BATMAN versus JOKER
(DC/Warner Brothers)
Where: The Dark Knight When: July 2008
Why: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, & David Goyer How: Christian Bale & Heath Ledger

The Story So Far...
In a city gripped by crime, the emergence of a symbol to rattle the cages of the corrupt and greedy is a welcome rallying point for citzens besieged. The Batman is the dark knight the city requires, launching himself across the Gotham skyline in an incorruptable crusade against crime.

As he prunes away at the powers-that-be, things inevitably get worse before they get better.
A new breed of criminal, and insanity, coincides with his debut, beginning with the mad psychologist, Dr. Jonathan Crane, and his associations with the far reaching clan of eco-terrorists, the League of Shadows, led by legendary Eastern figure - Ra's Al Ghul. Their attack on Gotham City using a fear enducing toxin is a baptism for Batman, whose own past is linked with that of the League.

Though Dr. Crane escapes his reach, the Batman turns his attentions to the escalating dangers that grip a Gotham City in a vital process of change.
The Police Department begins a natural process of detoxification, struggling against a vaccum of power seized by organized crime boss, Sal Maroni, in the wake of Carmine Falcone's mental collapse. In response, a new Districty Attorney, Harvey Dent, joins the cause as a brighter counterpart to Batman, acting within the confines of a justice system in repair.

There are other personalities, however, that have come to Gotham City.
Other figures analagous to the Dark Knight himself, but dedicated to something much less specific. With a flair for theatricality, and an uncanny knack for mayhem -- the Joker has ushered in a responsive new era to the unstoppable vigilante -- equally as incorruptable, if not as purposeful.
It is an ideology destined for collision course...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Power: Batman 4 (Arsenal)


- After witnessing the street murder of his parents, the young Bruce Wayne's destiny was forever shaped to be one dedicated to an ideal. Having spent his formative years studying the various sciences, martial arts, and crime fighting techniques, Bruce is ultimately inspired to become the one-man war on the criminal element in Gotham City: Batman.

Perhaps Batman's greatest power is the millions inherited from his industrialist parents, and the various facilities that came with that. They prove crucial in the design and construction of his many weapons, which are typically non-lethal, and have a variety of uses.

Complimented by his keenly strategic mind is Batman's expertise in the martial arts. He is extensively trained in multiple fighting styles, and commonly regarded to be one of the greatest hand-to-hand fighters in the world.
He is also extremely proficient in general urban warfare.

- It has been claimed that he was the victim of one very bad day, which ended with a fall into a vat of chemicals that bleached his skin, dyed his hair, and twisted his face into a permanent grin. The truth of his name and origins remain unknown, but as the Joker, he is one of the most feared killers in Gotham City.

Joker is known to have an aptitude for creating and working with toxins and other chemicals, favouring trademark concoctions that induce uncontrolled laughter, facial distortion, and often, death. Joker is also a proficient strategist, who is said to regularly reinvent his identity as a part of his vendetta against Batman.
The Joker, though not a skilled fighter, is shown to have an inhuman capacity for pain tolerance and recovery.

Additional: The rivalry between Batman and Joker is one of the most famous feuds in comics. Beginning in Batman #1 (1940), there hasn't been a decade that didn't feature an epic confrontation of these two vivid personalities. In many instances, their collision is one of philosophy, as depicted in 2008's feature film adaptation, The Dark Knight. In the film, Heath Ledger's Joker describes their meeting as that of an "unstoppable force meeting an immovable object."

Batman's unwavering dedication to justice as an incorruptable symbol is off-set by Joker's contrasting pledge to anarchic destruction, and the a murderous bent toward all things anti-social, and anti-establishment. In most cases, Joker is rarely without a motivation, even if it remains difficult to understand, even for the legendary Dark Knight detective.

Due to his stern position on lethality and corporal punishment, Batman is often forced to remain reactionary to Joker's twisting plots and reinventions of personality. Only when clues are present can he follow to a physical confrontation, which almost always favours the well trained Batman.

Examples include; Batman #614, Detective Comics #781, Batman #663, Justice League of America #15, Dark Knight Returns #3, & Batman Ep.2.

History: Batman (6-0-0)
Math: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
Foiled in his attempts to kill an incarcerated DA Harvey Dent -- the Joker collides with Batman in the streets of Gotham, only to be captured himself by Lt. James Gordon, who had been working undercover under the veil of his faked death.

Promoted to Commissioner, Gordon enters a darkened interrogation room, now forced to probe the Joker for information on the now abducted District Attorney.
Joker casts doubt on a GPD already heavily under investigation, suggesting Gordon's own people are puppets of Boss Maroni. He taunts Gordon and asks him what it feels like to be alone. The Commissioner shows him just how alone he is.

Turning the lights on, on his way out to 'get coffee', Gordon unleashes the beast.
The Joker's face collides with the metal table in front of him as Batman steps out of the darkness. He's not the bad cop. He's not part of the system. He is the shadow-self of every law abiding civil servant in Gotham, and he's unrestrained.

Joker resists the Batman's physical influence, making light of his decision to "go for the head" first. Batman obliges, bringing his fist down like a sledge hammer on the criminal's printless fingers. Joker shows incredible restraint.

Joker's counter-attack strikes deeper, turning the spotlight on Batman's will to let the cost of his war spill onto civilian casualties. It is a strategy that will pay dividends by the end of the night, but for now, is easily ignored by the focused Dark Knight, concerned only with recovering the abducted Harvey Dent.

Unwilling to concede, the Joker splashes his philosophy around the cell, rejecting the Batman's tempered retort as borrowed phrases from the "normal" world. He professes a joy - a completion - provided only by the escalation of acceptability ushered in by the Batman himself. Joker declares his torture - his disinterest in ever killing the Batman. The Dark Knight's hollow assumptions amuse him.

The clown prince of crime further indulges himself in a philosophy built on everything low and disgusting about humanity. He forecasts the downfall of Gotham's protector, putting their tall poppy syndrome down to a basic human barbarism that would have them feeding on each other, under the right conditions. Under the Joker's conditions. Batman sees fit to disagree.

With the face-to-face revealing more of the Joker to him, the Batman resumes his narrow objective -- uncover the path to Harvey Dent.

Showing further his skill in combat, Joker remains unaffected by the strong-arming of the undeniably stronger of the two. Yanked off his feet and across the desk, Joker is shaken around and pinned to a wall, by the Batman.

The Dark Knight collides physically and verbally with the Joker, professing only one rule in his approach - never kill. Not surprisingly, this becomes the key to ending their opposition. Joker reveals a forced hand - a second hostage!

As if peering behind the mask, the Joker recalls their encounter at a charity ball for Harvey Dent. A scene where he left the Batman to retrieve Rachel Dawes from the window-borne descent he tossed her two. A task Bruce Wayne took up with gusto, driven by emotions attached to his childhood sweetheart.

Endangering Rachel Dawes a second time provokes a strong response.

Batman peels the Joker from the tiled wall of the room and slams him onto the nearby table. Pushed, Batman jams the interrogation room door shut with a chair, knowing his physicality will prove distasteful to the law enforcement watching through mirrored glass. It is the difference between him and them. The chance to go further than society allows. To be one man, incorruptable.

Batman introduces Joker's head to the mirrored glass, with force.
He fills the room with the roar of his one question -- where are there?

Physically out matched, the Joker continues to take the punishment, fighting back with delight, cackling, and juvenile taunts about Rachel Dawes. Batman growls his question, as if it were a demand, between the clubbing blows of his fist.

The Joker laughs.

Mocking Batman's strength, finally Joker agrees to reveal the location of Dent and Dawes, both. Held feebily beneath Batman's gloves fists, Joker has already won, having earnt his escape through the almost unnoticable broken glass dislodged by his head earlier. There is then the matter of the addresses given...

Though legitimate in location, Batman's hasty efforts to rescue Rachel Dawes from the gallons of feul and explosives she's strapped to, will soon learn each path leaves him to play the Joker's game again. Though dedicated to rescuing the woman he loves, his dedication will be his undoing, and mark the creation of a new foe who sees things... both ways...

The Hammer...
For the purposes of satisfying the "comic book fight club," we can declare without any doubt that Batman is the physical victory in this multi-layered confrontation. As we've seen six times in the past, the Joker, though willing to engage in physicality, is a cerebral combatant, no matter his capacity for accepting harm.

While this post is marked December, I'm catching up on the Holiday backlog. Tomorrow marks the Sixty-Sixth Annual Golden Globes, where, Heath Ledger is a red hot favourite to take the post-humous award for best supporting actor in a feature film. It's just one piece of a puzzle that started in July, where many people began forecasting their suspicions of an Oscar nomination.

After writing a lukewarm review of Iron Man, I'm somewhat reticent to admit my doubt over the validity of a Ledger win. I don't want to be that guy, but the more I ponder, the more honesty gets the better of me.

While I've come to believe nomination is a fitting must for the late actor, I remain unconvinced about the immortality of his portrayal. There can be no doubt that he inhabited the role quite well and probably brought a lot to the creation process, but I'm not sure if that was elaborate enough to warrant such lofty, pretentious acclaim. Let those of us of the right persuasion regard him forever as "the best Joker ever," but in the realm that has so long resisted acknowledging superheroes, caution the pretense of popularity.

To further sour my regard, I have to admit, I wasn't quite as taken as it seems much of the world was. Perhaps it was simply a matter of expectation. Batman Begins so specifically revealed the intentions of this generation of the brand that, coupled with familarity with the source material, it became a fairly predictable exercise. Predictable should not be mistaken for bad. In the realm of adaptation, predictable has long been sought after as the epitomy of accuracy. In this respect, The Dark Knight pays dividends, very specifically representing the comics at their best. To that end, I can only hope all involved can be persuaded to continue into a third instalment in a series, and maybe even more.

Regarding the representation of the comics, I have to say the unsung hero of the piece seems to be David Goyer.
[Christopher] Nolan has freely admitted the fanboy-cum-writer-cum-director has been his guide through the largely unfamiliar landscape of Bat-fiction. Coupled with the support of DC themselves, I don't doubt Goyer has been vital to ever creative triumph the films have provided, acting as a crucial facilitator throughout the process. Tales of the Goyer/Nolan garage think-tank seem to support this on many levels of the creation process, including design.

In fact, when I think The Dark Knight and Academy Awards, I'm inclined to think of Christopher Nolan. There are few examples of other films enhanced throughout by the presence of a director as Dark Knight. His familiar, obsessive restrain is felt throughout the picture, acting as almost as strong a presence as any of the actors or characters they portray. He was vital to Batman Begins, but it's in The Dark Knight that I think Nolan reached a new comfort with his vision and the ideas he was channeling. His influence was a triumph that deserves that level of acknowledgment, perhaps in ways rarely reflected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Both Nolan and the film felt somewhat absent from, what I would regard, as the more grounded Golden Globe awards. It was here I felt it more likely to see the film recognised in Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Director formats, where the common indulgence in action might've been more likely than the Oscars.

I now hope the directorial travesty, at least, can be corrected by the Academy Awards. I also feel a Best Picture nomination might well be warranted, even if the film that defined 2008 (and set innumerable records) isn't the critical winner.

Still, in all of this would-ing and should-ing, I suppose it might be nice to communicate my feelings on the film.

If I can frame my reference through reaction, I turn to yet more common place inflections that I despise. One I've mentioned before; the misconception that making the leap from page to film is somehow conceptually restricted; jumps immediately to mind. It is in response to that that I am reluctant to refer to the Joker as a "complex" character, or a difficult character to realise on screen.

The Dark Knight presents one of the most effective versions of the character, revelling in the faith necessary to indulge the concept. It is indeed faith that this character requires, as I believe there is little to nothing that "cannot" be realised in modern cinema [something Watchmen will hopefully display to the majority].

Almost unnoticed were the changes made to this version of the Joker, the most obvious, his now definitive grin-replacing scars. Ledger physically represents little of what we know as Joker iconography. He's not especially slim, svelte, and certainly doesn't possess the exaggerated nose, chin, and grin. While some are not inclined to place weight in physical appearances, I personally feel, as is a trope of cartooning, that much of Joker's character is conveyed through those traits. That said -- we quite reasonably forego those superficial details for a depiction that captures the spirit of the Joker, as much as it innovates.

Particularly to my liking, the internal motivation of the Joker.

To go back to the common misconceptions of the unwashed (fanboy) masses, I turn my scowling brow to the use "random" in contemporary language. This is both a disagreement of semantics and philosophy, because there are indeed those who believe the Joker should act almost without motivation, but I disagree. As in The Dark Knight, I feel the Joker is at his best when he is quite specifically grounded in intentions. Intentions that, more often than not, are indeed influence by reaction, or his own thought processes.

Throughout the film the Joker exists as a reactionary force to Batman, to law, to crime, and to organization of most kinds. Continuing explorations from the comics, the film Joker is almost super-sane, more than he is crazy.
As a writer and fan, I believe Joker should never be without reasons, even if they aren't necessarily obvious to you, or I, or the characters within a story.

Bale, Oldman, and Freeman were back to do more of what they did very well in the first film. Michael Caine still isn't my ideal Alfred, which probably made his reduction to over-sized cameo all the more palatable.

Harvey Dent's role in the film surprised me, somewhat.
Aaron Eckhart (and Maggie Gyllenhall as replacement Rachel Dawes) played quite well in the film, but I was surprised to see Two-Face eventuate so abruptly. I couldn't really complain, except to say that it felt a little abbreviated by the end, undercutting the more traditional climactic conclusion of the Joker/SWAT fight.
Also, I'm not sure if I would've burnt away quite as much flesh as they did in the CG make-up process. That said, artistic choice aside, it was quite good! Eckhart and the script certainly more than made up for '95's Tommy Lee Jones-Schumacher directed farce, but let's not go there.

Keeping me from this review was the necessary meditation to reach a comfortable opinion of the film. I've watched the DVD several times since Christmas to give it as much chance as Batman Begins had to grow on me.
Ultimately, while The Dark Knight sent a message to the world of what a superhero film can be, I still see imperfections. Conceptually and functionally the film is rock-solid, but like Iron Man, it lacked a little bit of oomph to make it unforgettable. Additionally, there were moments that just felt downright beneath the film, like robotic attempts by Nolan to engage the common man (American) that felt clunky and unnecessary. The biggest, the cell phone sonar, which felt a bit overblown for my tastes, like a god awful time-based obstacle in a video game tie-in [which, incidentally, has been allegedly delayed for quality assurance, assuming it will actually happen].

Of course, for every nit-picking negative, there's a multitude of glorious nuggets of joyous subtlty. Among my favourites, Joker's burning fire engine roadblock, and graffiti "slaughter" is the best medicine. In truth, there's just so much to discuss about this film, we couldn't possibly touch upon it all in any coherrent fashion. That is why I by no means consider my score an insult, but acknowledge there's still so much more to come from superhero films - and Batman - on the screen.

Oh, and to voice one more arrogant frustration: the people who told me, before I'd seen it, that the film was close-ended with no clue to a sequel: Damn your peasant eyes! A giant playing card might not have flashed across the screen, but Jim Gordon's closing monologue and the Dark Knight's self-sacrifice more than frame a film with a spine of Batman versus the Cops action-drama.

In particular, I think of scenes from popular inspiration materials, Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, which both pit Batman in exciting struggles with the police. If those Catwoman rumors are anything to go by, maybe we'll get to see the animal-lover in Batman two-fold, as a second driving plot with Selina Kyle, and as a portion of the 'Hunt the Dark Knight' drama, in the form of punching an armored gunman through a brick wall for trying to shoot a cat.

Bloody hell! If that run-on sentence wasn't clue enough, I could just be here all day talking about the Batman films! I didn't even remember to mention that I chose this interrogation scene - of all the fist fights in the movie - because I felt it encompassed so much of what we know from the comics. It was delightful, but also leaves plenty to discuss in the future. Now shut up, I have to go. Hehahaha!

The Fight: 5.5 The Film: 6.5

"The Dark Knight" set all manner of feature film records with it's cinematic release, and continues to redefine the boundaries on home video. If for some reason you don't already have the DVD, then you simply must purchase immediately through the Amazon links provided. It is also available in a two-disc Special Edition which includes thoroughly enjoyable "Gotham Tonight" episodes with Anthony Michael Hall reprising his role from the film. Admittedly, the extras leave a bit to be desired, but do yourself a favour, and just buy one of them. Heck, you'll be doing me a favour as well, by using the purchase links provided! Yummm, themes of corruption!

QUICK FIX DOUBLE FEATURE: Harsh Vintage Justice
HAWKMAN versus MATTER MASTER
Black Reign: Part Two (DC)
Where: Hawkman #23 When: Early March 2004
Why: Geoff Johns How: Rags Morales

Quick Fix...
Lately we've been talking a bit about harsh justice, and it's application to the superhero world, and this entry gives us the opportunity to take a look at that theory in practise.

It's a particularly interesting topic, given all the different angles. Generally speaking, the sacred cows [like Wonder Woman] are protected from the moral ambiguity of lethal justice, yet, oft times it's these vintage characters that are more likely to be identified with harsh enforcement reflective of the war-torn times they were created in.

The debate rages on between the two schools of thought. For many the definition of a superhero is to be above the moral ambiguity average humans, soldiers, or heroes are regularly faced with. It means not being forced to pull the trigger to save innocent lives, instead using the fantastic to end danger.
We recently discussed a similar argument of whether or not Captain America ever used lethal force during his times in the frontline of the Second World War [Captain America #405].

The morally ambiguous hero got a bit of a tarnished reputation, passing through the eighties and nineties with the baggage of excess, and poor interpretation. The posterboy becomes characters like The Punisher, who more overtly straddle the line of what's right and wrong with a stonecold attitude toward life and death. For the most part these characters do good, eliminating the evils that evade justice by conventional law, but there is always that underlying negative of what we know in reality of the vigilante.

It's almost a funny sort of thing, that "vigilante" takes on such a distinctly different feel across the major spectrum of superhero comic books. Never would any of us truly look twice at a Batman, or Captain America, no matter how rebellious they may be to an administration of excessive order. Yet, in the real world, I struggle to think of many examples of positive vigilante activity.

Sure, there's those cases of a liquor store clerk fighting back, or even a community under siege taking action to patrol the streets, but those stories are either short lived, or mild mannered deterents for relatively simple problems.
What I associate with broad coverage of vigilantes is men and/or women who kick back at personal injustice, flagrantly ignoring what is universally just, and often running the risk of making a greivous error, or crossing an invisible line.

It's a line that seems to seperate the golden arches of true superheroes, and the guys who undermine what that means in a fictionalized society. Characters who in some ways reflect that real-world vigilante scenario, and face that kind of scrutiny, but ultimately have the roll of protagonist, and live decades beyond those characters that would briefly hound them.

What about the other characters, though? Wonder Woman inevitably finds herself reset to a mould more appropriate for a family, cartoon viewing audience; but what about those characters who can drift closer to the line, longer?

Hawkman represents just such an example. A character, who from his beginnings in the early 1940s, he has held memberships with both the Justice Society and Justice League, but has still grown into one of the many violent characters of today's comics landscape. Few stories highlighted Hawkman's violent nature than Black Reign, where he wages his forces against Black Adam in a battle that pits them against one another, but also shows the destructive similarities.

In his new home of St. Roch, the villain called Matter Master seeks a means of retribution against a foe who has defeated him time and again. Using his matter manipulating wand to take a gala of the wealthy hostage, he eagerly awaits the arrival of his alien-winged rival.

Hawkman bursts into the arena through large glass windows, only to have the shards of glass hurled at him as a weapon by the villainous Master. Tiny slithers of glass bury themselves in Hawkman's only partially armoured body, but do little to slow his wrath.

The Matter Master elaborately announces the abilities granted by his matter manipulating wand, delighting in the battle that will ensue. He is a steady contrast to the stoic Hawkman, whose demeanour is of one no longer willing to indulge the fancys of colourfully dressed criminals.

Possessing both fixed mace and battle axe, he hurls the latter in the direction of the Matter Master. The blade slices through the Master's arm with ease, burying itself in the wall adjacent.

Having successfully seperated the villain from his weapon, the silent Hawkman pulls his axe from the wall and coldly remarks, "Fight's over."

Harsh justice is something, I think, Hawkman wears very well, and Geoff Johns does well to reinvigorate the character with everything that makes him familiar, but with a confident new edge. This story steers Hawkman toward another character we're about to talk about, bouncing off one of the past lives established as part of the streamlining reveal that both Hawkman and Hawkgirl are caught in a perpetual cycle of resurrection.

I wouldn't be confident in saying where the line lies for Hawkman, but as a character so thoroughly connected to the various houses of the DC heirarchy, I think it's great to have this interpretation of justice among them. It might never be the prevailing argument, but in a medium often gagging on it's own tail, it's characters of diverse opinions on issues important to the fictionali world that will always be a saving grace.

The Fix:5.5 The Issue: 5
Winner: Hawkman

[Without a doubt one of the greatest crossovers of recent times, all crucial to the reinvention of not only the Justice Society of America, but more importantly, Hawkman. Hawkfans should definitely track down the trade of these issues, and maybe anyone else looking to get their feet wet, particularly post 52/World War III.]

---

BLACK ADAM versus KOBRA
Prince of Darkness Coda: Justice Eternity (DC)
Where: JSA #51 When: October 2003
Why: David Goyer & Geoff Johns How: Leonard Kirk

Quick Fix...
This quite naturally leads us to cross that invisible line that seperates the right from the wrong, and the justified from the murderers.

In Black Reign it was Hawkman that, in many ways, walked away the bad guy. Teth-Adam, having invaded his homeland of Khandaq, is revered as a hero by the Khandaqi people, while Hawkman is decryed by both the liberated, and the Justice Society themselves, who were led by the usurping Chairman into a joyless bloodbath.

Even so, it is Black Adam who has more traditionally walked the path of villain, recast in that role during a genocidal rampage coming out of the pages of 52.

We can make no bones about sponsoring Black Adam throughout 2007.
It's arguably this moral ambiguity that has propelled Black Adam to the status of the most enjoyable of rising stars to be pushed by DC all year. Dealing with a role as ruler of a nation, Adam has been the slate for reflecting the responsibility and potential carnage incurred by a superpower unchecked.

Like many great villains, Adam is essentially a well intending individual, marred by his regular association with death and bloodshed. The descent into madness began long before 52, starting in the pages of JSA where, having broken away from the group that agreed to take him in, Adam is leading a small group of soldier against those who have escaped justice as they see it.

One such example is the terrorist cult leader, Kobra.
Having launched attacks across the globe, Kobra was responsible for the death of the mother of one of Black Adam's pliant recruits, Atom Smasher.

Both left the Society over Kobra's subsequent trial and escape, disillusioned by the JSA's archaic notions of legality. With the aid of Brainwave, the group of super-militants track Kobra to his hidden lair in the Himalayas, where they exact the only suitable punishment for a mass murdering menace such as he: death.

With Brainwave confirming claims of a network of explosives beneath New York are false, Adam plunges his fist through Kobra's chest, ripping his heart out.
With that, justice is served, and the cult of Kobra is left to legend, or methods supernatural.

Much like Hawkman, Geoff Johns earns his stripes as a major comics writer perfecting his skills with the reinvigoration of classic properties. These events have been referenced many times [Hawkman #24] on the site, already described in this very entry for their role as the first action in the spiral that has led to today, where Black Adam is a mass murderer himself, and a broken man.

I've seen relatively recently a Hawkman referring casually to killing a villain, and in much the same way, I would express some disappointment for how frivilously the characters have been allowed to cross that invisible line. For Hawkman, it is obviously a scenario rarely fulfilled, but for Black Adam, it has again been a fullblown devolution into villainy.

Putting a character to blows with the Justice League is almost always going to cast them as villain, but when the motives involve genocide, it's hard to argue.
Perhaps it's the inevitability of so-called "harsh justice" that these characters slip into ill-defined rampages, or off-the-cuff murders, but I've got to wonder.

Just like iconic superheroes define themselves in fiction as characters capable of handing out justice without the cost of human life, so too can't we suggest that super warriors can live by the sword, without impaling their sanity upon it?

In a world where law enforcement still hands down sentences of death, and where wars are waged over just causts, is it so inevitable that those that battle these evils become them? Or is there a school of thought to say controlled lethality is a requirement of an efficient system of justice? Does their come a time when a cheek must demand a cheek in turn, or is simply invite corruption as another symptom of decadence and war?

Can anyone begrudge a police officer that draws a weapon in confirmed self-defense, or is the threat of an error of judgment too great and too common?

Maybe someone like Hawkman, or even Wonder Woman, will be the character to eventually answer the question: Can a hero kill responsibly?

The Fix: 5 The Issue: 4.5
Winner: Black Adam & Atom Smash (w/ Brainwave)

[This issue marks the end of David Goyer's tenure on the relaunched JSA title. In the main feature, the story features a big ol' magical throwdown between Mordru and Dr. Fate, which will inevitably turn up in a future entry of the Infinite Wars.]

BATMAN versus RA'S AL GHUL
(DC comics)
Where: Batman Begins When: June 2005
Why: Christopher Nolan & David Goyer How: Christian Bale & Liam Neeson

The story so far...
Having witnessed the murder of his parents by a desperate armed robber in a theatre back alley, Bruce Wayne grows into a man of great guilt and anger.

Channeling his rage, he uses his inhereted fortune to traverse the globe, escaping his celebrity status as a Wayne to face the criminal element on it's own terms, and take it on one man at a time.

During his time abroad Bruce Wayne is confronted by a man named Henri Ducard, who promises to foster his power and hone his efficiency to become a true force of justice. Representing Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Shadows, Ducard eventually reveals a plot to use Wayne as a pawn in the destruction of Gotham; something Bruce Wayne, now Batman, will do anything to stop.

Previous Form:
Batman (#2): Has been an indomitable force for DC, featuring the highest win percentage of characters featured in more than twenty reviews.
Ra's Al Ghul: Making his first appearance in the Infinite Wars.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Ra's Al Ghul 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Batman 4 (Arsenal)


Sunday night, two warriors step onto the field.
One of them; the Dark Knight Detective and protector of Gotham -- Batman. Consumate strategist, obvsessive profiler, grim and unrelenting fighter.

The other; the head of the demon and master of the league of assassins -- Ra's Al Ghul. A man who has endured the test of time through the revitalising properties of the mysterious chemical Lazarus Pits littered across the globe.

For Batman, his life is a direct response to crime. His view of the world is simple, black and white, and though he would intervene by methods denied to law enforcement officers, he is essentially reactionary.

Ra's Al Ghul's mission is to save the world from itself through an obscure, controlled, slant on Darwinism. His view is hypothetical, and intends to stem the damage caused by man, and avoid cataclysm.

Each is as obsessive and well trained as the other, but there is a distinct clash of codes between these two men. For Batman, the line is drawn where lethal force is concerned, and he would never willingly sacrifice one man to save another. For Ra's, no cost is too great in the name of the greater good, and his training is in the deadliest of arts. He is conditioned to capitalise on Batman's restraints, no matter the respect he may have for him.

Seperating these two is difficult. Batman, in my opinion, has a physical edge, but Ra's Al Ghul's willingness to do what is necessary gives him the same edge many of Batman's lesser foes have. It's a killer instinct like this that keeps Joker a yard infront every time he goes on a killing spree, leaving Batman to chase him as a response.

The Math: Batman (Meta Class)
The Pick: A draw

What went down...
Having already confront Ra's Al Ghul; who intends to spread a fear inducing toxin by vaporizing Gotham's underground water supply; Batman defeats several members of the League of Shadows, and escapes peril at the hands of escapees of Arkham Asylum. With the use of a pneumatic propelled grappling hook, he finds himself dangling by a line beneath the monorail carrying Ghul and the microwave emitter vital to his plan.

Enduring obstacles beneath the rail, Batman manages to swing himself into an arc ending with a window of the train. Below, the tumbler Batmobile follows along, driven by Lieutenant James Gordon, who has orders to blow a section of the rail to prevent it reaching the hub of Gotham's water supply.

Inside the train, Batman confronts his mentor, Ra's Al Ghul.
Disappointed in his pupil's defiance, Ra's launches an attack, armed with an extendable asp baton. Recalling his training, Batman uses the spiked prongs of his gauntlets to defend the blows, and tie the weapon up. Ghul challenges his student to show him something new, prompting Batman to slide the asp with the ultra durable spikes fashioned into his costume.

The Batman follows with a stiff kick, and heads for the conductor's controls on the rail. Stunned but by no means defeated, Ghul pursues the caped crusader into the cockpit, attacking from behind with little regard for chivalry.

With the broken off asp, Ghul stabs wildly, staking the sharpened edge into the train console. The controls sparking, Batman turns back to his opponent.

Taking advantage of the confined space, Batman reaches up to the train handrails and kicks Ghul with both feet, pushing him back into the train car.

Falling back into the microwave emitter, Ra's falls thoroughly on the backfoot.
Batman uses his momentum against him, launching his own body to send Ghul toppling backward over the bulky machine.

Despite the offensive, Batman's brutal gambit backfires, giving Ra's the opportunity to recover first and throw a solid punch to the gut from the rising position. Using Batman's own response, Ghul spins him around, sending him to a shattering blow head-first into one of the speeding rail's windows.

The advanced design of Batman's cowl protects him from mortal injury, allowing him to absorb a bone breaking elbow to the arm, before launching into his own brutal attack. A combination of short, stiff punches to the face, and a whip toss that pushes Ra's Al Ghul off balance the assault of choice.

Again Ghul uses his defensive predicament to launch an attack, moving from the crouching position to strategically attack points in the leg and mid-section. Brutish, clubbing fists pound the Batman's legs, attempting to spasm the the musculature into undermining his stance.

Ghul rises to stand at the ready, having toppled Batman with a rising knee to the face; blissfully unaware that on the streets, Gordon was arriving in the position of no-return. The user-friendly weapons system provides Gordon with an all too simple method of blowing out the rails.

Ra's engages Batman, taking an elbow in the name of maintaining focus on an offensive that sees him opening Batman up with a barrage of short, aggresive elbows and fists. Batman lets loose a few sloppy wide shots, giving his teacher the opening to unleash several knees and kicks that again send him to the floor. Ghul pursues it this time, taking a mount position.

He wraps his hands around his former pupil's throat, strangling him whilst taunting his inability to overcome his limitations. Batman turns the tables on his boasts, revealing a plan that did not involve stopping the train; while below, Gordon succeeds on his third try to eliminate the supporting structure of the targetted portion of rail.

Distracted by the explosions ahead, Ghul is susceptible to an offensive switch. Batman rolls him over, turning the mount around in a fashion mirroring the conceptual battle waged by the two strategists.

Batman reveals a taunt of his own, repeating the belittling teachings of his former master to, "... mind your surroundings."

Ra's Al Ghul challenges Batman's intent, questioning whether or not he had finally learned to do what was necessary to achieve his goals. Batman denies his philosophical opposition such satisfaction, slanting his actions on the stance of leaving Al Ghul to his destiny, rather than ending his life wilfully.

Batman shatters the windows and tosses explosive batarangs that seperate the car from the rest of the train, providing him an exit. Using the malleable memory cloth of his cape, he exits in grandiose fashion, fully living up to his branding.

With a zen-like acceptance of his impending doom, Ra's Al Ghul faces the front of the train and closes his eyes, the wind blowing against him.
With nowhere to run, Ghul sits as the front cars careen over the portion of the broken rail, plummeting into an underground parking lot. The overloading microwave emitter explodes, presumably obliterating any life within, and the threat to Gotham City.

Batman glides to the street below where Gordon is waiting by the tumbler, responsible for saving Gotham from a scheme that would have decimated Wayne Tower, and exploded the main hub of the underground water maines.

The hammer...
The winner with an implied death -- Batman!

Y'know, I don't know what I'm going to do when The Dark Knight comes around next year, but since I'm following my whims, I've had to add this one to the to-do list recently. Actually, it was after browsing some 'leaked' photography from the set of the sequel that really got me in the mood. That's some great looking sequel!

So, regular readers will no doubt notice that this is a site of subtle nuances. Well, okay, we feature lengthy, clumsily repetitive summaries of comic book superhero fights, but I like to think there's a little something more here.
It's a thought that helps me sleep at night, so humor me, if you will.

Out of some of the subtleties we can learn some interesting things.
We've learnt that if comics were anything to go by, most superheroes are south-paws, with many pencillers favouring left punches over the more traditional right.
We've also learnt, if you're paying attention, that more often than not the villain is the aggressor (usually reflected by being the first name listed). Making Batman not the only hero to attack his foes head-on, but certainly one of the most prominent. You could look, most recently, to a Wolverine for another example of a hero confronting, or even initiating conflict. [Wolverine #50]

So, statistical interests aside, there's also the interesting matter of Ra's Al Ghul's apparent demise. Comic book readers are no doubt well aware of his close association with the Lazarus Pits, which allow the mortally wounded to heal their wounds by bathing in it's mysterious fluid. They are even known to revive the dead, although such a decision comes at the cost of the subject's sanity.

Still, given Ra's Al Ghul's steady calm when facing certain death, you have to wonder if it might not be a little nod to a potential return for the character in future Bat-films. I guess that fact remains one of the most persistent interests of this new, creatively triumphant series of Batman theatrical releases.

In a world where film series rarely out-do the likes of the twenty-eight Godzilla features, or twenty-one 007 James Bond movies, one has to wonder how the enduring serialzed adventures of comic book heroes will adapt into series of major motion pictures.

Certainly Batman rates among the most enticing characters for such a series, representing a franchise essentially anchored by one major character, with a wide variety of successfully proven working parts that can be plugged in and out of the formula. Batman's rogues gallery of villains is widely regarded as one of the best, rivalling groups boasted by Spider-man and the X-Men.

Still, at such an early junction of reinvention, much of Batman's cinematic future likely hinges on the consistency of the material. Struggling to breakaway from the less than satisfying downturn of the previous films, The Dark Knight has already exhibited the first casualty of filmstars, removing Katie Holmes' Rachel Dawes, for the switch of Maggie Gyllenhaal.

One would have to imagine a change to any more crucial a principle, particularly one stemming from the comics, or previously represented in film, would be a severe blow to the franchise's future. A frailty that suggests it might require the commitment of the stars to a fourth feature, to really believe in the on-going pursuit of these films in the current timeframe.

Regardless, I for one am positively silly over the coming sequel in 2008.
Sure, it has it's potential disappointments. It seems like the film has spun down a spiral reminiscent of the previous franchise, suffering toy selling inclusions of "Batpod" motorcycles and unrefined costume changes. There's also the matter of my beef-headed countryman, Heath Ledger, taking up the mantle of the usually svelte clown prince of crime, the Joker.

Batman Begins was by no means one hundred percent, undeniably perfect, but what it was was a triumph for the Batman branding, and superhero films in general. It was a pure and well envisioned take on the character, that clearly drew on many of the most prominent sources, while still injecting a unique streamlined and vaguely commercial interpretation of the material.

In the same way the Tim Burton feature of 1989 helped define the benchmark of superhero films, Batman Begins returns the character to the pinnacle of major motion picture success, both financially, and more importantly, critically.

At first there were many details I was unsure about, but ultimatley Begins has endured the test of time. I rank it among the most watchable of the recent flock of superhero adaptations, stoically detailed, yet diverse in it's economy of characters, themes and locations. Truly a well rounded origin film and story.

One of these days I'll get around to returning to the movie, to summarize another of the fights, and maybe talk a bit more about the content of the film. In all likelihood, a retrospect may come sometime around the DVD release of The Dark Knight, where we can talk a bit more about the film in it's new context.

Until then, let's enjoy what is always a special occasion, a movie entry!
A DC movie entry, no less, something we've been neglecting not only in film reviews, but in reviews in general. Maybe now I can face the DC Nation!

The Fight: 5.5 The Film: 7
[The Keysi style makes for a grounded battle that provides an anchor to the exciting conclusion, but isn't quite worthy of supreme accolade. Even so, Batman Begins is a must-see for action fans, setting an impressive, mature benchmark for future films with similar characters. Believeable fantasy, sublime.]