Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Everything I Needed To Know About Batman I Learned From Paul Asay


Truly, other than watching him on a few Saturday morning cartoons, I have never seen any of the movies or read any of the comics.  Batman has a long history-working on 80 years-and he’s still the angst ridden rich guy out to save Gotham from all the bad guys.  Mr. Asay is defiantly a devoted Batman fan and knows the character inside and out through every incarnation not just the latest round of movies.  He sets out to show us that, “the Caped Crusader is one whose story creates multiple opportunities for believers to talk about the redemptive spiritual truths of Christianity”, and he does it well. 
Batman is set up to be a figure of Jesus in this book so much as he is a reflection of humanity.  Batman is different from all other superheroes because he has no power in and of himself that will help him conquer his enemies-he is not super strong, can’t fly, no x-ray vision, not from another planet.  Except for being super rich, he’s just a regular person like the rest of us.  And because he is a regular person he struggles with the same things we do, just to the extreme, because he is, after all, a fictional character.
My favorite part of the book was the chapter that compares Batman’s enemies to those things that are enemies of our soul:  Carmine Falcon is corruption and compromise, Ra‘s al Goul is zealotry, Cat Woman is amorality, etc.  A history of each villain is given and is compared with the corresponding sin.  We see how Batman deals with each of his enemies, or these sins, through the years.  Great, great chapter!
I highly recommend getting this book.  It has great points to ponder and will help you relate our need for a Savior to your friends and loved ones who love Batman.  And don’t worry if you have never watched or read anything about Batman—you will be an expert by the time you finish this book!
To listen to an interview with author Paul Asay on Chris Fabry Live!--click here.
For more information and an excerpt from the book--click here--or on the title above.

I received this book free of charge for Tyndale House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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