Now, I can spend my time giving you a history lesson on Batman in honor of his 75 years, or I can just direct you to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman and you can read up on the history yourself. This blog won't be a history lesson, but instead, it will be paying homage to why this character means so much to me.
I've loved Batman ever since I was a kid. I can remember clearly watching Batman Returns as a kid (I was too young to see Batman 89' in theaters), and I can remember playing with my Michael Keaton Batman Returns figure which I still have today, unfortunately it is now marked with crayons and scuff marks, but still standing in my collection of Batman stuff. I remember loving each Batman movie I saw, Batman Forever, AND Batman and Robin (Remember guys, I was a kid!!!). I just loved Batman.
A blurry picture of me as Batman as a kid, and my cousin who ruined this picture with the Genie from Aladdin.
A Batman costume I made in 2010 for Halloween...and sometimes to fight crime...
Just some of the things in my room
As a kid, he is a hero to you, even if you know he isn't real, you as a child love characters like Batman because the hero aspect of it, the child like entertainment you see from the cartoons and comics, but when you grow up it becomes more then a "hero" or a "cartoon/comics". You begin to understand the stories, and the maturity of the comics and the very amazing animated series of the 90's. You see the adult view of this character, and you have a whole new love and understanding of Batman. It was around 2005 when I again became a huge Batman fan, after growing out of everything geeky and childish like. I am almost certain it was Christoper Nolan's Batman Begins that drew me back into it, although I am certain it was lingering in me and I just kept it hidden to fit in as much as possible.
My obsession with Batman begins (pun intended). Why was this character so special to me as a kid? The better question, why was this character so special to me as an adult? Well, time for me to get a bit personal. Ever since I can remember I have always in a ways felt alone, and not capable of becoming anything in life, that I am nothing special to family or friends and that I go out of my way to show them I am something and I feel a little crazy inside sometimes, struggling with my thoughts, and trying to fit in. It may sound crazy to some of you, but when I watch a Batman movie, or watch the show, or play the Arkham video games, or read a graphic novel, I see a story of a boy who lost everything, and grew up to become something, without any powers, without being special like everyone else around him. I see a dark psychological struggle, someone who is doing all he can for everyone and yet is also as crazy as the people he is fighting against. When I was a kid, I saw a hero fight the bad guy in a colorful world and a cool costume (still a super awesome costume), as an adult I saw the meaning behind the character, the depth into his psychological struggle, and I related ( No I am not crazy...maybe a little), and I became inspired.
Batman has inspired me on many occasions. One aspect of my life that this character has recently inspired me, has been something as simple as my art. One day I just became so fascinated with Jim Lee's interpretation of Batman, I decided to start up drawing again. Sure, you can say it was Jim Lee's interpretation that inspired me, which it was, he is a wonderful and inspiring artist, but without my love of the character, I wouldn't of cared to look at this art. I have become so determined in my artwork to become a better artist and one day hopefully create a character so amazing as Batman that I can inspire many others as the character has inspired me. I've struggled with what I wanted to do in life, and my realization of my love for Batman and comics have brought me to realize I want to create stories and draw them out for all to read and love and to inspire.
My Bruce Timm inspired art
Batgirl Bruce Timm Inspired art
A Jim Lee inspired sketch I did
A fictional character and a fictional story may seem, to some, a stupid thing to be inspired by, something incapable of having an impact on peoples lives, but this isn't true. You see girls react to characters in books like 50 Shades of Grey and Twilight, drooling over fictional characters and hoping for a man like that (unfortunately sometimes the stories are awful). A character, a story, fiction or not can bring someone to tears, make the heart ache, inspire you, make you laugh, and make you strong. Sometimes it last for only that story, or in my case can last you a lifetime. From being a childhood hero, wanting to grow up and be just like Batman, to actually growing up and realizing that some things, no matter how crazy, and stupid they may seem are the most inspiring and most dear to your heart.
