This is Gotham Calling’s 700th post!
I like to mark these occasions with something special and it occurred to me that it’s been a while since my last post celebrating the Caped Crusader’s tendency to acrobatically kick – or sometimes knee – his opponents in the head. It’s a trope that never gets old, as it plays to the strengths of both artists (who get to draw Batman pulling off incredible moves) and letterers (who have a chance to go nuts with their sound effects). Plus, writers sometimes join the fun by giving the Dark Knight a badass one-liner to accompany the aggression (like the classy pun ‘Too bad I can’t kick his addiction.’), thus supplying the lyrics to go with the artists’ dance choreography and the letterers’ music.
Here are yet another fifty examples of extravagantly performative violence:
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/BATMAN-264.jpg)
Batman #264
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/BATMAN-269-1024x313.jpg)
Batman #269
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Detective-Comics-339.jpg)
Detective Comics #339
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-330.jpg)
Batman #330
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/detective-comics-483.jpg)
Detective Comics #483
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Detective-Comics-551.jpg)
Detective Comics #551
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/batman-385.jpg)
Batman #385
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Annual-10.jpg)
Batman Annual #10
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/batman-385-2.jpg)
Batman #385
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-396.jpg)
Batman #396
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-406-1024x483.jpg)
Batman #406
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Detective-Comics-577.jpg)
Detective Comics #577
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Detective-Comics-580-1024x933.jpg)
Detective Comics #580
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Bride-of-the-Demon.jpg)
Bride of the Demon
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Legends-of-the-Dark-Knight-25.jpg)
Legends of the Dark Knight #25
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Legends-of-the-Dark-Knight-31.jpg)
Legends of the Dark Knight #31
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Legends-of-the-Dark-Knight-25-1.jpg)
Legends of the Dark Knight #25
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Robin-Adventures-10.jpg)
Batman & Robin Adventures #10
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Phantom-Stranger.jpg)
Batman / Phantom Stranger
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Robin-Adventures-010.jpg)
Batman & Robin Adventures #10
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Resurrection-Man-7.jpg)
Resurrection Man #7
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Adventures-v2-1.jpg)
Batman Adventures (v2) #1
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Outlaws-2.jpg)
Outlaws #2
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Legends-of-the-Dark-Knight-91.jpg)
Legends of the Dark Knight #91
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Outlaws-3.jpg)
Outlaws #3
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Adventures-v2-11.jpg)
Batman Adventures (v2) #11
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Turning-Points-5.jpg)
Turning Points #5
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Adventures-v2-16.jpg)
Batman Adventures (v2) #16
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman_608-1024x799.jpg)
Batman #608
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Gotham-Knights-31.jpg)
Gotham Knights #31
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-618.jpg)
Batman #618
![](http://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Catwoman-22.jpg)
Catwoman (v3) #22
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Detective-Comics-791.jpg)
Detective Comics #791
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Gotham-Knights-41.jpg)
Gotham Knights #41
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/detective-comics-800.jpg)
Detective Comics #800
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-634.jpg)
Batman #634
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-640.jpg)
Batman #640
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-642.jpg)
Batman #642
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Gotham-Knights-60.jpg)
Gotham Knights #60
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Forever-Evil-Arkham-War.jpg)
Forever Evil Aftermath: Batman vs Bane
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Kings-of-Fear.jpg)
Kings of Fear #1
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Annual-01-1024x684.jpg)
Batman Annual (v3) #1
![](http://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/New-Years-Evil-01-666x1024.jpg)
New Year’s Evil #1
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Universe-01-1024x583.jpg)
Batman: Universe #1
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Superman-Worlds-Finest-1024x352.jpg)
World’s Finest (v4) #1
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Universe-1-1024x661.jpg)
Batman: Universe #1
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/World’s-Finest-v4-2-1024x450.jpg)
World’s Finest (v4) #2
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-One-Dark-Knight-1024x761.jpg)
One Dark Knight #1
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/World’s-Finest-v4-11-1024x808.jpg)
World’s Finest (v4) #11
…and let’s wrap up with something a bit more elaborate:
![](https://www.gothamcalling.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Batman-Full-Circle-1024x876.jpg)
Full Circle