Batman Sock-Hop

If I had an obscure cable-access show, I'd play this at the end EVERY DAMN TIME!!!

Is This A Standard Batman App?

Via

Batman Vs. Darth Vader

Actually, this is exactly the sort of high-concept stuff the entertainment industry is looking for these days.

"You gotta gimme something sure-fire, that can I sell! I'm up to my ass in whiny autobiographies and morally-conflicted bounty hunters."

"Uh...Batman versus Darth Vader?"

"OH MY GOD!"

"Cloverfield Monster versus Godzilla?"

"OH MY GOD!"

"Lost: The Movie?"

"JUMPING JESUS ON A CRACKER!"

"Twilight 2?"

"YES! YES!"

"Legally Blond 3 direct to DVD starring that chick from Gossip Girl?"

"YES! DON'T STOP! DON'T STOP!"

"Vampire versus Mummy?"

"..."

"In 3-D?"

"WHARRRRRRGBBBBLLLLL!!!"

Turkey: We Want "Batman" Back

As you may or may not be aware, Batman is not only the name of a DC Comics superhero -- it is also the name of a city in Turkey:

Well guess what?

Now the mayor of Batman, Turkey, Hüseyin Kalkan, is planning to sue for royalties owed to the city of Batman by the makers of "Batman." Specifically, he is going to sue "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan. Because as we all know, Hollywood is where all the money is.

According to Kalkan:

“The royalty of the name ‘Batman’ belongs to us … There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us...”

While this proposed lawsuit sounds a bit extreme, Kalkan brings up an interesting point. Can or can not people use the Batman name for shops and restaurants and products -- as long as they mean Batman, Turkey?

According to the Hurriyet Daily News:

Şafii Dağ, a former Batman resident, currently living in the Germany city of Wesel, is one of those citizens who cannot use Batman as a title for his business, according to the newspaper. “I named my two restaurants Batman. But six months ago, a team of employees from the production company of the movie Batman made me change the title. Telling them that Batman was the name of my hometown did not change anything,” Dağ said.

Paging Jeff Trexler...

Via io9

Italian Batman

Good times.

From the 1982 Italian porno film "Bathman From The Planet Eros" (that's right -- by the early 1980s, the Italians managed to make a new Batman film and Hollywood didn't)

WB "Rethinking DC Comics Strategy," Dumps "The Graysons"

The potential "Smallville" replacement "The Graysons," focusing on Dick Grayson and his family pre-Batman, has been scrapped, Variety reports. Apparently WB studio had Jeff Robinov had gave his blessing on the series -- only to take it away over the last couple of days. The reason? There is speculation that director Christopher Nolan, who has made it clear he doesn't want a Robin in his Batman movies, might have played a role. But Variety quotes sources as saying that the decision was all Robinov's, not Nolan's.

In particular, insiders claim that Robinov has ordered the WB to "rethink its DC Comics strategy."

From the official Warner Brothers statement:

"The studio has opted not to go forward with the development of 'The Graysons' at this time as the concept doesn't fit the current strategy for the Batman franchise. Warner Bros. Television is currently working on several replacement options for the CW."

How is the WB rethinking this strategy of adapting DC Comics characters for both the big and small screen? Were they afraid that having a Batman-themed (however tenuous the connection) TV show would water-down the movie franchise? Was Robinov afraid of alienating Nolan? And did proposed events in "Batman RIP" -- which might change the status quo of Dick Grayson and Robin forever -- have an impact on the decision?

Or, if WB is aiming for perfect synergy between their movies, TV shows, and other entertainment properties, does "Batman RIP" itself pose a problem?

Stay tuned: same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel. Or not.

story found via Blog@Newsarama

Breaking: Robin, Nightwing, and Birds of Prey Canceled

Three Bat-Family books -- all heavily identified with writer Chuck Dixon -- have been canceled.

Robin ends at #183, Nightwing at #153, and Birds of Prey at #127.

Was it sales? Could secret Batman RIP plot developments (possibly hinted at by this io9 article) be the culprit?

Probably both.

Though the exact reasons why Dixon so abruptly left DC have never been disclosed, this latest turn of events must have had something to do with it.

Then again, all three titles suffered from multiple sudden changes in creative teams, destabilizing storylines and alienating readers. It might have been that these cancellations were planned all the time, and DC didn't care too much who filled in the gaps -- or that things were so messed-up, a sudden break seemed like the best option.

And as I wrote in a "sales commentary" post on Oct. 20:

"The formula (and I know I have written this before, so please bear with me):

1. Take your second-tier & some of your third-tier books and apply the Top 50 Test on them.

2. Top 50 Test: are these books starring your best, most licensable intellectual property making it to the top 50? If not: overhaul them.

3. Get top writers & artists for each second tier/third tier book. Carefully talent search for these titles. Pick teams that are willing/likely to stay for at least two complete arcs (if not a full year). <---- this part most important. 4. If the title had been hopelessly mired in bad creative decisions/fill-ins, cancel it outright & start from scratch."

While there is no question that starting these titles over again (or creating new, related ones) and slapping a "#1" on each will tremendously spike sales -- will the readers go for it?

Well, if the new books are really good, perhaps. If they are "Titans"/"Green Arrow & Black Canary" good -- perhaps not.

Oooooh, my "Oracle" post earlier today was so ironic!

Anyway, maybe we are looking at the beginning of a whole new DC. Can more changes be on the horizon?

Monster Mash

Monster-Size Hulk is a tribute to the "giant"-sized Marvel monster comic book of the 1970s (who can forget "Giant-Sized Man-Thing"?), complete with multiple stories and even an all-text Dracula tale penned by Peter David. Of course, the Giant-Sized editions of the 1970s were around 50 cents...but in this day and age $3.99 for double-sized issue of original material (albeit some which are...gasp...only words) is not bad.

The main story features the Hulk vs. Frankenstein slugfest we have all been waiting for (have those two ever fought before?). This is no flat-topped generic Frankenstein's monster but the one with the funky mohair vest and hippie hair from the short-lived Marvel monster comic. Of course, though the two monsters duke it out, they eventually realize they have more in common than differences. The end of the story seems to set up Frankenstein's Monster for further adventures in the Marvel universe; consult the comic itself for details. Perhaps he can join the Avengers.

The other stories feature a Hulk/Werewolf By Night tale done in the moody black & whites of the old Marvel magazines, a cute two-page gag featuring Googam, and the aforementioned Peter David text piece. The part in the Werewolf By Night story where Bruce Banner suspects Jack Russell's possession of a human-sized cage to be some sort of "illegal and weird" pastime takes us out of the nostalgia-era mindset a little bit, but for the most part these stories are pretty timeless.


Superman & Batman Vs. Vampires & Werewolves has a rather utilitarian title that will no doubt keep in in backlist for some time to come. The story is about...Superman & Batman Vs. vampires & werewolves.

The moody illustrations of Tom Mandrake channel Gene Colan as ordinary mortals morph into dark creatures and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman gape at the horror of it all. The first issue seems very much a throwback to an earlier time -- perhaps hearkening a bit to the monster comics of the Seventies, but also to the DC comics in general of that time period. I kept hallucinating and thinking the artist was Jim Aparo.

World's Finest #195 Next To Be Pulped?

Rumors swirled this morning that World's Finest #195 was next to be pulped by DC Comics.

The cover depicts Batman holding a gun and making Robin and Jimmy Olsen dig their own graves. To the side, Superman watches in glee.

As we all know, Batman has a very strict code against killing, especially with guns. Yet not only do we have this cover, but inside there are a host of gory scenes that are inappropriate:

* Jimmy Olsen and Robin are roasted by Superman's heat vision, their skin melting.

* The hearts of Jimmy and Robin are cut out and placed in a Lucite case.

I don't care if this is an imaginary story -- it's cruel and hurtful and breaks down everything these characters stand for.

Dark Knight Cake Prompts TV Station Evacuation

Shades of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force terrorism scare!

Police and firefighters were called into the station of KENS 5 Eyewitness News after receiving a chocolate cake with wires coming out of it.

Oops, it was only a Dark Knight promotion!

A spokesperson for a local theater explained that the TV station should have received an e-mail earlier telling them about the cake.

Hoo hoo ha ha:

Sort Of Looks Like Val Kilmer...

No? Not Val Kilmer? Maybe the chin?

...

Val Kilmer!

The Batman TV Series Screen Tests

Now, here's an interesting comparison: two nearly identical screen tests for the 1960s Batman TV series. One features the familiar team of Adam West and Burt Ward, and one is Lyle Waggoner (who would later play Steve Trevor on Wonder Woman) and Peter Deyell.

West/Ward


Waggoner/Deyell


Waggoner, in many ways, is clearly a more apt choice to play Batman/Bruce Wayne. With his chiseled good looks and perfectly swept-up jet black hair he looks like he practically walked out of a Bob Kane comic book. His delivery is also far more natural and something we'd expect to see in a typical action TV show.

In contrast, West's performance is -- as far as I can tell -- unintentionally hammy. He shares with William Shatner a very strange method of reciting lines, with pregnant pauses in unusual places.

And yet -- had Waggoner been cast, the 1960s Batman TV show would have probably been more of a footnote in broadcast history than an influential phenomenon.

It was West's oddness -- and, one might say, even sincerity -- that won out.

Bonus: "...and when poor Mrs. Cooper finds out what you were really doing on those supposed fishing trips...the blow will kill her!"

RE: Keeping Batman Year 100 Out Of "Best American Comics"

Article here.

My thoughts: good God!

What did DC's "one line formal refusal letter" referred to by Paul Pope say?

"Our Comix Iz Not Art, They R Licensing Cash Cow"

Remember back when they had this:


Could you have something like that now with DC characters? I would think the inclusion of work like Pope's "Batman Year 100" in a prestigious mainstream collection would only help DC and sales of the trade paperback. This sends a message to other publishers who might want to approach DC for similar "best of" collections -- and a message to other comic creators how their work is handled when such requests are made.

Anyway...

Holy Missed Opportunity, Batman!

(just had to say it)

Superhero Roller Coasters Of Death

Call me Funless McFunnery, but I can't fathom why people would willingly go on roller coasters. I hear these stories like "oh yeah, they drop you and then catch you and suddenly shoot 90 degrees" and I'm like: "why?" Just why. I like my stomach contents in my stomach.

Are these Six Flags superhero rides just a bit more dangerous, or is it merely a coincidence? A teenager just got decapitated on the Batman ride, and last year a girl lost her feet on the Superman ride.

To be fair, in the Batman ride case, the teen allegedly jumped a fence and went in an unauthorized area. To retrieve a hat he lost when he was on the ride earlier.

And that's another thing: hats. What's up with that?

Video: Batman Vs. Jedi In Cosplay Deathmatch

NYCC '08 Action Figure Preview Part 5: Justice League Unlimited from Mattel

Mattel's Justice League Unlimited display at New York Comic Con was most impressive: a big, multi-level glass case filled to the gills with the little figures. I have no idea when they (or if they) are going to release this multitude, but it basically encompasses the great majority of DC's characters:

Justice League Unlimited Orion, Fire, and others

Is this Batman Justice League Unlimited figure
a reference to the upcoming Brave and the Bold series?

Justice League Unlimited classic Vigilante

Justice League Unlimited bad guys, including Lex Luthor and the Red Hood

Justice League Unlimited Star Sapphire (thanks!), Brainiac, and more

Justice League Unlimited Caption Atom,
John Stewart Green Lantern, Supergirl, more

Justice League Unlimited Stars, Bizarro, New Gods, more

Nightwing RIP: The Case Presented

I want to preface this post by saying that I like Nightwing and I like Dick Grayson. Many many female readers like the Nightwing. I'm not advocating killing off Nightwing.

That said, there has been rumors swirling about Nightwing possibly getting axed for a year now, maybe two. I mean, rumors from everywhere -- people who might be in a position to know, people who might be in a position to know people who might be in a position to know, and people who I don't know how in the hell they might know and maybe they were just full of it.

And the basic resolution of this rumor has always been: well, it was considered by certain higher-ups to axe him, but in the end they can't do it because it's friggin' Dick Grayson fer Godsake.

Now --

On yesterday's "Who's Gonna Take The Dirt Nap In Final Crisis" thread, one commenter suggested that Nightwing might die in the event.

Now, that's crazy, spurious, and most probably thrown in just to stir up the pot.

But -- (tin foil hat firmly in place) -- I can point to several reasons, mostly to be found in DC's Solicitations for July, why that might not be such a crazy idea at all.

The Case For Nightwing RIP:

1) Everybody thinks Batman is going to die, so a switcheroo like that would come out of left field and catch people off-guard.

2) The persistent (though apparently squashed time and time again) "Nightwing will die rumors."

3) Pete Tomasi, writer of Nightwing, is also writing "Final Crisis: Requiem" -- the issue where this "DC Universe staple" is set to die. Who better to keep such a big secret like Nightwing's demise? And a former DC editor yet?

4) The solicitation copy for that month's Nightwing boasts an unexpected and tragic ending.

5) The solicitation copy for that month's Titans boasts that one Titan will make the ultimate sacrifice.

6) The solicitation copy for Batman/Robin indicates that Tim is taking over (at least temporarily) for Batman. Why not Nightwing? With Batman fallen, wouldn't Dick Grayson be first in line to take the reins? And why not more talk of Grayson's reaction to Batman's fall? Wouldn't he be the first in line to avenge him?

7) It would be DC's chance to finally stop those "Dick" jokes.

So that is my case for Nightwing unexpectedly getting killed off in Final Crisis. Indeed, it would be a death that would have great emotional resonance. But it would be a really ballsy thing to do, and at least be as controversial as that Mary Jane thing.

Can you really kill off a character as well-known as Dick Grayson?

Getting a kick out of this speculation:

Occasional Links: The Full-Bodied Muppet Edition

Comic Mix wonders if the Siegel Superman ruling will hurt comic creators in the end...


The new Jason Voorhees has been cast

Read a Golden Age "Senorita Rio" story drawn by classic Teen Titans artist Nick Cardy!


Plastic bag subway animals (trippy)

This one only for the most hard-core toy fans in the audience:
Hasbro store mistakes Iron Man figure's shoulder armor as cute hat


Michael Keaton Batman costume nets over $100,000 in auction

Who would win in a four-way grudge match between Keaton, Adam West, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney?

"Sweded" Dark Knight trailer:



Yahoo counts down the top ten mismatched movie couples



Classic Twilight Zone episode being greenlit for movie

The Transformers sequel is already being filmed? Really?

Super-cool Quentin Tarantino montage:



Check out this awesome optical illusion of The Thing

Leaked! The plot of the new Muppet Movie


How a full-bodied Muppet works

Is Dane Cook America's worst comedian? It's down to Dane, Robin Williams, Dave Coulier, and Jay Leno

Meanwhile, America asks Jay for his best "gay face."

The Many Faces Of Alfred Pennyworth

More casting news for that fabled Justice League movie we've been hearing so much about:
Heroes' Stephen Tobolowsky as Alfred. Which brings me to fond memories of Alfred Pennyworths past and present...

The first Alfred was a rotund, clean-shaven dude:
But when the Batman movie serial came out in the 1940s, DC editors wanted Alfred to resemble William Austin, the actor who portrayed him (Eric Wilton, an actor even more obscure than Austin, also played the butler in the serials):


And so, in one of the early cases of comic books being changed to have "synergy" with the movies, Alfred looked like this:


Fast-forward to the 1960s, when Alan Napier was hired to play the faithful butler:


He, to my mind, is really one of the best Alfreds. I liked the friendship he built with Batgirl, back when she was first introduced and Batman was sort of being a jerk about it.

British actor Michael Gough had a long career before playing Alfred in all four of the "first" series of Batman movies, but most people remember him for playing Alfred:
Gough made a good, dependable Alfred -- and certainly, as the films took that sharp right turn after "Batman Forever," he was sort of the "glue" that held everything together. Also of note is that in this continuity, Batgirl is his niece.

There is the Batman The Animated Series Alfred (voiced by Clive Revill and Efrem Zimbalist Jr.):
Ian Abercrombie played Alfred in the short-lived Birds Of Prey series. Why did they need an Alfred for this show, anyway? I guess it is the whole continuity with the Huntress being Batman's daughter, but...how old did that make Alfred???



Michael Caine's Alfred was sort of like Alfred 2.0 -- far more active and independent. You got the feeling with Caine's Alfred that he could sort of kick ass if needed.


Alastair Duncan then stepped into Alfred's shoes in The Batman:

Here's to you, Alfred Pennyworth: you might not be as flashy as Batman, that's true. But nobody ever called you "Goddamn Alfred." And there is something to be said for that.

Occasional Links: The Kool Penguin Edition

Did the advertising mascot for Kool cigarettes inspire Bob Kane to create The Penguin? Bat-Blog has the answer.


Speaking of which, a group of angry clowns protest Harvey Dent's run for district attorney -- was it a viral marketing campaign? Or real angry clowns?


It's a couple of days after the holiday, but here's a Buffy the Vampire Slayer themed marshmallow bunny diorama
Your new Star Wars toys are available in Muppet or Disney versions (what was that thing about George Lucas being protective of his original creative vision again? did that include Gonzo as Darth Vader? did I miss something?)


Read Jeff Lemire's 5-page western The Horseless Rider for free on his blog


The new Friday The 13th remake will star Jared Padalecki from the TV show Supernatural...and the new Tintin will be this fellow:


In other news, they are actually remaking Friday the 13th. And that kid's a little creepy.


Destructoid gives suggestions on how to revitalize the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise:

"Sonic's over the hill. He's clapped out, worn out and ready to be thrown out. As someone who adored the speedy woodland creature as a child, it's horrible to have to say that, but it's true. He was introduced as the cool and sassy alternative to a reserved and "boring" Mario, but looking at the two characters today, it's easy to see which is going strong and which has aged very, very badly."

If Sonic the Hedgehog is over the hill, I must be ancient. I played games on the original Atari system. I remember taking that original Atari system out of the box and smelling its just-out-of-the-box fresh smell.



Apparently if you stare at the center of this picture for 30 seconds, you will shit bricks. Let me know how that goes.



Somebody actually edited together all the creepy scenes from the infamous child molestation episode of Diff'rent Strokes. I'm sure the producers had good intentions with this episode, but it was one of those television watching experiences as a child that freaked me the hell out, introducing me to concepts like middle-aged men doing photo shoots of little boys on safari with their shirts off. Biggest creepiness of all -- the way the laugh track or studio audience chuckles during inappropriate moments. Oh, Arnold is about to get involved in a child porn ring -- that's freakin' hilarious.

Now, if I remember correctly, there was a separate episode where this photographer tried to rape the sister after tying Arnold up with duct tape. Wow. You can see how by the time The Cosby Show and Family Ties came on, we were fairly starving for something a little less...dramatic.

Though there was always that episode where Tom Hanks played Alex's alcoholic uncle. Alright, enough reminiscing!