What Kind of a Fan ARE You?

A Batman Who’s Who, Where Do You Fit in? Read on to find out!

Editor’s Note: originally posted on September 13, 2012.

Hey Comic Book Fans! Cat here back again with a different look at everyone’s favorite vigilante Caped Crusader. Yep with all the hoopla surrounding the release of The Dark Knight Rises it’s the likeliest of themes that I could write about. However, since everyone and their mother has written about, blogged about, Tweeted, Touted, and Facebooked about what they thought of TDKR, I thought it would be cool to pay homage to all the Batman fans out there! Everything has a different level of fandom and I thought I would break it down.

Aaaaand HERE…WE….GO!

5. The Egghead
This type of Batman fan knows everything about Batman. Like EVERYTHING. You could call this person at 2am to ask what color dress shirt Commissioner Gordon was wearing in a scene from the 1960s Batman TV show and they will have the answer for you. They’ve catalogued the information in their subconscious probably where they should have catalogued the answers to their Microbiology exam or their girlfriend’s birthday. For the most part it seems like this type of fan was disappointed in the conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy citing flaws with storytelling, continuity, and venom less Bane. I can imagine it being hard for someone to take on the responsibility to please not only a main stream audience but also the diehard fans of such an iconic character. It seems like a daunting undertaking however, we have to allow creative license to be taken into consideration with every story. Having said that I agree with the diehard fans in that I too had my issues with the direction and casting of Catwoman from day one and after having seen the movie I feel that my displeasure was justified but I digress. To the Batman hardcore fanatics out there I salute you and give props to the men and women who have taken their love of The Dark Knight to a whole new level of adoration. To you I say “Eggscelent. I might even go as far as to say: eggsquisite.”

4. The Two Face
This is the fan that WANTS to be a fan, ACTS like they are a fan, and PRETENDS to be a fan when they are in actuality NOT a fan. Their only attraction to this scene is the fact that it is a pop culture phenomenon and they want to be a part of it. Sort of the opposite of the “I liked Batman before Batman was cool crowd.” When conversations come up with regards to Batman they give vague and broad statements so they can feel like they are a part of the conversation when in actuality they do not know that before Christian Bale, David Boreanaz was the original choice for the role of Bruce Wayne. I’ve recently experienced this when talking about the latest Batman trilogy with an acquaintance and said individual made reference to Jim Carrey being their favorite portrayal of a Batman villain of all time. I suppose that’s probably why he was recognized with an Academy Award for his performance. To this fan I say “Heads, you live. Tails, you have to sit through all five Twilight movies so….not so lucky.”

3. The Joker
Ok. This one I’m probably going to get cyber bullied for but WE GET IT! Heath Leger turned in one of the most amazing cinematic performances of all time with his crack at the most infamous Batman heel that’s ever been written. I applaud your tribute to him at every Comic Con, Halloween Party, and general office meeting. But let’s not forget that not all Joker performances have been in the flesh. As many fans know the voice of The Joker has been perfected by Luke Skywalker himself Mark Hamill. My soap opera when I was a kid was Batman the Animated Series and Mark was the man behind The Clown. More recently I have been addicted to the Arkham video games where Mark has voiced Joker for the last time and has announced he will hang up his acid filled seltzer bottle as of Arkham City. I don’t say this to take anything away from Heath Leger’s performance. I’m trying to make sure we all understand that The Joker is more than just one man. So when celebrating the homicidal humorist take into account the Hamills and the Nicholsons and the Romeros and give praise to the character as a whole. So to you dear Joker fans I say “Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?”

2. Poison Ivy
Now let me preface this by saying I acknowledge that on a list of “Batman Fans” you may ask yourself “Why would you include a NON FAN” related paragraph. Well friends because they are everywhere. They are the girlfriends of the diehards that tag along to be supportive of their significant other and they themselves are just as excited for the release date of the latest installment simply because it means their partner will STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. However their presence while admirable, is made none the less irritating when they talk through the best scenes commenting on “How Anne Hathaway has been through a lot so good for her to get play Catwoman,” or ask “Who’s Ra’s Al Ghul?” And for these girls I beg of you now two months in advance: PLEASE do not go online and buy the Anne Hathaway Catwoman costume to wear downtown to impress all of the men folk because those Spanx you’ve got on underneath that outfit are not going to last all night and the Batman that bought you that Vodka and Redbull isn’t going to look like Christian Bale in the morning. Chances are he looks more like Joel Shumacher’s Bane with the mask off. To you ladies I say no cute catch phrase, no witty pun. No to you I say “Please. We as fans have waited a very long time for this. Just sit there and be supportive of your boyfriend who has also waited a very long time for this. Do not spoil it with your ‘I wanted to see Step Up Revolution.’ Just enjoy the parts where Christian Bale is not wearing a mask and pretend to be interested in the story and action sequences.”

1. The Riddler
This is the type of fan that hangs back to see what everyone else thought first. They will ask you a hundred questions about what you thought and base their answer on the common consensus. “What did you think of the new Batman movie?” “Well what did YOU think of the new Batman movie?” As evident by the overwhelming movement known as the Internet, we can see that people are indeed allowed to have their own opinions. This will not stop this type of person though. I think we’ve all come across it at one time or another but if they are content with jumping on the popular vote band wagon like a season of Big Brother then I think we can leave them be. Given the fact that their opinion is simply OUR opinion to them I say “Riddle me this! What kind of a man can’t make up his own mind?”

I hope that at least one point in this article you thought to yourself “Oh ya that is TOTALLY Jerry!” or “That is EXACTLY what my buddy’s girl did when we watched TDKR!” Or if you haven’t, I at least hope that you were entertained by my break down of what I observe to be the people who generally surround themselves with Caped Crusader bustle. Oh and in case you are wondering, the answer is YES I do have my Catwoman costume on pre-order. I’ll see you all later. Same Cat time. Same Cat Channel.

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