Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.

PART 3: KnightsEnd

The end is in sight. All stories end sometime, even the good ones like this. Last time Bruce was ready to put on the costume but the name and persona doesn’t seem to be in his head. Hurry up, Bruce!

That is one thing that O’Neil has brought up thematically in this book: the hero identity. In these days where superhero names, identities, and code names are now treated as “mantles” so this or that creator can use the marketing of a big name to push their character (and often their social issues), it feels like the hero identity has been further nullified. Over in the Marvel universe the concept of secret identities seem to be slowly disappearing and there are writers and/or editors at DC that seem to be trying to do the same thing there. This seems like a good topic on it’s own so I’ll save it and get back on topic.

We’ve seen in this book that Bruce puts a lot of stock in those names. If Tim is in the Robin costume, he’s Robin. When Bruce was disguised as Sir Hemingford Grey he insists on being called by that name and keeping up the persona and speech patterns. It speaks to Bruce’s mindset. He’s Batman in the cape and cowl but Bruce out of it, lending more credience to my rejection of “Bruce Wayne is the mask”. Jean Paul is calling himself Batman now that he’s in the outfit, but he’s corrupting what it means to be Batman because he hasn’t rejected the part of him that became Azrael. He’s Azrael in a Batman themed armor but he’s holding on to that identity as the only one that matters. Is he even thinking of himself as Jean Paul anymore? On the plus side it helps maintain a secret identity without slipups. Say if Batman has to save Tim and friends and Tim doesn’t have a chance to change costumes, thus not changing identities. In Bruce’s mind Batman is saving Tim, not Bruce saving Robin or any other combination. It’s probably what helps Bruce keep “public Bruce” and “Batman” separate, and he’s not the only one. Look at the various defenses of Clark Kent and you’ll see what I mean. Even with me, “Troy A” is the penname I use in my comics while “ShadowWing Tronix” has become my reviewer identity. It’s more mindset than the performed personalities, though if you get too into the roles you get the recent take on Moon Knight in the comics.

Will any of that play into this chapter? Let’s dive in and see.

As Jean Paul breaks through to Patrick, Bruce was close behind. To his credit, Jean Paul is only interested in killing Patrick for killing his father. He’s fine with leaving his cohorts alive even before Bruce confronts him. Patrick takes the confusion to attempt escape in a helicopter with both Batmen in pursuit. Bruce manages to get the copter to crash with everyone alive but Jean Paul escapes. We see Bruce do some mental calculation, realize he can’t catch Jean Paul before he gets to the Batcave and simply goes back to Wayne Enterprises to get a company car to get back home.

The description of the action is quite good but what stood out was the names. O’Neil refers to Jean Paul as Batman and Bruce Wayne usually as Bruce Wayne or near the end of the chapter shortening it to Bruce. That’s playing with how the two men see themselves. While to everyone else it’s Batman and Batman in armor and somehow more violent, to them they’re Bruce and Batman. Bruce is not mentally calling himself Batman in the costume, but Jean Paul is. Meanwhile, he’s still comparing himself to Bruce Wayne, noting things he thinks he’s doing better but also often noting that Bruce wouldn’t do it that way when he makes a mistake. There’s more to being Batman than the name. That’s why I’ve been calling him Jean Paul or “Not-Batman” no matter what the narration says.

Batman isn’t just a costume some person could put on and become. Otherwise every costume party in the western world would have at least three Batmen. Even more than that if it’s a comic book convention. Being Batman, or any identity, is an ideal. It’s a standard you live up to. Martian Manhunter can’t be Superman. If he had been properly trained and not hyper-aged and assaulted by evil Superman stand-in #2 it’s possible someday Jon Kent could have become Superman but he was never given the chance by the writers. Dick Grayson tried to be Batman but his personality was still Nightwing’s, and in one story he had to deal with a crazed psycho calling himself “Nite-Wing” who went around with a baseball bat seeing evil everywhere even when he wasn’t. (The attack that still haunts me is beating an old man up in front of his grandson convinced the man was molesting the kid when he clearly wasn’t. That’s how insane the bat-wielding killer was.)

Even if we allow for Captain America to be a mantle given other Captains America when Steve was frozen or sent through time or killed or retired, there is more to being Captain America than a name. It’s why John Walker is better as US Agent than Captain America and why Frank Castle rejected becoming Captain America because he didn’t want to sully the name. In the same vein, Jean Paul was hurting the Batman name with his actions. It’s like when someone goes to great lengths to clear an ancestor to clear the family name. Names mean things, and a superhero identity, mantle or personal, falls into that category because every hero and heroine stand for something the moment they put on the costume or take on the name. So now Bruce has to take the name of Batman back and restore not who Batman is but what Batman means to the people of Gotham City.

We have two more chapters to see that happen and I have another article to build off of this discussion to figure out.