Wouldn't having Batman as one of the pallbearers at a very public funeral service put lie to to the "Batman is an urban legend/public doesn't know if he's real" editorial direction

We're talking about a universe where superheroes regularly visit heaven and hell, where angels, demons and the personified Wrath of God walk among men... and still Mr. Terrific is a self-proclaimed atheist.

These people don't need FOX News or a Ministry of Truth to distort reality, they are quite capable of that themselves.
Björn | Email | Homepage | 04.22.06 - 4:14 am | #

I'm not convinced that tombstone is an actual official promotional item. The shield looks a bit off-model to me; the horizontal line across the top is too short, which makes the whole thing seem out-of-proportion.
John Heaton | Email | Homepage | 04.22.06 - 6:18 am | #

John - Yeah, it seemed a little off to me as well...that's why I was trying to find more info with the Google. No dice, though.
Mikester | Homepage | 04.22.06 - 7:36 am | #

Bjorn -

It's not that hard to be an athiest in the DC Universe - in fact, I think it would be EASIER than here. In the DCU you have conclusive proof that angels are some kind of extradimensional being that really exists - how are they any different from Mr. Mxyzptlk or any other powerful, non-god entity.

I've always looked at Terrific's "atheism" (and to a degree Tony Stark's "scientific rationalism" over in Marvel) more along the lines of "its not magic/gods/whatever - its some kind of natural phenomenon that we can't explain yet".
Jer | 04.22.06 - 8:43 am | #

I dunno about the Superman logo, but I am totally getting the phrase "Here lies Earth's Greatest Hero" chiseled on my gravestone.
Eric L | Email | 04.22.06 - 10:55 am | #

Personally, the whole "Batman is an urban legend" always struck as a pretty dopey editorial decision. Did people really think the GCPD had nothing better to do than shine a spotlight on a convenient cloud? Does the Riddler beat himself up, then hang himself from a convenient streetlamp with a rope with a little bat on the end. Who do you think drives that Batmobile with the flames coming out of the back? Do all the people Batman save either not see him or lie about seeing him?

Like I said, silly decision. I can see the flavor, but the mechanics of it are just goofy.
SpiritGlyph | 04.22.06 - 2:01 pm | #

You know, the more I think about that superhero pallbearers shirt, the tackier it seems. Good Lord, people wore this.

Funny should should mention that. I've got a similar t-shirt with my Uncle Morty's funeral procession on it. We all thought Aunt Tina was barking mad when she made them up, but we're all wearin' 'em, so who's laughing now?
Bully | Email | Homepage | 04.22.06 - 4:35 pm | #

That tombstone has a volume-toggle on it. And well, the belt buckle is a bleeding, delta-shaped item. No thanks.
Sleestak | Email | Homepage | 04.22.06 - 5:25 pm | #

A friend had a poster of the Superman funeral. I don't remember if it had Batman or Captain Marvel on it. What I do remember was there was one figure in the crowd that we couldn't identify. He was in shadows with big lines coming up from behind him that made it look like his head was exploding. We just called him "splody head guy."
It wasn't until Heroclix came out that I figured out who it was.
I still can't see a picture of Hawk without thinking of that nickname.
Aaron | 04.22.06 - 7:59 pm | #

Jer, that's a really interesting interpretation. Especially if you suscribe to the notion that you can only have real faith as long as you do not *know* whether or not God exists. Seeing Zauriel, the Spectre and Etrigan as superior, yet non-religious entities seems to be a valid p.o.v. True...

But then again: How many super-heroes have returned from beyond the grave? During "Underworld Unleashed" the JLA met many of their fallen foes and friends in "Hell". During "Quiver" Oliver Queen met Hal Jordan, Barry Allen and Jason Todd (btw: was he *really* dead? I stopped following Batman and just read that he returned last year) in "Heaven". This must have been quite tough for the old Marxist. And then there are Deadman and Sandman.

So, you're right: Mr. Terrific's atheism works if he acknowledges all of this as "yet to be explained" rather than denying it completely. But that sounds more like some form of agnosticism rather than real atheism.

Then again, it's most likely one of the aspects of the DCU we shouldn't get too much into anyway.

After all, there would be much more religious strife in the DCU than in the real world. The DC afterlife - although always shown to be rather non-denominal - seems to be based primarily on Christian concepts. At least the Buddhism or Scientology don't seem to be valid.

From that I would assume that religious fundamentalists would see themselves as being correct and try to push their agenda much more. Or the other way: Since it is not an afterlife that corresponds 1:1 with their expectations, it would also be possible that they'd radicalize themselves against these "imposters". I just can't believe that religion in the DCU, where gods walk among men, works like it does in the real world.

Then again, that is nerd territory we are entering here, so I'd better stop now and leave the final word on all this to Grant Morrison...
Björn | Homepage | 04.22.06 - 11:22 pm | #

Björn writes: "At least the Buddhism or Scientology don't seem to be valid."

Oh, I dunno. The way people are always coming back from the dead is probably a mark in Buddhism's favor. Or at least a slight variant.

After all, Buddhism is all about being in an endless cycle of rebirth, and how this is a bad thing people should seek to end. It even includes the possibility of rebirths in heaven or hell, which are not permanent, so even if you're in heaven the good times end and you get reborn in another realm.

I'd think some superheros and villains, after being resurrected for the umpteenth time only to be put through the wringer all over again, could agree with this point of view.
Jon Hendry | Email | 04.23.06 - 2:01 pm | #

Yeah, but usually you still spend a few 1,000 years in one of the Buddhist heavens or hells, not just a few years... and usually you're not born again as the same person you were when you died. And the large majority of people still seem to stay dead after they died.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I start to believe that in the DC or Marvel universe some new religion should have formed that takes all these things into account and offers a cosmology explaining it altogether...
Björn | Email | Homepage | 04.23.06 - 3:40 pm | #