Since Bruce Wayne's Gotham City alter ego first appeared in 1939, courtesy of DC Comics' Bob Kane, he has had a fundamental and often vice-like grip on the male imagination. Batman is the thinking man's superhero, and while he has always fought a succession of villains carved from the pages of pulp fiction, he possesses no superpowers himself, relying instead on wit, intelligence, science, physical prowess and his enormous wealth.

Perhaps that's why we like him so much. A wealthy industrialist, playboy and sometime philanthropist, Batman is the GQ superhero incarnate. And whether your Batman of choice is Adam West, Michael Keaton, Frank Miller's original Dark Knight or his latest manifestation, Christian Bale, the Caped Crusader is one of those boyhood indulgences that it's OK to resurrect every now and then. Which is what director Chris Nolan has done with his second Batman film, The Dark Knight, again starring Bale, which hits cinemas this month. This extraordinary reimagining of the Batman myth - as well as much else in the actor's life - is explored in great detail by Jonathan Heaf in his fascinating interview with Bale on page 176.

Leaving Gotham for a moment, on the back page you'll find GQ Face Facts (page 236), our own celebrity psychological tip sheet, this month starring our poor beleaguered Prime Minister. Although he has just survived the worst nine months any PM has had in living memory, it is difficult to chart exactly what Gordon Brown is going to do next, and though he needs all the help he can get, it's not remotely obvious where that help is going to come from.

As he lies awake at night, imperilled and alone, imagining what fresh assaults the media has waiting for him the next morning, one wonders whether Gordon might wish that someone could simply pass him the Bat Phone.

Enjoy our comic book delights, enjoy the issue.

Dylan Jones, Editor, GQ