Well, readers, it seems that this will be my final issue until the next summer so I thought I’d leave you with a hero that is an up-and-comer in the comic book universe. Recently, DC pulled off what we call a retcon (which basically resets continuity and modifies origin stories, and, sometimes, spits out new heroes); this brings us to Batwing. Batwing is a relatively unknown hero in the grand scheme of things at the moment but his interesting comic series that is currently on going does the impossible of bringing a Batman-type character closer to a real world setting. So, here is the defender of Africa, the offspring of the Bat, the fearless crusader David Zamvimbi better known as Batwing.
The interesting thing about David is that his origin is grittier and sadder than most. He is tortured a lot like Batman but in a significantly different way. When David was a child, his parents died of the AIDS virus after which he along with his brother, Issac, were put into an orphanage. They were soon kidnapped in a raid by the Army of Dawn, a fictional African guerrilla army, and drafted into the ranks. David and Issac began to become fearless child soldiers known for their stealthy tactics, ability to carry out complex and sensitive missions, and their natural ability to fight. They soon became known as the Dragonflies and were drafted into the elite ranks of General Keita, the leader of the Army of Dawn. With the help of the Dragonflies, General Keita and the Army of Dawn were soon becoming the strongest guerilla army in Africa. To eliminate the competition and secure dominance over their territory, the Dragonflies were tasked with killing a man named Okuru, the rival army leader to General Keita. The boys agreed to slit Okuru’s throat and sneak out but Keita wanted to burn the entire village down to ensure Okuru’s death. However, the boys refused to kill innocent women and children; as a result, David fires his rifle off to alert Okuru’s troops thereby forcing the General and the boys to retreat. General Keita begins to savagely beat David until Issac saves him by smashing a rock over Keita’s head. Keita, in retaliation, slices Issac with his machete many times before throwing him over a cliff. David, at this time, retreated and ran far away in an effort to escape. Later that night, David returns to The Army of Dawn’s base and drugs Keita and then takes him back to the outskirts of Okuru’s camp site. Here, he tells Keita that he will no longer be a murderer in his senseless war and says that he will not kill him but Okuru will; he then fires off his rifle and flees while Okuru’s men close in. David eventually ends up at an Orphanage where he meets Matu, his adviser and soon-to-be father figure. As David grows up, he becomes a police officer where he begins to take a stand against corruption within the police force. David becomes a silent crime fighter at night where he eventually runs into Batman who has heard of his exploits as a crime fighter. Batman asks David to join his Batman Inc. initiative to create a Batman in every country to which David agrees. He gives David an advanced suit of armor, funding, equipment to create a base, and some advanced training in martial arts. Soon, David becomes known as the Batwing and a shining symbol of the force of good in Africa.
Let’s observe what Batwing is accomplishing here; he is,in essence, a very heavily inspired hero of the Batman but with enough twist to stand on his own. He represents something that we all want, someone who will take a stand in the name of the people and good. It’s interesting because he is put into the real-world situation of rampant corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo thereby making his origin more believable than Batman’s. In Batman’s case, here’s a rich kid whose parents are gunned down after which he just gets up and says “Ya know what. I’m gonna go learn every martial art and become a god amongst men and then take back the city my parents fought and died for.” No, David was a freaking child solider whose only crime was being born in a country where corruption runs wild. He was forced to kill and was rewarded when he did; even so, he still chose to take the higher path. I could go on and on about whom he has teamed up with or what powers/gizmos he has but what’s the real point in that? A hero shouldn’t be defined by powers alone (although, I will admit, they exponentially increase their awesome factors) but by the core contents of what Batwing represents. A hero where one is truly needed.
Batwing has his own fair share of villains and is part of a couple of pretty big superhero teams, but he doesn’t let those things make him lose sight over what is truly important to him: Africa. To Batwing, Africa is everything; it’s his home, where he was loved, where he was tortured, where he will fight, and, eventually, where he will die. He knows this in addition to knowing that the people will turn on him if that becomes the easier choice; he also knows that he gives the people hope that, one day the evil that plagues them will be destroyed. He knows that what he is doing is completely insane and suicidal even with the Bat-suit which, may I remind you, began before he had the gadgets.
There’s not much more I can really say about Batwing without spoiling his character, so I recommend that anyone who reads this to go out and buy one of his comics and see how amazing this character is as he is more than just ink and paper. This character stands a chance to be something more; he just needs the support. Whether he will have the impact of heroes like John Stewart, or Northstar, remains moot. Those who think that comics are just stupid and that there is no way for Batwing’s comic to do some good in our world are just ignorant because stranger things have happened. But this writer, nay this true believer, thinks that this comic can become a symbol of hope in our world.
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