FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, fans of the Caped Crusader have celebrated “Batman Day” on the third Saturday in September.
This year, the folks at DC Comics and Warner Bros. have a host of events planned around the world, including re-releasing older Batman movies in theaters, streaming more titles, and of course, selling lots of Batman merchandise. (Did you know that Amazon has a whole Batman store? You do now.)
It’s worth using the occasion of this pop-culture neo-holiday as an excuse to reflect a bit about the character of Batman, the American character, and how art changes and is changed by our wider culture. Admittedly these are immense subjects, not least because of how many variations of Batman there have been on paper and on screen since his debut in 1939, but let’s narrow it down by discussing the two with the widest cultural footprint over the last half-century.
Read Full Article »
