I AM the Batman?

Batman represents a bit of a tightrope for me. I'm very, sometimes I think overly, cautious about the kids and violent imagery and media. I really don't like any association with guns and killing. Now I've been playing through Batman on the Playstation and with me being off this last week there's been a few wee spates where I've started playing it and the kids have gravitated toward it.

I quite like the whole altruistic ethos behind Batman, selflessly fighting crime for the good of your home city and the whole anti gun and killing aspect of Batman is very applaudable in a mainstream media icon but? the replacement for the guns and killing means that the dude can be brutal at times with his fisty cuffs. He goes to town on dozens of baddies at a time and when the kids see it I always make sure they know that Batman has put them unconscious (sleeping) rather than 'making them dead'.

I know I can never blanket them completely from the more violent imagery we're are subjected to daily and I don't want them to grow up completely naive to it but I think there is a pretty good role model in that suit.