Greetings comic lovers and welcome back to casually comics the channel where we chat
all things comics from reviews of comics new and old to history to anecdotes to really
wherever our whims take us.
Today we’re going to look at a comic that houses one of the great comic book memes.
The Batman slapping Robin panel.
The my parents are dead meme.
The thing is this whole issue that this panel comes from is a treat.
It’s a proto elseworlds story so before they had a name for it but it’s an au or
alternate universe story where Batman has dedicated his life to finding a way to kill
Superman cause he believes he killed his father.
Quality content.
If you’re always up for hearing more about memes hit that like button.
So the issue this panel comes from is World’s Finest #153 published in 1965 so firmly in
the silver age.
World’s Finest is the comic series that started off as World’s Best Comics and then
World’s Finest comic rumourdley after a cease and desist from better publications
inc it was prime clickbait for years almost always featuring Batman Superman, and oft
times Robin on the cover doing something together even though the first teamup between the characters
was in 1954 and they started publishing the comic in 1941.
This is the same series that brought us The Vampire of Steel so you know we’re in for
a good time.
If you missed the episode wherein Superman was turned into a marine vampire you can click
the card or the link will be down below we also have a handy dandy DC comics playlist
for if you want to keep the party going.
The review party.
Ain’t no party like a comic book party.
Let’s get started the cover has so many promises and for once is actually something
that happens.
It was dramatic enough they didn’t need to bait.
Well kind of the caption boxes are a little tweaked.
Oww mt arch for batman us on the loose again he’s kayoed me with a kryptonite batarang.
That spelling of kayoed can we bring this back my mind filled it in as kayak at first.
He’s kayaking me!
See what would happen if Batman and Superman had become bitter enemies on opposite sides
of the law!
But it’s fine cause their mothers have the same name.
Lol classic tale as old as time.
This is the clash of the cape and the cowl, and this page is also a treat look at how
tiny Robin’s name is they’re like ugh and Robin I guess.
Also Batman is aggressively knifing this giant mounted picture of superman but with how it’s
drawn it looks like it’s on an easle so it looks like he painted it to knife it.
That’s what I’m choosing to believe happened Batman will always try to out petty superman
it’s why they’re such good friends.
This is classed as an imaginary story to which some of you may be going aren’t they all
but as mentioned this was written before the wording was down for just what a story outside
of main canon would be classified as.
Simpler times.
This issue also largely works because in main canon Superman and Batman were besties at
this point firm besties we’re pre the well they are besties but also would clash cause
they’re so different era.
So the plot Dr Thomas Wayne has learned that Superboy has a weakness to kryptonite so he’s
gotten his hands on some so he can create an anti kryptonite serum to help him.
Good to see that Bruce came by his clandestine plotting honestly.
But then Superboy shows up and is all I heard there’s an anti kryptonite serum which by
the way based on what will be established later he could only have heard about by eavesdropping,
but that doesn’t matter what does is this description of Lex.
I’ve reason to believe that Lex Luthor youthful criminal scientist plans to use green kryptonite
against me Could I have some of your new serum.
So many things youthful criminal scientist sounds like a write up for him in villains
monthly.
Also Clark I have reason to believe you mean past evidence.
This is your fault you made his hair fall out, that was canonically part of the reason
silver age lex hated superboy.
Dr Wayne says it’s not ready yet and that night he’s murdered and the serum is stolen.
Bruce in his grief and seeing a blue and red streak fly out the window believes that is
was superboy who couldn’t wait for the serum.
And he jumps straight to intense vengeance Superboy killed my father for that serum nobody
would believe me I have no evidence but i know he did it and i’ll bring him to justice
if it takes the rest of my life.
Superboy oblivious to all of this cause he’s stalking Lex lietrally he;s just following
him around flying indiscreetly in the air he just needs to look up and back leanrs of
the murder and goes to try to comfor bruce in the most awkward dialogue ever.
I’ll do anything I can to find your father’s killer bruce since your mother died years
ago you’re an orphan now that’s rough.
Gee thanks Clark you want to tell him how great your fully alive parents are while you’re
at it.
Gee Bruce my parents are great they take me out to the movies all the time and don’t
die.
So Bruce decides to become Batman and become a master detective to bring Superman to justice
this takes years.
He still fights crime Gotham but it’s all a front for his true plans.
He even adopts dick Grayson still but tells him nothing about his true plans untill Dick
stumbles upon him monloguing one night in front of a picture of his parents.
I’m glad you overheard me robin it’s time you knew when superman was still superboy
he killed my father and now I’m going to make him pay.
You must be wrong batman it couldn’t be superboy he could never kill anyone.
Here it comes are you excited I’m excited
Don’t tell me I’m wrong you brat proving superman’s guilt is my whole life’s mission.
Ow lol oww Batman your grief has obsessed you with this idea of vengeance I beg you
give this up.
See it’s great in context to.
But how exactly did this meme spread this is an old comic after all.
Well this meme owes it’s popularity to tumblr early tumblr which was very much a halceon
time for memes and creativity.
Tumblr has a bad rep and at times it earns it but it is more multifaceted than people
give it credit for and has changed the fandom landscape in many ways that not everyone realises.
It’s easy to hate on it but like most platforms it has positives and negatives.
This image was first spotted the modified one with the what are your parents getting
you for christmas text on June 10th, 2008 on SFWChan.
This is it’s first known appearance.
However it wouldn;t becomes popular until it was reblogged on tumblr by user w8in on
June 16th, 2008 which would lead to be it being reblogged by a Ebaumsworld user in September
of that year, so the meme was now in circulation and then in 2009 November 22nd to be exact
the Batman Comic Macro Generator was launched a site that allowed users to blank out the
speech bubbles and write whatever they wanted in there and people had lots of ideas for
what to put in these panels.
This meme is now a classic and still gets used such as after the 2018 Titans season
one trailer the famous Fuck Batman line was perfect fodder for this meme.
That’s actually the meme’s cliffnotes version there’s much more there but we’ll
need to return to that because well what happens after this panel.
Batman actually brainwashes dick into forgetting he was ever robin that he knows him and just
lets him remember he was an orphan and sends him back to the orphanage so he can continue
his vendetta against superman.
That’s why his name was so small, deserved.
Batman then goes about tracking down the fortress of solitude in the process actually stopping
Lex with Superman who is so happy to see him he gives him a special utility belt that will
allow him to fly.
This leads us to part 2 yes this story has 2 parts and this part starts by promising
the reader that Bruce is going to team up with Lex to kill clark again a promise that
is kept.
Let’s start off with some needy superman Remember Batman whenever you need me call
me.
But Batman doesn’t call instead he takes the belt and uses it along to help him find
the fortress of solitude he manages to break in circumnavigating the giant key.
He even learns that Superman is clark in a panel that makes it look like clark has a
giant cut out cardboard copy of himself.
Now this entire time superman has never used the anti kryptonite serum even though he’s
face kryptonite and bruce’s logic is that he’s just saving it for a super special
occasion.
World’s greatest detective.
Bruce now decides the only thing left to do is team up with Lex it’s the silver age
so lex is just an evil super scientist at this point the business man stuff is going
to come in the 80s.
So together they trap Superman in a kryptonite casket thing but see through of course you
have to be able to enjoy your villainy it’s then revealed what the reader knew all along
it was Lex who killed Bruce’s father not Clark le gasp.
He has a superman robot and discovered the anti kryptonite serum cause he was following
clark around and eavesdropped from the bushes their entire childhoods stalking each other.
Tale as old as time.
He used one of his superboy robots to get the serum and killed Batman’s father by
accident.
The comic then goes full BVS and Batman frees Superman but ends up being shot by Lex’s
Z ray in a shot that is lethal because well let’s face it bruce was kind of a super
villain here I really hope that Clark goes and adopts Dick that poor child.
And so Batman dies in clark’s arms while superman lovingly caresses his face you’ve
more than made amends for what you did.
Clark how desperate for friends are you he 100% didn’t.
The end.
What a journey.
There’s another issue in this comic but nothing can compare to this.
This is a fun proto elseworld’s story and some of the elements are revisited vis a vis
Bruce’s obsession with taking down clark.
The whole thing is so over the top that it makes it a fun romp and the fact that’s
it’s stated outright that it’s not canon means you can just relax and enjoy.
I had fun.
Did you have fun or is this fare too silly for your blood.
I love a petty Batman almost as much as i love a petty superman.
What’s your favourite imaginary story?
Let me know down below
I’m Sasha thanks so much for watching casually comics please do all of the youtube things
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I’ll see you all again soon buh bye.