Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is already out on Blu-ray — in fact, I’m looking at my girlfriend’s classy box containing all three films on the shelf. But there was an ad included, mentioning the ability to later buy collectibles that would be included in an upcoming “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” of the trilogy. If this Polish Batman site is to be believed, these are the first images of what’s in the box. We don’t know what is on the nine discs besides the movies, but it looks like there’s at least an art book and a lithograph of some sort. There are toy models of significant vehicles from the series, though I’d argue that their coloring is off. And damn, look at what I assume are individual cases for each movie! There’s some amazing stylized art there, such as the Scarecrow’s mask being mixed with a straight jacket, or Bane’s mask and prison bars. It’s just a shame that Warner Brothers didn’t put this out before people bought the first trilogy set! Read more…
With Warner Brothers struggling to put together a Justice League film and a DC film universe to compete with The Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are lots of rumors swirling about how things will go down. While Man of Steel is being treated as the first step in DC’s rough plans, no one knows what’s happening with Batman. While Christian Bale is almost assuredly out of the picture, will the new Batman be a recasting of the same Batman, a new character taking over his mantle, or a completely rebooted character that ignores Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy? Well, there is a Batman reference in Man of Steel. There are spoilers ahead, but it’s something extremely minor that probably won’t help you feel better about WB’s DC plans either way. Read more…
With the recent release of Star Trek Into Darkness and the constant buzz surrounding 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII, the franchises continue to be big in the public eye. But if these two franchises were stars, how bright would they be? The New Yorker has charted the two franchises, as well as several other prominent franchises throughout the past few decades, to see which franchise has raked in the most money. Unsurprisingly, James Bond wins that, due to there being 24 films in the franchise. But when ranked by what a franchise’s average film earned, Star Wars was the clear winner, as well as in franchise profitability. (Even the prequels couldn’t ruin that!) Since we can’t embed it, you can see the full chart here and find where your favorite franchise wound up. Read more…
If you remember the first trailer for Batman: Arkham City, the 2011 sequel that took gaming by storm, you’ll remember that it was just a long, highly-rendered cutscene. Though not as ridiculously detailed as that one, the first trailer for this fall’s prequel Batman: Arkham Origins is in the same vein, showing a younger Batman fighting Deathstroke and other assassins on Christmas Eve before coming face-to-face with primary antagonist Black Mask. Read more…
So who would win in a fight: Superman or Batman? How about a different Superman or Batman? How about all the Supermen and Batmen? Get ready to pair off characters, because reportedly every DC character is going to be in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure, a new game for 3DS, Wii U, and PC this fall. The new game is making an attempt to get all the various versions of characters in, with reports that there will be 33 different Batmen and 133 Green Lanterns. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 9, 2013 in Comic Books
I’ve always been a fan of Uglydolls but the photo above melted my heart! It won’t be out until later this year but it’s part of an Uglydolls line that’s based on DC Comics: Read more…
Speaking of Batman, Game Informer has just announced that Warner Bros. Montreal are making Batman: Arkham Origins, a prequel to Rocksteady’s Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The game will be released on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, and PC this fall. It will be set years before the first two Arkham games and include the villain Deathstroke. What’s a little concerning is that someone other than Rocksteady are making the game, considering how proven Rocksteady is, but I’m still optimistic. Read more…
io9 dredged up this making-of featurette for the notorious Batman & Robin. What’s surprising is that mixed in with the usual interviews and behind the scenes footage is a lot of frank criticism of the film from the very people making it. Director Joel Schumacher, often vilified for taking the movie in a more kid-friendly direction, seems quite aware of the trainwreck the film is becoming. (You can see the terror in his eyes.) Chris O’Donnell is also particularly harsh. Read more…
Since Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy is finished, Warner Brothers needs to take the Batman franchise in a new direction, and that means a reboot. The previous plan was to introduce a new Batman in the upcoming Justice League movie, which itself will be shaped by the success of Zack Snyder’s Superman movie Man of Steel. But now, things are uncertain, and we me see a new solo Batman film even sooner. Read more…
So there is good news and bad news when it comes to the Batman: Arkham videogame series. Surprising everyone, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City turned out to be really well-made games; they’re some of my favorite games of this console generation. So the good news is that Warner Bros. has confirmed the next game is in development and will release later in 2013. But unfortunately, this game might not be in the hands of previous developers Rocksteady. Read more…
Looking for some new Batman figures to add to your collection? Perhaps these Play Arts Kai figures will fit the bill – the Joker and Catwoman are now widely available for pre-order, so you can now own one or both of them. Sadly, PAK seems to have a weird fascination with black backgrounds, which makes it hard to make out the details of the figures, but from what you can see, they seem to be pretty solid. The paint work on the Joker’s coat is definitely a highlight, although Catwoman seems to lack the texture of her actual suit in the film. Perhaps it was difficult to replicate! Pre-order Catwoman here or here, and Joker here or here! Read more…
Christopher Nolan is finished with Batman now, and Warner Bros. is surely hunting for the best way to continue or reboot the franchise. Nolan’s open ending was intended for the viewer to imagine their own continuation, but not doubt Warner Bros. will use that to their advantage: HitFix is reporting that they’re already lining Joseph Gordon-Levitt up to play Batman in the upcoming Justice League movie. What a shocker! Read more…
It just didn’t feel right to say “leap into action,” since he’s just standing there, you know? Kotobukiya is continuing their solid New 52 Justice League lineup, and the latest addition is Batman! I must say, while his pose is kind of boring, I actually like the sculpt of Batman himself. He’s a little leaner than the usual Batman figures, making him look more like an agile ninja than a hulking hero in the night. He is, just like the others, very shiny. Whether you like that aspect falls into personal preference, but I’d say he looks good paired up with the rest of the crew. If you’re looking to pick Batman up, pre-order him at AmiAmi, Hobby Search, or HLJ. Read more…
Batman vs. Superman is one of those match-ups that usually bug me. One of them is an extremely intelligent, paranoid sociopath, while the other is a nigh-invincible alien who can throw anything that bothers him into the sun. Writers will try to even the odds, since Batman is as big a name as Superman, but realistically, there’s no way that Superman wouldn’t just punch Batman to death before he could execute any of his plans. Read more…
I think I can safely title this that, right? Carlyle Livingston and Wayne Hussey, two intrepid LEGO fans, took nearly 400 hours each over three months to build the most impressive Batcave I’ve ever seen. It has all the important details, and even the not-so-important details. All those angled bricks for the cave surface look amazing, and I love the little exits for the various Bat-vehicles. Carlyle and Wayne have been taking the Batcave around to various conventions, so you may have caught it at Brickcon or Emerald City ComiCon. Absolutely insane! Read more…
Did you like Christopher Nolan’s latest, The Dark Knight Rises? So did millions of others, I think I remember it did alright in the box office… Probably not a very big release, either way. Still, the Blu-ray is coming out December 4th, just in time for Christmas, so you can buy it for yourself and justify it a little easier. The special edition box set will include a bunch of extras, such as a documentary about the Batmobile, 17 featurettes about the making of the film, and a short on how they demolished an entire city street. Of course, most importantly, it comes with a broken Batman cowl, just like the one the film. No word on if it’ll fit on your face and shatter properly when a friend punches you. Read more…
This brilliant infographic is titled From Kane to Nolan: Seventy Years of Batman and is by Blair Erickson. To see the full sized version just click on the image below: Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jul 20, 2012 in Cinema, Fandom
By now you’ve heard it all, so I won’t recap the story. My heart goes out to the family and friends of those who were murdered in Denver last night. The opening night of a film is an event that many fans look ahead to for months on end, and for someone to exploit this is a very depressing thought. In the days ahead many folks in media will focus on the madman that did this and his motives, but I’d ask that everyone think of those who are the victims of this crime.
Ex-lawyer, and renown brick artist Nathan Sawaya will be in town for San Diego Comic-Con this year. Apparently Nathan plans on teaming up with artist Jim Lee for a special live exhibition where he’ll recreate one of Jim’s Batman portraits using standard LEGO bricks. As part of the larger Darkness & Light: Art Inspired by Heroes & Villains, Hope & Heroism exhibition that’s currently on display, the live event will take place on Friday, July 13th from 11 am to 4 pm at Michael J. Wolf Fine Art Gallery. Read more…
Here’s a new television ad for The Dark Knight Rises that sheds a little more light on how the film starts. We see Bruce getting back in the game and building up his armoury to take on Bane, as well as the return of Lucius Fox. He offers up the new hovercraft to Bruce, reminding him that yes, “it does come in black.” A nice little callback to the first film, for sure, and while this does make me a little more excited for Rises, I still hope it stands on its own and doesn’t fall back on the previous films too much.
If you polled kids and asked them about their favorite fictional characters, I’m gonna guess Darth Vader and Batman would be pretty high up on the list. Now if you combine the two? You get the Darth Knight, an amazingly detailed custom action figure by John Harmon at Mint Condition Customs. This model stands 6 inches tall and would probably eat your other action figures for breakfast. If you were wanting to get your hands on this figure, though, you’re out of luck, as he’s already been sold. Better get cracking on making your own! Read more…
A scenic trip to Gotham City? Maybe scenic isn’t the best way to describe “getting robbed at gunpoint.” I don’t want to spoil the jokes here – Awkward Spaceship has put together a cute little video emulating the classic tourism commercial, only this time the city that’s begging for your visit is Gotham, a crime-riddled hive of scum and villainy. I certainly don’t recommend going to the opera and the walking out via the alleyway… Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jan 23, 2012 in Comic Books
What were fanboys and fangurls reading fifty years ago? Well here’s a selection of over fifty comic books from January 1962. The first thing that’s interested about this selection is the variety of genres — superheroes only represent a percentage of the titles that were on newsstands: In 1962 you could find comic books that took place in the old wild west, World War II, outer space and there were also romance comic books for the ladies and quite a few cartoony kid friendly titles as well. Read more…
Check out Kotobukiya’s latest DC Comics Batman ARTFX statue. Does it look familiar? It should — it’s a re-release of their first Batman ARTFX statue, which featured the blue & grey batsuit from Jim Lee’s Hush graphic novel. Now discounted, that original statue was among Kotobukiya’s most popular to date, and while it’s out of print, this latest edition more than makes up for the loss. Kouei Matsumoto’s masterful sculpt still stands as a perfect testament to Lee’s work, and the new black cowl almost makes it worth owning twice. Thankfully Kotobukiya tends to keep their figures and statues reasonably priced for the most part — I’m estimating ~$125. The statue should hits stores next July. Read more…
