Warning: Spoilers for Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14
Summary
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Hayden Sherman’s story in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14 deconstructs the typical Batman story structure.
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The Batman formula can be summarized in six steps: “Get ready. Go away. Help. Hurt. Return. Heal.”
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The story explores Batman’s trophy gallery and the psychological motivation behind the items he collects.
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger for 1939 Detective comics #27, Batman became DC’s most successful superhero. In the nine decades since its creation, the hero formula and its titles have been well rounded – and a recent page sums it all up for readers.
In Batman: The brave and the bold #14, Hayden Sherman’s story “The Evidence Remains”, takes the basic formula of a Batman story and presents it on a single page. As Sherman writes, the typical Dark Knight comic can be summarized in six simple steps: “Get ready. Go away. Help. Hurt. Return. Heal.“
The page presents a series of story montages inspired by comic books, taking the reader through different – ​​and familiar – stories. Narrated by the hero himself, his inner monologue explains that “Repetition. Routine. Gives an order to life. Ensures time is used well.“
All Batman stories boil down to the same essential narrative elements
Writer/artist Hayden Sherman summed up the Batman formula
In contrast to Superman, Batman is well established as the streets’ premier vigilante, a hero defined by his intelligence, detective skills, and fighting prowess. From solving elaborate murders committed by the Riddler to his continued attempt to take down the Joker, many of the Batman stories follow the same formula. While some stories have subverted or commented on this story model in the past, few have come as close as writer and artist Hayden Sherman to deconstructing it.
Sherman went beyond the simple origins of these items, focusing on what they mean to the Caped Crusader.
“The Evidence Remains” is ultimately a story about Batman’s trophy gallery and why he collects the items he does. As the story progresses, readers are offered a window into the hero’s psychology and doubtswith him questioning”Do I matter? There is no way to measure it. Not knowing my impact.” After viewing a montage of some victories and defeats, Sherman concludes with a view of the trophies, explaining “Evidence of ground gained and lost. Tangible proof that these routines are worth it. And maybe then, this life will too.“
The brave and the bold Brings new meaning to the Batcave
Batman’s story shines
Batman’s cave and trophy room have been explored in previous stories. Famously, in the story “Batman’s Thousand and One Trophies”, by Edmond Hamilton, Bob Kane and Charles Paris de Batman #256, the origins of these items are explored. Now, Sherman has gone beyond the simple origins of these items, focusing on what they mean to the Caped Crusader. Each new item added is a foundation that the hero has achieved in his endless and repetitive war against crime in Gotham City – and that is exactly what Batman you need to stay motivated.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #14 is now available from DC Comics.
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BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #14 (2024) |
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