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Smiling With A Wink – A Few Thoughts About All Star Batman #1

Published Mon, 08 Aug 2016 10:00:32 -0500

Last updated Tue, 09 Aug 2016 15:26:06 -0500

There is often comic book debate regarding whether Batman smiles or not. Because, basically, these days he doesn't. Or at least rarely. There's that famous ending of The Killing Joke or course.

John Byrne once talked about how the grim-styled Batman was a sign that something was wrong. Rather than a mentally disturbed Batman, Bruce Wayne dealt with the demons of his childhood by initially becoming Batman, but continued because it was the right thing to do. And it was fun.

Batman should smile, he should enjoy his work. That the Batman in Miller's Dark Knight was a Bruce Wayne who had stopped doing that, who had betrayed himself and that was the greatest wrong which led to his grim demeanour. And during that book, he gets the grin back.

But it became far more common for Batman to be the grim brooding Dark Knight. From the last time they did an All-Star Batman…

Remember, he's the goddamn Batman.

In this week's All-Star Batman #1 from Scott Snyder and John Romita Jr, the smile comes back. And not only that, but he brings with it a wink…
Did John Byrne have Batman wink? But for all you grimdark fans, don't worry, that Batman is there too…

And Two-Face.

There will be plenty more to talk about after the comic is published. About Batman's own Darth Vader. About Temptation. And about what happens when you take Batman out of the shadows, literally and, as we saw with the wink, figuratively too. There is no hiding for him. There is no hiding for anyone.

Because, yes, there may also be comparisons to Mr Robot, not so much in the use of technology (or how much Scott Snyder looks like Elliot), more in the observation that people are the ones to hack rather than the machines. That we all have weakpoints that we access every day yet believe we can hide from everyone. To hack them you don't even need to have the keys. Just persuade the person that you have them. And they will open them all up by themselves.

We are our own hackers, through our sins. We just have to keep on smiling.

With a wink.

All-Star Batman #1 by Scott Snyder, John Romita Jr, Dani Miki, Dean White, Declan Shalvey and Jordi Bellaire is out on Wednesday, published by DC Comics.

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