Dark vs. Light in "Batman"

Batman is my favorite superhero we have encountered thus far. There are a few reasons for which I enjoyed this comic more than Superman, Wonder Woman, and the X-Men. As a socialite, Batman, unlike the previous Goddess, news reporter, and mutant, seems less contrived (since, as a socialist, he has the time to develop his physical superiority and the money to produce effective tools). Moreover, I appreciate the complexity of dark and light implemented via various aspects of the symbolism, art, and characters. The symbol of the bat, knight, and moon are especially resonant. As we have discussed, there is a duality presented via the bat and the moon. Batman's cape facilitates a bat-like silhouette, and his x-ray goggles are reminiscent of bat vision. Furthermore, the concept of the knight fits in with the Bruce Wayne's quintessential nature. Lastly, the prominence of the moon in numerous compositions, emphasizes Batman as a man of the night, which heightens the importance of darkness despite the bright color scheme. The art is equally complex, as it integrates aspect of camp, with darker elements. I especially found that the art in The Dark Night Returns was somewhat reminiscent of Tardi's ligne-clair (I could be wrong).  I saw more of an emphasis on setting and furthermore the color scheme was limited within scenes, and also toned down. This seemed to accentuate the grim (similar to the grim view of corruption in Paris) time through which Gotham and Bruce Wayne were both suffering. Lastly, emphasis on the villains as important and even likable/entertaining characters produced a complexity that was missing in the previous superhero stories (in Superman and Wonder Woman only the heroes were recurring). I agree with the majority of audiences in finding the joker a captivating and essential part of the Batman series and it seems that in developing the heroes relationship to the villain, there is greater character (on both sides) and plot complexity. Although good always prevails, there is a more realistic depiction of evil.