Why does the Batman resonate with us?

[Swede]

As my 14 year old nephew says "He's so cool. He's like a bad guy,but he's not."

[tuvor]

1. No special powers.

Just his brains (and millions of dollars) were all he had to get things done.

[lenidog]

2. I think one of the reasons is that unlike 99% of all the other superheroes

Batman/Bruce Wayne is a normal human being. Now he has pushed himself to develop all of his potential but he still is normal.

[Moochy]

3. Batman: Regurgitated

I blame the gillion dollar advertising campaign :)

I'm sure this Batman is better than the last one, but really has the well run dry?

I've seen some previews that make me interested in the movie, but I guess the hype machine on this movie turned me off a bit.

[bertha katzenengel]

4. he's dark, brooding, even depressed

he recognizes his demons, but tries to do good and make the world better

[LastKnight]

5. fights the bad guys...

stands up for the little guys... a rich philantropist who leads another life literally kicking the bad guys' asses with nothing more but cool technology, his demons as motivation and his trusty butler...

that and hes cool... damn hes cool.

-LK

[Bob3]

6. He's wounded and angry and yet

on the side of the angels (kind of).

But it would take only a little push to make him into a killer far worse than the one who killed his parents. It's that edge that keeps batman interesting. That and he's made himself who he is from the ground up - No spider bites no alien birth - he has consciously chosen the path he trods every night. There is great power in that.

Sorry I spend too much time thinking about these kind of things.

[sundog]

7. dichotomy in everyone

[MyshkinCommaPrince]

8. Denny O'Neil...

Denny O'Neil seems to think Batman resonates with the readership because he somehow invokes those scary devil demon stan monsters, what with the horns and all.

Although I'm told the horns could indicate that Batman is a cuckold, rather than a scary monster.

Personally, I like the Adam West version best. Colorful and fun, and he spoke to LBJ on the telephone.

[DerekG]

9. It doesn't hurt that he has the best rogues gallery in all of pop art

With few exceptions, Batman's opponents are as complex--and psychologically damaged--as he. And no one, not Prof. Moriarty, not Fu Manchu, or even Darth Vader, can compare to the Joker when said character is rendered by the likes of Alan Moore or O'Neil or Paul Dini.