ADN

raum wrote: Because what BatMan uses is a form of terror. His very costume is a tool of fear and intimidation. He holds Gotham's underground hostage, and his condition for release is simple. Supress the criminal urge or live in fear and expect retribution.

raum wrote:I would totally disagree that the Joker is to BatMan what Lex is to Kal-El.

Arkham is to BatMan what Lex is to Kal-El. Arkham is a BEING in BatMan comics, not a place. A womb of the depravity of human thought from which all scheme and insanity emerges, and to where it once again is withdrawn.

The respiration of the criminally insane is the only thing that drives BatMan to continue to pursue his own need for Justice. And everytime he delivers someone back to Arkham, he gets closer and closer to being a resident. That is what Arkham wants - to complete it's portrait of obsession and madness by having the BatMan dissolve into its ranks.

That is one of the biggest elements of Frank Miller's BatMan work. Arkham is playing cat and mouse with Bruce, in hopes he will one day come "home." The staff even have a cell reserved for the BatMan when (not "if") he becomes a guest.

The Joker long ago said something to this effect, when he said "The Joker may be the wildest card in the deck; but he is just another card in the house of cards that is but a deck until you climb inside and see the sharks are not what you should fear. You should fear the OCEAN that grows them, feeds them, and then starves them."

It is my belief he was speaking of Arkham.

Arkham's *sanity* is nemesis of BatMan's *crusade against insanity*.
Lex's *ambition* is nemesis of Kal-El's *service without recognition*.

At his worst, Joker is BatMan's "kryptonite." With the inclusion of this being every"color" of his Kryptonite, and entirely unstable as to its effect in any given circumstance. In Frank Miller's version of this story, we should see the death of the Joker in this installation (though Grayson will emerge later afterradical gene therapy at the hands of Lex Luthor). BatMan wrecks his spine, but can't kill him, so Joker twists his own spine until he does irrevocable damage to his vital organs.

Joker, in Miller's image, is a schizophrenic narcissist who is at once inspired by BatMan, and definitely attracted to him. He betrayed the criminal underground (source of his "smuggler's smile cut on his face) because it made everyone's attention on him. He was an ultimate showboat who at once wanted to eat/fuck/kill BatMan with reckless abandon, for every reason from he was being "outdone" to he hadn't thought of wearing a cape first. I am curious how they manage to be true to Miller's core idea that Joker had a schizophrenic homoerotic (almost incestuous) fixation on BatMan that Joker knows will ultimately end in his demise, and will have it no other way. Because to him Bruce Wayne is as broken as any of his advesaries. To Miller, Bruce supresses his sexual urges into his obsessive crimefighting and can not face the man he is, by focusing on the boy he was. Miller indicates at times that Bruce is specifically supressing homosexual tendencies. It is those same urges that push the Joker towards his blatant absurdity and self-loathing and homocidal maniacism. It is noted this element of Miller's work is rejected by the bulk of the contributors who insist Bruce Wayne is not gay. It will be hard to capture that supressed sexuality and not throw off the casual fan or person unfamiliar with Miller's work, or upset the people in droves who will be mourning Heath and have no idea of this element. Heath's role in Brokeback Mountain combined with a homoerotic Joker, combined with an untimely evidentally self-inflicted demise will just lead to all kinds of slander and speculation.

Many people suspect Frank Miller is a proponent of the view that violence, homocidal and suicidal tendencies, and certain mental instabilities is something that comes naturally to men who are inherently homosexual. Or maybe it's the other way around. Then others say they get those tendencies because they are not accepted. ad infinitum...

Regardless, it is not "politically correct" so it doesn't get talked about much more. It is also by far not conclusive enough to warrant profiling. This is a view still occasionally explored in criminal psychology (serial killers much) and is one of the most cited reasons that gays were not eligible for military service. This is why, without exclusion, Frank Miller adds a homoerotically perverse, obsessed, or "sculpted adonis" element to his ultraviolent characters of his graphic novels. Some say he is literally trying to use this to peak the part of every man's mind that is connected that sexual urge. I dunno. His work was kinda *dumb* (DK was just full of loopholes, and I am not fond of his artwork, even before hearing about it being teh gay. The Many Deaths of the BatMan is still my favorite series!!!) to me, but worth consideration. The funny thing is no one can say if he supports it, or if it just influences his art, or if it was just a story element to reflect controversial topics that was completely misinterpreted.

We do know that Frank Miller said "Bruce Wayne would be better off if he would just be gay."

We also know his work is not canonical, and DC respects Frank Miller who resurrected a dying character, but refuses to support his vision.