Monday, April 15, 2013

What should Batman do with a giant dinosaur?

So, if you have a giant dinosaur, write it off on your taxes! Batman says so, and I'd take his word over dumb ol' Turbotax any day...

We looked at our Batcave setup a while back, and mentioned the ubiquitous dinosaur therein. Today's issue isn't the original origin of it, but close enough: from 1997 and rocking a Walt Simonson cover, the Batman Chronicles #8, "Secrets of the Batcave: Dinosaur Island" Story and art by Graham Nolan, with a thank you to Chuck Dixon.
When the death of the owner of the Dinosaur Island theme park is ruled a suicide; Batman knows straightaway that's not right. As Alfred narrates, Bruce had met him when he visited the park as a child; probably one of his only happy memories for years following the death of his family. The owner's partner killed him, planning to turn the cheery educational park into a Jurassic Park-knockoff scare. Which apparently included a number of remote-control dinosaurs, which the partner uses to attack Batman. With predictable results: smashing up a great deal of the park before Batman brings him in.

Later, Bruce berates himself for "self-indulgence," going after a killer because he knew the victim. He also wonders if he's accomplishing anything as Batman, since "even that homicidal clown isn't doing any prison time." Alfred decides, for perspective, Bruce needs something to remind himself of his victories. And a scrapbook wouldn't cut it...

I love how nonplussed Bruce looks about that thing, when everyone else quite rightly knows the dinosaur is the coolest thing ever. Now, stop reading blogs and do your taxes! Or I'll have to claim you as a dependent...hey, there's an idea.

1 comment:

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

So that's why the dinosaur's there. Makes sense I guess, but yeah, even Bruce isn't impressed even though not too many other people or institutions outside of state-funded museums have they're very own dinosaur on display like that.

I shudder at what possible explanation/origin the reboot would give us though. Ugh.