DISCLAIMER: Mr Vropp is completely fictitious :-)
No, I am not content with merely trapping the Nolanverse characters in my local BarStucks coffee shop.
Yes, my quest to better understand what made TDK so compellingly awesome has now led to...necromancy (cue thunder clap and mad scientist-style cackling).
For our edification I have resurrected the zombified Russian Literary Scholar, Pladimir Vropp.
Oh, and don't mention the "b" word (brains)...zombies have to eat too, y'know. And, after forty-one years without a decent meal, my mushroom-and-olive stuffed crust pizza may not be enough to stop me from becoming a snack...
The sacrifices that we make for our fandoms, eh? :-P
Read on, for highlights of our chat.
NOTE:
AS = Artemis0simetrA, your fellow Dark Knight obsessive.
PV = Pladimir Vropp, Soviet formalist scholar, turned brain-craving zombie.
AS: So, Plad, how are you finding heaven?
PV: Oh...it's okay.
AS: Just okay?
PV: Well, the group sing-alongs can get a little bit...repetitive.
AS: Still, I guess it's better than the other place, huh?
PV: *Wistfully*, Yes...although I've heard that the she-devils in the other place go in for whips and...tight clothing, in a big way. Some of them spend hours torturing a man for -
AS: Er, moving on then...
PV: *Still looking wistful*, Yes, I suppose you're right. My, those are very fetching shoes you're wearing. The heels look very sharp, almost as if one could-
AS: *Coughs*. So, Plad, you're known for analysing Russian folk tales, in order to break them down into their simplest narrative components? I was hoping that you could help me to analyse The Dark Knight, using your erm, brain power...
PV: *Momentarily distracted by the b-word*, Ah, The Dark Knight. That must be a re-telling of Le Morte d'Arthur, featuring the Knight of the Black Laund.
AS: Um, not exactly...
PV: So, the work in question must derive its title from the stock literary character of the Black Knight? The character who acts as a foil to the White Knight?
AS: Um, possibly. Though it also refers to the...Batman. From the comic books.
PV: Ah yes, I do recall a certain Catwoman in said comic books. Rather handy with a whip, I remember-
AS: *Jumping in hastily*, I'm afraid that Catwoman isn't in this particular film.
PV: *Looking disappointed*, Oh.
AS: Why don't we watch the film together? And then you can share your insights with us. I'm erm, dying to hear-
*Sound of the doorbell ringing*
AS: That must be the pizza. They were out of brain-toppings this evening, but I guess mushrooms have a similar texture...
VS: Ooh, is the delivery man wearing motorcycle leathers?
AS: (To self) I have a feeling this is going to be one long night...
NOTE: Any resemblance between Pladimir Vropp and any other deceased Russian literary scholar is purely coincidental. Mr Vropp, in all his oddity, is completely fictitious :-)
Future chapters to come; as soon as I make up for not studying English Literature since AS-level by reading Wikipedia... :-P