Book Review: The villains get analyzed by a real-life psychologist in "Batman and Psychology" (2012)

[about_faces]

Preamble: While I will be discussing this book to the best of my abilities, I know that there's nothing quite like seeing a work that's being critiques yourself rather than just hearing the critic's description. As such, if you're interested in checking this book out for yourself, I have found three separate extensive previews of this book: two

Comments

[about_faces]

*On second thought, I should actually read the Batman religion book, God on the Streets of Gotham, since there's apparently a good deal of discussion about Harvey Dent. Unfortunately, it's only the Harvey of Nolan's The Dark Knight, but as frustrating as it is to once again see no one talking about the character from the comics, at least the author of this book is consistent in focusing on just one story to analyze rather than being a pick-and-choose mishmash like the book above. And speaking of TDK...

[ext_1288008]

God on the Streets of Gotham is a good book. Focusing on the Nolan's movies, though, it feels like it misses the essence of Batman. Batman starts with comic books. He's not just a comic book character. Other versions matter too. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with focusing, but for a writer who obviously knew the comics too, the way Paul Asay presents everything kind of comes across like he's missing the "real" characters. He does delve into Bane as the character appears in comic books because he didn't know about about The Dark Knight Rises yet, but drawing on the comics at that particular point, in the middle of all the movie talk, is jarring. I still recommend God on the Streets of Gotham for fans who like to contemplate what goes on in Bat-characters' heads.

[about_faces]

**Regarding Nolan's The Dark Knight, Langley briefly discusses Eckhart's Harvey Dent and writes, "Long before fire scars Harvey down one side, police have already nicknamed him 'Two-Face.' Though we never hear why, may mean they'd glimpsed some hypocrisy, a malevolent potential that the Joker would later lure out.'

Well, um, actually... no. He was called "Two-Face" because it was explicitly stated in the film that he worked for Internal Affairs, and IAD is typically characterized in Law and Order and whatnot as being loathed by all cops either because 1.) bad cops want to protect their asses, 2.) IAD sometimes go after good cops and destroy their careers, and/or 3.) the very nature of IAD dares to challenge the Blue Code of Silence, regardless of the fact that he was right about all the corrupt cops! Heck, even the viral marketing described Harvey as being denounced by other cops for ruining the reputation of "good, honest cops" like Arnold Flass

[about_faces]

Your observations are good and you should feel good.

And I want to read this book now.

You should! Then we can pick it apart properly! I definitely want more people to read it so they can chime in because I'm already starting to worry that I didn't sufficiently understand Langley's arguments and just jumped to snap judgments or something.

[about_faces]

***Langley quotes the "blind, stupid, simple, doo-dah luck" line from Batman Forever in his Two-Face profile. To the author's credit, that isn't a bad line at all, and Langley himself is self-aware enough to make note of the fact that he's quoting Batman Forever in an earlier note, when he quotes "Chicks dig the car." In the notes for that line, he writes, "Yes, I quoted the movie Batman Forever." It's bits like that which endear me to Langley.

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****I don't put that correction in there to be a smartass, because Henchgirl and I have both mistaken the Weskers Arnold and Albert before. I'm sure we're not the only ones either.

[mothy_van_cleer]

"One of you mugs getter cough up a egg soon, see? Nyeah!"

[about_faces]

I had not seen that before, and now I feel like my life is slightly better somehow.

[psychopathicus]

I'm guessing that Ledger-Joker is so popular because his makeup is specifically designed to look like it's been smeared on by a madman with no desire for subtlety, hence no matter how much of a half-assed job you do, it'll still look more-or-less as intended. That's always been the problem I, for one, have had with it - it's ugly. Sure, it fits the character, and Ledger made it work very nicely, and I can forget my objections while I'm actually watching the movie, but in a still-frame shot? Ick.
That's good news about the Hatter - he really does need a good comics origin if he's going to remain a viable long-term character. I look forward to your thoughts once my next article is published on MRFH, as I specifically mention Jervis in it, and go into what my own personal solutions to the problem would be (at least so far as making him viable for inclusion in a movie).
Another thing against the 'why she doesn't move into a jungle' thing is that she did, more or less, during No Man's Land. Sure, it was a city park instead of a '

[mothy_van_cleer]

Really, the sheer effort that Misiano puts into his costume work is what's managed to electrify the blogosphere in the first place. Scott McClure may do a good Heath Ledger impression, but I doubt you could pick him out from the nine dozen or so other Jokers wandering around around any given convention floor. Harley's Joker, on the other hand, looks like a Bolland sketch made flesh (down to the cufflinks, even), and fans flock to get a picture taken with him because he's also willing to act the part.

The upsetting thing, though, is that he's not just a gold standard for all cosplayers to emulate - he's an anomaly. Most con-goers, if given the choice, would rather slather on a thin layer of greasepaint and a "I slept overnight at the bus station" bedraggled purple suit than be bothered constructing an elaborate costume, and that's fine - if you've got time or budget restrictions. But if you're waiting six weeks for your replica coat and vest to come in the mail, you've officially become the "weekend warrior" of Comic-Con. In other

[psychopathicus]

I might point out that it's not just time or budget restrictions - it's talent for costuming, something which not everybody has. I, for instance, have plenty of time in which to make a costume, lots of ideas for one, and if I ever manage to scrape together the dough to get to a con in the first place, I'll probably also be able to afford the necessary materials - but I can't sew worth a darn (er... as it were), so... yeah. That kinda brings things to a halt. I'm not a fan of the Ledger-Joker look, but at least it doesn't require specialized skills to to put together.

[about_faces]

The talent factor is another big one, as is convenience. If I've learned anything from all these cosplayers, it's that it is EASY to look creepy with the Ledger Joker makeup, much easier and more effectively than if you just dyed your hair green, slapped on white makeup, and applied lipstick.