Batman: Fortunate Son - Atop the Fourth Wall

The back cover says this is, "A startling and moving tale from the early days of Batman's career." And it is moving. It's moving right into the trash.

Originally uploaded August 17th, 2009.

RUMINATIONS: My parents hate this episode.

Not that they actually agree with anything said in it - they just think I'm too ranty in it and not jokey enough. And I can see that, but this is one of those comics that just pissed me off. However, they were convinced that the fans would hate it, too (they shared a similar outlook on the Amazons Attack Prologue video - that the lack of jokes would make it my most hated video). However, this is why my parents are NOT my primary fanbase despite them getting to see the videos before anyone else - people LOVE this episode. Still, I took their words to heart and actually cut a full minute from the end of the video (after getting second opinions from Bennett and Spoony, who agreed the ending just went on and on) and they were right to suggest it. The bit is not anything you'd want to see out of an "uncut" version or anything - it was basically me talking about rebellion with rock and roll and quoting the Beatles' "Revolution" in that violent uprising in this context is idiotic. It was rambly and unnecessary.

Reading the comic, it seems like you'd be inclined to agree with Batman about Izaak Crowe or however the hell you spell it - that he's a crazy, drug-addled psychopath who's clearly a danger to himself and others - dude tossed a HAND GRENADE into a crowded studio, for crying out loud. And yet as I brought up a few years later in the Batman: Jazz review... it seems that that's not what the creators were going for. Oh no - we were supposed to sympathize with IZAAK and ROBIN... you know, the aforementioned pretentious, idiotic, privileged, drug-addled psychopath and the whiney, poorly-drawn child.

Then again, everybody walks away from this comic looking like an idiot. Batman, who hates rock and roll and produced the line "Punk is nothing but death, crime, and the RAGE of the beat!" looks like an extremist who hates rock and roll for horrible contrivances. Robin comes across as delusional for believing that Izaak could be innocent or that they should support him despite he and his followers repeatedly destroying the property of others and causing violent riots. Izaak is a pretentious nimrod who thinks there's something noble about being poor despite the fact that coming from a life of privilege, he has never had to actually experience what that's like... plus his feelings about selling out are pretty lame considering all he would have to do is wait out the end of his contract, go indy, or continue with the record label and donate his money to charities. And of course the creators come across like the worst of all - being completely unaware of how unlikeable and stupid everybody is. It's not made any better that they seem to not realize that rock and roll has changed since the sixties, since those are the ONLY examples brought up aside from Sid Vicious, which they decided to declare "Yep, he killed his girlfriend and therefore their kind of rock and roll is evil." Bear in mind that this comic was made in 1999, yet it doesn't even bring up Grunge whatsoever. There's more stupidity, of course, but that's why the episode itself is there to watch.