Batman and I on the other side of the Tracks. by Kyle McBee (read my book TXT) 📖

I came in to my classroom from recess, and found a strange object on my desk. As I walked close to my chair, my eyes focused on the primary colors of the tights. There it was, all blue and yellow and gray. Tommy had returned to me my toy, my Batman figure. That day, as I walked onto the school bus, I asked to sit next to my old friend turned enemy. The tone was friendly, if a little more somber than you’d expect from two eight year old kids.

We agreed to reform our dynamic duo. But even when we role played our super hero games, the whole world was different. The heroes weren't always right, and villains weren't always totally wrong. Sometimes, they even got away with it.
Around this time, my mom brought home a new comic, starring Batman, "The Killing Joke". It was dark and different, and so was Batman. Right and wrong were a little askew. As I put down that comic for the first time, what happened between Tommy, Batman, and I began to make sense. In the comic world, titles like this ushered in a more mature era, aptly called the "modern" age. For me, this was my "age of reason". Seven or eight years is the average age for such cognitive development. I realized something then that I don't think many young children do. Life is not fair. Life does not fit into moralizing black and white parameters. There are shades of right and wrong. Sometimes things get crazy. I thought my world saved Tommy, but in reality, seeing his world prepared me for those days when life gets harder and the guys in tights don’t fit into your schedule so much anymore. Batman and I have been walking down the other side of the tracks ever since. Imprint

Text: Contains quotations from "THe Killing Joke" written by Allan Moore, copyright DC comics (TIme Warner). Illustration of "The Joker" by Brian Bolland, copyright DC comics.
Publication Date: 08-21-2010

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
For Tom Coulter, Batman, and all the comic book shops of my youth.