"YEARS--TO TRAIN AND STUDY AND PLAN... HERE, IN THE ENDLESS CAVE, FAR PAST THE BURNT REMAINS OF A CRIMFIGHTER WHO'S TIME HAS PASSED... IT BEGINS HERE--AN ARMY--TO BRING SENSE TO A WORLD PLAGUED BY WORSE THAN THIVES AND MURDERERS... THIS WILL BE A GOOD LIFE... GOOD ENOUGH."
--BRUCE WAYNE
And with those words, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel came to a close. A brilliant and seminal comic book work. This would have been the perfect end to the Batman's career if Miller hadn't gone back to the well one time too many with the disappointingly crappy The Dark Knight Strikes Again (shudder).
But I digress...
This post isn't so much about the Batman as it is about me wanting to be a superhero. Or at least getting the opportunity to play one before I die. I am an actor after all and superhero projects are in vogue at the moment. I always knew that if I was patient enough, I would get my chance. Last Saturday I fulfilled a life long dream by portraying the Batman. Not just any superhero, but one of the big DC comics icons. Alright, it was a half hour gig for Zing*A*Gram. A four year old kid's Birthday party in Troy, New York. But it didn't matter. I was going to be Batman and I intended to do it right. I worked so hard to prepare. I watched a couple episodes of Batman: The Animated Series so I could get that deep, scary Batman voice down. On the drive to the gig I listened to Danny Elfman's musical score for the 1989 Batman film to get into the right head space. It was going to be perfect. Hey, I look more like the Dark Knight than Michael Keaton ever did. And those fake muscles I strapped over my chest didn't hurt either. So I dawned the mantle of the Bat (in a cramped bathroom) and I was ready... Little Sean Curtis got one look at me in my rubber bat suit and screamed his lungs out. I don't think he stopped crying for more than a minute the whole time I was there.
At least I was a hit with the other kids. We played "Duck, Duck, Bat" and "Ring Around the Riddler" and "Follow the Batman." Then there were pictures and autographs and even a Q +A session just before I jumped into my Batmobile and headed back to Gotham. Alright, so maybe I was more Adam West than Christian Bale, but I put the fear of God into a four year old. Pre-Schoolers are a notoriously cowardly and superstitious lot. I'll bet that kid will be talking about me to his therapist for years to come.
Life is often strange and sometimes our dreams come true in bizarre and unexpected ways. But you soldier on because you literally never know what is going to be around the next corner. After all, that's what the Batman would do...
Johnny D (the "D" is for Dark Knight)
And with those words, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel came to a close. A brilliant and seminal comic book work. This would have been the perfect end to the Batman's career if Miller hadn't gone back to the well one time too many with the disappointingly crappy The Dark Knight Strikes Again (shudder).
But I digress...
This post isn't so much about the Batman as it is about me wanting to be a superhero. Or at least getting the opportunity to play one before I die. I am an actor after all and superhero projects are in vogue at the moment. I always knew that if I was patient enough, I would get my chance. Last Saturday I fulfilled a life long dream by portraying the Batman. Not just any superhero, but one of the big DC comics icons. Alright, it was a half hour gig for Zing*A*Gram. A four year old kid's Birthday party in Troy, New York. But it didn't matter. I was going to be Batman and I intended to do it right. I worked so hard to prepare. I watched a couple episodes of Batman: The Animated Series so I could get that deep, scary Batman voice down. On the drive to the gig I listened to Danny Elfman's musical score for the 1989 Batman film to get into the right head space. It was going to be perfect. Hey, I look more like the Dark Knight than Michael Keaton ever did. And those fake muscles I strapped over my chest didn't hurt either. So I dawned the mantle of the Bat (in a cramped bathroom) and I was ready... Little Sean Curtis got one look at me in my rubber bat suit and screamed his lungs out. I don't think he stopped crying for more than a minute the whole time I was there.
At least I was a hit with the other kids. We played "Duck, Duck, Bat" and "Ring Around the Riddler" and "Follow the Batman." Then there were pictures and autographs and even a Q +A session just before I jumped into my Batmobile and headed back to Gotham. Alright, so maybe I was more Adam West than Christian Bale, but I put the fear of God into a four year old. Pre-Schoolers are a notoriously cowardly and superstitious lot. I'll bet that kid will be talking about me to his therapist for years to come.
Life is often strange and sometimes our dreams come true in bizarre and unexpected ways. But you soldier on because you literally never know what is going to be around the next corner. After all, that's what the Batman would do...
Johnny D (the "D" is for Dark Knight)
2 comments:
John,
Any pictures of you in the mantle of the Bat?
Mr. J.
GrimJeff,
Yes, there are lots of pictures of me in the Bat suit. Sadly, I don't have any of them, because I failed to bring my camera along. So I'm going to be dressed up as a super hero in strange people's photo albums...
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