On July 8th, 2009 ( next week! ) DC Comics will be releasing the current issue of Batman #689. The inside artwork is done by Mark Bagley & seeing these preview pictures of his penciled line art is pretty exciting, it just looks so cool! So, be sure to click on these for larger versions where you can see a lot of detail. That is, if you're a real Batman Fan & love comic book art!
Tim Burton directed the 1989 Batman movie & a lot of that movie's style was his own unique vision. For that reason a lot of Batman Fans also like his other films: Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Mars Attacks, & Charlie and The Chocolate factory, among others. He's about to come out with a live-action film of Alice in Wonderland that looks pretty cool! Well, he's also known as a serious graphic artist & dabbles in the fine arts every now & then. So, for that reason, he's gonna publish a book that will be coming out later called THE ART OF TIM BURTON. It's gonna be a hardback with over 400 pages & 1000+ illustrations. There will also be a Special Limited-Edition Copy too. This project was just announced directly from him & the details are sort of vague, for now. But be sure to stay tuned to the Bat-Blog because when we get more information we'll be one of the 1st places to let you know! Personally, I love his artwork & this book will probably be a "must-have" item. My birthday is coming up in January ( hint, hint ).
Our good friend "Batmobile Billy" sent us a photo of this brand-new toy he saw at a retail store the other night. He's always on the hunt for cool Batman Batmobile Toys & spotted this new variation of the DC SUPER FRIENDS BATMOBILE CAR with Batman Figure made by Fisher Price, as a part of their "Imaginext" series. This one sort of looks a little bit like the car seen in the 1989 Batman movie, kinda-sorta! It also comes with 3 industrial barrels of "Joker Chemical Waste" ( I love the Joker Logo on the top of them, funny! ). The photo showing the toy on the store shelf is Billy's picture he snapped of the actual product & the other 2 are from the FP website. I like this car a lot & I'm gonna have to get one later, it's pretty cool! Thanks Billy for sending the pic. If any other Bat-Blog Readers ( that includes YOU! ) spot any brand-new Batman Toys or Merchandise out there then please let us know so we can share the info, thanks!
OK, It's making me kinda sad but we're about to end ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER MONTH here at the Bat-Blog! It's actually been going on for over a month but who's counting, ha ha! Right now we have finally reached the last contest to win some Boy Wonder goodies! For new readers unfamiliar with what's been going on, we have been giving away Burt Ward ( Robin ) Autographed Memorabilia ( mainly his Tell-All Biography Book & 8 X 10 Signed-Photos ). The thing is that Burt Ward has a brand-new website that he's really excited about & he asked us to help promote it. Now, when your childhood hero asks for a favor ...how can you say NO? I mean, come on, really, ha ha! Burt Ward was very generous in giving us a lot of really great prizes to give away. I really appreciate that & think it's great that fans get a chance to win some cool stuff, it's been a lot of fun! Now, we have almost reached the end of this promotion & we have this one last item to give away...but, it's really cool so I know everybody will want to enter! This contest is for an Original, Authentic, Burt Ward Autographed, Signed 8X10 Color Photo of him as Robin, The Boy Wonder from the 1966 Batman TV Series. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, it's displayed inside a nice bag with backing board, a cool graphic header card, it has the "Robin Hologram Sticker", & did I mention, it's AUTOGRAPHED!? Plus, I guess I gotta mention that this photo is very sharp & really super-nice quality, please excuse my awful picture here! This TV show is a Bat-Fan Favorite so good luck on entering! Basically, all you do is e-mail us your COMPLETE NAME & ADDRESS with the phrase, "I Love Robin, The Boy Wonder!" in the title. That's it, pretty easy! Now, on July 5th, 2009 we will randomly pick a winner out of the hat & then announce it right here on the Bat-Blog the very next day. So, if you enter be sure to keep an eye out for that! Plus, remember, this is the very last contest in the BOY WONDER promotion. I guess I wanna end this post thanking everybody who has been participating in all the previous contests. You guys have made this a total success so far & I really appreciate that...I hope you have had some fun! I also wanna thank Burt Ward for making a childhood dream come true & also for being so generous with the giving of these amazing prizes. It really shows what a great guy he truly is. Seriously people, he sincerely appreciates his fans & it's great that he's also a wonderful person. Thank you Burt!! Oh yeah, one last thing - Readers be sure to Visit Burt Ward's ROBINTHEBOYWONDER.COM ( link-button down below )!!
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Detailed contest rules applicable to this contest, including contest entry dates, how to enter, and prize value, number and any restrictions applicable to these prizes are available upon request by reading these Contest Rules, ha ha!
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This post is all about the amazing Batman Toy Collection of our good friend Tomas from Puerto Rico. He's been reading the Bat-Blog for awhile & decided to send us some photos. Personally, I love when people do that because there's something special about seeing other people's collections. I always like to see what I have & don't have. It looks like Tomas likes to collect New Action Figures, Superhero Dolls, Silver-Age Comics Books, & Vintage Beatles Record Albums! Yeah, I couldn't help but notice them as I'm a BIG FAN of the Fab Four also. I also like how everything is so well-organized & displayed properly, that's cool, good job. Before it's too late, I wanna thank Tomas for taking the time to take all of these pictures, they're great! Tomas, your collection is wonderful & I appreciate the pics. I also want to invite all readers of this blog to send in your collection photos. Sharing the love of the Batman Character & The Joys of Collecting is what the Bat-Blog is all about!!
There's a new Paperback Book out right now on the history of comic books titled "WAS SUPERMAN A SPY? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed". It is written by Brian Cronin & published by Plume. Bouncing around the Internet I have seen a mention of it here, a review there, so I was curious & decided to check it out. Basically the book is sort of a myth busters-type book where the author explores all the "urban legends" surrounding the long 70+ year history of comic book creators & characters. There have been all kinds of interesting myths & with this book he does extensive research to find out which ones are true & which are false. The book is broken down into 3 parts: DC Comics, Marvel, & Other Publishers. But all the chapters have a lot of extremely interesting stories so even if, for example, you don't like "Marvel Comics", it's still a great read. Now the only reason I felt this book would be possible as a review here at the Bat-Blog is that it does cover a few of the events involving BATMAN. Mainly all the controversy around who really created the character & how much did Bob Kane actually draw the comic book. There's some other interesting information about the Caped Crusader in there too like who created certain characters. For example, "Did Jerry Robinson really create the Joker or was it Bob Kane?" Also, the book covers a lot of other territory in it's 256 pages. Some of the other questions it answers is, "Was the trademark hairstyle of Elvis Presley really based on a comic book character &, if so, which one? Was Wolverine of the X-Men originally meant to be an actual wolverine/animal? Did the creator of the Lie-Detector Test also create Wonder Woman's "Lasso of Truth"? and on & on! It seems that Brian did TONS of research & covers a HUGE amount of material. Overall, I found the book to be pretty entertaining. Brian's writing style is very precise ( he gets right down to business ). It's written to be sort of "conversational" & easy to understand. But he does a good job with relaying a lot of facts like exact names, dates, etc...so that's cool. Now, about the overall design of the book ( which I think is important ). The cover is absolutely amazing! In fact, I'm linking this review to an interview with the Graphic Designer who created the cover, it's that nice. The material used for the cover feels really good in your hands, it's very durable & has a great texture. Plus, graphically it just looks very cool with sort of a retro-style. Now the inside of the book. The font size is wonderful to read, which is something a lot of people don't think about but reading many books lately I've noticed publishers use extremely small font sizes to make books with less pages. They're total hell to read, but not this book, that's nice. My only complaint about the whole thing...some of the inside photos & illustrations. Now, most of the photos are pretty decent ( & there's a lot of them ) but just a few are kinda murky & hard to see. It seems like the editor was a little weak about that ( Sorry Brian & Plume, I gotta be honest ). But really it doesn't distract that much from the book & I seriously enjoyed reading it. I mean, when I started, the experience was so good that I ended up reading about half the book before I put it down. If I had not been tired ( it was bedtime ) I would have read the whole thing all the way through! If you love comic books then I think you'll find it very entertaining & you just might find yourself laughing out loud a little bit every now & then, ha ha! Plus, you'll learn a lot of very interesting facts about the Comic Book business & it's properties. If you would like to know more about the graphic design of the book cover then please check out this LINK for more information. I've also included a link to Amazon, so if you buy stuff from there please use one of our links because it helps to support this page a little bit ( a VERY little bit, ha ha ).
In this video about BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM we get to see about 10 minutes of actual real-life gameplay, not a polished trailer or commercial. This new video game just keeps looking better & better & even though I have not played it yet I'm starting to think that it's a Batman game that they have finally got right. I mean, it just looks so good! Now, the strange thing about this particular video is that the person commenting on it ( doing a review, I guess ) is speaking in a foreign language ( I think it's Polish ). But even with the language barrier you still get an extremely good idea of what the game is really like. Plus, like I hinted at earlier, the visuals are stunning...enjoy!
I was recently e-mailed a link to a website that I found out was totally cool! It's a special Message Board for Artists, Illustrators, & other Creative people who all like to showcase their artwork plus share tips on art techniques. It's called the Drawing Board! One of the neat things they do there every now & then is they have a thing called a "Character Jam". They pick a character or person, then everybody participates by posting their version of the character, in their own special style. Well, recently they did a "Batman Jam". It was created to commemorate the 70th anniversary of his first appearance in Detective Comics # 27 ( May 1939 ). Now, once I got there I learned that there must be a lot of Batman Fans there because they all submitted a ton of great art. So to be fair, I picked a few at random because of space limitations I couldn't post them all! But, I wish I could have because they're all so really really great! Please enjoy the samples shown here & then if you would like to see more then just visit this LINK!
My good friend Dave sent us these photos he found of the Warner Bros Animation Department Building Billboard Mural. Now, I know I posted this story before, especially when there was a big announcement about it's unveiling, but these pics are really great! They show it both during the day & at night. Now the neat thing about the "night photo" is that all the villains are lit-up from behind giving them an evil look...like they're ghost images, very cool! Thanks Dave for sharing these pictures, I appreciate that...they're awesome!Readers, be sure to click on them for larger, more detailed, photos!
In a recent Press Release from Warner Bros they stated that "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" will have a special Screening and Q&A – Gotham takes over San Diego as Diedrich Bader, the voice of Batman, returns to Comic-Con alongside executive producer Sam Register ( Teen Titans ), producer James Tucker ( Justice League Unlimited ), producer and story editor Michael Jelenic ( The Batman ) and voice director Andrea Romano ( Superman Doomsday ). Fans can catch the world premiere screening of the upcoming “Mayhem of the Music Meister” episode – featuring the voice of Neil Patrick Harris ( Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog ) as the Music Meister – and enjoy a lively discussion and Q&A with the show’s dynamic creative team. From Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: The Brave and the Bold airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network. Batman: The Brave and the Bold Volume 1 will be released on DVD August 25th, 2009. Room 6DE. Also, BAT-MITE MASKS WILL BE HANDED OUT!! So, for those of you lucky enough to go please please get me a mask!!
Here's a very cool vintage video showing Michael Keaton when he appeared on the David Letterman TV Talk Show on the day before the 1989 Batman movie came out. Michael is pretty funny in this clip & it's just a neat piece of Bat-History, enjoy!
As a serious Batman Toy Collector one of the things I enjoy focusing on is the "weird & wacky" items! Mainly because it's fun but also because, later, these items become very desirable & kinda RARE. Here's a good example of a brand-new product that is just starting to hit the stores & one to look out for. It's BATMAN ICE CREAM! It's actually a cherry-flavored treat that, when licked, produces 2 white gumballs, ha ha! Yes, Batman has gumballs for eyes ( In the photo up above, showing the gumball eyes, I like how the Dark Knight seems to have a super-surprised look on his face, ha ha! ). This new food product is made by the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Company. The wrapper has some excellent graphics from the Batman: The Brave and The Bold TV Show ( Airs on Friday Nights, The Cartoon Network ). I remember a few years ago Blue Bunny Inc. marketed this exact same ice cream treat for the Batman: The Animated Series. I have that wrapper & a store display sign used by shops to advertise this product. I guess the company kept the same mold & is using it again, that's cool.
I have a good friend named Billy who collects Batman Toys & Memorabilia but his main focus is on the Batmobile Cars. I mean, he's totally crazy about the Batmobile! The neat thing though is that he has an amazing collection. We were talking yesterday about some of the new stuff coming out. There's a new Batmobile Toy Car being made for the Batman: The Brave and The Bold series. It's smaller than the 1st one they made & is pretty cool. There are some new 1:50 Scale Diecast Batmobiles being made by Mattel that are starting to pop-up around the retail stores. They are extremely super-cool ( in my opinion, ha ha ). And then there is the car I am featuring in this post. The photos up above show a new 1966 Batmobile TV Series Toy that is modeled after the Classic George Barris design. It's 1:87 HO Scale, which is smaller than the regular Hot Wheels size, & measures approx. 1 1/2" long. It's a tiny little car that is very detailed & kinda cute. If you have ever surfed the Hot Wheels toy isle then you might have seen these before. They sell them in small little "window boxes". Now Billy told me the reason he has had a hard time finding them ( besides the greedy idiot scalpers stalking the delivery trucks ) is that there's a rumor that there is only 1 Batmobile per case! Now, to me, this seems like total market manipulation by Mattel. Come on, you know THEY know this car will be the most popular. My guess is that latter they will flood the market with them. But who cares about all that. It's a really cool toy & one that all Batman Fans should try to get. Just don't pay the "scalper prices" on internet auctions. Some vultures are trying to sell them to losers for $30 ( they retail in stores for $1.00 ). I say, just be patient & you'll find one. During "new release time" all the scalpers end up buying them all & not being able to sell them because ALL the other scalpers have them too ( because their greedy minds lack any honor or originality, they end up cloning each other ). So, what happens is there are all these scalpers "eating their own product". Go look on "internet auctions" for items they were popular a year ago or just a few months ago. You can almost buy them for "under retail price". Like I said, CLONES. Whew! OK, sorry to vent but as a Vintage Toy Dealer for 20+ years I have learned that these Scalpers are nothing but greedy vultures...who make me sick to my stomach. The only way to stop them is to NOT buy their product. They're just in it for the greed & their fantasies revolve around screwing collectors. So, Please stop helping them, ha ha!
OK, I gotta let new readers know that every single Wednesday here at the Bat-Blog is "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" & we always post a few Batman-themed Desktop Backgrounds for you to enjoy! This week I thought I would go with a "Batmobile Car Theme". The 1st one is an extremely Vintage Batmobile from the Golden Age of Batman comics. In fact, it's almost just a regular car, ha ha! But it's a great example of The Dark Knight's rich history & was featured in Detective Comics # 37. Now, for the 2nd one, I used a graphic image from the current modern-day BATMAN AND ROBIN # 1 Comic Book Issue. The artwork here was done by Frank Quitely and it's what fans are calling "The Flying Batmobile". This is like one of the most recent new Batmobiles. In this image they are chasing a villain known as "The Toad", a great character!
Last night I got an e-mail from a friend named Wes. It looks like he has been pretty busy getting more tattoo work done! In fact he's got an entire "arm sleeve" of work done. He sent us some really great photos showing the new work & it's totally amazing art! Just check out the pictures if ya don't believe me, ha ha! ( Click on them for larger images with more detail ). He now has Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin, & The Riddler! Previously he had Batman & The Scarecrow. Dang! Wes, these are seriously awesome & very well done. I love the coloring & the clean sharpness...they're GREAT! Thank you for taking the time to take these photos, I appreciate that. Also, please let the tattoo artist know that we here at the Bat-Blog think that he ( or she ) is a true art master! I guess I'll shut-up now & just let the photos speak for themselves, ha ha! As a side note I would like to invite any other readers who have got some Bat-Tat work to please send us some pics too, thanks.
Yes, you read the title correctly. In the next season of Batman: The Brave and The Bold animated cartoon series they are going to do an episode that is a musical! In other words, all of the characters will sing their lines, YES! This sounds totally wacky crazy & could turn out to be a very artistic & fun thing. We'll just have to wait & see. I just hope they do it well. The actor Neil Patrick Harris with play a villain named "The Music Meister". The title of the TV show will be "Mayhem of The Music Meister". I, nor anyone else, have not received any video trailer footage of this yet but as soon as I do you know it will be posted both here & on my YouTube account, ha ha! So, stay tuned to the Bat-Blog for more future info!!
Since today ( June 23rd, 2009 ) is the Official 20th Anniversary of the 1989 Batman Film by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton & Jack Nicholson, I thought I would post this excellent documentary about the making of the movie. There's a ton of really interesting "behind the scene" clips...please enjoy!
Since today ( June 23rd, 2009 ) is the Official 20th Anniversary of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie I thought I would do a quick post featuring a few toys vehicles made around the time the film came out. Now, it's totally imposable for this to be a definitive list. Mainly because the marketing people during that time went totally crazy trying to create every single kind of toy variation & merchandise that you can think of, ha ha! But here's a few nice examples to help take you down memory lane.The 1st one is a diecast toy car made by Ertl. This is the Joker Van, which was weird because it wasn't in the movie! They also made the Bat-Wing & the Batmobile which were pretty accurate to the film props. The 2nd & 3rd photos are 2 Model Kits of vehicles we saw in the movie. Joker's Goon Car &, of course, the Batmobile Car! The last photo is another Batmobile but this one was made by Toy Biz. At the time Toy Biz was the company that made the Action Figures, a Batcave Play Set, Vehicles ( for the figures ), & a few other misc items.
Today, June 23rd, 2009 is the 20th Anniversary of Tim Burton's 1989 BATMAN Movie starring Michael Keaton ( Bruce Wayne / Batman ) & Jack Nicholson ( The Joker )! WOW! 20 YEARS! You know, that actually makes me feel kinda old, ha ha! I totally remember when this film came out. It was sort of on the same level as Star Wars in the way it was such a HUGE cultural event. It seemed like the whole world went totally batty! The Bat-Symbol logo was literally everywhere! I mean, there was this giant flood of Bat-Merchandise, Memorabilia, T-Shirts, Action Figures, Toys, etc... For a Batman Toy Collector it was a great time to be alive! OK, I guess I need to explain the 2 graphics shown here. Well, they are both Batman 1989 Movie Desktop Wallpapers. They are some graphics I found that each have amazing images from the movie. I thought Bat-Blog Readers would enjoy them & maybe use them to honor the event. So, Please put these up on your desktop so you can remember that TODAY is the 20th Anniversary!!
