WARNING: Spoilers for Justice League #67!
The Dark Knight is one of DC Comics’ flagship heroes, but a recent adventure with the Justice League has the Batman looking a little sillier than usual - and he’s all the better for it. As far as superheroes go, Batman is a pretty serious guy. As a world-class detective and master martial artist, the Caped Crusader has long since earned a spot on the Justice League.
But at the end of the day, no matter how much Batman refuses to admit it, he’s still a human being. With all of the crazy situations he finds himself caught in, there’s no way he can escape from every situation unscathed. And Justice League #67 by Brian Michael Bendis and Phil Hester highlights just how silly things can get when a mere mortal has to stand alongside literal gods.
Justice League #67 picks up where the previous issue left off. With the combined forces of the Justice League and the United Order going toe-to-toe with the Synmar Utopica, it’s a highly volatile situation that a character like Batman may end up getting lost in. Naturally, it’s Batman who saves the day by imprisoning Synmar in the Phantom Zone, but not before his cowl loses an ear in the scuffle. It’s hardly noticeable in the havoc of the situation, but when the Justice League strikes a pose against a potentially hostile United Order, it’s hard to deny how silly Batman looks standing next to the rest of the Justice League. Batman losing an ear on his cowl may not seem like a big deal at first, but in actuality, what seems like just a small visual gag actually humanizes the character in a pretty fun way.
These days, Batman is frequently treated as an untouchable warrior mastermind who’s always a hundred steps ahead of the competition just to justify his place next to characters like Superman or Shazam. This trend has even led to some fans referring to him as “Bat-God,” but it’s also sucked a lot of the fun and whimsy out of the Batman concept. After all, it’s hard to imagine the Batman of recent years wearing his old Rainbow costume.
When he’s boiled down to his core, Batman as a character is pretty goofy. He’s undeniably an interesting and nuanced character with decades of amazing stories. But he’s also a grown man who dresses as a bat and spends his nights jumping off of rooftops to fight clowns and crocodile men. As time has gone on, fans and occasionally creators have gotten so caught up in the myth of what Batman should be that they frequently lose sight of the fun that comes with the character.
Batman is one of the world’s most amazing crime fighters, but he’s still just a man. And while he’s one of the most competent heroes in DC Comics and a mainstay member of the Justice League, that doesn’t mean that he’ll always be able to avoid looking ridiculous every now and then. After all, Batman is nowhere near untouchable - that’s what makes him interesting.