Formulas

                Most articles of popular culture follow some kind of formula.  Music typically utilizes similar formats, horror movies have specific noises that indicate something scary and action movies have over-the-top explosions.  These formulas provide the consumer with a familiar rhythm, allowing them to understand everything happening in the story.  Sometimes a piece of popular culture does not utilize the formula, often leading to the consumer being confused.  The story of Batman Knightfall definitely has formulas that are present in most stories of Batman.

                The entire story can be broken down to several different stories, each starting in a similar way.  The way each of these stories begins is with an escape of some sort.  Sometimes it is some sort of master plan that is pulled off by someone, or in one case, a clerical error releases a dangerous criminal, which Batman must apprehend.  This formula is found all throughout many of the Batman stories, Batman catches a criminal, throws them into prison, the criminal eventually escapes to wreak havoc on Gotham City.  This formula has been realized in Batman stories.  Because Batman refuses to kill the criminal, the criminal is able to leave the prison.  In an attempt to tempt Batman in breaking his one rule, his enemy will bring up that if he were to just kill the person, he would never have to worry about catching them again.

                These formulas help us to have an idea of what is going to happen, but in each iteration of this formula something different happens.  At the beginning of the Knightfall story arc, someone is able to break into the prison, releasing all of the inmates, forcing Batman to chase all of them.  These differences help us be entertained, and we have an idea of what will happen, but we have no idea how it will happen.