What do Rich's sketches of Batman represent in the novel, Who Is Rich?

On a couple of occasions in the narrative, Rich draws sketches of what he describes as a middle-aged Batman, the sense being that this once-heroic, once-athletic Batman is representative of Rich's self-image, somewhat soft and less than heroic. Rich wants to be a hero, to himself and to his family, but he sees himself as having passed, or missed, the chance to be seen that way.