Tag: Batman

A Batman For All Seasons: How The Batman Movies & Comics Have Reflected Each Other Over The Years

by Eric Diaz

On this, the day of the release of The Dark Knight Rises, the final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s epic Batman film trilogy, let’s take a unique look back at all seven films in the Batman saga, and how each one reflects a decade in the comic book life of the Caped Crusader they are based on. For reasons that remain a mystery, It seems the Dark Knight’s growth as a character is always the same, regardless of the medium he is portrayed in.

For reasons that had to be a major coincidence, each of the seven Batman films released since 1989 has ended up reflecting a particular decade in the life of the comic book version of the character. There is almost no chance this could have been planned in any way; over the past twenty five years since these movies have started production, a host of different writers, directors and studio heads have been in charge as each Batman film was being made. Even Michael Uslan, producer of every Batman movie since ’89 (and the only consistent thing between all the films) has pointed out in interviews how this ended up being the case, although it was not his or anyone behind the scene’s intention, just strange happenstance.  It just so happened that Batman’s “phases” in the movie world (for lack of a better term) matched up almost perfectly with his phases in the comics, although with some some notable cracks in my theory, which I will happily point out. So let’s begin the Bat history lesson, shall we?

Batman (1989) = The Batman of Detective Comics in 1939

Tim Burton’s original 1989 Batman movie came out on the 50th anniversary of the character, and in so many ways reflects that original Batman (or should I say The Bat-Man?) of 1939 more than any other media incarnation to date. Burton’s Bruce Wayne doesn’t hide the fact that’s he’s Batman very well in this movie, constantly becoming distracted or losing his cool in public, and the Bruce of those very early comics didn’t really either. In those earliest Batman stories, Bruce also had a serious relationship, a now forgotten girlfriend named Julie Madison. Much of those early Batman stories delt with Bruce trying to maintain a relationship with the lovely (and relatively normal and dull) socialite Julie, just as Burton’s movie had the love story of Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale at it’s center. By 1941 or so, Julie was a footnote in Batman lore, just as Vicki would be by the next movie in the series. Good riddance, as both characters were as interesting as dry toast. The Art Deco look of Burton’s first film is also very 30’s inspired, another nod to the comic book character’s first year out.

Most importantly, the Batman of ’39 had very little problem using lethal force, and even carried a gun. While Burton’s Batman is never seen packing heat, he does have guns on the Batmobile and lets a whole bunch of the Joker’s henchmen die, and pretty much flat out kills the Joker himself,  something the comic book character would never have done from say, 1940 onwards.

Nitpicking: So Here Is Where My Theory Has Some Cracks

Batman might be wearing all black in Burton’s movie, more closely resembling the darker color palette of his original look form the comics, but he’s still got the little yellow oval around the Bat symbol on his costume, something that didn’t appear in the comics until the mid 60’s. Also the character of Vicki Vale was predominantly a 1950’s character, created in an attempt to give Batman a Lois Lane type girlfriend, and wasn’t around at all in the 30’s.  It should be pointed out though, Vicki bore very little resemblance to her comic book counterpart aside from the name and being a photographer. And if I’m gonna nit-pick here, then neither the Joker nor the Batmobile were around until at least a year later in the comics either.

Batman Returns (1992) = Batman Comics of the 1940’s

Tim Burton’s Batman Returns got both darker and sillier all at the same time. Truth is, the 1940’s Batman comics were also darker and siller than the “year one” Batman that appeared in Detective Comics in 1939. More and more grotesque and outrageous villains were introduced, like The Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face, Scarecrow and the Riddler, often teaming up together to bring down the Bat. (the first Joker/Penguin team up happened in the 40’s, starting a Batman tradition, one reflected in Batman Returns) Catwoman’s original origin story had her being a stewardess who falls out of an airplane, loses her memory and becomes a “bad girl”; the movie version of Selina Kyle is a secretary who falls out a building and wakes up in a similar state. Still, all silliness aside, there was still an air of gothic, almost classic Universal horror movie weirdness to those Batman stories of the 40’s, something that would totally be gone by the early in the  next decade.

Nitpicking: So Here Is Where My Theory Has Some Cracks

By far, the biggest component to Batman’s success in the 40’s was the addition of his sidekick Robin to the books, and Batman Returns had no Robin character to speak of (although it was almost Marlon Wayans. Yes, I’m serious) Other than this one rather big omission, Batman Returns plays very much like a Batman comic from the 40’s, somehow both dark and kid friendly at the same time, which has long been Tim Burton’s gift as a filmmaker.

Batman Forever (1995) = Batman Comics of the 1950’s

Even though Batman Returns was a hit, it made a lot less money than Burton’s first Batman movie, and parents groups at the time freaked out at the darkness and sexuality in what was supposed to be a “family movie.” Parents even protested the addition of Batman Returns toys in McDonalds happy meals meant for children. This made parent company Warner Brothers freak out big time, and Tim Burton was let go from his gig at the helm of the Batman series. They hired Joel Schumacher to direct Batman Forever, and he brought a day glo neon color palette to the proceedings that was as garish and un-Batman as anything found in the very worst issues of the 1950’s. The mandate from Warner Brothers was that the Batman series become lighter, more colorful and family friendly.

This totally reflects the attitudes parents had towards the comic books back in the 1950’s, due to the paranoia instilled by the anti comic book rantings of Dr. Frederic Wertham in his book Seduction of the Innocent. As a reaction to freaked out parents, DC was forced to lighten the mood significantly to their Batman comics, or cancel them outright. Everything became more colorful, and Batman lost almost all of his cool villains and saw them replaced by aliens and mad scientists with death rays with names like Dr. Double X. Any cool edginess Batman had once had was thrown out the window. Ironically, one of the chief complaints made by Frederic Wertham is his book was that Batman and Robin were a gay lover’s fantasy come to life, two men living in a fabulous mansion together in sin with no women to be found. By casting 25 year old Chris O’ Donnell as Robin, and having him shack up with a Batman who was only ten years his senior (and looked even younger) in the form of Val Kilmer, the entire Batman and Robin relationship took a far less father/son vibe and just became all the more gayer, 50’s paranoia inadvertently brought to big screen reality. And nipples on the Bat suit? Probably didn’t help.

Also, Nicole Kidman’s character of Chase Meridian looks and acts far more like Batman’s 1950’s love interest Vicki Vale, who in the comics was a sexy red head who was obsessed with uncovering Batman’s secret identity, much like Kidman’s character was in the movie. Kim Basinger’s Vicki was really just Vicki in name only, and was far more like the generic women Bruce Wayne dated in the early comics.

Nitpicking: So Here Is Where My Theory Has Some Cracks

Even though Jim Carrey’s Riddler is behaving more like one of the mad scientist characters in any given 1950’s comic book, what with his mind controlling device (or whatever the fuck that was) the actual character of the Riddler never appeared once in any 1950’s Batman comic. Similarly, Two-Face only appeared in one Batman comic of the early 50’s before being banished along with the rest of the Batman rogues for being “too scary” for children. Other than this though, Batman Forever is just about as bad and overly “kiddy” as any issue of Batman or Detective from the 1950’s. It really is that hard to sit through.

Batman & Robin (1997) = Batman of the 60’s, (And The Television Series)

Somehow, despite no one I know actually liking the movie, Batman Forever made more money than Batman Returns, although only slightly. This must have made Warners confident in the decision to go even more lighter and sillier in tone than the previous movie for Batman & Robin. Whether it was intentional or not, the tone of the movie was direct reflection on that of the comics of the 1960’s, and more specifically, the campy tone of the Batman television show. Both Arnold and Uma Thurman’s turns as Mr.Freeze and Poison Ivy were so arch and over the top as to make it seem like they were on the set of the old tv show. Even the addition of Batgirl (even if she wasn’t the Barbara Gordon character from the comics or television series) felt like they were trying to evoke the old show.

Nitpicking: So Here Is Where My Theory Has Some Cracks

There is one key difference that keeps the original Batman show and Batman & Robin from being the exact same hot mess; the original show was deliberately campy and tongue in cheek, an outright parody, and a brilliant one at that. But Batman and Robin wanted to lift the aesthetics and tone of the old classic show and remain an actual action/adventure movie with real peril and stakes that the audience could invest in. They failed miserably, as you simply can’t have it both ways, and audiences reacted. Batman & Robin flopped, burying the series for eight long years. And when Warner Brothers decided to resurrect the franchise, they took a cue from DC comics in the wake of the cancellation of the old tv show: Back to Basics.

Batman Begins (2005) = Batman comics of the 1970’s

After the television series was cancelled, sales on the Batman comics dropped like a stone. The campy approach worked for awhile on the books while the show was on the air, and sales soared for a bit, but by 1970 the tone of the show had done what seemed like irreparable damage to the character of Batman. So writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams decided to take drastic measures, and do a total 180 on the comic book character and return him to his darker, 1939 roots. Robin was sent off to college and became an infrequent guest star, and Batman became more of a globe trotting James Bond like character. And those early 70’s comics added one major new villain to the Batman rogues gallery in the form of immortal mastermind Ra’s al Ghul.

Much like the comic series, the Batman movie series was left in dire straits after Batman & Robin tanked. Warner Brothers decided to reboot the franchise and go back to basics, and Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins was as much a reaction to the colorful excess of Batman & Robin as the stories of O’Neill and Adams were a reaction to the television series. Chris Nolan even used 70’s creation Ra’s al Ghul as his main villain, and Begins had a lot of the globe trotting aspect that was key to Batman’s 1970’s adventures. And once again, Robin was given the boot.

Nitpicking: So Here Is Where My Theory Has Some Cracks

While Batman Begins uses a lot of the tropes and characters from the 1970’s run of Batman comics, Christopher Nolan was just as heavily inspired by Frank Miller’s 1980’s classic Batman: Year One, if not more so. Also, the opening sequence, with a young Bruce Wayne falling into the cave and being scared by the bats was lifted from a sequence from 1986’s The Dark Knight Returns. In fact, the Nolan Trilogy really lifts from almost every era of Batman since 1970 or so, just some movies have more overt influences than others.

The Dark Knight (2008) = 1980’s Batman

Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke is seen as the definitive Joker tale; It’s a story that’s really all about how the Joker sees the world, and he presents his origin for the first time in these pages. Although, as he says in the story, he’s not sure if his memories are correct, and if he’s going to have a past of any sort, he would prefer it to be “multiple choice”. This is much like Heath Ledger’s Joker gives various different versions of his own origin in the movie. The Killing Joke version of Joker also spends the story trying to drive a good man insane, in this case James Gordon, by crippling and raping his daughter and making him witness it, trying to prove that all a good man needs to lose his mind is “one bad day”. He doesn’t break Gordon in The Dark Knight, but he does do it to Harvey Dent, and unlike The Killing Joke with Gordon, in the movie version he succeeds.

Nitpicking: So Here Is Where My Theory Has Cracks

With Dark Knight, things start to get trickier comparing it to any one decade of Batman comics, and I can readily admit this. TDK is very similar to some 80’s classics like Killing Joke, but also owes just as much a debt to stories from the 70’s, and even the 90’s and 2000’s. I couldn’t help but think, as Batman was gliding over Hong Kong, of those old globetrotting Denny O’Neill/Neal Adams stories of the 70’s. Also in the 70’s, Bruce Wayne was living away from Wayne Manor for the very first time, in a swanky playboy’s penthouse, which is also reflected in the movie as well.

Another huge influence on TDK is 90’s classic The Long Halloween. The “A Plot” in Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s 1997 graphic novel is about the serial killer Holiday, who kills someone once a month on that month’s most prominant Holiday. But the “B Plot” is about how the the freaks begin to take over from the Mafia in Gotham, a theme thut runs heavy in the Dark Knight. The other major element in The Long Halloween is how the trinity of Lt. Gordon, Batman and Harvey Dent form to try to save Gotham, and the eventual transformation of Dent into Two Face. I’d say this one might have been a more prominent influence on The Dark Knight than maybe even The Killing Joke does.

Even aspects of comics as recent as 2005’s The OMAC Project were reflected in TDK; a very recent addition to the Batman mythos is Batman’s creation of OMAC, and orbiting satellite system created to watch and observe *cough*spy*cough* on every metahuman on the planet. Although not quite as Sci -fi as what was used in the movie, he creates a similar invasive monitoring system on the people of Gotham in the Dark Knight, much to the disgust of Wayne CEO Lucius Fox. In many ways, the succesful combination of so many elements from over thirty years of Batman comics helps makes The Dark Knight the ultimate Batman movie.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) = The 90’s Comics

Ok, so I haven’t seen TDKR yet, but lets just say I know enough, based on trailers and reviews, to know that the 90’s comic books were a huge influence on this particular Batman story. First off, the inclusion of Bane as the main antagonist speaks volumes, as Bane wasn’t created until 1993. In fact, Bane is one of the only Batman villains to reach iconic status that was created during this decade, mostly due to his breaking Batman’s back in 1993’s Knightfall saga, a storyline sure to be referred to in TDKR. Another 90’s story seemingly reflected (at least based on the trailers) is No Man’s Land, a story from the late 90’s where all the bridges to Gotham are destroyed, and the city becomes cut off from the rest of the United States and ultimately run by criminals.

Nitpicking: So Here Is Where My Theory Has Some Cracks

The main premise of The Dark Knight Rises has Bruce Wayne living in seclusion for the eight years after retiring Batman and taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s murder. This reflects were we find Bruce Wayne in the start of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, where he has been living in seclusion for ten years after retiring the Batman persona. Also, Anne Hathaway’s version of Selina Kyle seems very influenced by Miller’s take on the character in Batman: Year One. Even Holly, Selina’s sidekick from Year One, makes an appearance in the TDKR , played by Juno Temple. I should also note that Catwoman’s look in the movie seems very inspired by Julie Newmar in the 60’s television show, maybe the only place in Nolan’s entire trilogy that acknowledges the campy old show. It is a reference I doubt any fanboy will mind though.

So what’s next for the Batman movies? Start at 1939 all over again for a reboot? Go to the future for Batman Beyond maybe? It’ll be interesting to see where the future takes us for Batman in cinema, but one thing is for sure, he’ll be on the big screen again in some form or another. It is only a matter of time.

A Look Back At ‘Batman Begins’ And ‘The Dark Knight’

by Shawn Madden

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters tomorrow at midnight and I thought I would take a look at Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. There is no doubt that this trilogy will go down as one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time. A main factor in this being the common theme that Christopher Nolan has always set as the heart of the stories. Rather than focusing on Batman as the superhero he focused on the man who was Batman and the symbol he created. Something that film makers that had come before failed to truly capture. As stated in Batman Begins:

People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne. As a man, I’m flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol — as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting. – Bruce Wayne (Batman Begins)

Ever since Batman Begins hit screens movies have began taking a more realistic approach to their characters thus making them more relatable. By making a story more believable you can lose yourself in it. Batman Begins took a risk by actually being the first Batman film to be actually about Batman. The film was not about the villains who took a back seat to the exploration of Bruce Wayne’s psyche. But what really made this movie had to be the casting. Christian Bale is by far the best Bruce Wayne to date and with a supporting cast that was flawless and made this first piece to the story truly memorable and a movie that improves over time rather than one that deteriorates. We were introduced to a new Gotham unlike the ones we had seen in the past and a Bruce Wayne unlike the ones we had seen in the past. This character was real. That was the difference here. One of the most memorable scenes in being a great ending scene that would lead into one of the greatest sequels ever made.

“Well, because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” – Alfred Pennyworth (The Dark Knight)

A line from The Dark Knight that to this day is still one of the most memorable. This movie truly set the bar for comic book films if not films in general. A movie that received criticism from the masses of the internet for its casting of Heath Ledger as Batman’s greatest villain of all time…The Joker. I remember clearly reading on an internet board the numerous randoms who referred to this move as “the worst casting decision ever made” and jokes about this actors role from Brokeback Mountain that even referred to this sequel as being “Broke-Bat Mountain”. And this once again proves just how wrong we all can be. If we thought the casting in Batman Begins was brilliant we hadn’t seen anything yet.

Nolan had made his masterpiece with The Dark Knight. It was dark, intelligent, incredibly exciting and cinematically rich, while remaining utterly true to the soul of its source material. The actors were at their finest here and truly gripping performances sucked us in to a movie that will go down as one of the greatest films ever made in my opinion. Not just because it is a comic book movie but because it is a fantastic film. The bitter-sweet tragedy here is that this was Heath Ledgers finest performance but sadly his last. If any actor deserved to win the Oscar for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” in 2009 it was Heath Ledger. However the movie otherwise was snubbed at the Oscars and is now why they have expanded how many movies are nominated from five to ten. The midnight screening that I attended received a standing ovation for a film that honestly deserved it but at the same time left fans sad that we would never see Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker grace the screen again.

So now we approach the grand finale to the Dark Knight Trilogy. Tomorrow at midnight The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters and is already receiving praise from many. Once again some have been skeptical to casting but if history has taught us anything it is that we should have faith in Christopher Nolan here because he has not let us down before.

“If anything, it’s a tremendous responsibility and opportunity to sort of follow in the footsteps of somebody who was so brilliant. So I’m just grateful to be part of the family, actually, the Batman, Chris Nolan family. And that I got brought in to be the villain in this film.” – Tom Hardy on Heath Ledger

The Joker may be Batman’s arch-nemesis but Bane is one of the greatest enemies he has ever faced. Known best as the man who “broke the bat” we are truly in store for a completely different type of animal here. Bane is not only one of Batman’s greatest enemies physically but mentally. Tom Hardy has had his performance referred to as “powerful” and that “his simple presence intimidates anyone”. Do not compare his performance to Heath but instead remember that he is playing a completely different character and a new threat that we have not seen before. Many who have already seen the film have called this Christian Bale’s finest performance of the three and a fantastic end to the story that Nolan has set out to tell. While The Dark Knight may be a tough act to follow I have complete faith myself that we will be getting the film that we all need and deserve. There has been much talk that this could be the first comic book movie to win an Oscar and it seems quite possible that it can. Have we seen all that Nolan and company have to give?

Not everything. Not yet. – Batman (The Dark Knight Rises)

A look back at the trilogy:

 

Hot Toys Reveals The Dark Knight Rises: Bane Collectible Figure

by Shawn Madden

Can’t get enough of these Hot Toys figures? Well, I’m sure your wallet has had enough. The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters tomorrow at midnight and Hot Toys has unveiled their figure for Bane that is sure to put a Dent Act into some of our wallets. Bad pun…I know.

The Dark Knight Rises: Bane Collectible Figure – The Dark Knight Rises, the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, is coming in just one day! Celebrating the launch of this highly expected movie, Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Bane Collectible Figure from this movie. The Bane collectible is highly detailed, specially crafted based on the image of Tom Hardy as Bane, highlighting the movie-accurate head sculpt with mask, detailed costume and accessories.

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘Justice League #11’

by Shawn Madden

•”The Villain’s Journey” part three!
• Batman, Cyborg and Aquaman battle Element Woman!
• Continuing the origin of SHAZAM!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #11
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils & Cover by Jim Lee
Backup Pencils by Gary Frank

SDCC Panel Roundup: Star Trek: The Next Generation, DC All Access, & Batman’s Biggest Secret

by Eric Diaz

Some people love coming to the San Diego Comic Con for the cosplay, the shopping, and just the sideshow carnival aspect of it all. While I love all of those things too, I’m really a panel whore here. I love getting to sit and hear behind the scenes stuff on comics and movies and television shows more than anything else at the con. So here’s my run down on all the best panels, or at least the best panels I actually made it into, starting with Thursday, Day One.

Before and After: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Journey into High Definition

The first panel I hit on Day One was Before and After: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Journey into High Definition. I am a pretty big Trek geek here, but I am the biggest Trek geek mostly for Star Trek: The Next Generation, or just TNG from now on for brevity’s sake. TNG premiered right when I turned thirteen years old, and went off the air right when I was about to turn twenty, so my entire formative teenage years were spent with Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D. While the original series got a brilliant high definition upgrade a few years back, the common thinking was that TNG would never receive a similar upgrade. The reason being for this is that like most shows from the 80’s and 90’s, TNG was shot on 35mm film, but was edited on low grade video tape. That is why when you watch TNG on DVD or Netflix, it kind of looks like ass today. It just doesn’t hold up at all to modern standards.

Well, that is all about to change. CBS Home Video has done an unprecedented (and very costly and expensive) thing here, and is re-editing all seven seasons from the original camera negatives, and recompositing the effects using all the original elements they can find. CGI is being used only very sparingly, and only when an original element is lost. As shown at this before and after presentation, the results are jaw dropping. Watching some of the before and after videos shown at the panel really made you realize the time and care that the production design team put in when creating the original sets and costumes back in the day, as they bothered to put in small details that no one could ever have noticed when this was all in crappy standard definition.

Spearheading this whole restoration are Mike and Denise Okuda, who have been involved with the Star Trek franchise since TNG premiered twenty five years ago (all the digital displays on TNG, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise are referred to as “Okudagrams”) As they were there from the beginning, no one is better suited for this task that the Okudas, and from what they showed, what they’ve done is nothing short of amazing. The restoration project’s film transfer technician, Wade Felker, went through endless cans of film negative to make sure that what was re-assembled matched what was aired over two decades ago. The episodes are all finished at a resolution of 1080i now. And no, the framing for this project is still old school 4×3, not 16×9. So get used to those black bars on the sides kids, because that is how the show was shot, and the intent here is to preserve that look.

Aside from the upgrade, the series is getting a host of all new special features, including a cast reunion moderated by Free Enterprise director Robert Meyer Burnett (who moderated the panel as well) He’s gone out of his way to get new interviews with all the key players, and judging from what was shown, this was more candid and fun than most of the fluffy EPK stuff found on the old DVD sets from around a decade or so back. Burnett even got an interview with the man who turned down the role of Jean Luc Picard. Possibly the most fun is the discovery of the original camera tests for the wardrobe etc, like the one for Geordi LaForge below. Someone let their Soul Glo for sure.

Original costume test for the character of Geordi La Forge. Thank God they went another route and got rid of the “Soul Glo” hair and Prince mustache.

Star Trek: The Next Generation arrives on Blu Ray on July 24th, and this panel served to whet my appetite even more. Job well done.

DC Entertainment-All Access: DC NOW!

The next panel was DC Entertainment-All Access: DC NOW! While the panel hosted several creators from DC’s New 52 initiative, the clear stars of the show were DC CCO Geoff Johns and Batman and Swamp Thing writer Scott Snyder. Both of them talked very passionately about their forthcoming books, and they were clearly the fan favorites judging from the applause they received. Geoff Johns has three of the best selling DC books right now (Justice League, Green Lantern and Aquaman, believe it nor not) and he spoke briefly about what’s coming up for each title. With Justice League, Johns says says there are a lot of surprises coming up in issue #12, which features Aquaman calling the rest of the lineup out and telling them they have to behave a lot more like a team, and less like a group of loosely affiliated individuals. In year two the JL will be getting several new members, including Shazam, who until now has been featured only in back up stories in the main JL title. Johns is also re-introducing classic Wonder Woman villain the Cheetah in issue #13, which will lead into next summer’s Trinity War event.

DC’s untouchable two, Geoff Johns and Scott Snyder.

The topic then shifted to Green Lantern. Johns says that Earth’s as yet unnamed new Green Lantern carries a gun because he’s skeptical about the concept of rings running only on energy, and that the new “Third Army” is created by the Guardians of the Universe to eradicate free will in the cosmos. In the mind of Geoff Johns, the robotic Manhunters were the Gaurdians’s first attempt at a universal peace keeping force, but their lack of emotion was their downfall. So then they made the Green Lantern Corps, only to eventually find that emotion was as much a liability as a strength. So now they are making a third army, one to eradicate all free will, which they now see as the source of all suffering. In other words, the Gaurdians are now officially villains. Aquaman #0 was briefly talked about as well, and it will flashback to Arthur Curry’s first meeting with his Atlantean people.

Batman writer Scott Snyder was up next, and talked in depth about his upcoming arc Death of the Family, which he calls his definitive Joker story, his version of Arkham Asylum or Killing Joke. Snyder’s run on Batman has been the character’s most well received storyline in years, especially his just wrapped Court of Owls saga. As for the Joke, he was last seen briefly in last year’s Detective Comics #1, getting his face willingly sliced off, and then pretty much vanished. Now he’s coming back with a vengeance. As Snyder put it “Joker sees Batman as the King (of Gotham) and he has all these Knights/Squires. But Joker sees himself as the court jester to the King, it is his job to amuse him and inspire him. And he’s been ignored for a year and he’s not happy.”

This time, the Joker is coming for the whole Bat family, and not just for Bruce Wayne. Says Snyder “He came after Batgirl in The Killing Joke, but he was really going after Commissioner Gordon. So when Batgirl realizes that here, too, it’s almost like the Joker is staring at her saying -I’m coming after you this time. I’ll kill everyone and burn down everything in your life to do what I did to your father, but to you. So in that way, he’s saying that to every member of the Bat-family. To Nightwing and everyone, saying – You’ve never faced me before. I’ve never actually targeted you. I’ve only used you as pawns to get at Batman. So welcome to your worst nightmare.” Death of the Family will run through Batman #13-17, and have sort of crossovers (similar to the recent Night of the Owls) in Nightwing, Batgirl, Batman and Robin, Teen Titans (for Tim Drake) Suicide Squad (for Harley Quinn) and the Jason Todd starring Red Hood and the Outlaws.

It wasn’t all Gotham talk from Snyder at this panel though, as Snyder thanks the fans for reading his Swamp Thing and Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man, which he called a labor of love for both writers. Both Swamp Thing and Animal Man have been the two biggest surprise hits of the new 52, and having been receiving great reviews all across the board. Snyder even briefly talked about his work on Vertigo’s American Vampire series. He talked about American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares, saying that it explores the history of vampire races in the American Vampire world

After the one two punch of two of DC’s biggest names came poor Rob Liefield, who not only is (arguably) the most hated creator in modern  comics, but had the tough act to follow both Johns and Snyder on a panel, who are the comic book equivalent of rock stars. He talked a bit about his three (yes three) DC books, Hawkman, Deathstroke and Grifter. I don’t remember any of it, because it all sounded so yawn inducing. Some guy sitting next to me at the panel said “wouldn’t it be funny if someone just ran up and punched him right now?” To which I agreed…yes, it would be funny. I’ve often wondered just what Liefield has on certain editors at DC and Marvel. Did he do a lot of blow and God knows what else with them in the 90’s, and he’s got it all recorded? How does this man keep getting books? We may never know.

Only slightly less hated in the comics world is writer Scott Lobdell, who DC has given the task of taking over Superman. Lobdell’s writing style is often like the worst part of the 90’s, so I don’t know why DC would entrust their flagship character to him. Although I will admit, unlike Liefield, Lobdell has his moments. He’s not all bad. Unlike Batman, Superman has not found much success in the new 52 (with the exception of Grant Morrisson’s Action Comics) Lobdell will take over the book with issue #13, where he said that readers will see “a lot of Superman and a lot of Clark at the same time. What we’re really going to examine is what it means to be the most powerful person on the whole planet, and yet you can’t actually ever behave in a way that you are that person. You’re hiding out among humanity.” He seemed enthusiastic, so I’m hoping for the best here, because Superman deserves the best.

Also on the panel were Jimmy Palmiotti and wife Amanda Conner, each talking about their respective DC books. Amanda’s art from Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre was shown, and so was art from Palmiotti’s All Star Western. Usually Western books die on the vine, but the connections to 19th century Gotham City have made this one something of an unofficial Batman book and a minor success. And finally. Flash writer Brian Buccellato says Flash #0 will explore who Barry Allen’s origin in the new 52, and how it differs from what we knew before. And according to Buccellato, “there is no Wally in this run at all, I’m sorry.” The crowd booed. Way to end on a down note there DC!

Batman’s Biggest Secret: The Bill Finger Story

Sometimes the best panels at SDCC aren’t the ones that get all the attention, they’re the ones that are in some smaller room at the ass end of the convention center, and you don’t ever have to wait in line to get in. Such was the case with the panel for Batman’s Biggest Secret: The Bill Finger Story. Now I imagine most of you reading this are well aware that Batman was created by artist Bob Kane, because it says so on every comic about Batman, as well as every television series and movie for seventy years. But it also has been known now for many years that Batman also had a co-creator, a man named Bill Finger. Based on five years of research for his new book Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, writer Marc Tyler Nobleman layed it all out for those attending this panel. He started by showing two pictures of Bill Finger, and said they were the only two pictures ever published of the man before his death in 1974. They were, in fact, the only two pics of the man I had ever seen, and I’m pretty well schooled in my comic book history.

The cover for Bill The Boy Wonder, which is illustrated by Batman Adventures artist Ty Templeton. Next to it is one of the very few pics of Bill Finger to ever make it in print before his death.

Bob Kane came up with the name Bat-Man to be sure, and the idea that he had no powers also came from him. But it was struggling writer Bill Finger who came up with the most of the elements that make Batman BATMAN. According to an old interview with Finger “Bob Kane had an idea for a character called ‘Batman’, and he’d like me to see the drawings. I went over to Kane’s, and he had drawn a character who looked very much like Superman with kind of … reddish tights, I believe, with boots … no gloves, no gauntlets … with a small domino mask, swinging on a rope. He had two stiff wings that were sticking out, looking like bat wings. And under it was a big sign … BATMAN.”

But it was Finger who gave Kane the idea of turning the stiff wings into a scalloped cape instead, who suggest the gray/black instead of red, and who changed the domino mask into a cowl. He even named the character Bruce Wayne, and gave him his brutal origin, named Gotham City, created (or at the very least co-created) the Batcave and Batmobile, not to mention characters like the Joker (co-created with Jerry Robinson) Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, and Two-Face. Even Kane admitted in his own autobiography “Batman and Me” that it was Bill Finger who turned Batman into more than just a vigilante, but also a detective in the Sherlock Holmes mold. And yet, mostly due to Kane’s father being a lawyer, Kane receieved sole credit as Batman’s creator, and Finger got nothing.

One of the only photos of Bill Finger known to circulate for decades, as well as a picture of what Bob Kane’s Bat-Man looked without input from Finger.

As Nobleman pointed out in this panel, DC Comics was not the main villain in this story, nor was it entirely Bob Kane either. In many ways, Bill Finger himself was the villain in his own story, as he never fought DC for credit as co-creator of Batman in his lifetime. No one knows why, although it is simply possible he didn’t want to lose his job as a writer. The first time any one publicly brought up the notion that someone other than Kane helped create Batman was in a fan newsletter in the 1960’s during the tv show’s heyday. Kane responded with “early sketches” of a Batman character from 1934, five years before Batman’s debut, to prove his point. Unfortunately, the sketches had Batman with a cape and cowl, which are things that Finger was publicly said to have contributed to the character and Kane even admitted to. Those pictures provided by Kane that were dated in very large letters as 1934 were in fact forgeries. This would not be the only time Bob Kane would do something like this; from the 40’s through the 60’s, Bob Kane has ghost artists on his Batman stories, and in fact when he started to sell paintings of Batman and related characters as “fine art,” even those were made by other artists. So Kane was hardly ever above lying through his teeth to keep his only claim to fame in life all his.

Bob Kane’s grave has no less than nine words to describe how awesome he was, and how he and Bruce Wayne were really one. Feel free to roll your eyes.

Finger died in anonymity of a heart attack in 1974 at the age of 59, found days later on his couch by a friend. His ashes were spread on a beach by his only son, in the shape of the Bat symbol (you could hear the audience in that room choke up at that point) When his son, who was gay, died of AIDS in 1990, it was thought that he was the end of the family line…but he was’t. Nobleman found that Finger’s son had a daughter, one he discovered on (of all places) MySpace. He knew he had the right person when he saw she had a dog named Bruce Wayne. He has convinced the daughter to fight not for money…but for her grandfather’s rightful place as the credited co-creator of Batman. And so the panel ended on that hopeful note that mabye one day soon the man will finally get his due after all.

And thus ends SDCC Day One…come back tomorrow for Day Two, where I’ll talk the Green Arrow pilot, Joss Whedon and a little bit of Breaking Bad.

‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’ Adds Nightwing And Cyborg To The Roster

by Shawn Madden

Ed Boon brought two new characters to Comic-Con and revealed that you will be able to play as both Nightwing and Cyborg. Due to the game being obviously based on the ‘New 52’ cyborgs inclusion is obvious and I am sure we can expect to see Aquaman and Green Lantern soon enough.

 Nightwing is the third bat-character to be introduced. With him and Harley that pretty much confirms we will be seeing The Joker on that roster soon. But fingers crossed that we get a ‘New 52′ Red Hood too. Just sayin’ DC.

And now some gameplay courtesy of Gamespot!

 

 

Rocksteady To Develop A ‘Justice League’ Game

by Shawn Madden

Not too long ago it was rumored that Rocksteady Games would be developing a ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ game but it appears that may not be happening. The developers behind the critically acclaimed ‘Arkham Asylum’ and ‘Arkham City’ may have another DC project in the works. According to Variety:

But Variety has learned that WBIE is expected to reteam some of the characters in some form for the next installment in Rocksteady Studios’ gritty vidgame series that began with “Batman: Arkham Asylum” and “Arkham City.”

New, highly stylized title is being developed as a prequel that revolves around Batman’s first meeting with the Joker. It’s based on the Silver Age of DC’s comicbooks from the 1950s when the Caped Crusader teamed with other heroes like Superman and founded the Justice League of America.

I’m all for this especially it if it is taking place within the same universe and further expanding on the already developed stories that we have. Just no DLC like Harely’s Revenge okay?

First Clip From ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Hits The Net

by Shawn Madden

Gary Oldman appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel show this evening and brought along a clip from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. The clip features John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) questioning Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) about the last known sighting of Batman.

 

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘Batman And Robin #11’

by Shawn Madden

• DAMIAN makes good on his decision to defeat each ROBIN, and in a brilliant show of arrogance, starts with RED HOOD!
• The army of BATFREAKS is dead set on avenging their plight starts with the people of Gotham City!

BATMAN AND ROBIN #11
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils & Cover by Patrick Gleason

‘Man Of Steel’ To Hint At Shared DCU? ‘Justice League’ In 2015?

by Shawn Madden

There’s a big rumor floating around the water cooler right now. Apparently an inside source has revealed that there will be “easter eggs” in ‘Man Of Steel’ that hint at a shared DC Universe. However these references will not be big so don’t get your hopes up on cameos or anything of that sort. The source stated that the character Warner Bros. wanted to hint at one character the most. But sorry Bat-fans it definitely wasn’t Bruce Wayne aka Batman. The character they spoke about was Wonder Woman.

While this has not been officially announced it would make sense with the recent news of a Justice League movie hitting our screens. There is also word that we may be seeing this film hitting the screens in 2015.

While they would idealy like to have Nolan involved it seems highly unlikely. He’s been asked in numerous interviews and seemed quite uninterested. With Nolan moving on to other projects, Warner Bros. must move on and Robinov would like to do it soon. But don’t get your hopes up here for any kind of news at Comic-Con. It doesn’t look like it will be that soon.

“My hope is that over the next month or so,” he said, “we’ll be ready to lay out the plan for the next DC movies.”

Update: I can confirm from a source that they did go back and add things into Man Of Steel. But they could not reveal what specifically.

Source: LA Times

‘Dark Knight Rises’ IMAX Screenings To Include Exclusive Poster

by Scott Alminiana

Good news for anyone seeing the 12:01 a.m. showing of The Dark Knight Rises in IMAX on July 20. You will be getting this awesome exclusive poster. For those of us not seeing it in IMAX, well we can just be even more extremely envious of those who. It’s the poster fans deserve, but not the one we need right now…or is it?

Source: Heat Vision

Geekscape Comics: First Look At The Joker In “Death Of The Family”!

by Shawn Madden

We showed you DC’s teaser a week ago where Scott Snyder talked about what was coming up. Now we have your first look at The Joker’s return in ‘Batman #13’.

• The Joker returns in “DEATH OF THE FAMILY”!
• He crippled Batgirl. He killed Robin. What will The Joker do now that he’s returned to Gotham City?
• What must Batman do to protect his secret identity and that of those who fight alongside him?

BATMAN #13
Written by Scott Snyder
Backup story written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Art by Greg Capullco & Jonathan Glapion
Backup story art by Andy Clarke
Cover by Greg Capullo

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘Batman #11’

by Shawn Madden

• The stunning conclusion to “THE COURT OF OWLS” epic!
• All is revealed in “THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF WAYNE.”

BATMAN #11

Written by Scott Snyder
Backup Story by Scott Snyder/James T Tynion IV
Interior art by:Greg Capullo
Backup Art by Rafael Albuquerque
Cover by Greg Capullo

14 Minutes Of Gameplay From ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’

by Shawn Madden

Thanks to IGN we have a fourteen minute look at the upcoming ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’ narrated by none other than Ed Boon himself.

What if our greatest heroes became our greatest threat? From the indomitable DC Comics and the makers of the definitive fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat comes Injustice: Gods Among Us, a bold fighting game featuring a large cast of favorite DC Comics icons. Set in a world where the lines between good and evil are blurred, players will experience heroes and villains engaging in epic battles on a massive scale. A deep, original story compliments the fighting action that pits many of the great heroes and villains from the DC universe against each other — Batman, Harley Quinn, Solomon Grundy, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and many others lose their allegiances and fight for Injustice!

 

Thirteen Minute Featurette For ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

by Shawn Madden

If you can’t wait until July 20th for the fire to rise and need something to tide you over until then check out this thirteen minute featurette that contains plenty of interviews, behind the scenes footage and much more. This video shows just how much work Christopher Nolan and everyone involved in making this movie put into it and is quite impressive.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ hits theaters July 20th.

Source: TheMovieBox

Geekscape Comics: Ann Nocenti Takes Over On ‘Catwoman’

by Shawn Madden

Looks like DC is shaking up another creative team. Starting with the zero issue of the series Ann Nocenti (‘Green Arrow’) will take over writing duties on ‘Catwoman’.

This fall, industry veteran and acclaimed writer Ann Nocenti (GREEN ARROW) will be taking over writing duties on CATWOMAN. Beginning her run with September’s issue #0, Nocenti will bring an exciting and unique twist to Gotham City’s most notorious femme fatale.

I don’t read the series myself but from what I have read…fans are not too thrilled about this news. We also have a cover for issue #13 which is drawn by Andy Clarke. There is also a rumor around that he will be replacing Guillem March but nothing has been confirmed as far as that goes. Side note: could that be The Joker’s face in the background and a possible tie-in to Snyder’s upcoming story?

Source: DC

Get These Awesome Posters Just In Time For Comic-Con!!!

by Scott Alminiana

Well folks, Comic-Con ’12 is fast approaching. It’s just 5 loooong days away! Here’s something awesome to help hold you over until it arrives.

Andrew Heath is a graphic designer and he has some awesome prints available in honor of this years Comic-Con. The Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 print is a limit edition run of only 15. It is 18″x24,” hand numbered and signed and goes for $50. The rest are either $10 or $20. They are available for purchase here. What do you think, do you want them as badly as I do?

Will Joseph Gordon-Levitt Suit Up In ‘The Dark Knight Rises’?

by Shawn Madden

For months now internet fans have been speculating that we would see Joseph Gordon-Levitt would suiting up as an incarnation of either Robin or Azrael. I personally couldn’t see Christopher Nolan going that direction and having him don the suit whatsoever and it looks like I was right. An advanced screening of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ took place earlier today and one attendee (SuperHeroHype’s KnightOfTheFall) has revealed the following.

JGL is not robin nor does he appear in the suit. He is just an idealistic beat cop. Nothing more. His character is handled and written well.

Sorry guys. I know some people were hyped on this idea but trust me…from what I am hearing about his role you will be glad he didn’t. I can’t reveal the secret that I do know.

Geekscape Comics: New Creative Team Taking Over ‘Detective Comics’

by Shawn Madden

After DC’s ‘Zero Month’ Tony Daniel will be leaving ‘Detective Comics’ and John Layman (‘Chew’) will take over writing duties on the book. Jason Fabok (‘Batman: The Dark Knight’) will take over art duties on the book. The team spoke about what to expect from them when they take over on DC’s flagship title.

John Layman spoke on what he wants to do with Batman and his surroundings:

“Obviously, this is a happily surreal and exciting turn-of-events for my career. Not only is this my first work within the DC Universe, but I get to work on one of DC’s undisputedly coolest and highest-profile characters. I’m going to take a look at the role of criminal organizations within Gotham City, hopefully from a perspective that does not get considered very often (if at all). From the symbiotic relationship a master criminal must have with Gotham in order to survive, to the lowly, often faceless criminal underling hoping to rise up the ranks. All that, plus Batman’s gonna play with a bunch of crazy new toys and kick all kinds of butt.”

Jason Fabok talks about joining Detective Comics and what we can expect from his artwork:

“First, I want to express how thankful I am to have this opportunity. I am humbled that DC Comics would entrust me with one of their greatest titles. To work on a Batman title has been the number one goal that I set for my career and I am honored to have this opportunity to make my dream become a reality. I’m really hoping to deliver a dark, epic Batman with hints of the art deco stylings of the old animated series and the more modern take seen in recent incarnations. I am hoping to let my influences gush out onto the page and create something that is familiar, classic and yet my own. As for working with John Layman, I couldn’t be more excited. John is a great visual storyteller and he packs every page with meaningful panels that bring the story forward and add incredible depth. Together we hope to deliver a quality Batman tale, filled with mystery, twists, turns, shockers and most of all, fun!”

Source: DC

Rocket Raccoon Means Business! The “Geekscapepod” For July 3rd, 2012!

by Jonathan

We can finally talk “The Amazing Spider-Man”! Huge changes are coming to the Marvel Universe! Jean Grey returns! The Joker is coming back to Gotham! “East Bound and Down” gets a 4th Season! The Walking Dead Episode 2 gives me goosebumps! And Weta sends me “Triump” from New Zealand! Also! I talk the Geekscape Comic-Con booth schedule!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:32 — 13.8MB)

Awesome ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Viral Campaign Reveals More Plot Points

by Scott Alminiana

With the release of The Dark Knight Rises fast approaching, Warner Bros. has been hard at work with their viral marketing campaign. There are three different batches of viral pieces  on the web that we’ve managed to get our hands on. Be warned that there may be some potential spoilers and/or plot points here, but at this point it’s hard to tell what those might be. Just don’t say that we didn’t warn you…

The first one is from DewGothamCity and shows a GCPD performance reveiw of Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The review shows that Blake is quite the officer and seems likely to move up the ladder quickly. Here’s what is written in the ‘comments’ section of his review:

“Officer Blake shows great dedication and tenacity. He made an impact in his assigned beat by building effective associations within the local community. High marks for skills and conduct. Needs minor improvement in his relationships with fellow officers. His thoroughness tends to make him judgmental of colleagues’ performances and leads him to question authority. Officer Blake has made a request to be transferred to Narrows Division. Given his success in his previous detail, transfer should be granted. Need more officers like him.”

This second piece is an email exchange between some reporters at the Gotham Observer. The emails are in regards to John Daggett, who from the sounds of it is a rather shady board member of Wayne Enterprises.  The emails goes on to mention Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), Deputy Commissioner (Matthew Modine), and a series of penthouse burglaries. Hmmm, I wonder who that would be in reference to?

From: Mike Ross < micheal.ross@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 1:22 PM
To: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece
Just caught wind of another penthouse burglary. That’s five for the week. A couple of watches and a box of jewelry were stolen. Whoever did it must be coming out of thin air because literally no one has seen this person in action…at all. I got Gerald headed downtown now. Dep. Comm Foley’s doing a press conderence at City Hall. The Mayor wants to launch a task force. I guess all of these fat cats get to go cry to the Mayor when somebody steals from them.

From: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 1:15 PM
To: Terry Degnan < terry.degnan@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece

Let me kick it up the food chain to Gene and discuss it with him. But Mike, I have to say I’m with Terry on this one. I’d definitely start looking for a replacement. What about Congressmen Gilly wanting to rename the Central Library after this Miranda Tate lady who just got on the board of Wayne Enterprises? The Rogues appealing the NFF’s salary cap penalties?

From: Terry Degnan < terry.degnan@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 12:57 PM
To: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece

My feelings is, unless you have a full confession from Daggett himself, stay away from this. Calling this guy litigious is putting it lightly. Two years ago, Becker, Barton & McReynolds commissioned a gold bust of the guy to thank him for all the billable hours.Mike, I hear what you’re saying about Daggett’s place at Wayne E, but the paper can’t take a hit like we’re going to if we move further down this path. He’ll throw everything at us.

From: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 12:46 PM
To: Terry Degnan < terry.degnan@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece

Terry?

From: Mike Ross < micheal.ross@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 11:28 AM
To: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Cc: Terry Degnan < terry.degnan@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece

Right now, the former Mali Minister of Communications, who says the US is well aware of Daggett’s use of mercenaries to take over the mines by force. We’ve got five or six government officials speaking anonymously.

From: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 11:02 AM
To: Mike Ross < micheal.ross@thegothamobserver.net >
Cc: Terry Degnan < terry.degnan@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece

Who do you have that is speaking on the record?

From: Mike Ross < micheal.ross@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 10:41 AM
To: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Cc: Terry Degnan < terry.degnan@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece

Paul was covering several reports of destruction at a number of construction companies around the city. The companies are claiming that their sites, headquarters, warehouses, and depots are being sabotaged. GPD haven’t been able to trackdown the perpetrators. In fact, there’s no trace of them. GPD won’t confirm it officially, but they do believe something’s up. Paul did some digging and determined that every construction company in the area has been attacked except for John Daggett’s outfit. So Daggett naturally became the focus. Paul’s got a number of sources- speaking anonymously and off the record- about shady business dealings such as Daggett’s acquisition of African diamond mines. I feel it’s relevant because, let’s be honest, the guy is in position of power at Wayne Enterprises and therefore has a lot influence in the city.

From: Katherine Lamont < katherine.lamont@thegothamobserver.net >
Date: Wed, 2 May 10:22 AM
To: Mike Ross < micheal.ross@thegothamobserver.net >
Cc: Terry Degnan < terry.degnan@thegothamobserver.net >
Subject: Re: John Daggett Piece

Terry, cc’, just gt a call from John Daggett’s attorney. He’s in full attack mode, claiming libel, threatening action. Says the issue at hand is the following: a story on Daggett mentions Daggett hiring mercenaries to stage cups in West Africa to secure mining rights. His attorney said the claims are unsubstantiated accusations perpetrated by his rivals to taint his company’s reputation.What’s the verall angle of the piece?

Lastly is a handwritten letter from Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) to Bruce Wayne concerning the state of Wayne Enterprises. In the letter Lucius references the concerns of the board members regarding the budget of the R&D department.  The letter also mentions John Daggett and how he may be trying to gather support from other board members that could result in a potential power struggle. Here’s a transcript of the difficult to read handwritten letter as well as Bruce’s very simple reply to Lucius:

Dear Bruce,

I hope this letter finds you well.  Although I would have liked to have had this conversation with you personally, Alfred tells me I am better off writing as you are not receiving any visitors at the moment.  That being the case, I’ll do my best to detail what I feel is becoming a situation within the company.

It’s a given that in the current economic climate our investors have become increasingly concerned about how their money is being spent.  As such, our own profitability is being judged and analyzed, particularly by the Board itself.  In the past, we haven’t given them any reason to worry as both our earnings and spending have been consistent.  This allowed us the autonomy to dedicate resources to Wayne philanthropic programs as well as our own R&D endeavors.  But over the past five quarters, our earnings have been on the downtrend.  Meanwhile, our R&D spending has been on an astronomical uptrend.  And as the black grows fainter around the entire company, I am being put into a position where I have to answer certain questions, particularly about your energy project.

No one is going to dispute the fact that innovation is key to our growth and success.  It’s a mainstay of our business, which is all the more reason why the Board has begun to scrutinize our R&D budget and set their sights on your machine.  Since they don’t know exactly what you’re up to, all they understand is a vast amount of capital is being spent on something they now deem as fruitless – quest for clean energy.  Herein lies the problem.

The last time we spoke, you expressed your reluctance to move the project forward and initiate the next phase of trials.  I understand your argument as to why.  But if you want the company to continue to fund your efforts, I think it is time we give the Board more than just the overview they already have, enlightening them on what this project will mean to Gotham if you are successful.  On a personal note, I’d also like to let them know that with age, Bruce Wayne has decided to fill his father’s shoes, using Wayne Enterprises and all its resources to readily and reliably support our city.

Nothing bad can come from this, Bruce.  But if you decide not to address the issue at hand, I am not sure how long I can keep the Board at bay.  Making matters more difficult is your absence.  I am assuming you have your reasons for it and it is not my job to question those, but I fear that if you are going to drop off the radar for an extended period of time, we may risk another Bill Earle situation.  I can see a couple [of] Board Members already maneuvering to build influence around the table, most notably John Daggett, who I feel is the last person we want to engage in a power struggle.

When I agreed to take on this role I knew full well what the job and our agreement entailed.  I am also well aware of your preferred ways of handling all matters relating to Wayne Enterprises However, I must tell you that we are quickly approaching a set of circumstances that will unfortunately call for a change if we do not address the Board.  Change in most instances is not a bad thing, but in this regard I am worried.  I’m sure you consider my pessimism to be just another part of my charm.  That may be the case, but let’s remember: you didn’t hire me for my charm.

I look forward to hearing from you.

With luck it will be in person.

Regards,

Lucius Fox

 

Lucius,

Tell the board that as of today the program is shut down. As we discussed before, there is too much at stake and the risk is too great. That is my only concern.

-Bruce.

 

Geekscape Comics: The Joker Is Returning To Gotham

by Shawn Madden

Ever since the shocking ending to ‘Detective Comics #1’, many fans have been wondering just what happened to The Joker. And it looks like we’ll finally be finding out this October. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo are about to follow up the awesome ‘Court Of Owls’ story-arc with something great here in the aptly titled ‘Death in the Family’.

I’ve been loving Snyder’s run on ‘Batman’ and can’t deny that this teaser has got me more than excited to see what he has in store. As the team explained to The Examiner:

“Joker is my favorite villain of all time,” Snyder told THE SOURCE. “Not just in comics. In everything – film, books, TV. He’s the greatest, hands down. So this story is something extremely important and personal to me – something I’ve been building in my head ever since I started working in Gotham. Basically, this is my big exploration of the Joker, my ARKHAM ASYLUM or THE KILLING JOKE, only bigger in scope. Bottom line: it’s the biggest, baddest, most shocking Joker story I could tell. This is Joker completely unleashed. He has been away for a full year planning this revenge, watching, plotting, setting things up. And now he’s back. He has his traps set, his knives sharpened… And wait ’til you see him. Greg’s sketches literally gave me chills. Point blank: This is Joker like you’ve never seen him before. He has a mission. He has a secret. And he has a serious axe to grind with Batman. It isn’t going to be pretty, but it’s going to be a wild ride. Thanks for taking it with us.”

IGN.com has the first look at the teaser (which is pretty damn awesome):

New ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ Soundtrack Available At Comic-Con

by Shawn Madden

La-La Land Records has announced that a second soundtrack release for ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ is set for release July 2012 following the sell-out success of ‘Batman: The Animated Series – Original Soundtrack From The Warner Bros. Television Series, Volume One’. The soundtrack will be exclusively available July 12-15th, 2012, and on Preview Night July 11th, 2012, at Comic Con from La-La Land Records at Booth 429 before going wide on July 19th, 2012 through the label’s official website.

BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES: VOL 2 (4-CD SET)
Literally years in the making, La-La Land proves the wait was worth it with this amazing 4-CD set of previously unreleased music from arguably the greatest animated television series of all time! The set’s 36 page booklet is packed with in-depth liner notes that take you through a treasure trove of astounding orchestral scores; music that rivals any blockbuster feature film. Composers Shirley Walker, Harvey R. Cohen, Carlos Rodriguez, Lolita Ritmanis, Michael McCuistion, Carl Swander Johnson and others are musically represented here, as well as Danny Elfman’s iconic theme. Limited Edition of 3500 Units. Comic Con price $60

Complete details can be found on Worlds Finest.

Source: Worlds Finest

We Bring Maximum Carnage! The “Geekscapepod” For June 30th, 2012!

by Jonathan

Nick Gregorio joins me for a brand new Geekscapepod! I review Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Ted! I’m excited to play The Walking Dead Episode 2 and Nick and I talk about the best Spider-Man video games! “Guardians of the Galaxy” is coming to theaters in 2014! “Big Hero 6” is coming from Marvel and Disney Animation! Edgar Wright has begun some “Ant Man” work! Before Watchmen continues to be good while the Punisher sets his sights on the Avengers! What’s Nick’s problem with Jim Lee? And HUGE news for Geekscape and Comic Con! Plus, my brother Daniel remembered.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:20 — 37.8MB)

Does A Press Release Confirm Cillian Murphy’s Appearance In ‘The Dark Knight Rises’?

by Shawn Madden

Due to his appearances in both ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ people have been speculating and wondering if we would once again see Cillian Murphy return in the final chapter ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. The actor that played Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow has kind of dodged the question and never really given a straight forward answer when asked recently. Now a new press-release for the ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ European Premiere has made its way online and seems to point to the fact that he does appear in it.

According to the release, the cast attending the premiere include:

Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Liam Neeson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.

Now it’s time to lose your mind to figure out how he’s going to fit in. Could it be a cameo? A flashback? Is he involved with Bane? Is there a post credits scene of him, Batman and Bane eating some form of Mediterranean food? Guess you’ll just have to wait until July 20th.

Source: Hayuguys

Christopher Nolan To Join The Hollywood Walk Of Fame

by Shawn Madden

On Saturday, July 7, at 10:00 a.m. Christopher Nolan will receive a rare industry honor and be cemented into The Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, stated, “Everyone at Warner Bros. joins me in congratulating Christopher Nolan, who has been such an integral part of our family for the past 12 years. We are extremely proud of the cinematic legacy he has given us through his films. At only 41, Christopher takes his place alongside other industry giants featured at Grauman’s, and generations of fans will remember the extraordinary impression he left on their imaginations.”

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ hits theaters on July 20th.

Source: Market Watch

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘Batman:Earth One’

by Scott Alminiana

Check out these preview pages from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s upcoming graphic novel Batman: Earth One. Much like J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis’ Superman: Earth One, it re-imagines the Dark Knight’s origin for a new age.

“Gary and I are tackling BATMAN from the beginning, before he knows what he’s doing and with a very different ultimate goal in mind,” said Johns. “He’s never left Gotham. And our Gotham and the people in it are very gray. Our heroes unlikely. Our villains hidden. Our story is only beginning with volume one.”

“It’s essentially the first piece of the jigsaw,” said Frank. “He’s not the Batman people know, but he might be one day. He’s certainly not yet a superhero. The fun is to watch him piece the persona together drawing on his experiences and the influences of those around him and, at this stage, the idea of becoming a ‘superhero’ hasn’t even entered his head.”

Batman: Earth One is available for pre-order on Amazon, and hits shelves on July 10th.

Brian Gilmore Will Crush You! The “Geekscapepod” For June 24th, 2012!

by Jonathan

Geekscape mainstay Brian Gilmore visits the Geekscape couch to talk some serious news and reviews! We discuss spammy Russian sex dealers, rural Chinese sex toys and reminisce about the growth of Geekscape! “Taken 2” and “Dredd” get trailers but which is worth watching? Jonathan talks “Safety Not Guaranteed” while Gilmore tears up at “Brave”! Are Firefly fans the most pathetic fans in Geekdom? The Nintendo 3DS XL sounds lame while a Castle Greyskull card holder sounds awesome! PLUS! How 60s TV Batman saved Batman, Marvel Mania Hollywood menus revealed and a Pixar artist draws R Rated movie scenes!

Subscribe to the show on iTunes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:53 — 26.1MB)

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Day To Be Celebrated By Comic Shops On July 19th

by Shawn Madden

Do you like free comics? Of course you do! DC Entertainment and comic book retailers across North America are declaring Thursday, July 19 “The Dark Knight Rises” Day. And in celebration retailers across the country will be giving away the free Batman: Earth One Special Preview Edition comic book featuring the first chapter of the graphic novel Batman Earth One written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank. The book will also contain a preview of ‘Batman Vol. 1 The Court of Owls’, the New York Times #1 best-selling graphic novel collection of the hit series written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo.

DC Entertainment Vice President of Marketing, John Cunningham stated “The arrival of The Dark Knight Rises in theaters is a seminal moment for comic book readers and moviegoers; what better way to mark the occasion than with a free Batman comic book that rewards a broad range of fans and taps into the unprecedented excitement surrounding this film.”

Source: DC

How The 1960’s Batman Television Series Helped Save Batman

by Eric Diaz

If you’re a Batman fan of a certain age, say mid twenties to younger, chances are you pretty much hate the original Batman television series from the 1960’s starring Adam West and Burt Ward, or at least resent the show’s long lasting impact over the character of Batman. But I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t hate it, and why in fact you should love it, if for no other reason than this: the original Batman show not only helpled save Batman in the comic book world, but it turned him into a global superstar. Aside from that alone being reason enough, there are lots of other long term contributions to the Bat-verse that came from the television series.

Of course, I’m not saying comic book fans haven’t had a lot of reason to resent the 60’s Batman television series over the years. Premiering just a few years after Stan Lee and Marvel Comics began to take comic books to the next level in terms of mature storytelling, the Batman show essentially reinforced the notion that comics were inherently silly and for five year old boys alone. The show was so hugely popular and influential, that its influence still echoes on today; almost any mainstream article in the media about comic books or comic book movies has a reference to the POW! BAM! ZAP! Sound effects of the show, some 45 years after it premiered. As a comic book fan, that annoys the hell outta me, and I look forward to the day when that lazy kind of writing finally stops. We live in a world where Watchmen is considered one of the greatest novels of the past three decades, and where Heath Ledger won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker, and still the show’s influence (and notions of comic books being nothing more than “kid’s stuff”) lingers on. I can see how that bugs.

But the truth is, original Batman series was always meant to be a straight up spoof of the comics, and nothing more or less than that. And it turned out to be a brilliant send up at that. In contrast, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is considered one of the pinnacle achievements in horror fiction, but no one hates on Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein for brilliantly spoofing it.The old Batman show never gets off that easy, because in the case of Batman, the spoof became more well known than the source material. While that can be annoying for fans of the character, all it really means is that the producers, writers and actors just did a really good job. And while the character of Batman was hurt in a lot of ways by the television show,  in the long run he benefited in just as many ways as well.

The Television Series Made Batman An Icon

Batman was an instant success when debuting in comics in 1939, this is true. But for decades, he played definite second fiddle to Superman in terms of global awareness outside of comics. While Superman debuted only a year prior to Batman in 1938, within a year Clark Kent was a global icon, and within two years he had a radio show, a series of highly expensive cartoon shorts, and a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Superman mania was something akin to Harry Potter or Twilight mania today, only bigger. Batman, on the other hand, was merely a very succesful comic book series. If you were a nine year old in 1944, chances are your mother knew who Superman was; less likely she knew who Batman was.

The debut of the Batman television show changed all that forever. Debuting in January 1966, Batman was a pop culture sensation that rivaled Beatlemania at the time. Batman aired twice a week on ABC, and the success was so enormous that a movie was shot and rushed into theaters for the summer of ’66. And then, there was the merch; the success of the show caused an avalanche of Batman related products of all sorts, shapes and sizes, rivaled only by Star Wars a decade later. By the time the show had finally burned itself out in 1968, there wasn’t a person in America who didn’t know what and who Batman and Robin were. It might have taken him twenty five years, but because of the television series Batman was finally on equal footing with Superman in recognizabilty. And he has the silly, campy show to thank for it.

The popularity of the show caused an explosion of Batman merchandise, one that lasted long past the show’s network run was over.

Editor’s note: Both of the above pictures are taken from comedian Ralph Garman’s 60s Batman memorabilia collection. Yeah. Both of them.

There are those who say the Batman television series saved the actual comic books themselves from cancellation. Batman co-creator Bob Kane even was quoted as saying that before the show debuted, DC Comics was considering cancelling Batman outright. Now this I find highly unlikely; from 1960-1965, Batman was  consistently in the top ten comic books sold in the country. While he was selling half of what Superman sold, and no where near what he sold in the 40’s, it seems highly doubtful that DC ever seriously considered trashing their second most well known character. But without a doubt, the the surge of sales caused by the success of the television show made sure that not only would Batman never be cancelled, but that Batman would always keep a prominent presence at DC Comics.

The Show Returned The Original Classic Villains To Prominence

The 1954 publication of anti comics screed Seduction of the Innocent nearly brought down the comic book industry in one giant swoop of 50’s White People Paranoia, and although DC Comics survived (many other smaller publishers did not) they did not survive unscathed. No character was more affected by this book at DC than Batman. Within a year, gone were the great, creepy villains of Batman’s 1940’s heyday; Catwoman was deemed “too sexual” for a children’s book, Two Face too scary for kids, and villains like The Penguin, Riddler and Scarecrow vanished, replaced by kooky looking aliens and mad scientists. The Joker remained as Batman’s #1 nemesis, but instead of the murderous, insane gangster clown, he was transformed into a harmless, lame prankster.

Although the televison series mocked the ultra cheesy, day glow color palette tone of the then current comics of the time, the producers wisely chose to go back to the comic book’s glory days of the 40’s for their villain roster. Around the time of the show’s debut, The Riddler was brought back for the first time since 1948 and became Batman’s (arguably) second biggest nemesis  due to his brilliant portrayal by actor Frank Gorshin. Catwoman was brought back from her twelve year exile for being too sexy (the ultimate example of “slut shaming” in comics) and other old villains like Mr. Freeze were resurrected and given new life. The televison show cemented the notion of these bad guys (particulary the “big four” of Joker, Riddler, Catwoman and Penguin) as the “A List” of Bat rogues, a concept that would carry over into the comics and stay that way from then on. Even characters that never made it onto the series were created in an attempt to get on television; Poison Ivy was created in the comics to be a sexy villainess in the Catwoman mold for the show, but the show was canned before she could ever appear.

Just for returning Catwoman from her 12 years long exile alone, fans should love the original television series.

Ever since the show made the villains as iconic as Batman, the comics themselves have never looked back. By the early 70’s, Batman returned to his grim late 1930’s roots, but the classic villains remained and have stayed around ever since. Because of the 60’s show, it is now impossible to imagine a DC Universe without them.

The TV Show Gave Us Barbara Gordon, Batgirl

Batgirl was another addition to the Batman mythology created for the television series…well, sort of. Batman artist Carmine Infantino had debated creating a new Batgirl for the comics, but wasn’t sure if his bosses would go for it, as no one at DC Editorial was too fond of the lame Batwoman character, a relic of the 1950’s. While visiting the DC Comics offices in 1966, the television series producers saw a sketch of Carmine Infantino’s take on Batgirl on his desk.  Looking for a new female character to add to the show, the producers of the show encouraged DC to go through with making this new Batgirl, pretty much just so they could use her on the television series. Although technically debuting a several months prior to her small screen arrival,  if not for the Batman show, the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl might have just stayed a sketch on Infantino’s desk. Although Yvonne Craig’s Batgirl only appeared in the final season of Batman, because of her popularity she has remained a staple of DC Comics ever since.

The Fetishization of the Batmobile

Batman has had a Batmobile since the early 1940’s, the show certainly didn’t invent it. But George Barris’ customized 1957 Ford Futura was so iconic and central to the show, that from then on the Batmobile in the comics has become equally fetishized and made important. From the early 40’s to the early 60’s, the design of the Batmobile barely changed at all, and really wasn’t much more than “Batman’s car.” It got him from cave to crime scene, but that’s about it. But after the debut of the tv series, and the focus on the car the show had, the Batmobile in the comics has become a character unto itself, constantly changing and evolving to keep up with the times. The Batmobile has become as much a part of Batman as his utility belt or his Batarangs. And the rocket engine was definitely a creation of the old show, now carried over into most media takes on the Batmobile, from the Tim Burton movie to the Bruce Timm animated series.

The Show’s Legacy

Sine the 1989 debut of Tim Burton’s Batman movie, the campy image of Batman has lessened significantly in the popular culture. The Joel Schumacher movies of the mid 90’s tried to emulate the 60’s television series and failed miserably. You can’t be campy and be taken seriously as a narrative at the same time; the producers of the 60’s show understood this fact pretty well.

Not long ago, Batman character owners Warner Brothers finally settled a decades long dispute with Twentieth Century Fox (creators of the show) and now have the license to merchandise the hell out of the old Batman show and its characters. So coming soon, expect a second tide of 60’s Bat merchandise, with Adam West t shirts, Julie Newmar/Catwoman posters, Yvonne Craig/Batgirl Halloween costumes and who knows what else (hopefully the series itself finally comes out on DVD) With Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy finally cementing Batman as a dark and serious character to even Joe Six Pack in Boise Idaho, maybe it is time for fandom to finally embrace the old Batman show for what it was, and realize how truly significant a part of the Batman legacy it really is.

Coming Soon: The second in a series of three Batman articles from yours truly, leading up to the July debut of The Dark Knight Rises.