So I read Today: Batman: A True Dark Night Story (DC Comics //...

So I read Today: Batman: A True Dark Night Story (DC Comics // 2017)

You’ve probably heard about Paul Dini a couple of times if you are a long time comic and animation fan. He’s the guy who along Bruce Timm defined the look of the animated DC Universe for an entire generation and they began their journey with Batman: The Animated Series. He’s one of the guys who works in the writes table at Warner Bros pulling stories together to be animated. In those days he had a life most geeks would be proud of: He had a supportive family, he did good in school (with a few bumps that he learned to navigate in a very smart fashion) and once he found a job that paid the bills on the Warner lot he filled his house with all the memorabilia he could find of his favorite characters. He also had a lousy love life and struggled to have company outside his workplace.

A few years ago Paul Dini, the man who was one of the pillars who built the Batman Animated Series franchise for Warner Bros got mugged and beaten very badly. This may seem inconsequential, since everyone in the world has to deal with this sort of violence at least one time in their life. Most of us just suck it up and get on with our lives. We don’t let something so random and so little to define our attitude towards life. But this kind of incident doesn’t affect all of us the same way. What to do when you are a creative guy and a shy introvert to boot? How do you channel all that bad energy filling your soul, your spirit, your very essence? What do you do when this violence affects even your creativity?

Paul Dini is a man who writes the ultimate vigilante and all his rogues’ gallery in a time when Batman was the Alpha and the Omega for DC and Warner Bros. The random violence he experienced suddenly made him realize how pointless was to write about the antics of a hero who always saves the day, a hero who is there to punch the bad guys in the face and save the innocent from what just happened to him. At the peak of his popularity… Batman didn’t make a nick of sense to Paul. It was not the case with all of Batman’s enemies though. Although the author doesn’t want any one of them lurking in his mind they are all there making the most sense over his attack. They manipulate his fears, his attitude towards life, they even compromise his work.

What does a creative introvert do to go on? Mope and cry all day? No, that’s not the Batman’s way. Indulge yourself in procrastination and never go out? Fine… how long is that gonna work? The answer to this one is the hardest part of the entire tale and to find out how Paul coped with this you are going to have to read the story. I promise you, it’s totally worth it. Its 130 pages of beautiful art by Eduardo Rizzo with words by Paul Dini. Batman: The Dark Night is one of the fines Batman stories ever told. You finally get to understand the personal point of view on how to deal with life when you live and breathe Batman for a living.  

Posted in: Reviews & Appreciation