review by librarian Steven M. Bergson

[Cary Friedman]

Batman remains one of the most recognizable fictional characters in popular culture, a result of the TV shows, films, and various memorabilia that have kept the icon in the public eye since his debut in the pages of Detective Comics in 1939. Although various writers throughout his 68-year history have made changes to the character during the course of writing Batman stories, the core values have remained consistent. While most people associate Batman with action-packed violent crime-fighters, a close reading of the stories reveals solid moral lessons beyond the obvious "good must triumph over evil” credo.

In 18 brief chapters, Rabbi Cary Friedman discusses such values as willpower, idealism, self-esteem, and learning – illustrating his points (literally) with reprinted panels from Batman comic books, personal anecdotes, and tales from Jewish tradition, as well as proverbs and stories from various sources. One shouldn’t be surprised that parallels can be found between lessons in Batman and Jewish thought. First of all, part of the mythology is that Batman is a character who has undergone extensive physical and mental training; this would include a grounding in Jewish history, culture and values. Secondly, Bob Kane (born Robert Kahn), the creator of Batman, was brought up in a Jewish home and would probably have been exposed to Jewish folk tales and values during his formative years.

By masterfully delivering sage advice with examples from Batman comics, Friedman follows in the great tradition of such works as Superheroes and Philosophy: Truth, Justice, and the Socratic Way (Open Court, 1996) and Rabbi Simcha Weinstein’s Up Up and Oy Vey: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero (Jewish Lights, 2006). Though the reproduced panels are non-violent, readers need to bear in mind that the original comics (which are cited) probably have violent scenes in them. I have only two minor criticisms of this book. Sometimes, the platitudes are contradictory (e.g. “Anything is possible” in chapter 3, but “Some goals are so high as to be unreachable” in chapter 6). Also, some of the chapters may be fun or interesting, but don’t impart moral wisdom (e.g. chapter 17 - “Where Crooks Hide”).

Overall, I would recommend this book for school and public library collections.

*******

Steven M. Bergson, Research Administrator
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
Toronto, Canada