I have a good friend who is known as "Weezee Mule" over at the 1966 Batman Message Board ( his real name is Mike ). It's a nickname he uses & every single time I read it I totally crack-up, ha ha! The other day he sent me some really wonderful photos of his personal Batman Toy Collection, which is completely insane ( there's a ton of great stuff ), & I plan on posting those later, but for right now I wanted to showcase one photo that was sort of different & kind of stood out on it's own. These are his 2 family dogs dressed up like Batman & Robin! I love the expression on their canine faces. They seem sort of embarassed a little bit, ha ha! But they look pretty cool in their outfits & the photo is extremely funny. Now, I did mention he has an awesome toy collection & I'll be sharing those later. You won't want to miss those so please be sure to visit us again real soon for those. Also, I wanna thank Mike for sending all the great pics, I really appreciate that Mr. Weezee Mule!
Santa Monica-based Blissium, a leading motion graphics design and editorial agency, hired 8fish to create a detailed 2D animated TV commercial launching a new line of Batman action figures and toys. Using Flash and Photoshop, 8fish created the commercial in the same style as the Batman: The Brave and the Bold series currently airing on the Cartoon Network . The spot seamlessly blends animation with live action. 8fish is an award-winning creative production studio in Sandy, Utah. 
OK KIDS! It's "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" again & it's time to present some Batman-themed Wallpapers you can use to brighten your desktop or use as a background in your MySpace layout. Both of these were generously contributed by 2 good friends of the Bat-Blog who also happen to be extremely talented graphic artists too! Their names are Chris Mason & Sean Hartter. Chris did the 1st one which is an original drawing he did of Adam West from the 1966 TV Show. It's totally wonderful! The crisp clean line are really sharp & this thing almost looks like a photo, very realisitic. The 2nd one is just as great & with this one Sean imagined "what if.." the 1989 Batman movie was released during the Victorian era? What would the advertisement poster for the film look like back then? Well, here it is!! I love the total "vintage look", it's very interesting, & a totally original idea too. Right now I wanna thank both of them for sending in such cool stuff. Thanks guys! If there are any other readers who would like to contribute then, hey, just contact us today...thanks again!
Who's the cutest Little Batman & Little Batgirl in the whole-wide world? You two children are, Yes you are! Ha Ha, I really love getting family photos like this sent to me. These 2 little kids are so sweet & cute. This is Max & Dena wearing their Batman and Batgirl T-Shirts! Now, Max has been on the Bat-Blog before, so he's already had his 15 minutes of fame, but this is the first time for Miss Dena & NOW she is the star too! Thank you to the proud parents for sending us this pic, it's wonderful. They are so cute.
OK, People who know me know how I totally LOVE the special art style of FRED HEMBECK! He's is easily a comic book nerd's favorite artist. He's been around for a long time & anybody who has ever read a comic book has had to have seen his work at least once. Well, now he's selling original pieces of his art on eBay! In fact, this Batman graphic is on right now ( But it's ending very soon so be quick if ya want it ). But, in case ya miss it, just be sure to search "Fred Hembeck" & look for the seller FREDHEMBECK because that's him & it's your chance to get an original piece of art from the master! Also, while there, be sure to check out his new book that he should be offering & get a signed copy!
Here's an interesting video done by Dusty Lane. As you will soon see, Dusty is a Super-Batman Fanatic & Collector! He's been collecting Batman Toys & Collectibles for a very long time & is just now starting to get a room together to display his stuff. His "Batcave" is not yet complete but in this video we get to see some of his personal collection of Posters, Toys, Action Figures, Statues, Autographed Photos, & way more! I always love seeing how other people display their stuff so please enjoy! Oh yeah, if any other Bat-Blog Readers have a nice display then please send us some photos to share, thanks.
Up above is a Batman and Robin Desktop Wallpaper with artwork by Carmine Infantino. I've included it here to remind everyone of what it looks like because down below is a 3D Computer Animation of this iconic comic book image from the 1960's Silver Age. As soon as I saw this on YouTube I knew it had to be shared on the Bat-Blog, it's pretty cool!
Here's an example of a few brand-new "Batman & Joker" designed T-shirts coming out soon by Junkfood. They make really excellent quality clothing. One new design will feature the Batman VS The Joker, while the other 2 have a Japanese motif... very cool! If you're looking for a store that handles these then I suggest Superhero Stuff. Now, they don't have 'em at this exact moment ( they're not out just yet ) but they should have them soon & they even have a few other cool bat-items on sale right now. Here's a link:
There's a new Paperback Book out right now on the history of comic books titled "WAS SUPERMAN A SPY? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed". It is written by Brian Cronin & published by Plume. Bouncing around the Internet I have seen a mention of it here, a review there, so I was curious & decided to check it out. Basically the book is sort of a myth busters-type book where the author explores all the "urban legends" surrounding the long 70+ year history of comic book creators & characters. There have been all kinds of interesting myths & with this book he does extensive research to find out which ones are true & which are false. The book is broken down into 3 parts: DC Comics, Marvel, & Other Publishers. But all the chapters have a lot of extremely interesting stories so even if, for example, you don't like "Marvel Comics", it's still a great read. Now the only reason I felt this book would be possible as a review here at the Bat-Blog is that it does cover a few of the events involving BATMAN. Mainly all the controversy around who really created the character & how much did Bob Kane actually draw the comic book. There's some other interesting information about the Caped Crusader in there too like who created certain characters. For example, "Did Jerry Robinson really create the Joker or was it Bob Kane?" Also, the book covers a lot of other territory in it's 256 pages. Some of the other questions it answers is, "Was the trademark hairstyle of Elvis Presley really based on a comic book character &, if so, which one? Was Wolverine of the X-Men originally meant to be an actual wolverine/animal? Did the creator of the Lie-Detector Test also create Wonder Woman's "Lasso of Truth"? and on & on! It seems that Brian did TONS of research & covers a HUGE amount of material. Overall, I found the book to be pretty entertaining. Brian's writing style is very precise ( he gets right down to business ). It's written to be sort of "conversational" & easy to understand. But he does a good job with relaying a lot of facts like exact names, dates, etc...so that's cool. Now, about the overall design of the book ( which I think is important ). The cover is absolutely amazing! In fact, I'm linking this review to an interview with the Graphic Designer who created the cover, it's that nice. The material used for the cover feels really good in your hands, it's very durable & has a great texture. Plus, graphically it just looks very cool with sort of a retro-style. Now the inside of the book. The font size is wonderful to read, which is something a lot of people don't think about but reading many books lately I've noticed publishers use extremely small font sizes to make books with less pages. They're total hell to read, but not this book, that's nice. My only complaint about the whole thing...some of the inside photos & illustrations. Now, most of the photos are pretty decent ( & there's a lot of them ) but just a few are kinda murky & hard to see. It seems like the editor was a little weak about that ( Sorry Brian & Plume, I gotta be honest ). But really it doesn't distract that much from the book & I seriously enjoyed reading it. I mean, when I started, the experience was so good that I ended up reading about half the book before I put it down. If I had not been tired ( it was bedtime ) I would have read the whole thing all the way through! If you love comic books then I think you'll find it very entertaining & you just might find yourself laughing out loud a little bit every now & then, ha ha! Plus, you'll learn a lot of very interesting facts about the Comic Book business & it's properties. If you would like to know more about the graphic design of the book cover then please check out this LINK for more information. I've also included a link to Amazon, so if you buy stuff from there please use one of our links because it helps to support this page a little bit ( a VERY little bit, ha ha ).
This post is all about the amazing Batman Toy Collection of our good friend Tomas from Puerto Rico. He's been reading the Bat-Blog for awhile & decided to send us some photos. Personally, I love when people do that because there's something special about seeing other people's collections. I always like to see what I have & don't have. It looks like Tomas likes to collect New Action Figures, Superhero Dolls, Silver-Age Comics Books, & Vintage Beatles Record Albums! Yeah, I couldn't help but notice them as I'm a BIG FAN of the Fab Four also. I also like how everything is so well-organized & displayed properly, that's cool, good job. Before it's too late, I wanna thank Tomas for taking the time to take all of these pictures, they're great! Tomas, your collection is wonderful & I appreciate the pics. I also want to invite all readers of this blog to send in your collection photos. Sharing the love of the Batman Character & The Joys of Collecting is what the Bat-Blog is all about!!
This week, for "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday", I thought I would post these 2 Desktop Backgrounds I made of scenes from the new DC Universe animated movie "SUPERMAN / BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES". Just judging from the recent trailer it looks pretty AWESOME! I have also included some information from Warner Bros about the different DVD formats. So, here we go! Basically they're gonna sell it as a Single DVD, a 2-Disc DVD Special Edition, & a Blu-Ray Disc Version. The release date for this will be around September 29th, 2009. Here's how they break down:
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - 2 Disc Special Edition version will have more than three hours of incredible bonus features, including:
* Featurettes
o The Blackest Night: Inside the DC Comics Event: Behind-the-scenes of BLACKEST NIGHT, the epic DC Super Hero event in which the dead shall rise.
o A Test of Minds: Superman and Batman featurette with Jeph Loeb, giving viewers a fresh and revitalized look at the team-up of Superman and Batman working together despite their often competitive and challenging relationship.
o "Dinner with DC: With Special Guest Kevin Conroy": Reprising his role from Batman: The Animated Series, Kevin Conroy joins the crew for dinner to discuss their creative approach and what the Superman/Batman team-up means. The evening will be hosted by Voice Director Andrea Romano, Producer Bruce Timm and DC's Gregory Noveck
* Extended Sneak Peak at Next DCU Film
* Digital Copy Download
* Widescreen (1.78:1)
* Two Episodes of Justice League Unlimited hand-picked by animation legend Bruce Timm
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies Blu-Ray versions will have more than three-and-a-half hours of bonus materials, including all the great extras from the 2-disc Special Edition as well as two additional episodes of Justice League Unlimited and two episodes from Justice League, both personally selected by fan-favorite Bruce Timm.Warner Premiere is excited to continue this successful partnership with DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Home Video to present feature-length PG-13 animated original films with the film-making and celebrity voice starpower of Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.Based on the past success of Superman Doomsday and Batman Gotham Knight, we know the pairing of the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight - pitted against both their DC Super Hero colleagues and the entire rogue's gallery of DC villains - will offer fans the level of entertainment normally reserved for the big, summer blockbuster films.This is the ultimate film for DC animation lovers featuring not only the cornerstone characters of comic book and Saturday morning heroes, but also returns the seminal voices of those characters - Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy and Clancy Brown - in a story that explores the Superman/Batman dynamic and allows Lex Luthor to shine in ultimate villainy.
Our good friend known as THE BATFAN sent us these 2 photos from his recent trip to Toys-R-Us. It looks like they have 2 Exclusive DC SUPER FRIENDS Imaginext Toy Cars ( for the Action Figures ) that you can only buy there. They include the "Batman Adventure Vehicle" & the "Joker Villain Van". Oh man, I seriously love that Joker Van, it's hilarious! I know that little kids are gonna go crazy for these! This series of Action Figure by Fisher Price have turned out to be pretty successful. I love the fact that very small children get to play with Batman, The Joker, Penguin, Robin, etc...that's cool! Thanks to BatFan for sending the nice pics, we appreciate that! If any other Bat-Blog Readers come across any new merchandise while trolling the retail stores then please let us know, thanks.
I came across this graphic the other day on the Internet & thought it was pretty cool. This is a penciled illustration for the cover to a new children book that will be published soon by Stone Arch Publishing. Of course it will probably be inked & colored, this is just an example of what the cover will look like. The drawing was done by Shawn McManus & the book will be written by Matthew Manning. Now, of course, the drawing-style & story will be like the 1990's Batman: The Animated Series. I thought that was kinda cool...to bring that genre back. The book's title will be "Two-Face's Double Take". Look for it later this year ( Be sure to click on the artwork up above for a larger, more detailed, version ).
OK, This morning, when trying to decide what to post today, I got into a total "Celebrate Creativity" kind of mood, ha ha! Ya know, I like when Batman Fans get creative & make artwork or crafts to show their appreciation for the character. Some creative people out there like to customize things. Here's a great example: Here are 3 Custom Mighty Muggs Figures that have been totally repainted to look like Batman ( the Michael Keaton 1989 movie version ), The Joker ( Jack Nicholson, '89 version ), & The Scarecrow ( From the newer Batman Begins & The Dark Knight movies ). These are just so well done I had t post them! Plus, they're kinda funny too. Now, for people unfamiliar with the "toy business". Mighty Muggs Figures are made by Hasbro & they make actual products like this of G.I. Joe, Transformers, Star Wars, Raiders of The Lost Ark, Marvel Comics Superheroes, etc...but they DO NOT make DC Comic characters ( Mattel has the exclusive license ). So, for some people who love these figures, but want DC Universe-Style characters, they just go ahead & make their own. I hope you enjoyed these in some kinda way & if you actually make stuff like this then please let us know. Our e-mail button is ALWAYS at the top right-hand side of this page.
I don't really mean for today to be "Custom Toy Day" but that's kinda how it sort of randomly happened, ha ha! But you'll like this cool post so be quiet! Our good friend Danica sent me this photo of a JOKER CYCLE that her friend Damian made. He used an older toy made by Kenner for their DARK KNIGHT action figure line. Now, back when this vintage toy was made "The Dark Knight" movie was not even an idea yet & they just called their line of Batman toys "The Dark Knight Collection". I remember when they were in retail stores & they made some really great stuff! I have especially always loved this Joker Bike & it's sort of an obscure toy today. Now the original Joker-Cycle had a HUGE "Joker Head" on the front of the motorcycle & when you hit a button it flew off like a weapon. What Damian did was replace the face with one of the "Joker Goon Masks" that came with the brand-new line of Movie Masters action figures. He also custom painted the bike a little bit to make it more modern-looking. The Joker Bank Robber Goon action figure looks pretty awesome sitting on there too! Now the photo that Danica sent was pretty BIG & plus the toy is pretty awesome so I thought it would make a great Batman Desktop Background. So, that's what I did...if you click on the picture you can open it to a size that's perfect for wallpaper. Check it out!! Thanks to both Dancia & Damian for sending the cool pic. Damian, you did an awesome custom job & this is a really clever idea, thanks.
A Loyal Bat-Blog Reader named Ken sent us these photos he wanted to share. He made a custom toy of HARVEY BULLOCK ( Gotham City Police Detective ) from a Spawn TWITCH action figure & oh my god, it's AWESOME!! He said he didn't re-sculpt it too much but it took a lot of repainting. He also made some mini Wanted Posters too. Thanks Ken, you did a wonderful custom job here that you should be very proud of. I've included a picture of Dec. Bullock from the comics to jog people's memory a little bit. The figure looks great! Now, of course, I always loved Harvey from the "Batman: The Animated Series" TV cartoon.
On Saturday, August 8th, 2009 ( 5:00pm - 11:00pm ) in Albuquerque, New Mexico the TRILLION ART SPACE ( 2nd & Marquette ) will have an art show titled, "WHY SO SERIOUS?". The show will feature art work in many shapes, forms, & sizes but all of it will have a special focus on Batman and/or The Joker. There will be paintings, photos, colleges, etc... Shown here are just a few examples. The 1st photo shows the poster for the event. The 1st painting is a large car hood that has been painted almost Graffiti-Style with a portrait of Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight Batman movie ( Awesome! ). The next one is a Cubist-Style painting of the Joker that looks exactly like Pablo Picasso's famous self-portrait ( I love the parody here, good job, instantly recognizable ). The next few are examples of image-appropriation where they have taken existing photos or art & defaced them with Joker face make-up. Plus, at the art show, there will be much more artwork & it really looks like it's gonna be an extremely cool event! So, if you live in that area be sure to check it out ( Please send us some pics if ya go! ) Oh yeah, the last photo looks like maybe a postcard they made to advertise the event or maybe it's just a flyer, not sure. But the graphics are pretty sweet!
OK, we have already reported here at the Bat-Blog that BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD - VOLUME ONE Animated Cartoon TV Series will soon be released on DVD August 25th ( almost exactly 1 month from now ). Well, here is the cover art for VOLUME TWO that will come out on November 10th, I guess, just in time for Christmas. Now, both 1 & 2 will only have 4 episodes each. Looks like Warner Bros ( or maybe the Cartoon Network ) is trying to stretch out how they release these episodes. It seems logical to me that they might also release these later as a complete set titled "Season 1"...we'll see. This Vol # 2 will also feature the trailer for the PUBLIC ENEMIES: BATMAN/ SUPERMAN animated film that is set to be released around September 29th. Amazon has Volume 1 available for pre-order by clicking here:
Recently, DC Comics President and Publisher Paul Levitz accepted an award on behalf of DC from the Guinness World Records, recognizing DETECTIVE COMICS as the longest-running comic book periodical in the United States. Pretty cool, huh? The event took place yesterday afternoon at the DC booth, with Paul accepting the award from Guinness' own Craig Glenday, VP, Publishing and Editor in Chief. Shown up above is the very 1st issue of this classic comic book title & then next to it is issue #27, the very first appearance of Batman! Congratulations to DC Comics for their award!!
Well, it looks like Adam West revamped his personal website & one feature of it is a STORE area where you can buy autographed items. He has his biography paperback book titled "Back To The Batcave" on sale, signed of course. Then there's a brand-new DVD movie called "Adam West Naked". Here's what the site says about it, "A brand new 2-Disc DVD produced by and starring Adam West. It contains over 3 hours of footage in which Adam goes episode by episode, recounting his personal memories and telling never-before-heard stories about his experience creating the iconic 1960's Batman TV series. Amusing and intimate, this DVD immerses fans in the world of the classic Batman series in unparalleled depth. The classic Batman speaks alone to you, the viewer, in a variety of amusing settings, whispering in the attic, or astride an imaginary horse at his home. This DVD is a must for any true Batman fan. It will be signed and personalized on the DVD jacket any way you wish." Now, the DVD movie sells for $50.00 which isn't too bad considering that it's both autographed & has about 3 hours of wacky entertainment. Oh yeah, you can visit his site by clicking HERE!
OK, If you happen to be in the Boston area next month then you will not want to miss this wacky play at the theater called "The Superheroine Monologues". It will open in the Plaza Theater at the Boston Center of the Arts on September 10th & will run until Sept 26th, 2009. The entire cast are Superheroes and Superheroines ( Both Marvel & DC Comics ) & the show is mainly from the female point of view. Now, I gotta say that I totally love this Batgirl outfit ( shown in the photo up above )! Plus, the Riddler & Penguin costumes are pretty nice too. For more information please be sure to visit their website & while there remember to enjoy some of the photos they have up. You'll see that the costumes are totally insane with great attention to detail. To visit their page just click HERE!
Here's a piece of strange bat-history! This is a 1960's Vintage Postcard advertising for "Color Dynamics," a local California printing company, inspired by the 1966 Batman TV show. The front features a full color promo photo of ( presumably ) the owners dressed as the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin. The reverse reads "POW! Holy Headquarters!!" and announces the store is moving to a new location in Saratoga, CA.
