Who's The Best Batman?

Welcome to Episode Two of my hit new show, “Who’s the Best”. Toady, we will be comparing the different versions of the dark icon, Batman. Now, as you all know, there are many different takes on Batman. There’s the old serial Batman, the Val Kilmer Batman, the George Clooney Batman, the dark, horse-voiced Batman, the casual Batman I could go on forever. But I have narrowed it down to four Bats. So with that said, let’s enjoy my Batman take on “Who’s the Best”.

1. Comic Book Batman



Created by Bob Kane, Batman made his debut in Detective Comic#27 in 1939, the year that America entered WW2. Now talk about a guy that really has a rough life, his parents were killed by a street thug, he’s afraid of bats, he runs a multimillion dollar industry, and he spends his nights gliding the skies of Gotham as the dark Batman.



And for the first few issues, Batman was pretty cool, he kicked the cream filling out of Gotham thugs, had secret passages throughout his house, and really fit the term, Dark Knight. Eventually they thought that Batman needed a sidekick, so they gave in the incredibly gadfly nuisance known as Robin. He is pretty much the Jar Jar Binks of the Batman universe, always annoying the crap out of the Batman, but always coming to Batman’s side when there is trouble. But Batman on the other hand was freakin awesome, depite the fact that they gave him that bright blue Batman costume, depicting him as the Blue Knight instead of the Dark Knight. But he was completely different from other heroes at the time, like Superman. All of his powers were homemade, he had a much darker appeal, and he had a sidekick for crying out loud. But we all know that Batman is impervious to the highly skilled Man of Steel, unless Batman shoves Kryptonite up Superman’s butt. OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

2. Adam West Batman



RED ALERT! RED ALERT! CONTROVERISAL BATMAN! CONTROVERSIAL BATMAN! Yes, though some people may come throw rocks at my house for this, I have to say  that…I love the 60s Batman TVs series. Though I had quite a lot to say about the Caesar Romera Joker, I have twice the pork and beans to spew about Adam West’s Batman. Now a little history about this. The viewers of the Baman comics at the time thought that Batman was a little too violent and dark, especially for younger children. So they threw away Bob Kane’s vision of a dark Batman and turned him into a hamburger eating, club dancing, jolly go lucky Batman.



I must say, the 60s Batman series is not suppost to be taken seriously, but god darn was it funny. I mean, Batman surfing with the Joker, and those funny flash pows and kapows when they punch their enemies. It’s hilarious. My favorite is when Batman and Robin are climbing the side of a building and Santa Claus pops out. Though silly wand campy, the Adam West was classic, and really knew how to sass the girls. Grab a milkshake with Catwoman and drown your horrid memories of this childish antic.

3. Michael Keaton Batman



Can you believe people protested Michael Keaton being Batman when the Batman film was first spoken off in the late 80s? I mean, he was odd and crazed in Beetlejuice and starred in a movie with Christopher Reeve who played Superman, but that’s what makes Keaton so legendary as Batman. He was pretty darn scary but always spoke in that casual voice, unlike some other Batman we will get to soon. And I love that suit. The designers of the suit Bob Ringwood did a fantastic job designing it, in tribute to Bob Kane’s dark black Batman suit seen in the comics. And Tim Burton’s overall design of the character is pretty unique. He has the guy who will become the Joker, Jack Napier kill Bruce Wayne’s parents, and have a somewhat payback conception. I also like how he gives a nice little smile once in a while. But one thing a must complement on is that in Batman Returns, when Batman is fighting Catwoman in the Penguin’s layer, he tries to talk in that horse dark voice. It just doesn’t make sense that he would talk casual and suddenly start talking like someone with a hole in their throat. But he is great as Batman, truly fitting the term Dark Knight. It is a shame that Michael Keaton didn’t stick around for the next 2 Batman films, perhaps they would have done a hell of a lot better.

4. Christian Bale Batman



After the terrible reception of the fourth Batman film in 1997, director Christopher Nolan thought it would be a good idea to reboot the series, with the dark and griddy atmosphere of like in Kane’s comics. So we get the semi annoying performance by Christian Bale, as he brings back the terrifying Batman that has been frozen underground Earth for several milennia (that didn’t happen, I was talking in hyperbole). And this is the Batman that instantly became the target of hectoring. Everyone has at least one callous thing to say about this Batman, whether if it’s his suit, or his character development, and of course that voice. Everyone has made fun of this voice before, and it has us all wondering, does Batman have throat cancer? Did he get his tonsils taken out? Does he have a cold? I really don’t know, but it is good to get a Batman with a horse, intimidating voice that will make Gotham thugs beg for mercy. But one thing that I must complain about his Batman is, well, that Batmobile. I just don’t like the design of it. The one from the Tim Burton movies was the best, the one from the 60s TV series was okay, but this one is just too overated. Does Batman really need such as massive tank? But the Christian Bales Batman is pretty cool, and really knows how to take out villains without killing them, like the Joker and Scarecrow. All I can say to Nolan is keep the Batman series coming, and make it come fresh and hot. Make the coming sequels just as good as The Dark Knight and Batman Begins.

So which Batman do I like the best. I like the Comic Book version of course. I think this Batman fits the name Batman, and really displays the depiction of the character quite well I think. And if you want a Batman with great character development, I strongly recommend this Batman. He is tough, rough and really has a way with enemies. So that’s Episode Two of Who’s The Best. Stay tuned for Episode 3 where I will compare the different versions of the Man of Steel himself, Superman! Stay tuned!