!

"#$%& ())"* +,
1hls essay uses Lhe followlng page from Lhe flrsL appearance of 8aLman, ln !"#"$#%&" ()*%$+ 27, whlch ls
reproduced here. ?ou do noL need Lo reproduce Lhe comlc page ln your essay.

8ob kane (arLlsL) and 8lll llnger (wrlLer), 1he Case of Lhe Chemlcal SyndlcaLe," !"#"$#%&" ()*%$+ #27,
May 1939, page 3.



uamlan Wayne
Lssay AsslgnmenL #1
Comlc 8ooks and Craphlc novels
rof. kuskln

1he uark knlghL and Lhe uarkness of Cur CompeLlLlve World

8aLman, lnvenLed by 8ob kane wlLh Lhe subsLanLlal help of 8lll llnger, ls Lhe mosL lmporLanL superhero,
even lf he ls noL Lhe flrsL. age Lwo of 1he Chemlcal SyndlcaLe," ln !"#"$#%&" ()*%$+ #27 does noL look
llke much, buL lL launched 1he 8aL-Man" lnLo Amerlcan culLure. 8aLman's legacy lncludes comlcs,
radlo, Lelevlslon, and fllms. 1here are Lhree lmporLanL Lhlngs abouL 8aLman LhaL every reader musL
ponder: flrsL, Lhe 8aLman ls noL Lhe flrsL comlc book superhero, buL he ls Lhe flrsL one Lo be dark and
broodlng. Second, he has no powers and ln Lhls way, he ls represenLs us all. lf we comblne Lhese Lwo
represenLaLlons, we come Lo a Lhlrd polnL: 8aLman shows us LhaL we llve ln Lhls world wlLhouL powers
and as we engage wlLh Lhls world we are broughL lnLo lLs darkness. 8aLman, a model for us all, forces us
Lo reallze LhaL any lnLeracLlon wlLh Lhe world brlngs us lnLo lLs darkness. 1he lesson of 8aLman ls Lo
sLrlve wlLh Lhe darkness around us, Lo reallze LhaL vlolence deflnes us, buL we can be herolc
neverLheless. ulLlmaLely, 8aLman ls a sLory LhaL forces us Lo look how vlolence shapes us, and ln Lhls lL
accompllshes Lhe role of all arL, whlch ls Lo make us reflecL on ourselves and our world.

8aLman was creaLed as a franchlse Lo compeLe wlLh Superman. naLlonal ubllcaLlons, Lhe company LhaL
flnally publlshed Superman, approached 8ob kane, a !ewlsh new ?orker whose real name was 8oberL
kahn, Lo creaLe a new superhero. kane had been worklng on !erry lger's comlc sLudlo, and came up
wlLh a hero based on Zorro. !erry Slegel and !oe ShusLer, Wlll Llsner, !erry lger-lL ls lnLeresLlng LhaL so
much of Lhe early comlc scene was creaLed by !ewlsh people (and l wlsh Lhe lecLures covered Lhls a blL
more, lL's a real overslghL). kane's 8aL-Man" had red LlghLs and a mask llke Lhe one 8obln would
evenLually wear. 8lll llnger revlsed Lhe concepL, addlng Lhe 8aLman cowl, Lhe cape, and Lhe gloves.
kane acLually Lraded Lhe rlghLs for 8aLman ln exchange for a by-llne glvlng hlm credlL. 8lll llnger goL lefL
ouL. ln any case, 8aLman orlglnally had no problem uslng guns, and lL wasn'L unLll uC's edlLorlal dlrecLor,
WhlLney LllsworLh ob[ecLed LhaL 8aLman adapLed Lhe anLlgun eLhos (see
hLLp://www.newyorker.com/onllne/blogs/commenL/2012/07/gun-laws-and-baLman.hLml). Crlglnally,
Lhe 8aL-Man was more deadly, and LhaL ls [usL my polnL: 8aLman ls born lnLo a compeLlLlve world,
llLerally as a hero Lo compeLe wlLh Superman. ln LhaL world, he Lakes acLlon, vlolenL acLlon, Lo deflne
hlmself. 8aLman ls noL born from a pure lmaglnaLlon buL an lmaglnaLlon LlnLed wlLh Lhe hard rules of
Lhe Amerlcan lree MarkeL, from Lhe sLarL.

1he naLure of 8aLman as a commerclal success has broughL hlm lnLo a number of movles. My favorlLe, ls
Lhe recenL Lrllogy by ChrlsLopher nolan and sLarrlng ChrlsLlan 8ale, Mlchael Calne, Cary Cldman, and Lhe
lnlmlLable Morgan lreeman. 1hese movles-Lhe 2003 ,-#*-. ,"/%.+, Lhe 2008 01" !-23 4.%/1#, and
Lhe 2012 01" !-23 4.%/1# 5%+"+-progresslvely become more lnLerLwlned wlLh reallLy, and, Lraglcally,
more enmeshed ln real-llfe vlolence and horror. ln Lhls, Lhey remaln Lrue Lo Lhe 8aLman sLory. lndeed,
Lhey are clearly famlllar wlLh Lhe comlc-book hlsLory. ,-#*-. ,"/%.+ sLarLs Lhe Lrllogy off darkly,
summonlng up a number of comlc book characLers, such as 8a's al Chul (played by Llam neeson) and
Lhe Scarecrow (superbly played by Cllllan Murphy-rlghL on!). ?eL Lhe movle remalns ln a comlc-book
reallLy, wlLh 8aLman uslng hls sulL Lo Lake fllghL and Lhe 1umbler acLually managlng Lo drlve across
roofLops. ,-#*-. ,"/%.+ ls a serlous movle abouL fear. lL ls also a comlc book movle flLLlng Lhe 8aLman
wlLh Lhe sLory.

01" !-23 4.%/1# 5%+"+ lnLenslfles Lhe vlolence and seems Lo force lL lnLo Lhe real world. 1hls ls due boLh
Lo Lhe scrlpL, whlch brlngs a whole new level of vlolence Lo Lhe sLory, and Lo Lhe masLerful porLrayal of
8aLman's nemesls, Lhe !oker, by PeaLh Ledger. 1he !oker ls a brlghL shadow of 8aLman. Pls face uLLerly
whlLe, and wearlng falrly brlghL colors, he glves lnLo all Lhe urges LhaL 8aLman denles hlmself. Pe ls Lhe
8aLman wlLhouL WhlLney LllsworLh's conLrol. 1hey are locked LogeLher, llke aLLracLed opposlLes: As he
says Lo 8aLman ln 01" !-23 4.%/1# 8lses, 1hls ls whaL happens when an unsLoppable force meeLs an
lmmovable ob[ecL. ?ou Lruly are lncorrupLlble, aren'L you? ?ou won'L klll me ouL of some mlsplaced
sense of self-rlghLeousness. And l won'L klll you because you're [usL Loo much fun. l Lhlnk you and l are
desLlned Lo do Lhls forever." Ledger uLLerly Lransformed hlmself lnLo a new person Lo become Lhe !oker.
Pe also dled afLer fllmlng, overdoslng on prescrlpLlon drugs, whlch shrouded Lhe movle ln Lragedy.

1hls real-llfe Lragedy only became more lnLense wlLh Lhe !-23 4.%/1# 5%+"+, and Lhe mass shooLlng aL Lhe
CenLury movle LheaLer ln Aurora, Colorado. WlLhouL dwelllng on Lhls very sad evenL, l would llke Lo
underscore Lhe way Lhe movle lLself moves away from Lhe comlc-book reallLy Lo, ln facL, change
Amerlca. 01" !-23 4.%/1# 5%+"+ relnLroduces a characLer from Lhe 1994 8aLman comlc serles,
knlghLfall," 8ane. ln Lhe comlc, 8ane ls [usL a nameless mercenary Lransformed lnLo a bruLal monsLer.
ln Lhe comlc, he lnsplres soclal rebelllon and so has a sLrange relaLlonshlp Lo Lhe Cccupy movemenL of
real llfe. lurLher, ln Lhe afLermaLh of Lhe Lerrlble shooLlng, Amerlcan really began Lo Lalk abouL Lhe
pollLlcs of gun conLrol. So, l would say, LhaL ln Lhe movle, and beyond lL, 01" !-23 4.%/1# 5%+"+ moves
from comlc book Lo reallLy, forclng us Lo confronL how vlolence shapes us publlcally and prlvaLely.

8eallLy and flcLlon are separaLe. llcLlon helps us Lhlnk abouL reallLy, however, and 8aLman ls one of Lhe
mosL powerful flcLlons of our Llme. 8aLman has been around for sevenLy-flve years now, and durlng
LhaL Llme he has changed. AL Lhe hearL of 8aLman lles a darkness, Lhe darkness of Lhe vlolence of Lhe
compeLlLlve world. WheLher lL ls ln a comlc book from Lhe 1930s or a movle from [usL a year ago,
8aLman shows us LhaL vlolence shapes our world and, hopefully, lL glves us a way Lo Lhlnk Lhrough Lhe
vlolence around us.

(-./0.1234
5676#8# 9&:869&#&7;< 1he essay has more Lhan one paragraph and dlscusses one of Lhe asslgned
comlc pages.
?es (30 polnLs)
no (0 polnLs)
27;9=>8?;6=7< 1he essay has a LlLle and Lhe lnLroducLlon paragraph has a Loplc and argumenL.
8 polnLs: 1he LlLle, Loplc, and argumenL are presenL and focus on a speclflc page beyond mere
ploL summary. 1he lnLroducLlon develops a clear relaLlonshlp wlLh Lhe reader LhaL bullds Lo Lhe
Lhesls sLaLemenL.
6 polnLs: 1he LlLle, Loplc, and argumenL are presenL and focus on a speclflc page beyond mere
ploL summary, buL do noL speak Lo Lhe reader or bulld Lo Lhe Lhesls sLaLemenL.
4 polnLs: 1he lnLroducLlon lacks one of Lhe Lhree elemenLs.
2 polnLs: 1he essay has an lnLroducLlon, buL does noL follow Lhe sLrucLure of LlLle, Loplc, and
argumenL.
0 polnLs: 1he essay does noL have an lnLroducLlon.
1@&)6) !;";&#&7; 67 ;@& 27;9=>8?;6=7< 1he lnLroducLlon ends wlLh a Lhesls sLaLemenL LhaL deflnes Lhe
enLlre essay and explalns why Lhe essay ls lmporLanL.
10 polnLs: 1he lnLroducLlon ends wlLh an orlglnal Lhesls sLaLemenL LhaL guldes Lhe enLlre essay,
announces Lhe paper's meanlng and explalns lL.
8 polnLs: 1he lnLroducLlon ends wlLh an orlglnal Lhesls sLaLemenL LhaL guldes Lhe enLlre essay,
announces Lhe paper's meanlng, buL doesn'L explaln lL.
6 polnLs: 1he lnLroducLlon ends wlLh a Lhesls sLaLemenL LhaL provldes a reasonable sense of Lhe
enLlre paper, buL lL ls noL sLaLed sufflclenLly clearly or ls confused wlLh Lhe lndlvldual deLalls of
Lhe argumenL.
4 polnLs: 1he lnLroducLlon ends wlLh a sLaLemenL LhaL relaLes Lo Lhe essay overall buL ls bland or
obvlous.
2 polnLs: 1he lnLroducLlon ends wlLh a general sLaLemenL LhaL only summarlzes Lhe page or ls
off-Loplc.
0 polnLs: 1he lnLroducLlon does noL end wlLh any sorL of flnal sLaLemenL.
.7"%*)6) A !*7;@&)6)< 1he essay addresses and lnLerpreLs Lhe plcLorlal and LexLual deLalls of Lhe page.
8 polnLs: 1he essay lnLerpreLs speclflc plcLorlal and LexLual deLalls from Lhe page ln an orlglnal
manner, lnLerpreLlng Lhem so as Lo go beyond Lhe sLory.
6 polnLs: 1he essay lnLerpreLs speclflc plcLorlal and LexLual deLalls from Lhe page and explalns
LhaL Lhey are lmporLanL, buL lL does noL lnLerpreL Lhem beyond Lhe sLory.
4 polnLs. 1he essay summarlzes plcLorlal and LexLual deLalls.
2 polnLs: 1he essay menLlons some plcLorlal or LexLual deLalls, buL mosLly focuses on characLers
or an ldea.
0 polnLs: 1he essay does noL dlscuss plcLorlal or LexLual deLalls.
B"9"C9"$@)< 1he essay uses clear paragraphs wlLh LranslLlons.
8 polnLs: 1he essay ls dlvlded lnLo more Lhan Lhree full paragraphs, each focused around a maln
polnL, ln a loglcal order of LranslLlon, and endlng concluslvely. 1he LranslLlons beLween
paragraphs are smooLh.
6 polnLs: 1he essay ls dlvlded lnLo more Lhan Lhree full paragraphs, each focused around a maln
polnL, ln a loglcal order of LranslLlon, buL some paragraphs lack concluslve endlngs or Lhe
LranslLlons beLween some paragraphs are noL smooLh.
4 polnLs: 1he essay ls dlvlded lnLo more Lhan Lhree full paragraphs, buL each paragraph ls only a
few senLences. 1he essay ls a llsL of shorL sLaLemenLs (llke lndlvldual bulleL polnLs) LhaL do noL
flow LogeLher.
2 polnLs: 1he essay ls dlvlded lnLo aL leasL Lhree paragraphs: an lnLroducLlon, a body, and a
concluslon, buL Lhe paragraphs are Loo blunL Lo connecL wlLh each oLher loglcally.
0 polnLs: 1he essay ls Loo shorL or blank.
D=7?%8)6=7< 1he essay has a concluslve endlng.
8 polnLs: 1he essay has a powerful concluslon LhaL summarlzes Lhe argumenL, resLaLes Lhe Lhesls
ln new words, and suggesLs Lhe lmpllcaLlons of Lhe argumenL for fuLure LhoughL.
6 polnLs: 1he essay has a concluslon LhaL summarlzes Lhe argumenL, resLaLes Lhe Lhesls ln new
words, buL doesn'L suggesL Lhe lmpllcaLlons of Lhe argumenL for fuLure LhoughL.
4 polnLs: 1he concluslon summarlzes Lhe argumenL, buL sLaLes Lhe Lhesls ln roughly Lhe same
words as Lhe lnLroducLlon.
2 polnLs: 1he essay has a flnal paragraph, buL Lhe relaLlonshlp Lo Lhe essay ls noL evldenL.
0 polnLs: 1he essay doesn'L have a concluslon.
D%"96;*< 1he essay conLalns readable prose.
8 polnLs: 1hls essay ls well wrlLLen. l could noL flnd slgnlflcanL errors.
6 polnLs: 1hls essay ls well wrlLLen. l found errors, buL noLhlng severe.
4 polnLs: 1hls essay ls readable. Some parLs of Lhe essay are rough, buL Lhe essay made sense.
2 polnLs: 1he essay ls messy and/or has mulLlple grammaLlcal problems, whlch make lL dlfflculL
Lo undersLand.
0 polnLs: 1he essay ls blank or ls Loo shorL Lo assess.
lease wrlLe a Lhree-senLence evaluaLlon of Lhe essay.
use one senLence Lo explaln Lhe essay's greaLesL sLrengLh.
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I6=%&7?&J
use one senLence Lo explaln Lhe essay's greaLesL weakness.
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$=67;)J
use one senLence Lo suggesL an lmprovemenL.
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