Hail all,

There was an established interest in comics, and that only grew over my teenage years, but it wasn't until I had all grown up that I felt the need to grow down. The early 2000's were a decade of comics being taken seriously - especially at the box office. Spider-man of course led the way, the 2002 film definitely impressing. That of course opened the doors to sequels, and many other great comic book films. But the one that really brought me back into the fold was the sublime Batman Begins. Who didn't like that film? It had everything you could want in a Batman picture, and it was a big step up from the criminal Batman and Robin. Below I quoted a scene I really enjoy. I tried to find it in video, but I was unable to. The best I can offer is this link, which will lead you to the video.

Carmine Falcone: You're taller than you look in the tabloids, Mr. Wayne. No gun? I'm insulted! You could have just sent a thank you note.

Bruce Wayne: I didn't come here to thank you. I came here to show you that not everyone in Gotham's afraid of you.

Carmine Falcone: Only those who know me, kid. Look around you: you'll see two councilmen, a union official, a couple off-duty cops, and a judge. Now, I wouldn't have a second's hesitation of blowing your head off right here and right now in front of 'em. Now, that's power you can't buy! That's the power of fear.

Bruce Wayne: I'm not afraid of you.

Carmine Falcone: Because you think you got nothing to lose. But you haven't thought it through. You haven't thought about your lady friend down at the D.A.'s office. You haven't thought about your old butler. Bang! People from your world have so much to lose. Now, you think because your mommy and your daddy got shot, you know about the ugly side of life, but you don't. You've never tasted desperate. You're, uh, you're Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham; you'd have to go a thousand miles to meet someone who didn't know your name. So, don't.. don't come down here with your anger, trying to prove something to yourself. This is a world you'll never understand. And you always fear what you don't understand. Alright... Yeah, you got spirit, kid. I'll give you that. More than your old man, anyway. In the joint, Chill told me, uh, told me about the night he killed your parents. He said your father begged for mercy. Begged. Like a dog.

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Being a bat-fan from a young age it was nice to see a mature approach to the caped crusader for once. It didn't hurt that Scarecrow was a terrifying villain and that it was altogether just well made. Finally comics were getting the big-screen treatment they deserved, and like many other impressionable filmgoers, it led me back to the source material. I got the Hush storyliine, The Killing Joke, Year One, The Long Halloween and many more. I started watching old Animated Series episodes, and I fell in love with Mask of the Phantasm. Yet, Batman still was just a small leap into comics. It needed a shake up to get me in deeper. And that was on it's way...

Cheers,

Senno.