Let's wrap up
A Month of...Batman's Got a Gun with Batman and the
ultimate gun...a
KirbyGun. Darkseid used it to shoot Orion, and Batman's gonna use it right back. I don't know what kind of Apokoliptan bullet that super-science pistol packs, but I betcha anything firing it is going to be accompanied by
Kirby Krackle. Heck, even if it was a
bubble gun it'd shoot Kirby Krackle. Shoot 'im, Batman! shoot 'im! This one we don't object to!
Panels from Batman #702 (October 2010), script by Grant Morrison, pencils and inks by Tony Daniel, colors by Ian Hannin, letters by Travis Lanham
So, we've seen Batman with a gun thirty-one times this month, and what have we learned,
Charlie Brown gentle reader? The truth is, no matter how many handguns Batman's hoisting, more often than not he
doesn't have a gun. Like 7Up and caffeine, he's never had 'em, never will. Why, he'll even use
janitorial equipment before he picks up a Smith & Wesson!
Panels from Batman: Shadow of the Bat #60 (March 1997), script by Alan Grant, pencils by Dave Taylor, inks by Stan Woch, colors by Pam Rambo, color separations by Android Images, letters by Bill Oakley
If I take anything from this sampling of the hundreds of armed Batmen in my "Batman's Got a Gun" folder (seriously, there's enough for at least a couple more months), it's that sometimes Batman has a gun. Sometimes it's a fake-out, sometimes it's a ruse, sometimes it's a mistake, sometimes it's a hoax, a dream, or an imaginary story. But if we can say one thing, we can all agree on this:
Batman's Got a Gun.
As I did yesterday, i'm going to point you to Further Reading by the guy who has influenced my own critical thinking on Batman (and the goofy riffing on him that I do in my blog),
America's Foremost Batmanologist, Chris Sims! Check these out, and you'll have a fuller and more thorough understanding of the Batman's rocky relationship with revolvers.
But enough about
Batman Oughta Have Guns, what about
Comics Oughta Be Fun, you ask? What's on the agenda for June? Well, here's a little preview. Next month,
all month:
Mary Jane's Got a Gun!
Panels from Spider-Man Unlimited (1993 series) #9 (May 1995); script by Tom Lyle; pencils by Ron Lim, Ron Garney, and Ron Tod Smith; inks by (inhale) Tom Palmer, Randy Emberlin, Tim Tuohy, Al Milgrom, Jimmy Palmiotti, Klaus Janson, Sam de la Rosa, and Don Hudson; colors by John Kalisz; letters by Joe Rosen
Oh...maybe not.
