I was four when I saw Tim Burton’s Batman in theaters. My aunt took me and I had to leave when The Joker fried that guy with his joy buzzer. I thought the skeleton would come back to life for some reason.
But I loved Batman and still love Batman, despite any cynicism I’ve developed over the years from the many, many iterations of the character that have permutated in comics, cartoons, movies, etc. Sometimes though, you need a reminder of how powerful a force for actual good a character like this can be and how many kids still love him 74 years after his inception.
Today, five-year old Miles(!) is dressed as Batman and kicking major ass all over San Francisco as part of “Make-A-Wish”. He’s a leukemia patient in remission and the city pulled out all the stops in order to give this kid the best fucking day ever.
Here’s a link to the live updates of his exploits, which already include saving a woman strapped to a giant plastic bomb, stopping The Riddler’s attempt at a bank robbery and rescuing San Francisco Giants mascot, Lou Seal from The Penguin.