It all started three years ago, when I thought I'd write a blog post about the Condiment King. Since then I've written more than a dozen pieces about Batman mythology, focusing on the more obscure threads sewn into the Dark Knight legend. I've collected the links here--hope you enjoy. (I've left them mostly unchanged for now, so please forgive outdated facts or references.) This also includes a piece I wrote for the Saturday Evening Post about The Shadow and its influence on Batman and the superhero genre.
THE SHADOW
How the landmark pulp novel and radio character inspired the modern superhero genre.
THE CONDIMENT KING
Find out why Batman's stupidest villain has a surprisingly interesting backstory.
The D.C. Universe's most important, anonymous person. He symbolizes all that Batman fights against--or, sometimes, nothing at all.
When the country needed them, Batman and Superman heeded the call, by becoming national pitchmen.
The Penguin is a scrappy, ruthless and surprisingly effective politician with a giant chip on his flipper, who just may remind you of another unlikely pol. He gained his taste for politics in a hilarious episode of the 60s Batman television show.
Batman's faithful butler started out as a bumbling joke. Find out how he evolved into the heart of the Dark Knight story.
Fans are always causing problems for Batman, inside and outside the pages.
How Polka-Dot Man, one of Batman's silliest bad guys, ended up in a summer blockbuster.
Why does Batman keep a cow in the Batcave? Find out the weird, quirky story behind the Bat-Cow.
One year before Adam West debuted as Batman, the Caped Crusader became the hippest thing on America's college campuses.
How one issue of The Flash changed comics and pop culture forever by introducing the idea of parallel universes into superherodom.
She's DC's most interesting and complex character in 30 years--and her real backstory is even more fascinating.
Batman seems like he wants to be a loner, yet he can't stop accumulating partners. Just what's his deal?
The mind-blowing 20-year-old Joker story that has a strange link to our surreal times.
The one book that divides fans and has dominated the Batman mythology--especially his movies--for decades.
It's many fans' pick for the best superhero movie ever made, and it changed both Batman and the superhero genre forever. So why do we have such a hard time dealing with its politics?
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