The Problems with the Bat Family Part 1

I love them dearly but I've been seeing some recurring issues with them for a while now.

Just to get this out of the way I won't be talking about some members. Those that I don't see any problems with/or as many or those I haven't read much about (Duke, this version of Azrael, etc.) I will be addressing some things about Steph and Cass but not too much since I'm not quite up to speed on what's going on with them.

Anyway, as I mentioned in my review of Batman: Bruce Wayne Murderer and Fugitive there's been a notable change in the dynamics of the bat family. They don't come across as the same close knit crew, which makes sense in some cases. There are some characters present that weren't around back then which have their own interactions with others. Sort of. I think some of them still have very ill defined connections at present since I believe a lot of writers haven't been using these relationships to the fullest. For example?

What's Damians' relationship with Barbara like? I've only seen snippets of it and none of it seems earned. Is his relationship worse with Tim after he found that recording of Tim after he "died" which called his parentage in to question? I think we're finally getting a better idea of what he thinks of Jason thanks to Glass' TT but even that didn't fully flesh out their relationship before Damian attacked Jason.

Sometimes a writer tries to have them bond and it just falls flat. Not just because we haven't seen any build up beforehand but the characterizations are just so off model it's awkward. Kate and Barbara randomly arguing about the "Girl" and "Woman" part of their codenames and Barbara randomly complaining about dating Dick? Why? How would both of those things just come out of her mouth especially after knowing Kate for a good amount of time?

We see these characters hurt each other, then act like nothing happened and we're supposed to believe their all a close knit crew that love each other? No, I don't buy it especially when it's clear there is little to no communication between writers and canon is rarely connected. Things are ignored, the readers are expected to believe something happened off panel to make characters close. We've seen nothing that previously makes the sudden development feel earned.



Batman/Bruce Wayne: Writers seem to go back to the same well of character flaws. Which wouldn't be bad per se if the trait was something like a form of subtle arrogance that reemerged in different ways. Instead we have a man that keeps making the same mistake over and over again to the point of tedium for the reader. How many times have we read Batman distancing himself from his family ? We get different variations of the same story with the reason changing and an increasingly less likable Batman pushing his inner circle away. Over the years he's become less remorseful over this and it makes the fact the others keep coming back feel even more unbelievable. Under many writers pen it reads like an abusive relationship.

Even the fake outs feels disingenuous at this point, like an afterthought to appease upset fans and assure us that everything is okay.

In most stories he's become the fan dubbed "Bat God" that can defeat any foe by himself. Sometimes at the expense of the other characters. Which makes him far less compelling as a character if we know he's always going to win. He's supposed to be a normal human (except for his intelligence, wealth and physical fitness) shouldn't he act the part time to time? I've never liked the concept that "there is no Bruce Wayne" which Batman: Bruce Wayne Murderer and Fugitive have discussed and already disproven. 

Bruce has barely taken any responsibility over Damian and even when they worked together he didn't punish his son for his behavior. The same could be said for his other sons who he doesn't try to bond with like he used to. I've already mentioned on this blog how he's failed to help Jason in a number of ways since his return. It just makes it all the more baffling that he's willing to help enemies yet he ignores the needs of those closest to him. 

As I saw mentioned elsewhere Batman can never be truly wrong in the eyes of the writers even when he was clearly at fault. His actions are excused, ignored and retconned away. He learns nothing, repeats his mistakes and others are blamed instead.




Alfred Pennyworth: For the most part Alfred is great but I think it's high time to write more about his flaws. To have him called out for going along with all of Bruces' craziness and his own mistakes. Seriously, did ANYTHING ever happen with the We Are Robin plot? Where was he was held responsible for his actions? What about the time he kept the Robins away from Bruce when he had amnesia? Alfred always puts Bruce's welfare above all else to unhealthy degrees and we're supposed to think that's okay?



Nightwing/Dick Grayson: It feels apparent to me that DC has no idea what to do with a number of bat characters and this seems to be the case for Dick too. DC was reluctant to let him have his old history back and lead the Titans again. They tried making him a spy and that wasn't an idea that they could use for an extended period. If many writers feel like Priest they might believe Dick is a boring character. A lot of his previous relationships have been ignored which I think might be a combo of writers and editorial. I don't for example know what his relationship with Tim was like before he became Ric, it just doesn't seem like it's as close since Post-Flashpoint. Out of his siblings he only seems close to Damian.

Dick almost married Starfire in old canon but DC decided against it at the last moment. DC and especially Didio seem to feel like Dick ages Bruce. Which means he'll never get married or have a kid in current canon. Which has lead to what feels like their living vicariously through Dick in his string of relationships. Keep in mind Dick didn't used to act like that. He was conflicted at the idea of being with Kory while she was married (for the good of her people) even though her husband didn't care. Although I think a lot of it has to do with DC trying to appeal to the fan base that have memes of Dick. This was very apparent with Seeley/King who played on a lot of fan clichés during their Grayson run. Which included teases about Dick not being straight, being seen as a purely sexual object and having causal sex with a woman he barely knew.

He's boxed in as a character that's limited by what DC doesn't want to do with him which makes it increasingly harder to find strong role. The leader, the man all heroes trust besides Superman, the friend and brother...it's all suffered because of a lack of a strong direction. Dick has a temper, he's made mistakes but for the most part it's been glossed over. Having Dick admit that he wasn't a good brother to Jason and visibly struggle to bond with Jason? That worked. The idea that King started (that shifted because Tim couldn't be used) that created Ric? That can't go on forever. In an effort to ensure that Dick doesn't outshine Bruce he's been severally limited.