It's always nice to be appreciated, of course. And a good review can be a delight. But when one of your very favorite creators pens an incisive and glowing piece about how great something you wrote was, well...that's pretty darn special.
My favorite Batman stories are the ones that strike a balance between his mythological status and his humanity, and I think that's often demonstrated most effectively in the comics that are deliberately made accessible to kids. A great example is Batman: Gotham Adventures #26 by Scott Peterson and Tim Levins.
The story, "In Arms," has a mystery he's solving as a detective, plenty of action, suspense, and humor, a great example of the extent to which his reputation precedes him and how he uses that to his advantage, a lovely acknowledgment of his connection to Alfred, and multiple illustrations of his compassion—all while he's carrying a baby around, Lone Wolf and Cub-style.
There are probably more succinct ways of demonstrating who Batman is than showing him protecting a baby's life in increasingly hazardous situations while also holding it wrong, but I'm not sure there are better ones. One of his defining qualities for me has always been the extent to which he's had to sacrifice aspects of normal human development in order to become as extraordinary as he is. This story shows that very clearly while also underscoring how his decision to do things that way, while sometimes problematic, is unquestionably heroic.
This issue is by far the most re-Tumblr'd thing I've ever written, having been reblogged in various forms at least a half million times. I had no way of knowing, of course, that I'd strike such a nerve when I wrote the story: I think I simply had a new baby at home and, well, "write what you know" and all that.
And, of course, it's the phenomenal art by Tim Levins that makes the story resonate the way it does. As is true for everything Tim draws.
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