Just Plain Savage, Doc

[Stephanie]

Batman co-creator Bill Finger once said, "Batman was originally written in the style of the pulps." Pulp magazines are perhaps best known for their sensational cover art and exploitation style of fiction, which interested readers with sex, violence, and drugs while escaping the label of pornographic or obscene. One of the larger-than-life pulp heroes goes by the name of Doc Savage, a sort of contemporary renaissance man: You name it, he does it. In fact, the nostalgic icon shares a lot in common with the Caped Crusader. Scientists honed Savage's mind and body to near-superhuman potential, granting him formidable strength and endurance, a photographic memory, martial arts mastery, and considerable knowledge in the sciences. On top of that, Doc was considered a master of disguise and voice imitation. This isn't a far cry from the ninja-trained Bruce Wayne, and in the beginning, the superhero was more pulp than the hero who we know today.

Originally, Batman carried a gun and showed no remorse about righting evil-doers with armed violence. But it didn't take long for creators to realize the flaw in their line of thinking: For a hero whose parents were murdered in the heat of gunfire, it doesn't make much sense for their crime-fighting son to pick up the smoking gun and start wielding it. Logic won over, and Batman's gun-slinging days faded from continuity.

Until now, apparently. The new Batman/Doc Savage Special, written by Brian Azzarello with artwork by Phil Noto, opens the doors for Doc's grand return to the panels, and he meets his match with a very different Batman. The summary for the issue hints at an unlikely and backwards scenario: "But the Batman can't abide do-gooders getting in his way … and his .45 just won't stay in its holster!" The comic takes the first step to a darker world, for according to DC, the Batman/Doc Savage Special acts as prologue to an upcoming six-issue mini-series by Azzarello and Rags Morales, which sets the stage for "the full width and breadth of DC's new pulp-influenced universe." What is more, unconfirmed rumors have been floating about concerning the possibility of a Frank Miller-penned Batman, bullet-flying showdown.

Stop the presses right there.

Batman comics have been heading in a drastic new direction lately, with Dick Grayson assuming the cowl of his mentor, a next-generation wave of crime and death strategy sweeping over the city and changing the underground, and heroes (Red Robin, Robin, Batgirl, etc.) taking on fresh identities. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is nowhere to be seen—presumed dead, for now. So with stories that are leading Gotham into the future, does it really make sense to revert to what's considered comics history? The revival of a "pulp-influenced universe" lacks as much clear-headed thinking and logic as handing the Dark Knight a fully loaded gun.

This isn't to make a comment on the quality of the issue. Azzarello does a commendable job writing the Special and clashing the two key heroes involved in the pulp-age "rebirth" of Batman's character. But for a character who has become such a definite cultural icon, and who is now even more present in society with the successful turn-out and reception of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, dusting off the twin .45s resumes what DC editors in the early years of Batman comics wisely decided would be a crucial mistake.

Frank Miller's All-Star Batman and Robin should be an indication that a full-throttle exploration of a brutal Batman isn't what today's comic generation needs. Many fans disapproved of the lack of humanity evident in Miller's retelling of Batman; the writer may have revived the suffering of Batman comics with The Dark Knight Returns, inspiring a darker and more serious tone that better fits the character, his enemies, and the city he protects, but it was also a reasonable one. Presenting the Bat as a hard-boiled detective doesn't add any new dimensions to Batman, and it doesn't further develop his character in a necessary way.

What do you think? You can find the Batman/Doc Savage Special over at the Impulse Creations shop.