TIPC: Review of Batman: Face the Face

This is Pop Culture makes some good points: "Batman has been 'grim'n'gritty' for a solid 20 years now--ever since Frank Miller presented a darker than dark Caped Crusader in the 'Dark Knight Returns' in 1986.

What started as fresh approach to Batman--post-modernly bringing him back to his 1930s roots as a ruthless vigilante--soon became the defacto take on the character. Miller's Batman appeared initially in 'mature readers' comics available only in the direct market. But eventually, this darker Dark Knight was present in every comic Batman appeared in, even those originally aimed at the then 'mass' market of 10-12 year-old readers.

Every writer who handled the character blindly imitated Miller. And why not? Miller sold lots of comics. He became famous. He wrote and, eventually, even directed movies. He made loads and loads of money. He's still making it in fact, mainly by performing the same simple hat trick over and over again: Making comic books, which are supposed to be for kids after all, ironic and 'dark.'

Eventually, Batman became even more of a cartoon than he was in the Adam West TV show days. Unsmiling, grimacing, nasty. Maybe this Batman was novel during the four-issue run of Miller's original 'Dark Knight' series, but it soon became apparent--to many longtime fans of the character, anyway--that he really wasn't too compelling. He was predictable. Cardboard. And, most significantly, lacking in humanity and heroic qualities.

The original Batman writers--Bill Finger, Gardner Fox and others--realized this 50 years ago. That's why the original Batman didn't remain a sour-pussed, gun-toting vigilante for long. It's hard to like a guy with no sense of humor, with no emotions other than anger. The Batman of the mid to late 1940s was still plenty tough and his villains sinister. But he'd still take time to crack a smile or joke once in a while.

But the dark Batman comics have kept selling, nevertheless, as superhero comics will. Many superhero fans tend to be undescriminating, reflex buyers. So long as it says 'Batman' on the cover, they'll keep buying it.

But, finally, DC Comics has decided that, hey, maybe it's time to tone down the darkness in Batman a bit and bring in a little more humanity. He's been the Punisher too long. The reasons for this change aren't clear. Batman, after all, continues to sell plenty of comics in today's small market. But maybe the marketing folks figured a shakeup of some sort might help the books sell even better."