Bruce Wayne:

The Caped Crusader

The Batman

A contingency plan. 

Three simple words that will sum up Batman to the highest degree. Standing beside an alien who walks as God's on Earth, an immortal Amazonian Demi-Goddess, the worlds fastest man, a cyborg and more, Batman will always hold his own, keeping his contingency plans to the highest degree. He is a man, sure, but one that will never back down from a challenge; that will hold his ground against any and all enemies that stand between him and saving his city. Often challenging aliens and God's that would otherwise destroy the world, Batman will find and discover the best way to beat them. 

 For that reason, there's no surprise that he's the greatest hero out of the lot. His infinite wealth his only source power, giving him the resources to create, construct and learn various machines and tactics to shatter his enemies.

It's often said that Bruce Wayne is the mask of Batman, unlike Superman's Clark Kent or Wonder Woman's Diana Prince, who hide in human form. And where they have had years of training their powers, he holds his gadgets above all. 

And what stands out most about Batman is his humanity. Understanding how human's work, that giving is better than taking and that what the does is not to benefit himself but to benefit those who trust him, those living in Gotham (often even the world) and doing his best to save them no matter the cost, is his greatest power. He is a complex, emotional person, hiding behind two separate egos that benefit the world in their own unique ways. 

If there was only one comic book character that could benefit this world, it would have been Batman. A wealthy man, powerful man, who was a beacon of justice, holding the values of those he cares for higher than wealth and greed, who could turn the world into something useful. He is incorruptible and holds the greater good of the world above all.

There is no one better to strive to be than Batman. Though he's not immortal, the message he stands for is. Standing out from the crowd who do it for their own personal reasons, Batman tries to bring the world together. The death of his family caused a great shift in him. Instead of damaging and breaking Bruce Wayne, it changed something inside him to become this pillar of hope. 

And to think, a character created all the way back in 1939, has been able to inspire me, as well as hundreds if not thousands more to live their lives as best they can. Giving and helping their communities as best they can, with whatever they can. Having infinite sources of money is not the only thing Bruce Wayne or the Batman can teach help the world, it's becoming a member of society that can show strength and honor in every day to day dealing. Help those in need, become a man that could inspire change in those around you. 

Dr. Destiny: You Don't Have Any Special Powers!

Batman: I have one, Johnny. I never give up.

Thomas Alan Waits:

What can you say about Tom Waits that he wouldn't say about himself? Creating a unique, brilliant and vibrant music keeping a cloak of anonymity through the years that he spent in fame. Recently, I've found myself stuck behind his music. As a writer, you find yourself hiding from the ever impending doom that is writer's block and every time it rears it's ugly head, Tom Waits has the ability to pull me through my slump.

Having spent his early life giving up on the luxuries that modern society deem so necessary - in one of his many interviews, the conversation turned to the direction of the simplicities he enjoyed: I've heard stories from people who are involved with your record company, they wanna wine you and dine you when you come to town but all you want to do is hangout in cheap bars on eight avenue. - which could be attributed to him throughout his life and career. Tom Waits was a small time musician who turned big. 

One of his more inspirational pieces, and the one I will often turn to when my own inspiration is lacking, would be Martha off his Asylum years album. Having wrote it when he was only twenty-four, it tells the story of two old lovers. The way he created such a gripping tale, with all the various implications and darker nature and curves that life throw out when you move down its long and winding road, is not something any young man would understand. Tom Waits, on the other hand, was able to create the realism between the two characters, Martha and Tom Frost, and their journey through life in a short time frame. 

Tom Waits is such a one-off that even his juvenilia suggests wisdom beyond his years: Great praise to the writer of the iconic song!

His early life was spent in the aforementioned cheap bars and coffee shops. Tom was truly dedicated to the art and would do anything and everything he could to create the stories that his fans came to know and love. From the classics, to the experimental years, Tom Waits creates harrowing melodies and beautiful tales that inspire and nurture his listeners. My own father even using Somewhere off his album Blue Valentine as a wedding song. 

And though his styles may change so drastically that if you didn't know it, you'd not pick up on it in various movies or TV shows (Such as in Fight Club), one of my favourite quotes relating to Tom Waits came from critic, Daniel Durchholz, who said Tom Wait's voice sounded like "it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car".

And though he's now a married man with three kids, he's had a life of standing on stage with the greats (Roy Orbison and Bruce Springsteen to name a few), he's created a plethora of seedy and grotesque characters, and he kept his life hidden in the shadows, Tom Waits has managed to win the hearts of millions across the world. A true inspiration and teacher, dedicated to his art!