I didn't want to leave Oliver Queen out...

It occurred to me last night while reading that I left out Oliver Queen out when I said that Batman was the only major hero who didn't have any meta-human abilities.

Certainly, Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow is another man of considerable wealth and resources who also trained himself to extreme condition.

Posted by Vingold.

A word about continuity

I always have a problem with comic book character continuity. And when it comes to my favorite characters, Superman and Batman, I am very selective in the continuity that I choose to believe in. And in choosing my continuity, I don't limit myself to the comic books (since time doesn't allow me to read them as often, I can't keep up anyway).

I know some things are canon, and I'm not talking about messing around with those.

But, for Superman - I like to believe that his life included the events portrayed in the television series Smallville. I know that Tom Welling in portraying "Super Boy" is now older than any actor who has played Superman in the modern era. But I think the series long story arc of how Clark and Lex go from best friends to mortal enemies is being portrayed exceedingly well. It explains things much better than any comic book story arc has done.

So, what does this have to do with being Batman?

Well, for one - I'm going to ignore the origin story portrayed in Batman Begins. Although this is my favorite Batman movie by far, I don't like how short the Bruce to Bat metamorphis happened.

I know there was also a comic story arc that shows Bruce Wayne going to the FBI academy in Quantico to learn his craft. I'm ignoring this altogether as well.

We have to remember that Bruce Wayne would have been all over the tabloids following the deaths of his parents in Gotham. Bruce would have been very well known anyway as the sole heir to his parent's empire, but the gruesome details of their deaths would have put him on the covers of all the major magazines.

For those of you old enough to remember think of Barbara Hutton.

For those of us not old enough, think of JFK Jr. Or Princes William and Harry.

In any case, even assuming his notoriety died down once he reached adulthood, I find it hard to believe that The Bruce Wayne could go to Quantico, get trained, then leave the FBI to return to Gotham - only to have some masked vigilante with exceptional detective skills appear months later. And no one notice or even get the connection?

The Bruce Wayne in my universe had his parents murdered when he was 8. He spent 4 years being sad and being a kid and eventually being bored. When he was 12 he left Gotham, and under the direction of Alfred and one of his uncles, he traveled the world and found himself.

He would have been a very unruly and angry young man. And he might have even picked more fights than he could handle. Probably against opponents that not only outnumbered him but who also overpowered him. And he didn't even fight for all the right reasons. He probably just fought because it helped him handle his anger (most 12 to 14 year old boys fight a lot anyways - he'd have even more reason).

He was probably first sent to boarding schools throughout Europe. Some of which were even tied to some of the greater institutions over there. His anger and restlessness probably got him expelled from more than one school.

Somewhere along the way, someone - probably Alfred - told him he needed to find himself or lose everything his parents ever stood for - justice, protecting the innocent, defending the defenseless, helping the helpless, etc.

He undoubtedly graduated high school early. Got some undergrad degrees in chemistry and science. Maybe did some internships with Interpol or Scotland Yard working alongside detectives and forensics experts. Graduate school would have come next.

All the while he was probably learning to harness his physical aggression by taking Martial Arts classes. At first it was just to learn some discipline. Then it was about the mastery of the art. He would have dabbled a bit in extreme sports like racing cars, skydiving, rock climbing, hang gliding and base jumping. His wealth would have allowed him to travel the world and learn from the best.

This is the origin story I like to believe in. As for what happens after he becomes Batman - I generally follow the continuity laid out at The Bat Squad.

Posted by Vingold

Buying Batman - a Forbes Viewpoint

When the movie "Batman Begins" came out in the summer of 2005, Forbes magazine did an article on what it would cost if you wanted to buy your way into being a modern day Batman.




Here is their breakdown:
The Training $30,000 (Shaolin Temple -Tagou. For 3 years)
The Suit $1,585
The Belt $290
The Car $2,000,000
The Cave $24,000 (for one year) (really an old warehouse in a questionable neighborhood)
The Alter Ego $1,109,574
The Butler $200,000 a year

Final Cost: $ 3,365,449

Being Batman - Forbes.com

When you look at it that way, and take into account that Bruce Wayne is worth about $6.3 billion (according to Forbes), being Batman for Bruce Wayne is quite the bargain.

As a percentage of net worth (.05%) most of us spend more than that on our hobbies.


- Vincent Goldsmith

Bruce Wayne to Batman

Batman has always fascinated me. He's the one main Super Hero who has no super-human powers at all.

If the comics are to be believed, and his origin story is plausible, then any man (or woman) who has enough drive, determination and wealth can become as formidable as Bruce Wayne did when he became Batman.

As the story goes Bruce's parents were murdered when he was 8. When he was 14, he left Gotham City and went out into the world traveling the globe - all the while learning and honing the skills he would later use to strike terror in the hearts and minds of criminals.

12 years later, he returns to Gotham City. An expert in Forensics and Criminology, but also a conditioned physical specimen who was an expert in every single martial art. Plus he had exceptional training in gymnastics and acrobatics, vertical ascent and descent and a handful of tricks in lock-picking and escapology.

Is it possible that one man (a boy for the early part of it) could learn all these skills to the degree that Bruce Wayne did in the 12 years he was away from Gotham City?

With this blog, I'm going to try and find out.

Along the way, I'm also going to point out some places a modern day Bruce Wayne might go to get the training.

This blog for me, is purely fun. So if you have ideas (and I'm sure a lot of people do) - please share!

- Vincent Goldsmith