Comic Book Conundrum

Hi Cyberspace.

I seem to be struggling to find a topic for my blog today. So I've decided to bring something to light that I haven't discussed for at least a few years. It is that age-old debate: Who would win in a fight between Batman and Spiderman?

As a kid growing up, this was a very important question. You were either a Spiderman kid or a Batman kid (I would have considered myself an X-Men kid, but that's really a moot point), and there were tangible social implications of this phenomenon. For example, at recess, usually that Batman kids would group together and the Spiderman kids would group together and compete - whether it was tag or redass, there was definitely some animosity between the two sides.

In those days, I was always a Spiderman kid. I had some very valid reasons to believe that Spiderman was the superior combatant. I mean, he had been bitten by a radioactive spider. He could climb walls, jump, had super strength, he could shoot web and most importantly, he had 'Spidey Senses,' which allowed him to know when danger was near.

Batman had none of these advantages. He was just a regular guy with some martial arts training and a lot of money. Sure, he had the gadgets, the belt, the body armor and the coolest vehicles...but couldn't Spidey have just shot down a Batarang with a flick of the wrist? Wouldn't Spiderman know that Batman was coming and be able to prepare accordingly? How could Batman ever hit Spiderman, when Spiderman already knew what Batman was going to do?

I held this view for a long time...until I watched 'Batman Begins.' If you haven't seen it, this movie is excellent. it tells of how Bruce Wayne came to be Batman, but with a much more in depth look at how Bruce Wayne was trained and learned to fight. Christopher Nolan, who wrote and directed the movie, was obviously a Batman kid in his younger years. He did an amazing job of showing just how intimidating Batman could be, with a strong emphasis on Batman's skills as a sneaky attacker, hiding in the shadows and only popping out when he knew he had an advantage over the enemy. It made me rethink my views on the whole debate.

Now, I don't know what to think. I guess that my opinion would have to be swayed by the 'Ninja-esque' success of Batman's sneaking around vs the success of Spiderman's ability to foresee what Batman was doing. This is where the fight lies. Spiderman is stronger, Batman is more skilled. Spiderman shoots web, Batman has a whole arsenal of projectile weapons. Spiderman can swing around the rafters on a strand of web, Batman has the ability to glide, thanks to his super cool cape, and the addition of the ever-famous gattling gun. I would say that Spidey would just wrap him up in web, but Batman is extremely crafty and probably has a buzz saw or something equally as effective stashed somewhere that would allow him to cut his way out.

I guess I have to stick with Spiderman. Batman is much more plausible as an answer now, thanks to Christopher Nolan, but Spidey Senses win out in the end. Sorry to everyone who was rooting for the Caped Crusader.

Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger

As always thoughts, comments and suggestion are encouraged and appreciated!