The Batman kicks statist butt

My favorite interpretation of Batman has long been that of Frank Miller, creator of the graphic novels The Dark Knight Returns (1986), Batman: Year One (1987), and The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001-2002). In the groundbreaking Returns, Batman came to realize that the world’s real criminals lie far beyond the Joker and Two-Face; what tears apart the fabric of society is the corruption of our so-called leaders. And in Strikes Again, Batman actually launched a revolution against a Power Elite led by (who else?) Lex Luthor and Brainiac.

Now it seems that writer-artist Paul Pope is offering a similar spin on the Caped Crusader. February 15, DC Comics will release the first installment of Pope’s four-issue graphic novel Batman: Year 100. The 200-page miniseries moves Batman ahead 33 years into, according to Wired magazine, “a high-anxiety future, where totalitarianism has nearly snuffed out the remnants of humanity. America in 2039 is a police state, individual liberties have been curtailed, and there’s a dark sense of impending doom. Roving police squads, Blade Runner-esque floating vehicles, and robotic watchdogs scan the skyline. A distressed-looking Batman is the only person Big Brother fails to track, and the superhero’s mask symbolizes the last hope against a corrupt government encroaching on individual privacy.”

Libertarian Batmaniacs should check with their comics dealers in two weeks. We might have another freedom classic on our hands.