Will the real Batman please stand up?

I used to collect comic books.  I would buy different series, based on my interest and curiosity with different genres.  But, it's hard to be a comic book collector or even a super hero fan and not know the Batman character.

So it is with this context that I went to see the new installation of the Batman movies last night, The Dark Knight.  It is a wonderfully written and produced movie.  One of my friends who saw the film called Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker "brilliant".  And I'd have to agree with her.  The action is pretty sweet.  And, of course, Batman's toys are soooo cool.

But this movie challenged every notion I had of the Caped Crusader.  One of the interesting sub plots is the appearance of Batman impersonators.  Picture a Halloween party with a bunch of people dressed up as Batman, except those people actually believe (and act like) they are Batman.

You see, I saw Batman's life as simple:  hang out all day as a multi-bazillionaire, jump in the Batmobile and beat up on some bad guys, and keep all of it as separate and as secret as possible.  The quint-essential double life.

Ah, if only it were that easy.  For me, the darkness referenced in the title was as much about the battles of the heart as it was about the battles with the bad guys.  Christian Bale did such a wonderful job expressing this tension in his role as the main character.  I couldn't help but think that, with all the different versions of the character (not just from the comic books, but also the TV series and movie trilogy with Michael Keaton/Val Kilmer), this movie may have portrayed the most complete Bruce Wayne/Batman.  I think the real Bruce/Batman would have preferred to deal just with the Joker, his henchmen and the crime mobs of Gotham City, than the turmoil raged within him.

And what makes up his turmoil?  The opposition of loving and using.  Could be our turmoil too...