Twist on Batman; Twist on Poetry

In “The Other Universe of Bruce Wayne”, Sinister throws a spin on both the popular character, Batman, and the genre of poetry. Sinister’s use of a popular culture character makes his poem unique because he relies on common information about Batman to create an effective poetic juxtaposition. He also engenders sympathy for a poetic character in a way few other poems do.

Sinister relies on the reader’s outside knowledge of Batman as an iconic figure to make his twist. In the first stanza, Sinister starts to twist the reader’s heroic conception of batman by listing and negating characteristic Batman trademarks such as his crime fighting, his wealth, and his Batmobile. Such an approach creates mental tension because most readers have an idealized image of Batman that runs completely counter to Sinister’s descriptions of Batman as trailer trash (first stanza) “reeking of whiskey and cigarettes.” This juxtaposition of Batman’s character is unique in that part of the contrast is implicit in the reader’s head and the other part is explicitly stated in the text. In other poems, like “Casabianca,” the reader is unlikely to have a previous conception of the main character. Rather, all the information needed for the character juxtaposition is contained in the text. As a result, Sinister breaks the mold of poetry by relying on common information from popular culture to serve as half of his contrast.

Despite the juxtaposition, the reader is unlikely to forget the idealized image of Batman. As a result, the Batman of this poem is not an ordinary, unidentified loser but rather a known figure in an unfortunate circumstance. This allows Sinister to effectively engage the reader’s sympathy for Batman. Plot details portray Batman as a victim of misfortune in love, health, and money while no indication is given that Batman is responsible for his misfortune. These descriptions ensure that the reader will continue to side with Batman despite the mental tension created by the juxtaposition. In contrast, the characters in other poems are frequently unknown to the reader if they are even identified or present. Due to the difficulty of relating with a faceless, nameless character, other poems will often have a hard time eliciting sympathy or other emotions from the reader. Once again, Sinister is able to break the genre of poetry by ensuring stronger reader attachment to the main character.

In conclusion, Sinister not only alters Batman in his universe. He also changes the common form of poetry.