The sound of justice.
Grim purpose, a gentle soul.
The voice of the Knight.
Thank you for the inspiration, Kevin Conroy.
batman
“Strong, silent type”: World’s Finest by Sandy Collora
Before I go into the main topic of this post, I would like to do something unusual for this blog: a review of a recent movie.
I have just seen The Batman, Matt Reeves’ revamp of the Caped Crusader starring The Lighthouse’s Robert Pattinson as the title character. The most impressive attributes of the film are the visual effects and Greig Fraser’s cinematography. I especially love how the lighting changes over the course of the movie, going from nearly pitch black in the beginning to the more vibrant and naturalistic colors that we see in the end, which represents how Batman’s mission changes from a quest for vengeance to a crusade to help the downtrodden. Pattinson delivers a more humanistic portrayal of Bruce Wayne than we’re used to seeing in live-action. Zoe Kravitz’s energetic performance as Catwoman and chemistry with Pattinson provide a welcome amount of tension, Jeffrey Wright’s stern but warm portrayal of Commissioner Gordon is an effective counterpoint to Batman’s stoicism and Paul Dano’s demented Riddler provides a chilling contrast to the more flamboyant depictions provided by prior Riddler actors like Frank Gorshin and Jim Carrey. Wrap it all up in Michael Giacchino’s fantastic score and you have a film that I’d place in the upper echelon of Batman movies alongside Mask of the Phantasm and The Dark Knight.
If you’ve already seen the movie, which is now on HBO Max, check out World’s Finest, a 2004 short film directed by Sandy Collora featuring a then-hypothetical team-up film for the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel and using most of the same cast and crew from his prior short, Batman: Dead End. It’s an interesting time capsule to a simpler time when movies like this were things that fans could only dream of. At the very least, the characters were utilized in a better way than in Batman v Superman (sorry Snyder fans).
Hope you enjoy it!
Credit: 72Christos72
Holy Oak Anniversary, Batman!
This month is a very important one for Batman fans. 80 years ago, three of the most important characters in the Batman mythos made their first appearances in the comics:
- Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne’s eager and reckless young ward and the first Robin. Introduced in Detective Comics #38 by Bill Finger, Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson as the Watson to Batman’s Holmes, Robin proved to be popular enough to become a major part of many essential DC stories, including the formation of the Teen Titans and his own maturation as a solo hero and a leader in the guise of Nightwing.
- Selina Kyle, best known as the beguiling burglar Catwoman. Ever since her debut in Batman #1, she has evolved from an enigmatic thief and audacious supervillainess to a complex and cunning anti-heroine with a unique personal connection to the Caped Crusader.
- Last but certainly not least, everyone’s favorite cutthroat comedian, the Joker. Premiering in Batman #1, the Clown Prince of Crime has become one of the most persistent and formidable knaves that the Dark Knight has ever dueled as well as one of the most iconic villains in pop culture.
To celebrate this anniversary, I’ve decided to share John Fiorella’s excellent 2004 short film Grayson. The short, framed like a movie trailer, illustrates a possible future for the Boy Wonder, acceptably portrayed by Fiorella, where Batman has been murdered and an older Robin comes out of retirement to find his killer. Although it may seem strange that Dick would go back to the Robin persona in this short instead of becoming Nightwing, the concept has some precedent in earlier comics with an older Grayson from an alternate Earth joining the Justice Society as Robin in Justice League #55 published in 1967. While the story is straightforward and the cast is adequate, with Kimberly Page’s Catwoman and the late Brian C. Bethel’s Joker as the only standouts, the real stars of the short are the terrific production design, which is impressive when you consider the $18,000 budget, and the creative cinematography of co-producer Gabriel Sabloff (Samson). Grayson fascinated me when I first saw it on TheForce.net and it’s still pretty remarkable today.
Credit: Gabriel Sabloff – Director
“His lone battle against the evil forces of society…”
Today is the 80th anniversary of the release of Detective Comics #27, the debut of Bill Finger and Bob Kane’s “young socialite” Bruce Wayne and his “mysterious and adventurous” alter-ego, Batman. Ever since his inauguration, the legends of the Caped Crusader has been retold and reimagined in many ways by both professionals and fans. Today’s subject is a particularly interesting interpretation of the World’s Greatest Detective: the 2005 animated short Batman: New Times. The directorial debut of Star Trek: Voyager visual effects artist Jeffery Scheetz, the DAVE School short utilizes character designs based on the Minimates toyline created by Art Asylum and features the vocal talents of two major Batman franchise alumni, Robinson Crusoe on Mars star Adam West and Mark Hamill of Corvette Summer fame, as well as Courtney Thorne-Smith (Ally McBeal) as Catwoman and the illustrious Dick Van Dyke as Commissioner Gordon.
Credit: The DAVE School
“Charm, Talent, Looks, and a Fantastic Voice”
Thanks for the memories, Adam West.
Edit: Had to update the video link. Thanks to Don Giller for the video.
The Wildest is Yet to Come!
Holy first appearances! Today marks the 77th anniversary of the publication date of Detective Comics #27, where a certain cowled, Chiroptera-themed gumshoe made his debut in a grim, six-page story called “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate“. Let’s celebrate this day by focusing on the two stars of the much more lighthearted 1966 Batman TV show that, at the time, sparked a wave of enthusiasm about the character. So sit back in your Bat-recliner and listen to a couple of songs that Adam West and Burt Ward performed in the midst of Batmania.
First is West’s “Miranda”, a strangely moody pop tune about a Batman-esque hero attempting to balance his crime fighting career with his relationship with the titular damsel.
Finally, check out this schmaltzy yet charming musical team-up of Ward and the experimental music maven Frank Zappa in “Boy Wonder, I Love You”. Never before has a recitation of fan mail sounded so pleasant!
Hope you enjoy these and don’t forget to share your favorite Batman stories and moments in the comments section!
Fitzpatrix 