BATMAN # 689 Original Comic Book Art By Mark Bagley

On July 8th, 2009 ( next week! ) DC Comics will be releasing the current issue of Batman #689. The inside artwork is done by Mark Bagley & seeing these preview pictures of his penciled line art is pretty exciting, it just looks so cool! So, be sure to click on these for larger versions where you can see a lot of detail. That is, if you're a real Batman Fan & love comic book art!

THE ART OF TIM BURTON Limited Edition Hard Cover Book

Tim Burton directed the 1989 Batman movie & a lot of that movie's style was his own unique vision. For that reason a lot of Batman Fans also like his other films: Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Mars Attacks, & Charlie and The Chocolate factory, among others. He's about to come out with a live-action film of Alice in Wonderland that looks pretty cool! Well, he's also known as a serious graphic artist & dabbles in the fine arts every now & then. So, for that reason, he's gonna publish a book that will be coming out later called THE ART OF TIM BURTON. It's gonna be a hardback with over 400 pages & 1000+ illustrations. There will also be a Special Limited-Edition Copy too. This project was just announced directly from him & the details are sort of vague, for now. But be sure to stay tuned to the Bat-Blog because when we get more information we'll be one of the 1st places to let you know! Personally, I love his artwork & this book will probably be a "must-have" item. My birthday is coming up in January ( hint, hint ).

NEW Fisher Price DC SUPER FRIENDS Imaginext BATMOBILE TOY CAR & Batman Action Figure

Our good friend "Batmobile Billy" sent us a photo of this brand-new toy he saw at a retail store the other night. He's always on the hunt for cool Batman Batmobile Toys & spotted this new variation of the DC SUPER FRIENDS BATMOBILE CAR with Batman Figure made by Fisher Price, as a part of their "Imaginext" series. This one sort of looks a little bit like the car seen in the 1989 Batman movie, kinda-sorta! It also comes with 3 industrial barrels of "Joker Chemical Waste" ( I love the Joker Logo on the top of them, funny! ). The photo showing the toy on the store shelf is Billy's picture he snapped of the actual product & the other 2 are from the FP website. I like this car a lot & I'm gonna have to get one later, it's pretty cool! Thanks Billy for sending the pic. If any other Bat-Blog Readers ( that includes YOU! ) spot any brand-new Batman Toys or Merchandise out there then please let us know so we can share the info, thanks!

Bat-Blog Contest: ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER Website Promo - WIN A FREE BURT WARD AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO!

OK, It's making me kinda sad but we're about to end ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER MONTH here at the Bat-Blog! It's actually been going on for over a month but who's counting, ha ha! Right now we have finally reached the last contest to win some Boy Wonder goodies! For new readers unfamiliar with what's been going on, we have been giving away Burt Ward ( Robin ) Autographed Memorabilia ( mainly his Tell-All Biography Book & 8 X 10 Signed-Photos ). The thing is that Burt Ward has a brand-new website that he's really excited about & he asked us to help promote it. Now, when your childhood hero asks for a favor ...how can you say NO? I mean, come on, really, ha ha! Burt Ward was very generous in giving us a lot of really great prizes to give away. I really appreciate that & think it's great that fans get a chance to win some cool stuff, it's been a lot of fun! Now, we have almost reached the end of this promotion & we have this one last item to give away...but, it's really cool so I know everybody will want to enter! This contest is for an Original, Authentic, Burt Ward Autographed, Signed 8X10 Color Photo of him as Robin, The Boy Wonder from the 1966 Batman TV Series. It comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, it's displayed inside a nice bag with backing board, a cool graphic header card, it has the "Robin Hologram Sticker", & did I mention, it's AUTOGRAPHED!? Plus, I guess I gotta mention that this photo is very sharp & really super-nice quality, please excuse my awful picture here! This TV show is a Bat-Fan Favorite so good luck on entering! Basically, all you do is e-mail us your COMPLETE NAME & ADDRESS with the phrase, "I Love Robin, The Boy Wonder!" in the title. That's it, pretty easy! Now, on July 5th, 2009 we will randomly pick a winner out of the hat & then announce it right here on the Bat-Blog the very next day. So, if you enter be sure to keep an eye out for that! Plus, remember, this is the very last contest in the BOY WONDER promotion. I guess I wanna end this post thanking everybody who has been participating in all the previous contests. You guys have made this a total success so far & I really appreciate that...I hope you have had some fun! I also wanna thank Burt Ward for making a childhood dream come true & also for being so generous with the giving of these amazing prizes. It really shows what a great guy he truly is. Seriously people, he sincerely appreciates his fans & it's great that he's also a wonderful person. Thank you Burt!! Oh yeah, one last thing - Readers be sure to Visit Burt Ward's ROBINTHEBOYWONDER.COM ( link-button down below )!!

CONTEST RULES:

1. The contest is open to the general public as well as anyone currently reading the BAT-BLOG on a daily basis. Employees of the Bat-Blog and employees' immediate family members and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are excluded from this contest.
2. The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded.
3. Decisions of the contest judges are final - no substitutions will be available.
4. By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including without limitation, radio broadcasts, newspapers and other publications and in television or film releases, slides, videotape, distribution over the internet and picture date storage) which Bat-Blog may deem appropriate.
5. In accepting the prize, the winner, and any reader(s), acknowledges that the Bat-Blog may not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with accepting or using this prize.
6. The person whose name is drawn as being the winner of the specific prize will be required to send us their correct mailing information before the prize is awarded to them. Postage to be paid, free of charge, by the Bat-blog.
7. Detailed contest rules applicable to this contest, including contest entry dates, how to enter, and prize value, number and any restrictions applicable to these prizes are available upon request by reading these Contest Rules, ha ha!
8. The Bat-Blog retains the rights, in its absolute and sole discretion, to make substitutions of equivalent kind or approximate value in the event of the unavailability of any prize or component of the prize for any reason whatsoever.
9. This contest is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
10. The Bat-Blog reserves the right to withdraw or terminate this contest at any time without prior notice.
11. Approximate value of prize varies.
12. Contest open to loyal Bat-Blog Readers only.
13. One entry per person, per household.

Super-Amazing BATMAN TOY & ACTION FIGURES COLLECTION From Puerto Rico!

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!!

Book Review: WAS SUPERMAN A SPY? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed ( Paperback )

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 ).

VIDEO - BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM Video Game Play BETA

In this video about BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM we get to see about 10 minutes of actual real-life gameplay, not a polished trailer or commercial. This new video game just keeps looking better & better & even though I have not played it yet I'm starting to think that it's a Batman game that they have finally got right. I mean, it just looks so good! Now, the strange thing about this particular video is that the person commenting on it ( doing a review, I guess ) is speaking in a foreign language ( I think it's Polish ). But even with the language barrier you still get an extremely good idea of what the game is really like. Plus, like I hinted at earlier, the visuals are stunning...enjoy!

Batman 70th Anniversary Tribute at The Drawing Board!

I was recently e-mailed a link to a website that I found out was totally cool! It's a special Message Board for Artists, Illustrators, & other Creative people who all like to showcase their artwork plus share tips on art techniques. It's called the Drawing Board! One of the neat things they do there every now & then is they have a thing called a "Character Jam". They pick a character or person, then everybody participates by posting their version of the character, in their own special style. Well, recently they did a "Batman Jam". It was created to commemorate the 70th anniversary of his first appearance in Detective Comics # 27 ( May 1939 ). Now, once I got there I learned that there must be a lot of Batman Fans there because they all submitted a ton of great art. So to be fair, I picked a few at random because of space limitations I couldn't post them all! But, I wish I could have because they're all so really really great! Please enjoy the samples shown here & then if you would like to see more then just visit this LINK!

Warner Bros Animation Studio Mural with Batman, Robin, Superman, & Other Characters

My good friend Dave sent us these photos he found of the Warner Bros Animation Department Building Billboard Mural. Now, I know I posted this story before, especially when there was a big announcement about it's unveiling, but these pics are really great! They show it both during the day & at night. Now the neat thing about the "night photo" is that all the villains are lit-up from behind giving them an evil look...like they're ghost images, very cool! Thanks Dave for sharing these pictures, I appreciate that...they're awesome! Readers, be sure to click on them for larger, more detailed, photos!

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD - THE MUSICAL At San Diego Comic Con SDCC 2009!

In a recent Press Release from Warner Bros they stated that "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" will have a special Screening and Q&A – Gotham takes over San Diego as Diedrich Bader, the voice of Batman, returns to Comic-Con alongside executive producer Sam Register ( Teen Titans ), producer James Tucker ( Justice League Unlimited ), producer and story editor Michael Jelenic ( The Batman ) and voice director Andrea Romano ( Superman Doomsday ). Fans can catch the world premiere screening of the upcoming “Mayhem of the Music Meister” episode – featuring the voice of Neil Patrick Harris ( Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog ) as the Music Meister – and enjoy a lively discussion and Q&A with the show’s dynamic creative team. From Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: The Brave and the Bold airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network. Batman: The Brave and the Bold Volume 1 will be released on DVD August 25th, 2009. Room 6DE. Also, BAT-MITE MASKS WILL BE HANDED OUT!! So, for those of you lucky enough to go please please get me a mask!!

Video: 1989 Batman Movie 20th Anniversary - Michael Keaton on Letterman 20 Years Ago Talking About Batman Film

Here's a very cool vintage video showing Michael Keaton when he appeared on the David Letterman TV Talk Show on the day before the 1989 Batman movie came out. Michael is pretty funny in this clip & it's just a neat piece of Bat-History, enjoy!

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD ICE CREAM By Blue Bunny!

As a serious Batman Toy Collector one of the things I enjoy focusing on is the "weird & wacky" items! Mainly because it's fun but also because, later, these items become very desirable & kinda RARE. Here's a good example of a brand-new product that is just starting to hit the stores & one to look out for. It's BATMAN ICE CREAM! It's actually a cherry-flavored treat that, when licked, produces 2 white gumballs, ha ha! Yes, Batman has gumballs for eyes ( In the photo up above, showing the gumball eyes, I like how the Dark Knight seems to have a super-surprised look on his face, ha ha! ). This new food product is made by the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Company. The wrapper has some excellent graphics from the Batman: The Brave and The Bold TV Show ( Airs on Friday Nights, The Cartoon Network ). I remember a few years ago Blue Bunny Inc. marketed this exact same ice cream treat for the Batman: The Animated Series. I have that wrapper & a store display sign used by shops to advertise this product. I guess the company kept the same mold & is using it again, that's cool.

Hot Wheels 1/87th Scale 1966 Batmobile Car By Mattel

I have a good friend named Billy who collects Batman Toys & Memorabilia but his main focus is on the Batmobile Cars. I mean, he's totally crazy about the Batmobile! The neat thing though is that he has an amazing collection. We were talking yesterday about some of the new stuff coming out. There's a new Batmobile Toy Car being made for the Batman: The Brave and The Bold series. It's smaller than the 1st one they made & is pretty cool. There are some new 1:50 Scale Diecast Batmobiles being made by Mattel that are starting to pop-up around the retail stores. They are extremely super-cool ( in my opinion, ha ha ). And then there is the car I am featuring in this post. The photos up above show a new 1966 Batmobile TV Series Toy that is modeled after the Classic George Barris design. It's 1:87 HO Scale, which is smaller than the regular Hot Wheels size, & measures approx. 1 1/2" long. It's a tiny little car that is very detailed & kinda cute. If you have ever surfed the Hot Wheels toy isle then you might have seen these before. They sell them in small little "window boxes". Now Billy told me the reason he has had a hard time finding them ( besides the greedy idiot scalpers stalking the delivery trucks ) is that there's a rumor that there is only 1 Batmobile per case! Now, to me, this seems like total market manipulation by Mattel. Come on, you know THEY know this car will be the most popular. My guess is that latter they will flood the market with them. But who cares about all that. It's a really cool toy & one that all Batman Fans should try to get. Just don't pay the "scalper prices" on internet auctions. Some vultures are trying to sell them to losers for $30 ( they retail in stores for $1.00 ). I say, just be patient & you'll find one. During "new release time" all the scalpers end up buying them all & not being able to sell them because ALL the other scalpers have them too ( because their greedy minds lack any honor or originality, they end up cloning each other ). So, what happens is there are all these scalpers "eating their own product". Go look on "internet auctions" for items they were popular a year ago or just a few months ago. You can almost buy them for "under retail price". Like I said, CLONES. Whew! OK, sorry to vent but as a Vintage Toy Dealer for 20+ years I have learned that these Scalpers are nothing but greedy vultures...who make me sick to my stomach. The only way to stop them is to NOT buy their product. They're just in it for the greed & their fantasies revolve around screwing collectors. So, Please stop helping them, ha ha!

Bat-Blog's BATMAN Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday!

OK, I gotta let new readers know that every single Wednesday here at the Bat-Blog is "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" & we always post a few Batman-themed Desktop Backgrounds for you to enjoy! This week I thought I would go with a "Batmobile Car Theme". The 1st one is an extremely Vintage Batmobile from the Golden Age of Batman comics. In fact, it's almost just a regular car, ha ha! But it's a great example of The Dark Knight's rich history & was featured in Detective Comics # 37. Now, for the 2nd one, I used a graphic image from the current modern-day BATMAN AND ROBIN # 1 Comic Book Issue. The artwork here was done by Frank Quitely and it's what fans are calling "The Flying Batmobile". This is like one of the most recent new Batmobiles. In this image they are chasing a villain known as "The Toad", a great character!

BATMAN TATTOO ART PHOTOS: Catwoman, The Joker, Riddler, Penguin, & More!

Last night I got an e-mail from a friend named Wes. It looks like he has been pretty busy getting more tattoo work done! In fact he's got an entire "arm sleeve" of work done. He sent us some really great photos showing the new work & it's totally amazing art! Just check out the pictures if ya don't believe me, ha ha! ( Click on them for larger images with more detail ). He now has Catwoman, The Joker, The Penguin, & The Riddler! Previously he had Batman & The Scarecrow. Dang! Wes, these are seriously awesome & very well done. I love the coloring & the clean sharpness...they're GREAT! Thank you for taking the time to take these photos, I appreciate that. Also, please let the tattoo artist know that we here at the Bat-Blog think that he ( or she ) is a true art master! I guess I'll shut-up now & just let the photos speak for themselves, ha ha! As a side note I would like to invite any other readers who have got some Bat-Tat work to please send us some pics too, thanks.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Musical with Neil Patrick Harris

Yes, you read the title correctly. In the next season of Batman: The Brave and The Bold animated cartoon series they are going to do an episode that is a musical! In other words, all of the characters will sing their lines, YES! This sounds totally wacky crazy & could turn out to be a very artistic & fun thing. We'll just have to wait & see. I just hope they do it well. The actor Neil Patrick Harris with play a villain named "The Music Meister". The title of the TV show will be "Mayhem of The Music Meister". I, nor anyone else, have not received any video trailer footage of this yet but as soon as I do you know it will be posted both here & on my YouTube account, ha ha! So, stay tuned to the Bat-Blog for more future info!!

Videos: Batman 1989 Movie - THE MAKING OF A HERO Documentary Film

Since today ( June 23rd, 2009 ) is the Official 20th Anniversary of the 1989 Batman Film by Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton & Jack Nicholson, I thought I would post this excellent documentary about the making of the movie. There's a ton of really interesting "behind the scene" clips...please enjoy!

1989 Batman Movie Batmobile Toy Cars & Joker Vehicles

Since today ( June 23rd, 2009 ) is the Official 20th Anniversary of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie I thought I would do a quick post featuring a few toys vehicles made around the time the film came out. Now, it's totally imposable for this to be a definitive list. Mainly because the marketing people during that time went totally crazy trying to create every single kind of toy variation & merchandise that you can think of, ha ha! But here's a few nice examples to help take you down memory lane.The 1st one is a diecast toy car made by Ertl. This is the Joker Van, which was weird because it wasn't in the movie! They also made the Bat-Wing & the Batmobile which were pretty accurate to the film props. The 2nd & 3rd photos are 2 Model Kits of vehicles we saw in the movie. Joker's Goon Car &, of course, the Batmobile Car! The last photo is another Batmobile but this one was made by Toy Biz. At the time Toy Biz was the company that made the Action Figures, a Batcave Play Set, Vehicles ( for the figures ), & a few other misc items.

Today is The 20th Anniversary of Tim Burton's 1989 BATMAN Movie

Today, June 23rd, 2009 is the 20th Anniversary of Tim Burton's 1989 BATMAN Movie starring Michael Keaton ( Bruce Wayne / Batman ) & Jack Nicholson ( The Joker )! WOW! 20 YEARS! You know, that actually makes me feel kinda old, ha ha! I totally remember when this film came out. It was sort of on the same level as Star Wars in the way it was such a HUGE cultural event. It seemed like the whole world went totally batty! The Bat-Symbol logo was literally everywhere! I mean, there was this giant flood of Bat-Merchandise, Memorabilia, T-Shirts, Action Figures, Toys, etc... For a Batman Toy Collector it was a great time to be alive! OK, I guess I need to explain the 2 graphics shown here. Well, they are both Batman 1989 Movie Desktop Wallpapers. They are some graphics I found that each have amazing images from the movie. I thought Bat-Blog Readers would enjoy them & maybe use them to honor the event. So, Please put these up on your desktop so you can remember that TODAY is the 20th Anniversary!!

ROBIN THE BOY WONDER Bat-Blog Contest WINNER # 3!

As all Bat-Blog Readers know, we have teamed up with Burt Ward, The Boy Wonder himself, to promote his new website ROBINTHEBOYWONDER.COM! Burt was extremely generous & gave us a few autographed items to give away as prizes. Well, late last night, at midnight, we randomly picked the lucky winner of our latest Bat-Blog Contest right out of a hat! This is our 3rd contest for this event & we will be having 1 more pretty soon. So, keep an eye out for that because it's the very last prize! Now, the winner of the BOY WONDER, MY LIFE IN TIGHTS Signed-Autographed-Copy Book is...Jeff R. of Sherman Oaks, CA!! Jeff, please be sure to contact us to confirm your mailing address & then we will get this book straight to you! It's an awesome read & I know, as a Batman Fan, you're gonna totally love it!! I wanna thank everybody who entered this latest Bat-Blog Contest & I promise that the next one is one you will NOT want to miss!! So, please be sure to stay tuned to the Bat-Blog for more information. In the mean time, please be sure to visit Burt Ward's Brand-New Website. Here's a link button:

Batman's RED ROBIN Comic Book Desktop Wallpaper Background!

With the current release of a brand-new DC Comics Batman Comic Book title called RED ROBIN. I thought I would make this special "RED ROBIN VS BATMAN" Desktop Wallpaper that you can use to brighten your desktop or use as a background in a MySpace layout...enjoy!

Gotham City Sirens # 1 Variant Cover Art For First Issue of New Batman Comic Book

DC Comics is about to release a brand-new Batman-related comic book titled GOTHAM CITY SIRENS. It's main characters will be Catwoman, Poison Ivy, & Harley Quinn. It will be written by Paul Dini & a lot of fans are really excited about that! Now, for the First # 1 Issue there will be two covers. The regular cover will be done by the book's main artist, Guillem March. The "Variant Cover" will be by JG Jones. Look for these at your favorite comic book shop on June 24th, 2009 ( Click on the above photos for larger graphics ).

Joker Says, "Do You Want To See a Magic Trick?"

Ta-Daaa!

Vintage Family Photo - Kids Wearing 1960's Batman Costumes!

Here's an extremely amazing vintage family photo from a new friend of mine named Jim. This is him, & another kid, wearing some 1960's Batman Halloween Costumes. Also, the super-great thing about this picture ( besides being very cool ) is that he is wearing the 1966 Ideal Batman Utility Belt...Yes! Oh My God!! I wanna thank Jim for sharing these pictures, they're seriously GREAT! I also want to invite any other readers out there who have cool pics like this to please share them. Ya know, the Bat-Blog is totally about the joy of the Batman Character & photos like this just totally shine...thanks ( Be sure to click on the above photo for a larger, more sharp, version...you'll be glad you did! ).

Look For These New BATMAN & JOKER T-Shirt Clothing From Junk Food Coming Out Soon!

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:

Amazing 3D Animation Video Tribute To Carmine Infantino's Iconic Batman & Robin Image

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!

BATMAN AND ROBIN Birthday Cake Inspired by 1966 LP Record

A friend of mine knows how I totally love "Batman Birthday Cakes" so he sent me these pics to crack me up. Thanks Gary, I really needed a good laugh! Actually, this birthday cake with Batman and Robin on it is extremely well done...a total Art Masterpiece! I think it would be the hit of any party! As an example I'm showing the Vintage 1966 Batman LP Record Cover that inspired the artwork for the pastry design. If any other Bat-Blog Readers have had a Batman Party and/or cake then please send us some photos!

Music Video: The Ballad of Batman

Taking a look at the Dark Knight's love life, "The Ballad of Batman" is the second funny humor video release from apartment204.com. As Batman would say, "I'm Batman, I can handle danger, but when it comes to love I am a stranger."

BATMAN: Under The Japanese Influence!

I recently acquired 2 different Batman Graphics that I wanted to share that have a distinct "Japanese Look" about them. The 1st one is a cool pic drawn by a friend to the Bat-Blog named Sean Hartter. He's a very talented graphic artist who has recently been totally inspired by the whole "Batman 1960's Japan" era. He did this drawing of a strange-colored bootleg Batman toy & it's really great! You know the type of toy, they use weird colors to get around the whole copyright issue, funny! The artwork is wonderful ( Sean also sent the "Batman Toy Car" graphic that is in the Bat-Blog's header this week ). Now, the 2nd graphic is one I came across in a Japanese Message Board where they created a Fantasy-Batman character. It's sort of a "What If.." scenario. Like, "What If Batman were a Shogun Warrior-type character?". This is what somebody came up with & it's extremely cool! It's also very well drawn. The funny thing is I could not read ANYTHING there but did enjoy some nice artwork. In hindsight I wish I would have bookmarked it...Doh!

Batman History: Who is Galexo? Where is Galexo?

A friend of mine, named Steve, runs a blog that is all about the history of Comic Strips, TV Shows, Books, Cartoons, & Pop Culture History called "Booksteve's Library". He asked me to ask my readers if they are familiar with a "Batman character" named Galexo. In 1966, to capitalize on the popularity of the Batman TV Show, National Periodical Publications ( Later, DC Comics ) teamed up with the Ledger Syndicate to publish a Batman newspaper comic strip. Unfortunately the strip was not that good & even though it lasted until around 1974 many newspapers started to drop it from their list. Now, the thing is, according to Steve's research, at one point Ledger started to think they owned the "Batman character", even after NPP dropped out. During the last year, when they were in only a few small newspapers, they actually stopped featuring Batman & Robin ( but still kept the Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson characters ) and made the main hero a guy called GALEXO! The weird thing is, for people who collect vintage comic strips, none of them have been able to find a decent picture of what this guy even looked like. Was he a Superhero Guy? Was he an alien from another planet? Nobody knows, ha ha! Now, I'm a pretty serious Batman Fan & Historian but I have never heard of this Galexo character until Steve brought it up. So, the focus of this post is to ask all you Bat-Blog Readers out there if you have ever heard of or seen this Galexo person & also, if you have a picture of him! Now, the graphic up above is an example of what the comic strip looked like. ( The weird thing about this example is that the special guest for this strip was Conrad Hilton, the real-life Hotel Guy! The gimmick was that he opened a "Batman Hilton" in Gotham City, ha ha! Man, I totally love that google-style architecture. The building is awesome! ) OK, If you're serious about being curious about this whole thing please visit Steve's site for more info & if you have a pic ( or any info ) about this Galexo character then please contact one of us. Thanks! You can visit Steve's site by clicking HERE!

Neal Adams BATMAN Black and White Statue "Colorized"

I found these 2 photos over at the Official Neal Adams website that I knew I had to share here. Every collector knows about those "Batman: Black and White" Statues that are being made in the style of different comic book artists. There was one that was recently made of the "Neal Adams" version. In fact, it was sculpted by his son Spyda Adams who is also a very talented artist & sculptor ( must run in the family ). Well, these 2 pics are of a B&W Statue that has been repainted with actual color! I guess, as an experiment. But Wow! I think it's pretty cool. Now, I don't suggest customizing your own, I mean, it will ruin the value. But it is kinda neat to see. Oh yeah, if you have never visited Adams' web page then be sure to check it out sometime. http://www.nealadams.com

Batman Action Figure VS Sandwich Economics

Here's a totally hilarious "I'm Not From Here" web comic strip by Kenn Minter. It explains his new theory on the new American economy. It's funny because it is so true. It might also be the reason that my Amazon sales have dropped to nothing, ha ha!

Video: Dusty Lane's Batman Memorabilia Collection

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.

Fred Hembeck's Comic Book Art Now on eBay!

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!

THE JOKER: Batman Desktop Wallpaper Backgrounds

It's Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday™ again & this time I thought I would go with a Joker Theme. Everybody loves the Joker & I also thought it would be nice to do "something old & something new". First, the "old". This graphic was sent in by a Bat-Blog Reader who has really great taste. Why? Well, for one, He enjoys reading the Bat-Blog ( ha ha ) & two, because he loves the old Golden Age era artwork by Dick Sprang. This art shown here was a 2-page spread from some publication featuring Sprang's awesome style. The Joker is prominently featured in the center so I thought that was enough so that it could pass as "Joker Wallpaper", right? OK, on to the "new" background. Right now you can't get any more "new" than the soon-to-be-released BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM Video Game. This graphic, showing the Joker's large evil grin with a picture of the Arkham Asylum building in it, is going to be the cover to the next issue of Playstation Magazine. They have a World Exclusive Story on how the Joker will be a special character you can play only on the Sony Playstation 3 Console.

Look For The WEDNESDAY COMICS # 1 Promo Flyer!

Be sure to visit you friendly neighborhood comic book shop today to pick up this free Promo Flyer for the WEDNESDAY COMICS # 1 that will debut on July 8th, 2009. The front features a beautiful mock-up of the Batman page by Brian Azzrarello and Eduardo Risso, and on the back is a 14" X 20" shot from the Superman feature by Bermejo, plus a list of all the other characters & artists that will be featured in this new publication. It's sort of Batman-related so you might want one. Plus, did I say it's FREE!?!

Rob Kelly, Batman Fan : Circa 1970's

Here's a wonderful vintage photo that I totally stole from another friend's website, ha ha! This is a good friend of mine named Rob Kelly who writes a popular blog named THE AQUAMAN SHRINE. He also has a few other blogs like HEY KIDS! COMICS!, & TREASURY COMICS. He also has a few more. I think he's got OCD, maybe? ( Kidding, Rob! ) But this wonderful photo is him in the mid-1970's. He thinks it might be from 1976 or 1977. The cool thing about it...the BATMAN BAT-SYMBOL LOGO on his T-Shirt!! Thanks Rob for allowing me to steal this, it's very cool. I even like that "Can Collection" you got going on there, ha ha!

Strange, but Cool, Batman Memorabilia Spotted in Romania!!

I have a friend on MySpace named Gary & one of the neat things about him is that he lives in Romania. I mean, come on! How cool is that?! He is also a big Batman Fan & he sent us these fun photos to share. These are some giant-sized Batman-Themed Flower Pots he recently bought. They each have very cool graphics of Batman, Robin, The Joker, Catwoman, Riddler, & even The Penguin! He said he bought them at a flea market so I'm not quite sure if they're production-made, or home-made, but either way they're really really awesome! Thanks Gary, Please stay in touch! Oh yeah, since I mentioned MySpace I wanna add that if any Bat-Blog Readers are a member there then please add us. Here's a link button:

Wacky Crazy BATMAN AND ROBIN Face Paint Make-Up Creation!

My friend Dave sent me this photo the other day saying he thought of me when he saw it. Thanks Dave, ummmm maybe? Ha Ha! This photo is hilarious! This guy had some face paint make-up done, maybe at some art event ( or maybe for a party? ) where he is BOTH Batman & Robin...at the same time! It's a very cool concept but also sort of creepy. What do you think? Please leave a comment down below.

Please Join Us To Help Fight Childhood Cancer!

I started to think about the Bat-Blog the other night, the way it's connected to thousands of people, the strange way I'm able to communicate a message that gets read by huge group of people. Then, I started to wonder if the situation I am in yields any moral or ethical concerns. After some thought I came to realize that it does. I mean, what if I were to show support every now & then to a different charity and, what if, by doing so, just a few readers are inspired by that to take action then would it give my life more or less meaning? I think it would add to it, don't you think? So, after a lot of thought I decided this would be a brand-new policy. Now, please don't think I am trying to be preachy or high-minded. I just think that if I were able to do this, & did do it, that it might be for the greater good. So, as a first test I am asking every single reader to please donate anything they can to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Every dollar helps. I mean, if all you can afford is $5.00 then please send that...it adds up. This very well known charity truly does a lot of good for all children, especially those going through cancer treatments. Now, if every reader gave just one dollar then that would add up to thousands & that would really help a lot. In fact, it could even save a life. I guess, maybe legally, I need to state that I am not connected with this charity in any way, nor is the "Batman character" or Warner Bros or DC Comics. I know the main focus of my blog is to spread the appreciation of Batman & the joys of being a collector and so on but wouldn't it be great if, by accident, it could do some actual good in the world? I think that would go with the ideals of the Batman character...to rid evil or help those in need. I know it sounds pretty silly, but I think it could be a great experiment. So, Please join the Bat-Blog in supporting St. Jude's Hospital this month. Please click on the large link button up above for more information on how you can get involved & while you're there maybe donate a dollar or two... Thank You.

Humor Video: Nannaa Nannaaaa BAT BABY!

OK, I don't really like this kind of humor but the animation quality is pretty decent. Plus, it's a good parody of the 1966 Batman TV Show.

BAT-BLOG CONTEST: Win a Signed-Copy of Burt Ward's Book to Promote The New ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER Website!

OK! I'm extremely excited to say that it is still "Robin, The Boy Wonder Month" here at the Bat-Blog! Awhile back we teamed-up with Burt Ward to help promote his brand-new website called ROBINTHEBOYWONDER.COM. Of course we all know him as the actor who played Robin on the 1966 Batman TV Show. He's really proud about his new site & he asked us to give a few fans a chance to win some cool prizes. I was like, "Oh my god, my childhood hero has contacted me to ask if I can give away some incrediable prizes to my blog's readers... how could I say NO to that?!" Ha Ha! So, proudly, we're now offering Bat-Blog Readers ( above the age of 18 or legal age only ) the chance to win a signed-copy of Burt Ward's Biography Book titled "BOY WONDER, My Life In Tights". As you can see it's completely autographed with the name BURT WARD "ROBIN" on the front title page. It also has a special "Robin The Boy Wonder" Hologram Sticker to prove it's authenticity! This book recalls Burt Ward's many adventures that happened around the time he did the 1966 Batman Television Series. Plus, some of his life afterwards. It's a total Bat-Fan Favorite & now you have a chance to win your very own copy, signed by the Boy Wonder himself! Also, there will be more prizes later so stay tuned to the Bat-Blog for those ( we're doing one contest at a time but have a few things to give away ). The rules are pretty simple. Due to the adult nature of this book all entrants must be of Legal Age Only! That means you have to be at least 18 years old or older in the USA. What you need to do is e-mail us your FULL NAME & ADDRESS with the message, "I am a legal adult ( 18+ ) & wish to enter this contest". You also need to put "ROBIN THE BOY WONDER'S NEW WEBSITE" in the title of your e-mail. Here's the Rules Again, Just To Clarify:

• Send us your Full Name & Address in an e-mail with the message, "I am a legal adult ( 18+ ) & wish to enter this contest".
• Put "ROBIN THE BOY WONDER'S NEW WEBSITE" in the title.

Now, don't forget to include your full name / address, the message, & the correct title. If you have done all of these 3 things correctly then you'll be entered and on June 21st, 2009, at 11:30pm Central Time, we will randomly pull a lucky winner's name out of the hat! The winner will be announced right here on the bat-Blog the very next day. Plus, remember, after you enter the contest you need to visit Burt Ward's new website to see what special events are going on over there too! Thanks.

CONTEST RULES:

1. The contest is open to the general public as well as anyone currently reading the BAT-BLOG on a daily basis. Employees of the Bat-Blog and employees' immediate family members and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are excluded from this contest.
2. The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded.
3. Decisions of the contest judges are final - no substitutions will be available.
4. By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including without limitation, radio broadcasts, newspapers and other publications and in television or film releases, slides, videotape, distribution over the internet and picture date storage) which Bat-Blog may deem appropriate.
5. In accepting the prize, the winner, and any reader(s), acknowledges that the Bat-Blog may not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with accepting or using this prize.
6. The person whose name is drawn as being the winner of the specific prize will be required to send us their correct mailing information before the prize is awarded to them. Postage to be paid, free of charge, by the Bat-blog.
7. Detailed contest rules applicable to this contest, including contest entry dates, how to enter, and prize value, number and any restrictions applicable to these prizes are available upon request by reading these Contest Rules, ha ha!
8. The Bat-Blog retains the rights, in its absolute and sole discretion, to make substitutions of equivalent kind or approximate value in the event of the unavailability of any prize or component of the prize for any reason whatsoever.
9. This contest is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
10. The Bat-Blog reserves the right to withdraw or terminate this contest at any time without prior notice.
11. Approximate value of prize varies.
12. Contest open to loyal Bat-Blog Readers only.
13. One entry per person, per household.

Silly Funny Wacky BATMAN AND ROBIN Humor Photos

We all need a good laugh every now & then, ha ha ha ha! OK, The 2nd photo with the apartment photo-wall mural of Batman & Robin isn't so much funny, as it is extremely cool, but you get the idea!

THE BATCAVE - A Cool Flash Animation Batman Fan Site!

The Bat-Blog has a friend named Don who recently made this extremely elaborate Batman Fan website using Flash-Macromedia animation. It has great graphics with a lot of interaction & is pretty cool! Please be sure to click on the many buttons to visit different "rooms of The Batcave". I like the Bat-Trophies the best but visiting the Bat-Garage is neat too. Thanks Don for sending the link & congrats on doing such a great job. Readers, You can visit his website by clicking on the "Invitation letter" up above...enjoy!

GOTHAM CITY SIRENS: Desktop Wallpaper Backgrounds!

DC Comics is about to release a brand-new comic book titled GOTHAM CITY SIRENS. This all-new series features the bad girls of Gotham City! Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are tired of playing by other people's rules regardless of which side of the law they're on. These tough ladies have a new agenda that's all their own, and they'll use any means necessary to pursue it. But can they get along and work as a team? And who will get hurt along the way? DETECTIVE COMICS and STREETS OF GOTHAM writer Paul Dini kicks off this brand-new ongoing series with amazing artwork by Guillem March. As sort of a tribute to these characters, and because of a request by a Bat-Blog Reader, I have made these 2 wallpapers you can use to brighten your desktop or as a background in a MySpace layout. Look for GOTHAM CITY SIRENS to hit the newstands on June 24th, 2009.

Video: SUPERMAN / BATMAN - PUBLIC ENEMIES DVD Movie Trailer

Here's the secret movie trailer for the upcoming Warner Bros Animation Movie SUPERMAN / BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES...enjoy!

WALLPAPER BACKGROUNDS - BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM Video Game THE JOKER & HARLEY QUINN!

I felt kinda lazy this morning & wanted to do a quick post ( ha ha! ) so here are some BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM Video Game Screen shots that I used to make some Desktop Wallpaper Backgrounds. The 1st one features Batman walking through the halls of Arkham. Man, he doesn't look too happy! The next two are some of the best villains around - The Joker & his girlfriend, Harley Quinn! Now remember, this game is supposed to have a release date of August 25th, 2009. Stay tuned to the Bat-Blog for all the breaking news about this cool video game...we're really excited here about this one, it looks GREAT!!

Etsy Artist Creates BATMAN, THE JOKER, & HARLEY QUINN Hand-Made Plush Dolls

I met a new friend the other day who's a very talented artist. She loves Batman & also likes to create arts & craft projects. In fact, here are a few examples right here. Check it out! She knitted these character plush dolls by hand. I mean, the knitting must have taken hours, if not, days to make. Here are BATMAN, THE JOKER, & HARLEY QUINN!! They each measure around 15" tall & the last photo shows her with one of the dolls for scale-size. I knew my readers would love seeing these & she was kind enough to send some great photos. Thanks Maris, they're true works of ART!! She has also made a few others worth looking at like Jimi Hendrix, Boba Fett, Star Wars Stormtrooper, etc... Here's a link to check it out:

Chip Kidd Set To Write Full-Length Batman Comic Book Story

Graphic designer, novelist and Bat-Nerd Chip Kidd has announced that he will write a full-length Batman comic book story for DC Comics. He gave out this information at the recent Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Fest. You might remember his recent "Batman Japanese History" book titled Bat-Manga! He also wrote a book about Vintage Batman Toys called Batman Collected. This is his 1st attempt at actually writing the comic book. No exact date has been set yet but it's something to look for in the future.

Holy Bootleg Toys, Batman!

Awhile back a good friend to the Bat-Blog, named Andreas, sent us a few photos of his "Bootleg Batman" Collection. I posted some back then but decided to wait a little bit before releasing more. You see, he collects both new & Vintage Batman Toys but one thing he likes to focus on are the wacky-crazy bootleg toys that get made all over the globe. The 1st toy is actually a pin-back button with candy attached. I think he got this in the UK where they don't say "pins" but call them badges. ( Or was it Mexico? Sorry, forgot ). It's a rip-off of the Bat-Signal Symbol. The 2nd photo is a "Super Heroes" Action Figure. The Blister Card features graphics with DC Comics, Marvel Comics, AND Power Rangers characters...strange. Also, if you make Batman RED & SILVER, then I guess it's not copyright infringement, ha ha! The next photo is also an action figure but this one is from Greece. They gave him a trident which is more of a weapon for Aquaman, ha ha. The 4th pic is sort of an action figure. Well, it's a "Marble Shooter". Which is kinda weird because kids don't really play with marbles much anymore. This bootlegger must have been in his 80's, "Kids love them marble games, aahhhh". The other weird thing is a Power Ranger makes an appearance on the card & isn't that small picture of a monster a villain on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? The figure is kinda nice though, an "Animated Series" Batman. The last picture is the best. Yeah, I saved the best for last! This is a Batman Theme Song Tribute Vinyl Record with AWESOME Batman Graphics. If I remember right these were made in France, or maybe the UK, & they're extremely cool! Plus, these are great quality unlike most bootlegs. Now, the main reason for posting these, other than a good laugh, is to show the history of the Batman Toys. I love the bootleg stuff but don't go out of my way to hunt it down or pay for it. If I come across it at a flea market or garage sale really cheap I'll get it for a funny display piece. I wanna thank Andreas for taking the time to shoot these photos & for sharing, that's great, thanks!!

Cute Baby Photo: Batman Max & Batgirl Dena!

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.

BATMAN DESKTOP WALLPAPER BACKGROUNDS

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!

Cute Pin-Up Models - Batgirl & Harley Quinn!

A Bat-Blog Reader, named Rob, sent us these 2 photos he said he randomly found on the internet. They show 2 extremely cute pin-up girl models dressed up in costumes like Batgirl & Harley Quinn, in bed, on a pile of comic books!! Mmmeeeooowww, this has gotta be every Batman Fan's total fantasy! Not too mention all the comic books nerds ( I mean "nerds" in a good way ) out there who would totally freak-out if their girlfriends did this, ha ha! Of course you know some of the comic book collectors would complain that they are "damaging some MINT copies" of their favorite titles, ha ha! Thank you Rob, these pics are totally awesome! Oh yeah, hey fellas, please leave a comment & let us tastefully know which pin-up girl is YOUR favorite!!

MEET BATMAN & ROBIN! Vintage 1960's Newspaper Advertisement

My good friend John sent me this Vintage Oklahoma Newspaper Ad ( John & I both live in Oklahoma City ) the other night. This old advertisement announces that the real-life Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder will appear at the Founder's Fair Department Store. Of course this was Adam West & Burt Ward from the 1966 TV Show! The copy reads, "Dynamic Duo Due Here - TV's famed Batman and Robin will appear at Founder's Fair Sunday at 1 p.m. in a Rolls Royce. They will be there from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 6 to 7 p.m. to pass out rings and autographs for the kids. The store will stay open till 8 p.m. for numerous prizes & drawings." Oh man, this would have been an amazing event to go to as a little kid back then. I bet that those lucky ones that did totally freaked out, ha ha! Thanks John for sending this wonderful piece of Bat-History.

REAL-LIFE BATCAVE Fire Department, FD NY Engine 26

The Bat-Blog has a good friend in Germany, named Guenter, who's son was recently visiting New York. While there he came across this real-life fire truck with this Batman "BATCAVE" emblem on it!! It's for the FD NY Engine #26! Now, how extremely AWESOME is that!! Thank you Guenter for sending this amazing photo. Please tell your son thanks too because this is just so cool! Readers, please be sure to click on the photo up above for a larger, more detailed, picture...it's great!!

Announcement: ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER Autographed Photo Bat-Blog Contest Winner!

Announcement: Last night, at a little after midnight, I picked the lucky winner out of the hat for the current Bat-Blog Contest. Of course I'm talking about where we are giving away an Authentic ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER Signed 8 X 10 Photo. Yes, the Bat-Blog Contest that ended last night is for an extremely cool photo that has been autographed by Burt Ward to help promote his new website! There will be 2 more contests in the very near future so please be sure to keep an eye out for those. OK, The lucky winner for this special contest is James M. of Jackson, TN.!! Congrats James, please send us an e-mail to confirm your mailing address & we will be getting this awesome 8 X 10 Sharp Black & White Photo to you!! Now, for everybody else who entered & didn't win, there are still a few more chances for more prizes in this promotion so stay tuned. We will be announcing another contest in a few days where you can enter again for a different prize. But please do not enter until we announce it. Also, please be sure to visit Burt Ward's new website by clicking on the "ROBIN Button" down below. Thanks Good Citizens.

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM Video Game at the London MCM Expo 2009

Recently, at the London MCM Expo 2009 ( Movie Comic Media ), the video games company Eidos had a special event to hype the new BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM video game. Here are some official photos showing a few Bat-Fans who were there dressed up as Batman, Batgirl, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, & the Joker! Well, it the Nurse Joker ( Heath Ledger version ) from The Dark Knight movie...that's kinda weird, ha ha! But the costume is great! In fact, ALL the superhero & villain costumes are totally wonderful! Looks like it was a fun place to be. I love the UK but have never been. I might have to check out this comic book convention someday.

Video: THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie TV Commercial Promos on HBO

HBO has started to run a few TV Commercial Promos advertising the release of THE DARK KNIGHT Batman movie. Look for it to air on June 13th, 2009. Be sure to check your TV Guide for time & local listings. Oh yeah, the music they use is "Where Is My Mind" by The Pixies...very cool!

Book Review: THE BATCAVE COMPANION By Michael Eury & Michael Kronenberg

There's a brand-new Batman book out there right now that you might have heard about. It's called THE BATCAVE COMPANION & it was recently published by TwoMorrows Publishing. The basic premise is that it covers Batman's real-life comic book history from, let's say, 1964 through 1979. In the early 1960's both Batman comic book titles, Batman & Detective Comics, had sales figures that were so bad that they were seriously on the verge of cancellation. That's pretty scary to think about, right? That's when DC Comics ( then called National Periodical Publications ) brought in a new editor to help revamp the books...sort of give them a new life. This era in Batman's history is known as "The New Look" period. What they did was they brought in Julius Schwartz, the "Fix It Man"! They also brought in a popular comic book artist at the time, Carmine Infantino. He had just done wonders with the Flash comic book & they thought he would be a good match for Batman.


What they basically told both of them was, "You have 6 months to breathe new life into this character or we're gonna have to cut both titles". OUCH! Yes, this really happened which, as a Batman Fan, is totally scary to think about! Now, to get back to the book. It's sort of broken down into 2 parts ( but both parts are seamless & flow really well together ). The first part, covering the "New Look" period of the 60's, is written by Michael Eury. The 2nd half of the book, covering the 1970's "Creature of the Night" period, is written by Michael Kronenberg. Both authors do an extremely excellent job covering Batman's rich history in very fine detail. In fact, I gotta say, that I'm a very serious "book reader" ( & quite prolific ) but dang this book took me like forever to read, ha ha! But, it's very well written & doesn't rehash a lot of details for filler. Well, I gotta say that the whole reading experience was completely wonderful. Plus, all through out this book, there are a ton of awesome graphics, photos, & illustrations that are a total joy to see ( ...the book's cover art was done by Neal Adams, enough said, ha ha! ). There's a lot of classic vintage artwork & very neat "behind the scene" photos. As both a serious Batman Fan & Collector ( for a very long time ) I sort of consider myself an expert & I was sort of shocked by all the amazing new details to Batman's history that I didn't even know about. This book really explains a lot in 240 pages, ha ha! OK, to get back to the basic story, both Schwartz & Infantino must have done a great job on the Batman titles ( they did ) because the sales figures were climbing.


Then something totally unexpected happened...the 1966 Batman TV Show came out & it seemed like the whole world went totally bat-crazy! As you can imagine this affected the sales figures greatly. Plus, there was a ton of merchandising for the character that really shot him into total stardom. This book covers both the creation of this new TV Show, & what was happening in the comic book at the time of the show, in great detail. But, after the show was canceled a few years later sales for the book started to fall a little bit. That's when the "2nd half" of the book kicks in again & talks about how Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams were brought in to revamp the character all over again.


One of the great things about this book, worth mentioning, is that every now & then they sort of pause the story to present actual modern day interviews with many of the editors, writers, & artists. My 4 top favorites were the ones with Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella, Sheldon Moldoff, & Neal Adams. But all the others are really great too & they talk in length with Dennis O'Neil, Mike W. Barr, Will Murray, Len Wein, Steve Englehart, & Terry Austin. OK, back to the story, ha ha. The 1970's brought in a whole new outlook for the Batman character. They sort of wanted to get away from the whole silly-campiness of the 60's TV series & remade Batman into "The Dark Knight Detective" again. I gotta say that if you're a fan of ANY of these artists I have mentioned they are all very well presented with wonderful illustrations, many never seen before.


Overall, I gotta say that I can highly recommend this new book to any serious Batman Fan. If you grew up ( like I did ) with this period of Batman's history then it's gonna bring back a lot of fond memories. If you're a younger fan, who is not quite familiar with this time period, then you're gonna get quite educated & it's gonna give you a fresh new perspective on the character. So, get out there & please purchase a copy today. You'll be glad you did.

Batman "Blue Flower" Arrangement Inspired by the BATMAN BEGINS Movie

I seriously love when Bat-Blog Readers contribute stuff because it helps to create a wide variety of Batman News. Here is a great example of that. I received an e-mail the other day from a loyal reader named Jennifer who is a total Batman Fan! ( She called herself a "Girly Bat-Fan", ha ha ). For her birthday she received a beautiful flower arrangement that was totally inspired by the Batman Begins movie. It was created by Black Dahlia Floral Designs of Orlando. OK, let me explain a second, remember that "special blue flower" that Bruce Wayne ( Christian Bale ) had to find on the mountain top so that Ra's al Ghul ( Liam Neeson ) could make a special potion to "help Bruce find the truth"? Well, that movie prop was a combination of 2 real-life flowers put together to create a foreign unknown "blue flower". The base of the flower was created using the broad-spike leaf-pattern of a Blue Thistle & the part in the center, that was the "Blue Flower", was a Blue Anemone Bud. They were both dried out & combined to make the special blue flower that Bruce Wayne had to find. Well, as you can see from the photos one of the main components to this flower arrangement is the Blue Thistle. It's interesting to note that the florist's supplier called this flower the "Batman Flower". It must be pretty popular. I wanna thank Jennifer for sharing both the wonderful photos & the cool information. I didn't know that day that I would learn something new, ha ha. ( I always wondered, "What is that special blue flower used in the Batman Begins movie?" ) Plus, the flower arrangement is totally awesome, it's really beautiful. Thank you Jen.

Video - BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Teaser Trailer HAIL THE TORNADO TYRANT

In this new teaser for Cartoon Network's BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Batman teams up with Green Arrow in a car chase with The Joker. Also, the Catwoman makes a special appearance. This episode airs tonight on Friday, June 5th. Please be sure to check your local listings for correct time. Oh yeah, I gotta say, I totally love all the cool Superhero ( & Villain ) Vehicles in this clip. Let's hope they end up making toys out of all of them, ha ha!

Video - BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Hail The Tornado Tyrant

This week's episode of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is titled "Hail The Tornado Tyrant" & will be on the Cartoon Network, Friday, June 5th. Please check your local listings for the time. In this new clip the Red Tornado has created a son & it looks like he has turned EVIL!

Comic Book News: BATMAN AND ROBIN # 1 Cover Variations

Just a quick post, DC Comics just recently released BATMAN AND ROBIN Number One the other day & so far it seems like a total success. Now, I have not read it yet but all I have been hearing is really great things so that's cool. One thing I wanted to mention is that this comic book has three different covers to collect. The 1st one photo shows the regular cover. The 2nd one is the variant cover. The 3rd is the special "Sketch Cover". Personally, I have always hated when comic book companies do this. I mean, they're just trying to get everybody to buy multiple copies. But I gotta admit that these are pretty cool! Just wondering, has anybody read this thing yet? If so, then please leave a comment down below & let us know what you thought about it, thanks. ( Oh yeah, click on the small photos up above for larger pictures ).

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM 2009 E3 2-Part Demo Gameplay Video HD QUALITY

These 2 videos show some awesome demo gameplay of Batman: Arkham Asylum from E3 2009. Oh man, it's looks really GREAT!!

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Desktop Wallpaper Backgrounds From The New Episode HAIL THE TORNADO TYRANT!

Here are a few BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Desktop Wallpapers I made, just for you! These are scenes from tomorrow night's episode HAIL THE TORNADO TYRANT! The Main Guest will be the Red Tornado but look for a special appearance from Green Arrow, The Joker, & Catwoman too! Also, please remember to visit the Bat-Blog on Friday because I'll be posting some new preview videos of this episode. Thanks, now enjoy!

Tribute Video: BATMAN, THE DARK KNIGHT Movie ( Music: Gary Numan 'Pure' )

Here's an extremely well-done music video tribute to the BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT Movie. The editing is very cool & the song is pretty great too...very clever! ( Thank you to Satish, the Bat-Blog Reader who sent it ).

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS Graphic Novel Tribute

The BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS ©1986 Graphic Novel is considered by many to be a pivotal point in Bat-History. Frank Miller created an incredible story & the comic book artwork was amazing! I completely love this book & highly recommend it to anyone who loves the character. Speaking of "character", in this book Robin was a girl! Her name was Carrie Kelley & she was awesome! Well, recently I came across 2 different pieces of art done by 2 famous comic book artists who must really liked the book too. The 1st one is drawn & inked by John Byrne. The 2nd one is a sketch by Jim Lee. I think both of these guys did an amazing job & they're both a wonderful tribute! ( Please be sure to click on them for larger, more detailed, versions ).

The Amazing VINTAGE BATMAN TOY COLLECTION Of Weezee Mule!

A day or so ago I promised that you would get to see an amazing collection of Vintage Batman Toys owned by a good friend named "Weezee Mule". OK, his real name is Mike & that's just his nick-name, ha ha. But the great thing is that he wanted to share these wonderful photos of his Personal Batman Collection. So, here we go! Now, I spent a long time going over each photo. there's just so much to see & there's a ton of great quality items here. I also like how his bathroom is totally decked out with Batman Memorabilia, that's a very cool idea. If you click on each photo you can see a larger, more detailed, version. Please be sure to do so because then you can really see a lot of very interesting bat-stuff. I wanna thank "Weezee Mule" for sending these pics. Oh man, they're really great & you have an awesome collection, thank you! If any other Bat-Blog Readers have their stuff on display then please e-mail us some pics to share. Sharing the love of collecting Batman is one of the main goals of the Bat-Blog!

Remember: MEGO MEET 2009 This Weekend!

OK, This is just friendly reminder that MEGO MEET 2009 is this weekend, June 5th & 6th at The Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum in Wheeling, West Virginia. MegoMeet is a chance for the Mego toy collectors community to get together in person to trade and buy parts and action figures, sit in on sessions designed to educate and answer questions about the Mego Corporation and the awesome toys they made. But, more than anything, it's a chance to hook up with friends and fellow collectors live and in person, instead of over the Internet. The 2 pictures of rare toys shown here are from last year's event. This is a pretty big event so plan on being there all day. For more information be sure to visit their official website at megomeet.com.

BATMAN and ROBIN + The BAT-HOUND : Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday!

It's Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday again! This time I'm posting a cool Batman-related Wallpaper that was designed by our good friend Sean Hartter. He created this background featuring Batman's Best Friend, ACE - The Bat-Hound! I just got this as an e-mail tonight & was really surprised at the choice of this character. Plus, I thought that was extremely cool because it's so "left-field" & "outta nowhere". Thanks Sean, some more really awesome artwork, as usual! The 2nd Wallpaper is stolen from the Official DC Comics website & I thought I would post it because this brand-new Batman and Robin # 1 Comic Book comes out today. With artwork by Frank Quitely & written by Grant Morrison it promises to be pretty good. I know a lot of Bat-Fans are totally excited about it. So, be sure to hit your friendly neighborhood comic book shop today for this issue & later, let us know what YOU think about it.

Video: Batman The Brave and The Bold Action Figure TV Commercial Ad Spot

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.

Funny Humor Photo: Dogs Dressed in Batman & Robin Costumes

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!