Internet , meaning that letters were physically written , stuck in envelopes , and stamped , suggesting “ Keaton ’ s haters had real drive ” ( Briggs ). The messages of protest letters varied in fervency ; one fan worried in Comic Buyer ’ s Guide , “ Why would anyone choose a short , balding wimpy comedian to portray the Dark Knight ?” ( Brooker 282 ). Another writer , feeling an intense sense of betrayal upon hearing the casting news , wrote , “ Remember that empty , hollow feeling that you got in the pit of your stomach when your girlfriend wanted to break up with you ? That same lump-in-the-throat yucky feeling which brings on the ‘ dark night of the soul ’ attacked me this morning …” ( Brooker 282 ).
The voices of fan critics resounded throughout the media . Even Kane , seventy-two years old at the time and given a symbolic “ consultant ” credit on the film , had reservations about the casting which he expressed to Burton ( Brooker 286 ). In an interview , Kane suggested , “ There are the baby boomers who know the TV show ; they don ’ t know the dramatic comic book prior to that , so they think the movie is probably going to be a comedy . Then there are readers who know the roots from which he came , that he is a vigilante , mysterious , a loner ” ( Urrichio and Pearson 184 ). Burton himself exasperated the negative response by responding , “ There might be something that ’ s sacrilege in the movie … But I can ’ t care about it … This is too big a budget movie to worry what a fan of a comic would say ” ( Pearson and Urricchio 184 ). Recalls Keaton , “ It baffled me that anyone was thinking about that . I heard about the outrage , and I couldn ' t get it . I didn ' t understand why it was such a big deal . It made me feel bad that itwas even in question . I thought it was half-funny , but it was in the middle of shooting , so the pressure was on . The pressure
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