Batman: The Ultimate Evil - Style and Themes

Style and Themes

The publishers required that Vachss follow certain rules, including prohibiting the Batman character from killing, cursing, or having sex, and keeping a clear distinction between fiction and reality. For example, while Vachss wanted to write about Thailand, he created a fictional country named Udon Khai which had many similarities with Thailand — though Udon Khai is described as being dominated by a lone kingpin who controls the country's one-industry economy based on sex tourism while Thailand's tourism economy, which includes sex tourism, is part of an economic development strategy enabled by international development agencies. Vachss deviated from Batman canon by having the Wayne family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, reveal to Bruce Wayne that his mother, Martha, was a sociologist who was secretly investigating a child pornography ring. According to Vachss's version, the Waynes were not the victims of a random crime; instead, Martha was targeted for assassination. One reviewer compared the characterization of Batman as "the same brooding, handsome, rich character that Val Kilmer played " but with the "gothic presence of the older Batman seen in 1940s movie serials". More complex analysis compared the story to an "18th-century contes philosophiques in which the dark irrationality of the Greek gods has been flattened out into tidy didactic instruction."

Vachss said "writing is my way of preaching. For me, it's always, always the message. The plot is something I contrive to deliver the message. You've got to have enough narrative force to get people to finish the book, but if you can give them an exciting story, you can always make your points." He stated that "the whole point of the book is to raise awareness about the kiddie-sex tourism business in Thailand". Though the story uses more realism than the escapism typically associated with superhero fiction, Vachss did end the book with endorsements of two real non-profit groups; Don't! Buy! Thai! and End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism. The writing is not subtle, as Vachss noted "If you don't get angry, you're not going to do anything". Understanding that the likely readers were young males with short attention spans, Vachss tried to be dramatic by using what author Adam Begley calls "a motivational hat trick: sympathy for the victims, revenge, and a family calling".

A major theme in the book is the characterization of child abuse. The story follows Bruce Wayne as he learns about the different categories of child abuse, from the ignorant to the incapable and to those who do it for pleasure. Batman, whose motivation is to prevent crime, like the murder of his parents, is contrasted against a social worker whose motivation is protecting children; Batman realizes that throughout his career he had been fighting criminals, not crime. Vachss asserts that "child protection and crime prevention are the same thing"; he believes that child abuse is never just a random crime but is done with intent. While Vachss warns that those abused can become future abusers, he also states that "abuse can push two similarly maltreated children in opposite directions. One incest victim becomes a promiscuous adult, another never engages in sex again. ... If you excuse a serial killer because he was tortured as a child, you disrespect the thousands of children who were treated worse and never imitated their oppressor."