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Wisdom From The Batcave
posted October 30, 2006
 

Creator: Cary A. Friedman
Publishing Information: Compass Books, Prose Paperback, September 2006, 96 pages, $13.95
Ordering Numbers: 097619662X (ISBN)

Rabbi Cary A. Friedman looked to Batman as a role-model when was a child, and through the publication of Wisdom From The Batcave we learn he continues to look at the Caped Crusader for examples of moral instruction when it comes to his teaching and consultant work. In a series of extremely short exhortations, he picks and chooses elements of the superhero's long existence to illustrate a moral portrait of focused, self-actualized, purposeful living. Kind of a gospel according to Batman.

It makes perfect sense that Friedman should be able to do this with Batman -- not only are the iconic superhero characters useful vessels in general, writers have long used Batman's appeal as the self-made superhero as their basis for various takes on the character. When combined with the usual moral focus of superhero comic books, the increasing attention to making sure characters in entertainment maintain their winning status or the promise of same at all times, and the move over time to give characters in serial literature a group of supportive allies, the end result is there are plenty of examples to bring out of the long up and down history to paint the picture Friedman sees and believes in. Other aspects of Batman's long history, say the "hairy-chested sex god" version that writer Grant Morrison finds appealing, or the ruthless and semi-deranged Frank Miller Dark Knight, would make for quite a different book.

There are a few amusing moments in Wisdom -- an extremely short book, by the way -- such as a chapter that points out that all villains leave footprints with traces of easily identifiable clay, but mostly the prose is of the straightforward textbook variety, clear and precise but unremarkable. I am about as far from the audience for this kind of book as possible; I remember being stunned to learn while at The Comics Journal that so many people at some point in their lives looked to characters like Superman or Batman as instructive examples of real-world anything -- I'm just not wired that way. But I also realize that people will take inspiration where they find it. If Batman gets a sad, helpless-feeling kid off the couch and doing sit-ups or moves someone to consider a career in social services, hooray for Batman is what I say.