Since 2008, the image of Batman slapping Robin has permeated all corners of the internet, adapted to a wide range of different characters and topics. The meme has become so prominent and recognizable that countless modern comics have weaved the iconic image into their stories... but why are comic book writers so obsessed with this meme in particular? With Tom King and Liam Sharp's Batman/Catwoman #8 giving readers yet another Bat-slap, has DC finally gone too far?
Comics have always played around with names, symbols, motifs, and patterns; perhaps memes have simply become part of the evolving mythology of these characters - or perhaps weaving them back into modern stories is just a way of attracting the attention of people less familiar with comics. Whatever the intention, the number of Batman-affiliated characters seen slapping others has sharply risen in the past few years: even the ever-humble Alfred Pennyworth is not above laying one on Bruce's cheek. In Batman/Catwoman #8, another character joined the Batman-slap club: Selina Kyle.
In a possible alternate future, Dick Grayson has taken over Jim Gordon's role as Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, while Bruce and Selina's daughter, Helena Wayne, protects Gotham as Batwoman. A conversation about Helena's parents cuts to a flashback of Catwoman slapping Batman, before proceeding to argue as they cat-and-mouse (or cat-and-bat) across the city rooftops. Bruce is frustrated that Selina is not the hero he wants her to be, while she openly vents about the toxicity of her love/hate relationship with Batman. While Selina's Bat-slap is understandable in this context, referencing the meme is an odd way to start an intimate conversation about abuse, trust, and unresolved emotional issues.
While instantly recognizable, some readers may have tired of DC's recent obsession with the meme, seeing its frequent inclusion in modern comics as uninspired or distracting. Whether entertaining or annoying, however, slap-meme references have become a way of showing that some vital line has been crossed, particularly if Bruce says, does, or thinks something that contradicts his principles or moral standing. In a strange way, this bears some similarities to the actual story behind the original slap in World's Finest Comics #153: a 'what if' story in which Batman is convinced that Superman killed his dad, vehemently opposing Robin after he suggested that Superman was innocent. If slapping young Dick Grayson wasn't enough, Bruce even wipes Robin's memory of ever being his sidekick and sends the poor boy to an orphanage. Although the roles are reversed in Selina's recent Bat-slap, the story still presents a version of Batman that is particularly volatile and confused, and one whose unresolved issues are pushing away his closest allies.
Memes are an inescapable part of modern popular culture, and the Batman Slap is a significant point of reference even for people unfamiliar with comics. However, perhaps DC's writers and editors need to be more cautious about when to use it in a new story, particularly when tackling topics like abuse and emotional instability. Regardless, who would have thought that Batman slapping Robin in a Silver Age imaginary tale would have such a long, strange, and conflicting legacy?
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