A Sense of Doubt blog post #3239 - Batman 36-37 - Back to the Tradition - COMIC BOOK SUNDAY FOR NYE 2023
As I mentioned recently, some blog posts are in the works for a very long time. This one may be one of the longest. I conceived it originally when I was still doing HEY MOM posts.
originally scheduled as 1505... so over 1700 posts ago
Exactly 1734 posts ago, which is 4.75 years. As the daily text I share at the bottom always remind readers, I stopped HEY MOM posts on 1807.06, three years to the day after I started them, which is about 4.75 years ago, give or take.
These issues of the Batman comic during Tom King's run were the pinnacle, the best, the greatest.
Many comic creators over the years have figured out that comics are soap operas with punching.
Since punching is so common -- remember Marvel used to have a rule that EVERY comic had to have a fight scene of some kind -- then kissing is the more occurrence but the common one in soap operas.
Comics have long suffered by trying to appeal to too many different audiences. Fans who have grown up with comics and with these characters as their friends and lifelong companions, they want the relationships to evolve. The heroes should get married, have kids, maybe even retire.
But comics also have tried to keep their appeal to new fans and new young fans who may prefer the Dark Knight to be a loner engaged in gritty tales of urban crime fighting and for Spider-Man to be endlessly broke, lovelorn, and yet still quipping his way through combats.
So comic creators flirt with both audiences. During Tom King's run on Batman, he had Bruce propose to Selina only to fail to deliver, to keep them split, to sustain the turmoil, and the love unrequited (at least in terms of happiness).
This leaves Superman as one of the only major heroes who is married and has stayed married. Wally West, the current Flash, is married as was Barry Allen, the previous Flash. None of the other major DC heroes are married. Green Arrow and Black Canary are in a long term relationship. I couldn't have written that Raven and Beast Boy or Nightwing and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) were involved in 2018, though they are now in 2023. Mister Miracle and Big Barda deserve a mention here (are they married?).
And since 2018, DC has established many non-hetero relationships, such as with Superman's son, Tim Drake/Robin, and Alan Scott/Green Lantern. There were also minor DC characters who were married, such as the Atom, Elongated Man, Jay Garrick/GA Flash, and a few others.
But of the TRINITY, only Superman.
Over at Marvel, sure, Iron Man is currently married at the end of 2023, but that will not last (and I couldn't have written that in 2018). And though Captain America and Doctor Strange are in long term relationships, though not married. There are many other relationships in the Marvel universe -- Scott Summers and Jean Grey for example -- but few to none are married.
I have a post in the works based on the idea that comic book covers featuring kissing sell more copies than other types of covers.
Readers want to see these characters in relationships, to find love, to be able to be happy AND save the world.
And of course, sex (which includes kissing) keeps many people reading. In fact, some will read just for those parts.
The allure of the characters and their relationships are about more than just romantic involvements; friendships matter, too.
DC has done a much better job over its history with friendships between the heroes than Marvel. Without a full investigation and consideration, I might argue that Marvel has more friendships between superheroes and NON-superheroes than DC whereas DC is more about the "family" idea, outside of the Fantastic Four.
Batman and Superman have a whole comic dedicated to their best friendship. DC has published Trinity and done many stories on the closeness between its big three: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Many other heroes have very close friendships that have been prominently featured: Flash-Green Lantern, Green Arrow-Green Lantern, Nightwing-Kid Flash, new Superboy (Jon Kent) and Robin (Damian Wayne), Donna Troy-Starfire, Black Canary-Batgirl/Oracle, Beast Boy-Cyborg, and many more.
And so, these issues are as many about the friendships between Batman and Superman as the marriages and engagements. Also, the second issue features some very wonderful bonding between Catwoman and Lois Lane.
I do not remember what creator shared this concept, but I read once that it's a pattern that after the X-Men have a huge space adventure fighting the Brood or some such that might span 12 issues, then the next issue features them all playing baseball with each other. We need to see that they are human beings and not just combat machines, like gaming miniatures in which it's all just hack and slash.
Good RPGs are about the CHARACTERS, role-playing, not just hack and slash. Likewise, the stories we read are best when about relationships and characters to ground the epic, saving the world adventure. Would Lord of the Rings be as meaningful without the close bond between Frodo and Samwise? Would the Harry Potter books resonate as they do without the close relationships of so many characters, primarily Harry, Ron, and Hermione?
And so it is with these two Batman issues and why I adore them (and why I have given them as gifts to others, like my sister). Granted, not all the comics can be about developing for us the bromances and double dates. But we can surely have more of it. I WANT MORE OF IT. However, I understand that there's a lure to keep readership punching the button for the next pellet by denying them what they want. I was hoping that DC would take the same route as Superman with Batman. But when they chose to split Bruce and Selina, I realized that much like the Spider-Man/Mary Jane saga, the lure of "will they/won't they" keeps us coming back issue after issue (which in some cases is more than monthly). And maybe even five years ago (though I doubt it given how often DC has been re-inventing its mythos in recent years) that they planned to bring back Earth Two where Batman and Catwoman are married and have Helena as their child. This has now come to pass, and Helena has arrived on Earth-One, all of which I could not have written had I finished this post five years ago as originally planned.
Batman #036 focuses on the bromace more than the romance. As Superman and Lois Lane work a case together, so do Catwoman and Batman. Neither know that they are working the same case. Readers do not get a lot of details on the case because it's not important, what's important is the friendship between Batman and Superman. Both are discussing with their partners why they haven't spoken since Batman asked Catwoman to marry him. Superman doesn't seem to want to call Batman to congratulate him and seems miffed that his best friend did not share the news with him or even talk it over before popping the question. Likewise, Batman doesn't he feel that he should have to call because Superman should call to congratulate him.
The theme that runs through both issues is how clearly both women see the situation and how butt hurt and stupid the boys are (as boys tend to be).
Issue #036 ends with a wonderful dialogue set -- switching from Batman-Catwoman to Superman-Lois Lane -- as each man explains how he sees his friend, both concluding "he's just a better man than I am." It's brilliant character and friendship building.
When the foursome meet up and conclude the foiling of the villain and his plans, with the work day done, it's time out for fun, IE. a double date.
The second issue -- #037 -- focuses on the date and more relationship building. It's also hilarious. Selina and Lois bond wonderfully well with the help of a flask full of liquor. Meanwhile, Bruce and Clark hit in the batting cage and do a lot of male posturing -- can Batman hit Superman's fast ball? -- as they discuss their friendship and Batman's engagement. The answer Superman gets to what worries him -- she's a criminal -- turns out to be the same answer Lois gets to her question of "Why Batman?": "he/she catches me when I fall." One would think that built from this foundation that the right payoff to the story trajectory would be for Batman and Catwoman to tie the knot not cut it in twain. But no.
The whole issue is structured around a cute premise as the foursome show up at the fair's superhero night but are denied admittance because they are "not superheroes." Ha. So all four swap clothes. Selina convinced the gate keeper in an mazing way to let her in despite not wearing a costume. And Clark wears his glasses over Batman's mask. FUNNY STUFF.
The two issues present one of the most satisfying stories in comics in the last ten years, at least for me. I love this stuff.
Critics and readers seem to agree as shown via the COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP links below as both comics get rating in the high eights, which means many 10/10s.
They are both 10/10 for me as I see little reason to give a lower score.
Naysayers just do not make cogent criticisms. The low score from WEIRD SCIENCE and Eric Shea is either outright wrong (the dialogue from #36 is NOT repeated in #37 -- can he read?) or just reductive and clearly from someone who misses the point and cannot see the heart.
Outliers like Shea do not substantially diminish the multiple 10/10s and are lone detractors below 7/10, which is otherwise the lowest for both issues.
I don't even want to fully read the review as the little I gleaned from the carry over on COMIC BOOK ROUNDUP pisses me off.
I love these issues. And so, I am sharing them here for all of you, dear readers.
Seems to me that a post five years in the making on two comics that I love is a fitting last post of 2023.
And a great final COMIC BOOK SUNDAY.
Lastly, I have hesitated to reprint whole comics as I have done here. It's time consuming. It's a copyright violation, but with my small readership and lack of monetization, I am really not worried about that. I have a comic saved to post, but I never posted it. So this is my first sharing of an entire comic (and two at that). I have another one planned, but this is not something I plan to do often.
Thanks for tuning in.
ENJOY.
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https://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/dc-comics/batman-(2016)/36
COMIC BOOK ROUND UP - BATMAN #37
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/articles/batman-writer-discusses-the-dark-knights-proposal-/1100-156477/
COMIC BOOK ROUND UP - BATMAN #37
What results from this battle is pure chaos in Gotham City and a Batman--who is relatively new to his job--trying to stop it. And while fans may be champing at the bit to know Catwoman's answer, the "War of Jokes & Riddles" is an important element, as it has Batman truly opening up to another person, which could cause a rift between characters. Readers will get Catwoman's answer, but not until October: "In issue #32--that's coming up--that's a huge issue because Catwoman will say yes or no. And then what comes is either Batman has his heart broken and has to deal with that, we've never seen that before where Batman made himself so vulnerable to get rejected. Or we have an acceptance and Batman has to prepare himself and his family for a wedding. So one of those two things is coming."
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/articles/batman-writer-discusses-the-dark-knights-proposal-/1100-156477/
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2312.31 - 10:10
- Days ago = 3104 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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