Posted in: Comics | Tagged: , ,


When Batman Sits Down (UPDATE)

Paul Jenkins has been replying to comments in the thread from his recent Bleeding Cool interview that seems to have touched many a nerve.

But it may have brought up a question even more important than maintaining good working relationships between creators and publishers.

The question of whether or not Batman sits down.

Paul writes;

I would like to relay an editorial comment that I received near the end of my time writing the Dark Knight New 52 series. In one scene, I had written that Batman is sitting on a rooftop during an intense conversation, close to a person who has been injured. The editorial comment: "We're not sure you are "getting" the character because it's common knowledge that Batman never sits down." This, mind you, after I had made it clear I was not going to rewrite material for the umpteenth time after it had already been approved.

Now aside from the fact that Batman could just as easily sit on his haunches as anything, if writing the character sitting down shows a basic lack of understanding of the character then I guess Alan Moore didn't understand the character in Killing Joke:

Batman; The Killing Joke, Cards

And obviously Frank Miller missed out on the point during his Dark Knight Strikes Again series:

DK2

And, of course, Batman never sits down when he is in the Bat Cave looking at all those monitors. I think, perhaps, that if editorial comments are focused around, say, a character's penchant for standing up as opposed to, say, the interactions between characters or the flow and structure of the story then the people behind such comments are missing the point. The requisite qualification for being a good editor does not have to be a degree in English (though that might help) but neither should it be a ridiculous adherence to past continuity, especially not a haphazard and inaccurate one.

I do take DC's point to some degree, Batman, certainly in the field, rarely sits. When he does sit, it's usually away from the centre of action, or there's a very strong reason why he is not adopting his usual stance. But is it common knowledge?

There was a time when Batman specifically did not sit down at the Justice League table.

tumblr_meia3qKn1x1rur0aro1_1280

But, he often still found somewhere to sit, or at least slump.

davis

But it's not like he never sat there.

TheFirstBookofDespero

Indeed, these days readers can make the man sit down themselves.

P1060004

And over the years did seem to sit down in all sorts of places.

batcavebatmancaughtreading2645

And not just the Bat cave.

batman-sittingjackie4af104ef47586

Even very recently in the New 52, he had a bit of a sit.

Batman-Vol.-2-1-2011

There's only one answer. Someone must create a Batman Sitting Down tumblr to collect these images and more. UPDATE: It has been done!

Only then will we be able to make a clear decision as to whether or not Batman sits down.


Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
twitterfacebookinstagramwebsite
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.