Between comedy pop art sixties Batman and grim realistic Dark Knight we got...well, a mix of the two. Fresh off of his big screen debut in Pee Wee's Big Adventure, burgeoning director Tim Burton was handed the reigns of a new big screen adaptation of the iconic comic book character and the results were sort of mixed. There are parts of 1989's Batman and its follow up, Batman Returns, that don't hold up. And there are parts that have never been bettered! Find out which is which by rewatching both films and wondering why Christopher Walken was in the second one!
34. Get All Academic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1NwOMT5hZE Look, guys, comic books are serious business. Why do you think we publish tens of thousands of words about them every week, huh? Well, yes, we get paid for it, but also because there's actually that much material to write about those costumed weirdos. For a character as psychologically rich and long-lasting as Batman there's plenty of room for analysis - which is probably why books on the Dark Knight make up their own subgenre in your local Waterstones. Or they should, at least. Our favourites are by Will Brooker, known as Dr Batman for his work on the character, including the above TED talk.
33. Enrol At The University Of Victoria
If you wanna take it further - and more official - than a couple of paperbacks and a YouTube video, you could always go all in and enrol at the University Of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. We're unsure as to whether the Great White North city has a whole lot in common with Gotham City, but we do know that the college offers a module on The Science Of Batman as part of their Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education course. The description boasts:
"The extreme range of adaptability of the human body explored through the life of the Caped Crusader; examines human potential using Batman as a metaphor for the ultimate in human conditioning; evaluates the concepts of adaptation to exercise and injury from the perspective of science and exercise training; examines the multiple sciences behind exercise adaptation, musculoskeletal injury and concussion, and limitations of the human body and mind."
32. Get Sad About The Killing Joke
If the deeper analysis of the Dark Knight doesn't strike you as a fun time, but you still want a little intellectualism in your superhero escapist fantasies, then we reckon your Batman Day would be best spent reading Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's classic The Killing Joke. Staged as the ultimate confrontation between the Dark Knight and his arch enemy, it sees The Joker trying to prove to Commissioner Gordon that anybody can be driven mad by having one bad day - with flashbacks implying that's the very thing that happened to the Clown Prince Of Crime. Making us feel sympathetic? For The Joker? Yep, it works. Read it and see!
31. Spend A Day Solving Riddles
Meanwhile, if you want the intellectualism without getting bummed out by the story of a homicidal maniac in a clown outfit, why not follow the far more wholesome pursuits of another of Batman's rogues gallery? Like, say, indulging Edward Nigma's obsession with word puzzles? The Riddler's own games are kinda crummy from time to time, but no more than those books you get from Poundland printed on cheap paper. Fun!
30. Catch Up With Zero Year
We've mainly been recommending some older Batman comic books to read on this most auspicious of National Holidays (all you guys in the US have the day off work, right?), but that's not so suggest that the current series aren't worth picking up. Far from it, in fact. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo have recently been giving their own spin on Bruce Wayne's early years as a crimefighter, building up the world of Gotham City and the criminals who menace it for a whole new generation of readers. The epic story arc is just about to wrap up, so what better time to read all of it in 24 hours?
29. And Batman Eternal
On the other end of the spectrum is Batman Eternal, a weekly anthology series that takes a look at the future for DC's current iteration of the Dark Knight. Snyder and Capullo will take over the story once Zero Year is finished, but you should probably get in on the ground level and try to figure out why all of Gotham has turned against the Caped Crusader, why Jim Gordon has ceased being Commissioner, and get geared up for the next major storyline in the Batman comics. Need more convincing? We wrote a whole article about it!
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
