Twinkle Twinkle little bat, how I wonder WHY you're at

[icon_uk]

Following on from starwolf_oakley discussion about the infamous bat and the window scene, it reminded me of this (which a quick google located for me)... from the pages of Batman 256 and the creative team of Marty Pasko and Pat Broderick.







Shooting Star has the advantage of being an easier target on a dark night than Robin, and one suspects "Wait, that clanking sound from outside... it must be the Iron Knight... luckily with all that heavy armour on, he only has a foot speed of 300 yards an hour so we can leave it another ten minutes before we actually leave. Say, anyone got a magnet?"

 

Comments

[moetushie]

... He is very suggestible!

[alschroeder3]

I always thought it was HILARIOUS that one or two panels BEFORE he takes a bat as an "omen" that he called CRIMINALS a "cowardly, superstitious lot" in his original origin.

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce. Believing in omens is VERY superstitious. This is the pot calling the kettle black---or the Dark Knight calling the kettle black, anyway.

[angelophile]

Suddenly Brickman's origin doesn't seem so silly.

[tammy_moore]

Is he Park Ranger Wayne in The Owl panels? That seems odd.

That said, The Ray seems the least effective. I suppose he could come up and spook criminals by showing them his belly-face, but I do sorta imagine him just hanging out in the bay and occasionally thwarting Killer Croc or something, being best buds with Aquaman instead of Superman.

Or would his rogue's gallery have adapted? The Penguin and a couple of others are already partially aquatic, but would the Joker have become Clownfish? Would he have an on-off long interest with Catfish-Woman? (You're nothing but a bottom-feeder, Catfish-Woman!' *sobs* 'You know that's because I'm negatively buoyant!'). Instead of Two Face there's the Goblin Shark!

[insolent_one]

And yet another take on that:



(Best quality I could find on short notice.)

[grazzt]

I shall never get tired of that.

[cainofdreaming]

In addition to the obvious I also like the use of Stealth and Vril Dox in it.

[randyripoff]

I remember reading this when I was a lad. Of the suggestions, the one I liked the most was the Scorpion. I just thought he looked cool and menacing, unlike Marvel's Scorpion, who sort of looks like a guy in a fluffy inflatable suit.

[crinos]

I'm reminded of the Jay Pinkerton Batman Origins comic.

[zapbiffpow]

OH MY GOD me too!

"Grab a plate, Commissioner, this man buffet is open!"

[skemono]

And of course there's Jay Pinkerton's take.

[fungo_squiggly]

In the one with the owl, Bruce's gray suit and hat makes him look kind of like he's on his way to a Civil War reenactment.

[cypherfdp]

I love the idea of Bruce just going about his day wondering "how can I use this to strike fear into the hearts of criminals?"

[cypherfdp]

Stingray is obviously the only other choice, it's the one aside from the bat that states criminals are both superstitious and cowardly.

[philippos42]

Wait, aren't these Marvel characters? The Owl, the Scorpion, Stingray, the Black Knight, and, um...maybe not the Shooting Star--no, that's Dazzler!

[icon_uk]

Nope, Shooting Star was a member of the Rangers so it's a clean sweep (Aside from it being the Iron Knight)

[chieflewal]

http://marvel.wikia.com/Anthony_Stark_%28Earth-398%29

Among other realities.

[starwolf_oakley]

Cracked Magazine did something like this once, ending with Bruce seeing a spider and deciding "The concept doesn't really fly."

I think something post-RIP had Ghost?Bruce wondering what if he had seen a snake, and then having a motorcycle called the Sidewinder. Don't remember the details.

[katya]

I remember that Cracked! I was sitting here trying to puzzle out why the scan looked familiar till I saw your comment. I didn't read comics as a kid, but I had a couple old books that collected Cracked gags, and that was in one of them.

[silicondream]

I like his really long explanation for why "Shooting Star" would be a good persona. It's like he has to psych himself up to ignore its obvious non-terrifyingness.

[donnblake]

Was there a comic with Alfred wondering what would have happened if Bruce had seen something other than an owl? I seem to remember Bruce going "Phantom Skeleton?!" and Alfred admitting that he'd moved on to free association.

[calliopes_pen]

Yes, I just read the trade paperback that had that scene in it the other day. It was somewhere in Batman R.I.P.

[mastermahan]

Don't forget Shards-Of-Glass Man.

[cainofdreaming]

404-Not-Found-Man seems to have stolen the page. The fiend!

[mastermahan]

I fail at html. Try here: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/03/21/golden-age-batman-and-superman-get-new-origins-and-new-problems/