Something Different

Lately, I've gotten tired of talking and writing theologically. I spend my entire week working on my Sunday sermons, Bible studies, and making pastoral visits. So, I've decided to do something a little different. I created a new blog and will be making posts in both but these two are not the same.

I had a thought awhile back and wrote a post entitled, "Memoirs of a Hero" in which Dick Grayson (Robin) sits down and begins reading a journal that Bruce Wayne left him after he died saving the earth. It was an idea to explore the complexities of being Batman and Bruce Wayne and the complexities of the need to always have a Batman. The letter sets out to establish that Bruce has died and Dick is wrestling with whether or not he should take on the role of Batman. Doing so would require that Dick leave behind the role he created as Nightwing as well as require Dick to wrestle with how to make the persona his own.

The idea is to create a story in which we see two people who know each other very well and were as close as brothers, if not father and son, reveal something intimate about themselves that we the audience never had an opportunity to see or explore. It would be a deeper look into the Batman mythos and into those who are connected to Batman on a personal and professional level.

For me, the most fascinating struggle is going to be how stay true to the Batman mythos and present new ideas or new concepts. It will also be a struggle to tell parts of Batman's stories without retelling them. The Batman saga expands 73 years worth of stories and incarnations. The difficulty is how do honor those incarnations while at the same presenting them in a new light. Something I'm sure the gospel writers struggled with. Actually, I'm sure that's something every writer taking on a well known character has struggled with.

I think that struggle will play best in the form a personal narrative, journal, in which we hear both Bruce and Dick speak about the stories they each lived and experienced. It will be a struggle to keep the stories grounded in reality because reality doesn't work for Batman (even if Nolan has tried to make Batman realistic). So there will need to be a need for imagination in order for this to work because Superman, possibly the best opposite of Batman, won't fit in reality story but Batman's story cannot be told without Superman. In fact, Batman's story cannot be told without all those who experienced these stories with him.

I'm hoping this side project will provide an escape for me and allow myself a space to be more creative and free. I just hope it's different. Sometimes I need something different. Something fun.

You may visit Memoirs of a Hero here: http://memoirsofahero.blogspot.com