Official March DC Community Book Club--Batman: Ego!

[Jitsu]

In celebration of the recently released film, The Batman, we’re kicking off the next Official DC Book Club with Batman: Ego! A dark journey into the mind of Bruce Wayne, Batman: Ego takes you behind the cowl and into the ego of The Bat. Plagued by the death of his parents, Bruce pursues Buster Snibbs, a low-level street thug. Will Bruce reconcile the madness that lies between himself and Batman? Only one way to find out…

This Book Club will run from 2022-03-21T07:00:00Z→2022-04-01T07:00:00Z, with two sets of discussion questions. And don’t forget—Batman: Ego is free to read for registered DCUI users! Join this two week Official Book Club, and dive into the mind of Mr. Wayne.

Here are the Official DC Book Club discussion questions:

Week 1 Discussion Questions (Pages 8-38 on DCUI)

1. How do you think Batman’s interaction with Buster on Page 8 impact him mentally?

2. On Page 19, Bruce apparently decides to put down the cowl for good. How/why do you think Bruce hit this low point? Why doesn’t he have the strength to cary on?

3. On Page 24, Bruce says the words “my god” as Batman (if that’s what we should call him) appears before Bruce in the real world. Do you think this phrasing was intentionally indicating that Batman is the “god” of Bruce? If so, what does that dynamic look like?

4. Batman tells Bruce that he has “lay dormant” within him since his youth. How do you feel about this statement? Do you believe that the persona of Batman was inside of Bruce all his life? Or is this just something Batman is telling Bruce in an effort to control him?

5. Is the separation of Bruce and Batman something that can ever truly be achieved? Would it even benefit Bruce at all to do so?

Week 2 Discussion Questions (Pages 39-68 on DCUI)

1. What do you think about Bruce’s vanity and “need for approval”? Do you think these things are a real obstacle for Batman, or do they aid in his cause?

2. Do you agree that Batman’s eternal war on injustice actually bred a new kind of villain? A more destructive and unhinged form of “mad geniuses”?

3. On page 51, Bruce seems to have somewhat of a breakthrough–and starts laughing at Batman and the overall situation. What do you think spurred this laughter? Is Bruce losing it in this scene?

4. What do you think of Batman’s proposed plan of splitting Bruce from Bats, and living truly as two beings? How do you think this would have played out, if Bruce had gone along with the idea?

5. Bruce and Batman seem to have come together for a common purpose at the end of the comic. What do you think this true purpose is? How can Bruce balance the two sides of himself to fulfill that purpose?

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[Jay_Kay]

Cool! This is definitely a favorite of mine. Looking forward to revisiting it once again.

[samuelsmccartney.32086]

Looking forward to it! Haven’t read it yet. I’ve heard it’s great.

[ArkhamInmate817]

Haven’t read this one yet, but it looks good!

[Nightwing_Rider]

4. Batman tells Bruce that he has “lay dormant” within him since his youth. How do you feel about this statement? Do you believe that the persona of Batman was inside of Bruce all his life? Or is this just something Batman is telling Bruce in an effort to control him?

I feel that the persona of Batman is a collective unconscious of Bruce’s fears, emotions, and memories that he holds on to. His Batman persona started creating form around the time Bruce’s parents were shot in Crime Alley.

[Green.Lantern]

1. I think it has a huge impact on Bruce, and just pushes him over the edge. Even before their interaction he was clearly exhausted, and feeling responsible for what happens to Buster is just adding to it.
2. I think it’s a combination of exhaustion, the repetitiveness of having to deal with Joker getting loose and killing lots of people again, and then what happens to Buster. Spending all your time getting beaten to a pulp and feeling like it’s not making any difference at all would be hard for anyone to deal with.
3. I feel like it was an unintentional remark on Bruce’s part, but I do think there’s a good point to be made that Batman is Bruce’s “god” functionally. His entire life is structured around his crusade against crime, and he puts it ahead of everything else in his life.
4. I think it’s just something Batman is telling Bruce. If Bruce’s parents hadn’t been murdered, I think the odds are that Bruce would’ve gone on and lived a happy, normal life. I do think it’s probably easier for Bruce to feel like becoming Batman was inevitable, since it would be pretty painful to think about where he would be in life right now if he wasn’t Batman.
5. I think it depends on what the “separation” looks like. I do think that if Bruce was able to deal with his trauma and cope and move on from it, he could live a healthy, normal life. He could even make the world a better place through philanthropy, or many other fields. I do think that feeling responsible for the actions of supervillains like Joker or Scarecrow would make it harder, but I don’t think he necessarily needs to feel responsible for everything that happens in Gotham.

[Jay_Kay]

1. How do you think Batman’s interaction with Buster on Page 8 impact him mentally?

What happened with Buster at the start of this story can only be described as one of Batman’s worst nightmares. Bruce has dedicated his life, made it his mission to save the lives of those affected by crime, to be the hero that he wished was there when his parents died. To be hit with not only the fact that this man murdered his wife and child, but the idea that Batman’s methods of his war on crime may have caused it would be very traumatizing.

2. On Page 19, Bruce apparently decides to put down the cowl for good. How/why do you think Bruce hit this low point? Why doesn’t he have the strength to cary on?

Like I said, what happened with Buster likely played a huge role, but I think that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. We see when Bruce is driving back to the cave the snide, off-hand remarks that others make about him. We see the physical toll his war takes as we meet Bruce bleeding from a nasty wound on his shoulder. We see in his mind how he’s become used to the violence and mayhem of his war and I think a part of him is terrified of that, that he might eventually become numb to it.

But Bruce can endure all of that if he believes what he is doing creates some sort of good. His faith in the purity of his mission was shaky at the start of this story, but Buster completely shattered it.

3. On Page 24, Bruce says the words “my god” as Batman (if that’s what we should call him) appears before Bruce in the real world. Do you think this phrasing was intentionally indicating that Batman is the “god” of Bruce? If so, what does that dynamic look like?

First, I would call the entity Bruce is meeting “The Bat,” as it is the manifestation of the symbol of fear that Bruce wanted to invoke, and Batman is Bruce’s attempt to recreate it.

As for the question itself, I think an argument can be made that the Bat is the god of Bruce. What is a god? I think the most basic streamlined answer is a being or the idea of one, that epitomizes a concept or idea that is worshipped. I think that definitely applies to Bruce and his mission.

It’s a comparison that’s almost been there from the start. After all, look at the very first rendition of Batman’s origin when he first makes his vow:

He’s sitting next to his bed, his hands clasped together…like a prayer.

4. Batman tells Bruce that he has “lay dormant” within him since his youth. How do you feel about this statement? Do you believe that the persona of Batman was inside of Bruce all his life? Or is this just something Batman is telling Bruce in an effort to control him?

I think the flashback to the Christmas before the death of his parents shows that The Bat was there to a certain degree, as a mix of a love of adventure and heroism in the Zorro action figure, and a sudden, terrifying understanding of death from Bruce witnessing his father being unable to save of of his patients.

I think it’s fair to say the Bat is trying to control Bruce for the mission, but it doesn’t make what happened any less true.

5. Is the separation of Bruce and Batman something that can ever truly be achieved? Would it even benefit Bruce at all to do so?

I don’t think so, at least not in a way that would be genuinely helpful to both.

I’m actually reminded of a JLA story that tackled this called “Divided We Fall,” which was shortly after the “Tower of Babel” storyline. From what I remember of the story, the team (plus Batman) are propositioned by fifth-dimensional aliens to separate the team’s hero and civilian identities into separate bodies, so that they can fully commit to both sides.

Of course, it doesn’t go as planned, and with Batman in particular, Batman becomes more and more disconnected from humanity. Meanwhile, Bruce still has the trauma of what happened to him, but without the means and ability, and is nearly killed when he tries to stop a mugging he witnesses.

As messed up as it sounds, Bruce being a crimefighter is probably the most mentally stable thing for him. Well, except maybe therapy, but…ah, perish the thought!

[brownliealex1048]

Hello I’m new to the community and was wondering where the questions that other members are answering came from.

[AlexanderKnox]

There are dropdown boxes in the first post.

Click Here!

And now you know! And knowing is half the battle!

We’re currently on the Week 1 discussion questions.

[Alec.Holland]

Hey!

Wishing you a warm welcome to the community! Let the moderation team know if you need anything!

As AlexanderKnox mentioned, they’re available in the top post of this thread. I’ll share them below for you so you don’t have to go hunting this time

@Jitsu

Week 1 Discussion Questions (Pages 8-38 on DCUI)

1. How do you think Batman’s interaction with Buster on Page 8 impact him mentally?
2. On Page 19, Bruce apparently decides to put down the cowl for good. How/why do you think Bruce hit this low point? Why doesn’t he have the strength to cary on?
3. On Page 24, Bruce says the words “my god” as Batman (if that’s what we should call him) appears before Bruce in the real world. Do you think this phrasing was intentionally indicating that Batman is the “god” of Bruce? If so, what does that dynamic look like?
4. Batman tells Bruce that he has “lay dormant” within him since his youth. How do you feel about this statement? Do you believe that the persona of Batman was inside of Bruce all his life? Or is this just something Batman is telling Bruce in an effort to control him?
5. Is the separation of Bruce and Batman something that can ever truly be achieved? Would it even benefit Bruce at all to do so?

[brownliealex1048]

Thanks for the help

[brownliealex1048]

1. I believe that this encounter will scar Batman because it seems as though he thinks his methods aren’t working. He set out to strike fear into the hearts of criminals but the very ones he’s trying to stop are more scared of joker than Batman.

2. I think he hits this point because he watched Buster die while Buster looked at him with fear in his eyes. This is similar to how he saw his parents die which he also blames himself for.

3. I do believe that this dialogue is intentional especially when Batman says that Bruce has been lacking faith lately. Bruce has devoted his life to becoming Batman similar to how people are devoted to their religion. Now Bruce is trying to separate himself from Batman to have two different lives which shows that he is not truly devoted.

4. I believe that Batman has been laying dormant. This being because Bruce thought he had mastered Batman but it took Buster’s suicide to realize that he was not using the Batman persona to the best he could.

5. The separation between Batman and Bruce is possible. it’s a tricky relationship but each of them has their uses being the best Batman decreases the possibility that an incident like Buster will happen. Bruce Wayne on the other hand will help Batman be grounded to reality. People are inspired by Bruce Wayne and it was Bruce that took Dick Grayson in, not Batman. Bruce is able to have a connection with people on an intimate level which Batman cannot.

[RexRebel]

Week 1 Discussion Questions (Pages 8-38 on DCUI)

1. How do you think Batman’s interaction with Buster on Page 8 impact him mentally?
   I think it caused a breakdown causing Bat to examine his choices and reasons for not killing and the harm or good it caused.
2. On Page 19, Bruce apparently decides to put down the cowl for good. How/why do you think Bruce hit this low point? Why doesn’t he have the strength to cary on?
   Causing someone indirectly to kill their own family by his action or inaction was one step too far, and meant he was causing more harm then good.
3. On Page 24, Bruce says the words “my god” as Batman (if that’s what we should call him) appears before Bruce in the real world. Do you think this phrasing was intentionally indicating that Batman is the “god” of Bruce? If so, what does that dynamic look like?
   No, I just took it as an expression of shock.
4. Batman tells Bruce that he has “lay dormant” within him since his youth. How do you feel about this statement? Do you believe that the persona of Batman was inside of Bruce all his life? Or is this just something Batman is telling Bruce in an effort to control him?
   Actually the persona of Batman was Fear itself, so of course it is always with him.
5. Is the separation of Bruce and Batman something that can ever truly be achieved? Would it even benefit Bruce at all to do so?
   Well that goes to the question of who Bruce is, is he Batman, Bruce,a combination of both, a high functioning split personality? He has been portrayed as each over the years, so it depends on who is writing. I’ve always that of him as Bruce Wayne, and Batman is a methodology he uses to accomplish his goals, just as his playboy personality has been. They are all faces of the real Bruce that he uses to complete his goals.

[Jitsu]

A new set of Book Club questions is up!

[RexRebel]

[quote=“Jitsu, post:1, topic:3197115”]

• What do you think about Bruce’s vanity and “need for approval”? Do you think these things are a real obstacle for Batman, or do they aid in his cause?
  Well, vanity is not necessarily bad unless it interferes with his mission, and ultimately makes him less effective. It can be argued that keeping himself hidden from the public would possibly make him more effective and would have not led to the creation of all his super villains. But this is a DC world plenty of super villains to go around. As to his need for approval depends on why he seeks it and from whom, in this case it is implied the general public which like anyone who seeks someone else’s approval is can be good and bad, here it is implied to be bad, and i would agree.
• Do you agree that Batman’s eternal war on injustice actually bred a new kind of villain? A more destructive and unhinged form of “mad geniuses”?
  In a simplistic view yes, just like computer software every new release breeds new hackers to up their game.
• On page 51, Bruce seems to have somewhat of a breakthrough–and starts laughing at Batman and the overall situation. What do you think spurred this laughter? Is Bruce losing it in this scene?
  The absurdity of seeing and talking to yourself, frankly, I believe he lost it prior to this scene when he first started talking to himself, this is just a continuation and perhaps his realization of it.
• What do you think of Batman’s proposed plan of splitting Bruce from Bats, and living truly as two beings? How do you think this would have played out, if Bruce had gone along with the idea?
  Well it is Comics and people hav split into versions of themselves before so, I can’t say it isn’t possible, but ultimately not well. Batman would have become a true vigilante and considered himself above the law(more than he does now), which never ends well. While Bruce would have been left unfulfilled in honoring his parents death, as this was the method he chose and could no longer do.
• Bruce and Batman seem to have come together for a common purpose at the end of the comic. What do you think this true purpose is? How can Bruce balance the two sides of himself to fulfill that purpose?
  Bruce recognizing that he is driven by seperate impulses and that each serves a purpose if they remain in balance. It will be a constant trial to do so, and will be done one day at a time, by choosing the middle ground and keeping from the extremes.

[NYJt3]

Week 1

1. How do you think Batman’s interaction with Buster on Page 8 impact him mentally?

He saw the cost of Justice and the infection crime can have. Even when he wins he can still loose and that made him question everything he’s done.

2. On Page 19, Bruce apparently decides to put down the cowl for good. How/why do you think Bruce hit this low point? Why doesn’t he have the strength to cary on?

As I said above he blames himself for what happened and think no matter how many people he saves there are always those that could die or worse. As it ties to his need to control everything and when there is none he struggles with such.

3. On Page 24, Bruce says the words “my god” as Batman (if that’s what we should call him) appears before Bruce in the real world. Do you think this phrasing was intentionally indicating that Batman is the “god” of Bruce? If so, what does that dynamic look like?

I don’t think so. Just him using it as an expression of fear and confusion in him of all people seeing “Batman” in his presence.

4. Batman tells Bruce that he has “lay dormant” within him since his youth. How do you feel about this statement? Do you believe that the persona of Batman was inside of Bruce all his life? Or is this just something Batman is telling Bruce in an effort to control him?

I think it’s true. Something like Batman doesn’t just spawn out of the blue. When it’s that child like fantasy brought life by trauma and fear that fantasy was there in some way. And that’s death opened the door for Bruce to embrace it.

5. Is the separation of Bruce and Batman something that can ever truly be achieved? Would it even benefit Bruce at all to do so?

No. honestly as many versions Batman is Bruce and Bruce is Batman but none are one without the other. Bruce of course give resources but allow him to help in other ways and see the world outside of his grim view even if he’s faking it as Bruce a lot. If Batman just had that dark view he would have died or crossed the line long ago.

[NYJt3]

Week 2

1. What do you think about Bruce’s vanity and “need for approval”? Do you think these things are a real obstacle for Batman, or do they aid in his cause?

I think it’s both. A bonus to ease his guilt and keep him from going down his narrow fake view but also an obstacle as he need justification a lot to do what he does halting a lot of growth. Most likely from living without parents he can never get those direct answers of his avengers of them is right so seek seeks it out through other to fill that need.

2. Do you agree that Batman’s eternal war on injustice actually bred a new kind of villain? A more destructive and unhinged form of “mad geniuses”?

Yes an no. Sure there are many cases like Two Face or Joker who could be said to have been caused by him but they could have happened on their own or become something worse. But in the end thinking of what ifs that can’t be changed won’t change a think they’re here and need to be stopped and helped if they can be.

3. On page 51, Bruce seems to have somewhat of a breakthrough–and starts laughing at Batman and the overall situation. What do you think spurred this laughter? Is Bruce losing it in this scene?

Maybe both insanity and clarity. Like his dad mentioned sometime people are hit by a lot of emotions and some times something just comes out.

4. What do you think of Batman’s proposed plan of splitting Bruce from Bats, and living truly as two beings? How do you think this would have played out, if Bruce had gone along with the idea?

Batman would have gone too far and Bruce would live in regret. Without that humanity Batman can do real damage only hurting Bruce in the long run.

5. Bruce and Batman seem to have come together for a common purpose at the end of the comic. What do you think this true purpose is? How can Bruce balance the two sides of himself to fulfill that purpose?

Like all with life it’s balance. Your good bad and even crazy . Find balance with that can lead to better understandings and in the end a better you. That’s what I think he was going for the best him of both night and day.

[Jay_Kay]

1. What do you think about Bruce’s vanity and “need for approval”? Do you think these things are a real obstacle for Batman, or do they aid in his cause?

I think it has its pros and cons. On one hand, having friends in the force makes Batman’s job easier in that he’s not constantly looking behind him for the police after him.

On the other hand, having the police backing him takes a bit away from his mystique, makes criminals think he’s just some nutjob in a suit. Also, being close to the police potentially blinds him to corruption within those ranks and to the people can make him look like an unofficial avatar for systemic corruption and abuse.

2. Do you agree that Batman’s eternal war on injustice actually bred a new kind of villain? A more destructive and unhinged form of “mad geniuses”?

I’ve always found that logic a little faulty. People like Strange, Penguin, Scarecrow, Catwoman to an extent had problems and issues long before Batman ever showed up. Their outward appearances may have looked different, the scale might have been different. The only person you can argue maybe he created as a monster is The Joker, but that’s because we don’t necessarily know his origin, who he was before the acid bath.

3. On page 51, Bruce seems to have somewhat of a breakthrough–and starts laughing at Batman and the overall situation. What do you think spurred this laughter? Is Bruce losing it in this scene?

Bruce was losing it the moment he started seeing this huge monster thing. I think the moment he started laughing was him looking past his own trauma and experiences and realizing just how ridiculous this looks and sounds from the outside.

Also, can someone explain the whole “underdone potato” joke? I never understood that.

4. What do you think of Batman’s proposed plan of splitting Bruce from Bats, and living truly as two beings? How do you think this would have played out, if Bruce had gone along with the idea?

Not well. I mean, it’s a nice idea in theory, but there’s only 24 hours in a day and only one body between them, so that’s going to cause problems. How is Bruce going to galevant around Gotham when half of his time he’s letting the Bat take over?

It’s funny that we’re talking about this after Moon Knight on Disney+ dropped, because I think that’s a good example of what it would look like it Bruce and Batman were two separate identities in one mind.

5. Bruce and Batman seem to have come together for a common purpose at the end of the comic. What do you think this true purpose is? How can Bruce balance the two sides of himself to fulfill that purpose?

The true purpose is to help the people of Gotham, not just by scaring and beating those who would hurt others, but by protecting and inspiring the good of the city as well.

How can they balance things? Honestly, at the end it feels like not much has changed. It isn’t so much that Bruce found a better way to fulfill his mission, but more accepted that there is going to be consequences, compromise, and sacrifices for himself in order to do so.

[IamRob1n]

Looking forward to reading this one!

[Green.Lantern]

1. This kind of took me off guard; I’d never really thought about it before. I think it could make sense in that Bruce probably needs assurance from others that he’s on the right path, but I don’t know if that’s vanity as much as wanting to be sure he hasn’t gone completely off the deep end.
2. I’ve always found this to be an interesting argument. I do think that a lot of supervillains would probably like to pit themselves against Batman, since they think they’re stronger or smarter than him. Looking at it from another angle, it would make sense if petty “street” criminals stopped operating in Gotham because they knew it was pointless with Batman there, but that doesn’t seem to be the case, since Gotham always seems to have a ton of street crime.
3. I kind of took Bruce’s laughing as a positive development in this storyline, since it’s showing he’s stopping for a second and thinking about what’s going on, rather than just getting entirely caught up in arguing and debating with what is most likely just a figment of his imagination. Even given how serious this discussion and night has been, this is a guy who dresses up as a bat arguing with a personification of a bat, so it is a bit absurd on a certain level. Laughing at it is a better and healthier response for Bruce than to just break down and give the “bat god” whatever it wants.
4. I feel like if this was at all a possibility it would go incredibly badly. If it works at all like it’s being depicted here, I would think the first time Bruce “takes over” from Batman for a night he’d either be alone in a room full of dead supervillains or in jail.
5. I think it’s a more healthy conclusion than I was expecting to see for most of this comic. Just trying to do his past and not letting the past or things out of control eat him alive is really the best that Bruce can do. Focusing so much on punishing criminals rather than helping people isn’t so good, since the focus is on hurting rather than helping, and there are always going to be criminals, no matter how many people get beaten up.