BW Media Spotlight

I am not versed in psychology or psychiatry. I couldn’t even really tell you the difference. So don’t look at this as a psychological deep dive into the denizens of Gotham City. I’m not even sure that’s the right approach to take to get a good superhero story but it could be pulled off by the right writer. I’m also just learning the importance of the archetype by following storytelling commentators who give tips in this area. Therefore, take what you’re about to read in the proper context: someone who grew up reading and watching Batman stories since maybe seven years old.

If Superman From The Thirties To The Seventies was the book I borrowed most from the local library then Batman From The Forties To The Seventies is probably the second most often borrowed book. Both collected random stories from the decades as the title suggests. It’s where I saw how Superman and Batman’s official first meeting in comics happened. Longtime readers know that Batman #307 was one of my first three comics. I watched reruns of the 60s live-action series, the Filmation series (the second of which I saw when it first aired on Saturday mornings), Superfriends, the Tim Burton movie, and by the time I was an adult we had the DCAU, Batman: The Brave & The Bold, and that other early year story called The Batman that was on Kids WB. I’ve seen so many stories about Batman and the “Bat-Family” that I think I have a good idea what these characters are like, many of whom predate my existence in this world, and certainly predate the people who write them now.

With that, let’s talk obsession. While not necessarily the intended theme of the Gotham City residents we follow the topic does come up constantly, and not just because so many of Batman’s rogues gallery are psychologically damaged. It’s a part of the structure of stories set in this city. However, each character follows it in their own way. The common element here however is that the villains embrace their obsessions while the heroes, in contrast to how they’re written by writers like Tom King who seem to love writing psychologically damaged people, are actually about NOT being obsessed.

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