Martial Arts Week: Karate Kid and Batman

[04nbod.insanejournal.com]

Ignore the red narration boxes, they are irrelevant.









Remember what Alfred taught you Bruce, when you cheat you only cheat yourself.

(Its sad Val is dead again, I want a re-match in LOSH. They wouldn't have Batman lose in JLA although I'm impressed they acknowledged Val is better)

Comments

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

I have to go with Bats on this one. No one could beat him in combat. I wish DC had done more with the post IC of Batman and co. taking the "year off" to re-build the Batman and show more of his fighting tech. and philosophy. Perhaps like the Superman "New Krypton", seem like they knew Bruce would be put on a shelf after FC and just dropped it.

[killermoth1.insanejournal.com]

I'm so sick of Bats being the invincible hero of DC. He's apparently not just the world's greatest detective at this point, but also the world's greatest martial artist, strategist and smartest.

He's one of my favourite heroes but he just keeps degenerating into Batgod, to the point where rather than reaching a thematic finale Morrison's RIP storyline's entire point was "no one can beat Batman!". Even Bruce Timm wasn't immune to putting Batman front stage in Justice League. Frankly I'd prefer something a little less exciting that doesn't pander to the immature masses that scream "Batman can beat anyone with or without prep time!".

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

For instance I like how in JLA/ Avengers Captain America (who I would say HAS to be the best hand-to-hand fighter in the Marvel universe) and Batman realize from basic posture and stance that they are too evenly matched to beat each other. Everything has a god, it's just human nature to create rankings...

[dr_hermes.insanejournal.com]

It's an article of faith with Batman fans that he's the best at everything (Doc Savage in a cape). But, just speaking personally, I would like to see him played up more as a detective than a martial artist. He could still be very good, able to hold his own against most fighters... but most of his energy should be going into solving crimes by deduction and finding clues, rather than hand-to-hand. I'd see Batman as someone who prefers to maneuver his enemies into capture rather than slugging it out with them. And having him over his head against a top martial artist wouldn't diminish him, in my opinion, just make him a more workable character. But I'm usually in a minority.

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

Personally, I would say that point was resolved in the first Batman the animated movie , where Bruce is able to solve the crime and get the bad guys,but notices he they are not afraid of him.

He has to be super kick ass just to scare the shit out of the street vermin to drop it all when he appears.

It also makes the point when Bane breaks his back and hold Bats up to the spotlight saying he beat him.

[dr_hermes.insanejournal.com]

It's a matter of preference. I would say that if Batman kept sending criminal after criminal to jail and they couldn't stop him, then they would certainly be afraid of him. Not because he would beat them up but because, once he got after them, they would be certain to go to jail. But different readers have different preferences.

[volksjager.insanejournal.com]

Well, like you said it was a preference, I tend to go with the " a superstitious cowardly lot ".

[dr_hermes.insanejournal.com]

There you go. We can order different items from the menu at the restaurant and still enjoy dinner.

[jelly_ace.insanejournal.com]

Well, maybe Bats would not be the greatest martial artist. But that coupled with his fast mental skills and strategy skills, maybe he's got a better edge against his opponents?

[dr_hermes.insanejournal.com]

Absolutely. He doesn't have to be able to slug it out with the world's best fighters to capture them. Trickiness, weaponry, strategy are better than sheer fighting skill in the long run. Hunters bag tigers without wrestling with them, after all.

[dustbunny105.insanejournal.com]

This. I always associated Batman more with trickiness, weaponry and strategy than head-on hand-to-hand combat skills. Sure, he's a great fighter, but he's vengence, the night; he's the fear that keeps you awake, the shadow on the wall, the monster it becomes, the nightmare in your skull. His entire entire persona is based around criminals being a superstitious, cowardly lot. It seems to me that some guy who runs around in a silly costume beating thugs up plays into that to a much lower level than a guy who stalks around in a silly costume and might just walk out of the darkness of what is meant to be a safe space because he knows how to find you and can beat you into a pulp if he has to.

[yaseen101.insanejournal.com]

I always viewed that ninjutsu, kung fu and boxing being Bruce's forte while stuff like Karate and Judo being the things he knows the basic concept of rather than being a master of. I always viewed him, like you said, someone who uses trickery, weaponry and strategy when fighting but I also imagine that he is also a slight of hand type that at first sight when you throw a punch makes you think that he is catching it but switches at the last moment suddenly dodges it and karate chops your neck or something.