Batman is a great character because of the combination of wish fulfilment and tragedy. He is, to borrow a phrase from a Marvel character who bears a certain resemblance to him, a "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" - more than enough wish-fulfillment for anyone. *And* he's a super-fit vigilante with a utility belt full of toys and the tacit authority (in the form of public praise and the police looking the other way) to take down criminals wherever and whenever he can. But like all mythic heroes, he's set apart from humanity - isolated, tragic, doomed to lose or drive away the ones he loves and never to enjoy a just reward for what he's done for humanity. He fights for a society he can never be fully part of, which only increases our admiration...

"However, this figure was deemed to be ‘strong but unimpressive by today’s instantaneous blockbuster standards’ according to Box Office Mojo, and the sub-$400M final tally was only enough to secure its place as the eighth highest-grossing film that year" This statistic fails to point out that despite an unimpressive opening weekend, it went on to gross over 200 million dollars domestically. Which means it had legs. It wasn't the hype of the marketing campaign that got people to ultimately see the film. It was word of mouth. It was that it was a good film.

Batman is a great character because of the costume. Put on the costume and you can be a great character too. Try it. Go on, you know you want too. Show up for work like that. You'll thank me someday.

Any mention of the success or failure of in this case, The Batman franchise, that doesn't mention Comic Con's influence is woefully incomplete. I'd expand on this concept, however, my wife just requested the computer. Maybe if I get a reply, I'll write more....

Thank you, Vic Tional, for a fun romp through Batman cinema history! The mark Nolan leaves on the franchise and character is so huge, dark, and defining, an epic ride, leaves me very curious where franchise will go from here. Why Batman great? Esp when he's so grumpy. Never thought he'd be my favorite, and now I can't remember when he wasn't. Of all the super heroes, he is us, a regular old human. A regular human with Sherlock Holmes brilliance, Ninja Warrior awesomeness, and a dash of sociopathy (just enough to enjoy some righteous rage). And, though different writers have handled this differently, Batman is about no guns, another reason he's an easy favorite. Last night I read aloud a super hero pooches story and my heart actually warmed reading that Batman's dog, Ace, figured something out not sniffed out by the other dog. Of course he'd be smarter than the average dog! He's the Bat-Hound. No one can beat Batman when he's had time to prepare. And Batman is always prepared. Just like Ace. My favorite Batman moments are when we get to see him be best friends with Superman. So give Public Enemies (Jeph Loeb writer comic, Stan Berkowitz writer script) a try if you haven't seen it, the two are on the run together, them against the world, and there are fun character revealing moments, like: Batman: The kryptonite is near your heart. I don't know if I'll get it before the wound closes. Superman: Where's The Flash when you need him? Batman: Do me a favor and lose the sense of humor. Superman: Do us both a favor and buy one. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1398941/

Thanks for the 'woefully incomplete' thing.