No worse than real life people who believe “people are inherently good” or “we’re not alone in the universe” or “working hard pays off” or “only bad things happen to bad people”. Batman is an exact mirror of this ridiculousness of being human. We all fight against evidence that slaps the shit out of our ideology.

“Fair fight” is an oxymoron outside of anything but boxing and MMA.

That’s completely untrue! His parents are dead, which makes it HIS basement!

...Because the quality of Batman as a literary character should totally be judged on how many fictional woman he has per year. Less than 4? What is he, impotent?

Depends on the superness of Superman, particularly compared to other extra terrestrial threats. But I agree in general.

Albert, I have said some really nice things about you and your writing in the past. I now recant those things, and repent of all my sins against the Deadspin commentariat. I renounce Burneko, and all his works.

Who are these mythical “good cops” you speak of? Someone you’ve seen in a movie perhaps?

But really, your last point is crucial to understanding why this could be a decent enterprise. Batman has no chance at winning. He doesn’t in the comic - he fights dirty to get to a standstill at best. But that’s the point! He’s fighting a losing battle, but he believes in it - which is what’s romantic about Batman to…

Counterpoint: Superman sucks. Yay Batman.

Superman is amazingly boring, but Batman is a creepy perv who lives in his parents’ basement, hangs out with an old man, never has girlfriends and willingly trots children into dangerous battles, causing them harm and even death.

“We’re not “taking the choice away” from you. You never had a choice”

Dick Grayson as Batman was the most enjoyable run of Batman I read in decades... and it’s a shame it was as temporary as it ended up being.

You could always just stick to reading old comics from the campy era, read Batman 66, or just find a different book to read. There are plenty of other books out there for people who worry about “grimdark”.

It was an interesting diversion for awhile but I always wonder why the sort of people who say things like “grimdark” even read Batman...

Batman is too mentally ill to be a boyfriend. I’m not saying he’s a bad crime fighter. He is a great crime fighter. But that guy has some mental issues, which is what makes him Batman.

Batman is too mentally ill to be a boyfriend. I’m not saying he’s a bad crime fighter. He is a great crime fighter. But that guy has some mental issues, which is what makes him Batman.

In this, and in many other things, the DC Animated Universe proves to be the best iteration of the DC Universe.

Correction: he looks like a sadomasochistic goon who would probably enjoy it a little too much when Batman knocks him out with one punch — oh, wait, that’s the Joker in a nutshell.