Why Batman Has Become The Worst Written Character In Comic Books

Batman has been through many iterations in his long tenure as one of comic book’s most recognizable characters. From detective to mentor and father figure, all the way to ‘lone wolf’ vigilante there have been a lot of storylines written for the Batman. At least there should be a lot of storylines; however, since the death and subsequent resurrection of Jason Todd, there have only been a handful of stories that have been repeated for the World’s Greatest Detective.

Is this a Batman fan being mad and writing about the lack of new stories? Not at all, this is a Bat Family and Jason Todd fan being mad- expressing his anger at DC’s desperation to cling to comic status quo- and writing about the lack of new stories.

As much as I despise- and I do mean despise- to talk about this particular era in modern DC comic books, I have to start talking about the nightmare that was New 52 and rebirth. Have you all finished retching in your mouths like I just did? Great, then we can all continue together.

New 52 ruined about- and I did the math for you, trust me I’m taking calc 2- 83.57% of everything we all loved about comic books. Beyond rewriting massive storylines pre and post crisis, and changing backstories of pillar heroes- cough, Wonder Woman, cough- New 52 tried it’s hardest to be appealing to new comic book readers at the cost of almost every pre-existing fan, from casuals to hardcores, and failed. It fundamentally misinterpreted Bruce Wayne- and Batman’s- character as a brooding loner with a reluctant, unhappy support system of family and ‘friends’ who he refuses to acknowledge beyond Nightwing and Damian.

BATMAN ISN’T A LONER!

Has he worked alone? Yes. Are those some of the worst Batman comics? Most definitely. Let’s be honest, even in comics where he’s ‘working alone’ he still isn’t because Alfred is there, and inevitably they bring in Richard Grayson because someone who doesn’t have there head stuck where the sun doesn’t shine actually reads the drivel coming out of the DC writer’s room and-

Let’s not get me started down that road. Back to the topic, the massive appeal of Batman in modern pop culture came from the Batman and Robin era most of us remember. We all had our Robins- I was born in a weird time around the transition from Jason to Tim, but read a lot of Jason era comics- and each dynamic showed a different side to Batman and Bruce Wayne that was required to flesh out the character and provide needed growth. Growth that was smashed by New 52.

BOOM IT CAME BACK AROUND! YOU DIDN’T THINK I WAS GOING SOMEWHERE WITH THIS?! I COULD DO A THESUS BABY!

With the first Robin we saw Bruce as more of a mentor figure- a young Batman learning to be a hero while also guiding a young charge in a world intent on corrupting all that is good. With Jason there was a father looking to provide the best for a son that was neglected for most of his life prior- and dealing with the animosity between his two children that was rising each day that Jason donned what Dick dubbed as ‘his’ costume and name.

Post Jason is shown a grieving father falling apart at having outlived his child, and Tim brings new life to a hollow shell of a man in need of light at the end of a tunnel. It seems that most writers found the grieving father aspect the most interesting because that’s where most stories involving Batman keep him. I’m not going to write this and say people get over death- they don’t. However, when the person you’re grieving comes back to life, you generally don’t continue to act like Mayday Parade is still the only thing on your iPod.

Yes, much like most of my thoughts on comics, and the 15 AO3 tabs on my phone, this WILL come back to Jason Todd and his relationship to Batman and the rest of the family.

I’m not bashing Bruce Wayne, by the way. I think with the exception of him being the most boring part of almost any story he’s in- save Batman #37 Double Date- and the absolute refusal most writers exhibit to admitting he has friends- yes, Superman/Batman Public Enemies and the comics where they’re best friends is canon to me and nobody at DC can tell me otherwise no matter how many reboots there are- Bruce Wayne is a decently written character. His emotionally stunted alter ego is what we’re dealing with.

So let’s deal with it, shall we? I know you’re all busy so you don’t want to read a 12 page breakdown on every minute detail I could bring up by combing the DC archives, so we’ll hit the majors like the Joker hitting a Robin in a warehouse.

The Joker is a good place to start, actually. We live in a society… where the Joker is no longer necessary as a character. Yes, he’s a foil to Batman but in reality he does nothing anymore but come back every few years when comic writers need to recapture attention by redoing major comic plots of the past. There’s nothing new to the relationship between Batman and Joker, and adding Punchline or ‘Joker’s daughter’ doesn’t actually add to the narrative between the two, and the clinging to the Joker tends to make the batman stories feel stagnant over the years. Death of the Family sought to bring back that heartrending pain of the original Death in the Family (and gave us some good batbros moments between Jason and Tim) but overall suffered from trying to one up the gruesomeness that comics have displayed in the modern era and setting characters back to step one in their journeys.

I won’t complain and not offer solutions, no, I’ve got the solution to the Joker problem- and it doesn’t include Batman killing him. Promise.

Let the law kill him. Having a comic where Bruce, Barbara, Tim and Jason are attempting to lobby the Gotham government to refuse the Joker’s insanity plea and give him the death penalty would actually provide a refreshing feeling, more than Batman punching him again.

Speaking of punching people again, I know it’s a comic book, but Batman can be so much more than just a ‘punchy boi’. In a lot of comics recently Tim has become the detective and writers have just been convoluting more elaborate ways to get Batman in position to punch stronger foes constantly, and beyond the annoyance of fanboys arguing that Batman can beat any character because of this habit, it takes the stakes out of the story.

When The Dark Knight showed Batman beat Superman, it showed him doing so with ingenuity and pure brainpower- in real life would that work, hell no, but we let it slide because comic books- but every subsequent time Batman has faced off against an all powerful being he wins because- and I quote- “I’m Batman.”

THAT’S LAME. THAT’S BORING.

I want Batman to win sometimes! It’s exciting to see someone so outclassed overcome all odds to survive and thrive, but when you’ve frame that person as unbeatable it loses its luster. No longer am I biting my nails, I’m just waiting for the inevitable panel that shows Batman slink out of the shadows as Superman is explaining why he couldn’t win but Batman could.

Those losses remind us why we root for a hero, they remind us that none of our heroes are infallible, that they can be felled by someone.

Here comes the solution. Let Batman die for longer than a few months. No lost in time stuff again, no memory loss, no court of owls or Hush coming back to pretend to be him. Just death, like with Jason. Let the writers, and the readers, and the characters breathe. Come back in a few years and revive him with a new purpose and direction informed by him time on the other side. It’s necessary, and having him out of commission isn’t enough- as we saw when Bane broke the Bat- because fans will be clambering to get Bruce back in the suit as soon as possible.

I would love for Batman stories to be told until the end of time, but to do that we need the characters to grow, and learn, and change. Comic books are still books, no matter what all our teachers used to say. They told some of the most engaging and heart racing/breaking tales any of us have ever read. They give us hope, and despair, they break us and repair the damage years later. We learn compassion and good, we learned that “with great power comes great responsibility” and everything that comes along with it. Comic books are warnings of what absolute power can do, and a reminder of the possibility of good from our fellow man. However, all of those things die if the characters stay still. You can’t chase a goal if you don’t move your feet.

But these are just the ramblings of a comic book nerd and you don’t have to listen to them. Next time I’ll explain why Jason Todd is the best former Robin.

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