Me and my Bat

Anyone who's known me for long or been to my house knows that I have a secret passion for super heroes. If you browsed my books, you would find a small collection of graphic novels on the bottom shelf of my bookcase. If you went through my toybox filled with my own toys that I didn't have to share with my siblings, you would discover a collection of plastic action figures and assessories, mostly collected in high school and college. If you shop with me, you find my eyes wandering toward the little caped pajamas that advertise someone who can fly. I like super heroes. I just do.

If you know me, you know who my favorite of them all is. It's no secret to most that I am an avid Bat-fan. It all started when I was a little kid, and they showed the cheesy Adam West Batman shows as reruns after school. What can I say? I liked the bright colors and the sweet theme song. The cool gadgets, the sweet car (which, I might add, resides in our very own Marion Iowa) and the bat ears. I liked it. I put a bat pole up in my tree house (an old garden hose tied to a branch). I spent my free time at school making things that would fit in a utility belt.

My facination with detectives and spying only added to the intrigue of Batman. I saw the movies when I was a little older. And then, a great thing happened in 1992. Warner Brothers produced a new cartoon. The Adventures of Batman. It was an awesome cartoon, and my love for it cemented my admiration of the best super hero ever.

But aside from those superficial factors, I've thought through the years what made me identify with Batman more than, say, Supergirl? Or Wonderwoman or the Flash or Superman? So now, for a glimpse into the darkness of my mind, I will explain to you why I relate with Batman and have loved him all these years. This is not a top ten list, but I thought ten was a nice round number.

1) He's an outsider. In fifth, sixth, seventh grade, I discovered that people didn't like me. In general, my peers ignored me or made fun of me. In high school, I realized that, although I had friends, I was still sort of excluded from their personal worlds, the lives they had shared together before they knew me. Batman understands that. Batman doesn't get close to anyone and when he does, he usually wishes he hadn't.

2) He's dark. He lurks in the shadows and sneaks around finding things out about people. He makes it his business to know what's going on. I've always been the kind of person who knows what's happening around me without having to be told. Batman can put pieces together quickly and know things that others haven't told him. He likes to surprise people with what he knows, and use it as a weapon against them. I like that about him. It always brings me great pleasure when someone looks at me and says, "How did you know that!?" I think it gives Batman pleasure too.

3) He's misunderstood and intensely lonely. I don't feel that way as often anymore, but I did when I was falling in love with Batman.

4) He has a dry, dry, dry sense of humor. Enough said.

5) He's freaking smart. I'm not freaking smart, but I like people who are and I always have.

6) He's great at everything I wish I were. Ninja skills, computer hacking skills...

7) He's mysterious.

8) He has a great understanding of human nature.

9) He's always one or two or three steps ahead of everyone, even his "colleagues".

10) He looks really good in spandex.

Those are just the reasons I've though of. I'm sure there are better ones, if I psychoanalysed myself. It's not that I am so much like Batman that I have to relate with him. Granted, there are more admirable super heroes. There are definately ones with more integrity and honor. I like them too. It's just that Batman stands out to me more than anyone else.