradicate. Thus, Batman’s form of vindication - like that of the American type - requires, not only a large bank account, but also a willingness to assume a low level of character comparable to the very evil it engages.

This is why Bruce Wayne created his alter ego, Batman. When Batman does something that is against the rules, Bruce Wayne remains safe. Perhaps the alter ego of the American ideology is the notion of the ‘lone gunman’ protects the conspirators or the ‘couple of bad apples’ in the military who mask the legitimacy of a higher ‘chain of command’?

And like my childish imaginings of being Batman, perhaps all of us somehow sustain forms of this collective illusion as well? For example, maybe the mask isn’t so clearly defined as we think? We make our own masks each day: a mask for shopping, a mask for hanging out with friends, and a mask to protest in, because all of these masks are much easier to comprehend separately, rather than as a collective whole working together to define who we are.

 

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Nicholas Allanach writes for and contributes illustrations to Me Three. His work is featured throughout Issue #1 of the Me Three print journal. He is also a recent graduate of the Liberal Studies Masters program at New School's Graduate Faculty, where he edited Canon Magazine. Write him at n2something@hotmail.com

© 2005 Me Three