Now for something completely different.
I personally love "The Raven", and Edgar Allen Poe in general. But when you read the poem in a Batman centric feeling...well you start to notice a few similarities.
And then you get creative and decide to bastardize the poem.
So...if we're exploring the different themes of Batman and Wonder Woman, why not talk about Bruce's dark loneliness, right?
With that: DC owns the characters, Poe owns the poem, and I own the box of cookies I ate while writing this. Mostly because they're in ma belly.
I'll provide a brief interpretation of the poem at the end.
The Bat
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of lawless lore-
While I nodded, bleeding and slacking, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door-
"Tis only Alfred," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door.
Only him and no one more."
...
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each shattered crimson Pearl clattered dead upon the floor.
Earnestly I wished the morrow;-vainly I sought to borrow
From my studies surcease of sorrow-sorrow for the lost Guardians of yore-
For the loving and comforting touch of my buried Guardians of yore;-
Silent here for ever more.
...
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each ebony curtain
Dismayed me-miserably, filled with blackening terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the fleeting of my heart, I stood repeating
"Tis only Alfred entreating entrance at my chamber door-
A perturbed Alfred entreating entrance at my chamber door;-
Only him and no one more."
...
Presently his soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir" said he, "Master Bruce, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is that you were napping, and yet so heavily you were slacking,
And so faintly the crimson poured, drenching the chamber's floor,
That I'm obstinate to check on you; here let me open wide the door."
Darkness there and nothing more.
...
Deep into that darkness peering, long he stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever wished to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Bruce?"
This he whispered, and an echo murmured back the words, "no more."
Merely this and nothing more.
...
Back into the hallway turning, all his soul within him burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore-
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;-
'Tis merely darkness calling, and nothing more…."
...
Suddenly with a piercing crash, with flying, glistening bits of glass,
In there flew a putrid Bat of the demonic calls to war;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-
Perched upon a bust of Father just above my chamber door-
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
...
Then this ebony rodent beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be coarse and paling, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and questioning haven wandering from the Nightly shore-
Tell me what my earthly call is on the Night's decrepit shore!"
Growled the Bat "Nevermore."
...
Much I marvelled this ungainly ghoul to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answers little meaning-little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bat above his chamber door-
Bat or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With an answer such as "Nevermore."
...
But the rodent, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if its soul in that one word it did outpour.
Nothing farther then it uttered-not a leather wing did flutter-
Till I scarcely more than muttered "Other friends have flown before-
On the morrow it will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before."
Then the bat said "Nevermore."
...
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till its songs one burden bore-
Till the dirges of its Hope that melancholy burden bore
Like me, finding happiness "Nevermore."
...
But the rodent still beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bat, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bat of yore-
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt and ominous bat of yore
Meant in growling "Nevermore."
...
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the bat whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushions dampening lining that the moon-light gloated o'er;
But whose dampened crimson lining with the moon-light gloating o'er,
It shall press, ah, nevermore!
...
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
"Father," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee-by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite-respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of yore
Quaff, oh quaff this kind of nepenthe and forget that nightmare of yore!"
Quoth the Bat "Nevermore."
...
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!-prophet still, if bat or devil!-
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted-
On this home by Horror haunted-tell me truly, I implore-
Is there-is there balm in vengeance?-tell me-tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the Bat "Nevermore."
...
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!-prophet still, if bat or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us-by that God we both adore-
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant time laden,
It shall find a perfect haven free from the nightmares of yore-
Perhaps clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom takes away the dread of yore."
Quoth the Bat "Nevermore."
...
"Be that word our sign of parting, bat or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting-
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's decrepit shore!
Leave no black fume as a token of that dread thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!-quit the bust above my door!
Take thy fangs from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
Quoth the Bat "Nevermore."
...
And the Bat, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Father just above my chamber door;
And its eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the moon-light o'er it streaming throws its shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted-nevermore!
So simply put, "The Raven" is about a lonely man encountering a Raven in which he in essence asks it if he'll ever see his love again, to which it says "nope".
For Batman then, I based it off the scene in "Batman: Year One" where a bat crashes into his study, inspiring him to be Batman, though the questions he "asks" the bat (to which he believes his father sent) amount to "What should I do?", "Will I ever be Happy?" etc etc, with the bat "telling" him that no, he'll always be lonely, the pain of his parents death will never go away, and his life is now the Batman's.
Forever more.
Sooooo, what do you guy's think?