Before we jump into The World’s Greatest Detective, this Superman link popped up this week that I wanted to add to last week’s post. The article argues that at his most allegorical core, Superman is an immigrant and the best stories about him focus on that.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice marks the first time Batman and Superman have been on film together (Wonder Woman too!), after 60 years of fighting crime arm-in-arm on the page. This sounds like an overwhelming amount of backstory, so here’s some context:

• For a history of Batman and Superman teaming up, check out this AV Club post: “Batman and Superman Are Best Friends—So Why Does Everybody Want to See Them Fight?” The article does a great job of highlighting the fact that the only real time they’ve ever fought because of actual ideological differences (and not a mind control ray or something equally as comic book-y) was a story that had to actually twist Superman’s personality and character into something he wasn’t to make it work.
• I love me some infographics and this one comparing the perceived wealth of the two characters is interesting, even if the math seems a little dubious.
• The press embargo on this new movie was lifted this week, which means everyone’s reviews dropped at once. I love this collection of snotty review headlines that all came out at once. Pun-tacular!
• The always insightful Charlie Jane Anders noticed that This Year’s Biggest Superhero Movies Are All About America’s Descent into Fascism. Extra points for comparing Bruce Wayne to Donald Trump.
• And Abraham Riesman tracks the differences between the characters over the last 75 years and relates it to American culture. The post includes my new favourite BvS gif:

Alright! On to The Caped Crusader himself:

• This week I have two choices for music to listen to while reading about Batman. For the classic option here’s Danny Elfman’s iconic score from Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. I also recommend this awesome Batman medley from The Piano Guys.
• I really love this post by Susana Polo, looking at a comic fan’s complicated relationship with Frank Miller. His work (especially on The Dark Knight himself) has radically changed the medium both for better and worse. The rampant misogyny and (barely) latent homophobia in his comics make it hard to understand how he’s so frequently held up as the greatest comic book creator of all time. Naturally, it’s Miller’s version of Batman that Zack Snyder seems to be pulling from the most in this new movie.
• If you’ve made it this far clicking links and reading about The Bat then you’re probably the sort of person who would enjoy Glen Weldon’s new book The Caped Crusade.