365 Days of Defiance, Day 227: Willkommen, Bienvenue, Batman

What If...? (©1976 a completely different company) Bruce Wayne had become a hero in the Berlin, Germany of 1939? Well, he would be millionreichsmark playjunge Baruch Wane...but at night he would oppose the Nazi government as The Berlin Batman!


Panel from The Batman Chronicles #11 (Winter 1998); script, pencils, and inks by Paul Pope; colors by Ted McKeever; letters by Ken Lopez
This Batman fights not merely against crime but also the clampdown on intellectualism and artistry. Here he is fighting to prevent writings from a dissident Jewish economist (stored on a train) from falling into the hands of the Nazis. And when you've got actual Nazis, who needs the Joker?



By the way, that's Komissar Garten in the green trench coat. "You're only one man, what can you do?" taunts Garten. Why, he doesn't know Der Batman very well at all, does he?



And now you know about the legend of the Berlin Batman. In the heart of evil, may we all be so brave and dedicated.