Jonathan Lethem's The Only Human Superhero

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In his paper “The Only Human Superhero,” which published on Rolling Stone, Jonathan Lethem (2012) states that why Batman endures for more than half a century, how the characteristics and the appearance of Batman affect generation after generation and what is the unique feature different version of Batman brings to us. Batman has always been a popular and controversial comic image in people's minds because originally, he was a first human superhero who fought crime and brought hope by his brilliantness, strong body and high-tech bat suit rather than a gun. However, his deep, taciturn and elegant personality brought him his greatest enemy, the Joker. The Joker has antipodal nature, which opposed to Batman. The experience of parents was murdered when he was a child, his character and his dressing style brings the darkness and complexity of Batman, like Dracula. He believes that people are concerned about whether a human with such strong force still fits in the society or not. Bruce Wayne, the true name of the Batman, is struggled with which one is his true nature, Batman or just an ordinary billionaire. Apparently, the different era will lead to different Batman image which reflected different authority and the government. Adam West brought us a yippee Batman, but Chris Nolan …show more content…

For example, in his article, Jonathan states that “If Batman is a barometer of collective feelings about authority and state power, then Adam West was a yippie's image of Batman, the equivalent of nominating a piglet for president. In any era, we get the Batman we deserve.” This quote gives us a deeper and clearly understanding of the link between human society and Batman. Batman is a microcosm of our

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