Very good analysis. The only thing I might remark on is that evil (which the Joker embodies) is parasitic on good, so even if Batman needs the resolve he gets from fighting the Joker, it is still the Joker who is more of a "parasite" rather than a fundamental. Though yes, without evil vigilantes would not need to exist.
Aaaand as a Shadow fan, I do have to point out that in the pulps he is a rather more nuanced character than the primal force of blind justice that you have painted him as.
He does a) often give crooks the chance to surrender (they rarely take it), b) generally spare the lives of men with the capability to reform (again, the opportunity depends on the person and not everyone takes it). Moreover, he c) sponsored an entire reform colony on a private tropical island--which he doesn't run, because that isn't his mission or his talent (as you pointed out, he's a figure of violence and vengeance, not redemption), but which he entrusts to his best / only friend, sociologist Slade Farrow--a man who *does* have the ability to coax criminals into the straight and narrow. And by sponsored, I don't mean just donated ex-mobsters, he supports it financially and logistically as well and helps keep an eye on those who do manage to integrate themselves back into society. :)
While there aren't any pulp stories that give us a direct look into The Shadow's mindset, there are plenty of them that follow him closely as the main character and show him in a humanized light.
Also, I'm pretty sure the Knights of the Round Table didn't kill Morgan Le Fay because, until the issue of the last unpleasantness in Camelot, she didn't actually do....or get caught doing....anything illegal....? As opposed to Guinevere, who was an open adultress. The example of Loki, which isn't a really good example, either, because the Norse gods did take the precaution of locking up the dangerous maniac in an inescapable dungeon and also punishing him severely to boot. The Joker gets kid gloves.
All that said, I'm not arguing with your overall point and this is a really thought-provoking essay. :) Thanks for posting it!
In the Real World, Joker would have been executed by the State years ago. IE Joker isn't Legally Insane.
Very good analysis. The only thing I might remark on is that evil (which the Joker embodies) is parasitic on good, so even if Batman needs the resolve he gets from fighting the Joker, it is still the Joker who is more of a "parasite" rather than a fundamental. Though yes, without evil vigilantes would not need to exist.
Aaaand as a Shadow fan, I do have to point out that in the pulps he is a rather more nuanced character than the primal force of blind justice that you have painted him as.
He does a) often give crooks the chance to surrender (they rarely take it), b) generally spare the lives of men with the capability to reform (again, the opportunity depends on the person and not everyone takes it). Moreover, he c) sponsored an entire reform colony on a private tropical island--which he doesn't run, because that isn't his mission or his talent (as you pointed out, he's a figure of violence and vengeance, not redemption), but which he entrusts to his best / only friend, sociologist Slade Farrow--a man who *does* have the ability to coax criminals into the straight and narrow. And by sponsored, I don't mean just donated ex-mobsters, he supports it financially and logistically as well and helps keep an eye on those who do manage to integrate themselves back into society. :)
While there aren't any pulp stories that give us a direct look into The Shadow's mindset, there are plenty of them that follow him closely as the main character and show him in a humanized light.
Also, I'm pretty sure the Knights of the Round Table didn't kill Morgan Le Fay because, until the issue of the last unpleasantness in Camelot, she didn't actually do....or get caught doing....anything illegal....? As opposed to Guinevere, who was an open adultress. The example of Loki, which isn't a really good example, either, because the Norse gods did take the precaution of locking up the dangerous maniac in an inescapable dungeon and also punishing him severely to boot. The Joker gets kid gloves.
All that said, I'm not arguing with your overall point and this is a really thought-provoking essay. :) Thanks for posting it!
Batman follows his code because he knows that if he doesn't, he'll be no better than the criminals he fights.