From the tender age of five years old, I have been hopelessly in love with Batman.
"In love with" may be a strong way of explaining it. After all how does a five year old fall "in love"? Perhaps I could better describe it as being mesmerized by the Caped Crusader.
Call it what you may, Batman captivated my heart way back in 1966 and has held me hostage ever since.
My husband, my son and I went to see "The Dark Knight" yesterday evening. It definitely did not disappoint! As soon as the cameras panned back to show the silhouette of Batman standing in the shadows overlooking a crime scene in progress, my heart leaped inside my chest.
It was a almost embarrassing, actually, as in a sudden burst of enthusiasm I managed to elbow my husband a little too hard in the side. Realizing I was likely going to need more space as the evening wore on, he laughed at me and shifted a bit to his right in the seat.
As the plot unfolded, justice eventually prevailed, the audience clapped and hooted, credits began to roll and the three of us headed to the car excitedly discussing our favorite parts of the movie.
It's interesting how Batman has changed over the years. He and Robin have come a long way since the days when "Ka-Pow" and "Bam" flashed over the t.v. screen and Batman commanded, "Back to the bat cave, Robin!!"
Robin, aka "Boy Wonder" has disappeared altogether. (That's probably a good thing) Batman, on the other hand, continues to evolve as does the ever more interesting Bat-mobile.
The original Batman, Adam West, is now an aging actor who although he appears in an occasional cameo role, has all but dropped out of sight.
Christian Bale, the most recent Batman fits the role well but I've got to say it's hard to wrap my mind around the idea that Batman has gone from being old enough to be my Dad ... to young enough to be my son since I first started watching him.
His original audience has reached middle age and beyond, but Batman just keeps getting younger and better with each movie release.
In my mind, I like to keep the Batman of my childhood separated from the modern day version. The original Batman may not have been as flashy or electronically enhanced, but he was my hero. Sure he was a little "lame" by today's standards, but that doesn't keep him from holding a sacred place in my personal universe.
This morning, my fourteen year old son came out of his room and announced that he'd spent a good deal of time researching Batman on the internet after we got home last night. In the process, he ran across some old clips of the original t.v. series and was cracking up at how "awful" they were. He couldn't believe that anyone ever really fell for that stuff.
On and on he rattled about those "hideous" gray tights and how Robin looked like a sissy. What were the producers thinking anyway?
I smiled and reminded him that Batman was originally intended for children. The show was considered "cutting edge" way back then and even though it's nothing compared to what has become popular today, the concept of Batman has certainly endured the test of time.
Never as a five year old girl sitting in front of my favorite t.v. show, did I imagine that more than 40 years later I'd be sitting between my husband and son watching my hero on the big screen.
Neither does my son, Adam, realize that he was named after none other than the original Batman himself.
That's a little secret I'll just keep to myself for now.
Yes, Batman will forever hold a very special place in this baby boomer's heart.
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