I have followed the comic for many years. The one thing I have really liked about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is that the filmmakers actually get the comic book and try to honor the work.

The main thing to remember is that Batman is really two people in one body, Bruce Wayne and Batman are very seperate personalities fighting for control and domination. Batman is a tortured, tragic, anti-hero, haunted by the events of Wayne's childhood (his parent's murder) and driven by dark obsession.

What I find interesting is that Batman is very suited to the environment of Gotham city a very dark and gritty place (Gotham is DC comic's version of New York) Superman by contrasts is more suited to Metropolis, a lighter, kinder place with more midwestern values( Metropolis is DC Comics answer to Chicago)

In crossover and Justice league books the two men are often at odds, Superman, is the crowd pleaser, the traditonal hero, who works in the public eye. Batman by contrast is a feared outcast and vigilante that works in the shadows. In Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" Batman and Superman's tensions come to a head and the two battle each other.

The movie should be very good, it is rumored that Heath Ledger is already a shoe-in to get a posthumous Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his last role as the joker. Enjoy the film

TJ