I noticed a story the other day over at COMICS ALLIANCE that sort of broke my heart a little bit. It appears that Moose Baumann, an extremely talented comic book colorist, is being plagued with having to deal with his Wife's Cancer Treatment ( We hope she is feeling better soon ). You see, most Comic Book Artists are pretty much "freelance" or self-employed. Many don't have proper Health Insurance. So, to help deal with the bills Moose Baumann is offering "Superhero Art Prints" to help raise money. The prints are 13" x 19" and printed on archival paper. They're some of the many comic book covers ( and inside artwork ) that he has colored. Now, We have only posted a few as examples here but there are more variations on Batman and Robin. There are also some images of Green Lantern, Superman, The Flash, Iron Man, etc... Here's a LINK to check it out!! Oh yeah, the prints are only $20 so while you're there buy 3 or 4, thanks.
I mean "crazy" in a good way, ha! Here is the extremely surrealistic cover art by Chris Burnham for BATMAN AND ROBIN # 26, due in August. The main story involves the Dynamic Duo going to France because lunatics have escaped from Le Jardin Noir, the French equivalent to Gotham City's Arkham Asylum. The story was written by David Hine and illustrated by Greg Tocchini. But check out this wacky-cool cover!! ( Click on it for a larger, more detailed, version ) It looks like something by Rene Magritte or Salvadore Dali!!
First off, this image is actually a BATMAN WALLPAPER Background, give it a try! But the real reason for this post is to show this Vintage French Magazine advertisement for the Citroën Dyane, a, economy car from France. It's funny, they're sort of saying that this car is so great that Batman and Robin would choose it for a Batmobile, ha! This automobile is pretty cool & unfortunately you don't see them much in the US ( They were only made from 1967 to 1983 ). For more information just click HERE!
This is a very quick post to share some extremely cool Batman Collectibles from the UK. These wonderful pics were kindly send in by a good friend named Kevin who is lucky enough to live near there. What are they? These are beautiful display boxes for Batman Easter Candy ( Milk Chocolate Eggs with Fruit-Flavored Gum ). One is in the shape of the Dark Knight's head & his eyes are die-cut open so some happy kid can see the goodies inside. The next one is more of a "box shape" with a great scene of Batman and Robin in Gotham City. Both of these boxes came out during the existence of the "Animated Series" cartoon on TV so that explains the cool graphics. I have a few of these UK items in my collection & they're different ( They would be added here if they were not so deep in storage right now ). So, that makes me wonder how many variations they made. But that's what is so great about being a Batman Toy Collector. There seems to be a TON of stuff out there to find & you can stay busy for 2 lifetimes, ha! ( Thanks Kevin for sending in these photos ).
"Yeah, It's That Bad" is a movie podcast that reviews films which are considered to be awful remakes, box office bombs, useless sequels and other critically hated films. Well, recently they did their take on Joel Schumacher's 1997 BATMAN AND ROBIN movie. You know it, the one that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone. So, is this movie bad? To give you a hint I noticed the other day that you can buy it used on Amazon for 6 cents, no joke! But YITB's Movie Review is still fun to listen too, just click HERE!
Hey Kids, it's "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday", on Thursday! Every week we post a few Free BATMAN Desktop Backgrounds & yesterday I was so excited about "Batman: Year One" Animated Movie News that I completely forgot. Yes, I'm a total idiot, ha!
OK, now check this out, the 1st wallpaper shown here is one I made using some recent comic book graphics, it's pretty straight forward. The fun part is that it looks like the Dynamic Duo is rushing right at you! Plus, the artwork is pretty nice.
The 2nd one was submitted by a Bat-Blog Fan who drew this on his computer. One technique he used to make this image extremely AWESOME is that the characters are in sharp focus while the background is slightly blurred, a very cool visual effect! It gives the idea of fast movement and action... very nice! Now, I feel really bad but I lost the email from this person. So, at the moment I'm kind of unable to give the Artist credit & I apologize ( Hey, if you're the guy who drew this then please contact me again. Because of some problems with my server I lost your message, thanks. Oh yeah, this art is really really great!! )
Don't blink your eyes or you might miss this extremely short video clip, ha! It's a very rare TV Commercial announcing that the 1997 BATMAN AND ROBIN Movie will be on Video & DVD. Yes, VHS Tape!
In "Batman Auction News" this week there was a special item on eBay that ended recently, some Frank Miller original artwork of BATMAN AND ROBIN as they appeared in his famous 1980's Graphic Novel, The Dark Knight Returns. It was drawn on DC Comics comic book cover stock paper ( measuring 12" X 17" ). Frank Miller sketched it in 1990 as a special 75th birthday gift to former DC Comics Editor Julius "Julie" Schwartz. This is a fully penciled and inked art illustration with a signed inscription from Miller on it, to Julius. The artwork is just totally wonderful, a great piece. The auction ended the other night at a closing bid around $11,300.00... WOW! I mean, who has that kind of money? Ha! But regardless of the price, it looks awesome & also has the bonus of having a lot of historical significance. Plus, I love that Robin is the "Carrie Kelley" version.
Every week, here at the Bat-Blog, we post a few Free Batman Desktop Backgrounds for you to enjoy. We call it "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday", ha ha! Shown here are 2 very fun graphics. The 1st one is a very recent image of Batman and Robin ( Damian ) from the Modern-Day Comic Books. The next one is more "Vintage", it's a photo of an older Batman Action Figure standing next to a Toy Batmobile Car. I love these old toys and also thought it would be kind of funny. Now, please remember, you can always dig through our BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for hundreds of other Bat-Wallpapers. That area is located on the left-hand side of this page, near the middle.
Here's a brand-new Batman product we recently came across that is totally cool! This is a BATMAN AND ROBIN GLASS made to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics. This was a special promo glass made by Toon Tumblers for the Baltimore Comic Con. The glass features different artwork on both sides that was taken from a few vintage BATMAN comic book covers. One represents the 1940's Golden Age ( Batman # 9 ) & the other is more Modern-Day ( Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder # 9 ). I guess it's also important to note that the artists are Dick Sprang & Jim Lee. I have shown the original covers here for reference. I have always loved this iconic image of "Batman & Robin in The Spotlight"...it's Classic! For more information about this product just click the button down below ( But please keep in mind that if it doesn't show-up in a search that it is sold-out & will be available later ).
You're not going to find these BATMAN AND ROBIN Mugs ( Coffee Cups ) in any retail store today. These babies were made in the 1960's by Washington Pottery of the UK... probably around 1966, to capitalize on the popularity of the TV Show. In fact, they were only sold in England & are kinda hard to find. Well, thanks to the Internet they're not extremely rare. Here are some pics sent in to me by a friend of mine who collects pottery. He knew that I would love these. I do, they're great! Now all I have is one mug & somewhere I have a small platter. Unfortunately they're in deep storage. Yes, they also made Batman Plates, Patters, Bowls, and ( I think ) even an Ashtray! But for now we have these photos to drool over ( Thanks Dave ). The graphics are totally vintage & completely wonderful. Seriously, I love the sharpness & color. The one with the Batmobile car is just beautiful.
Check out this totally incredible tattoo of The Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin! Christopher, a new friend to the Bat-Blog, was kind enough to share these wonderful pics of his Batman tattoo. The artwork comes from the original art for the Whitman 1966 Batman Coloring Book. Using an image that is sort of iconic is very cool. I totally love all the old coloring book covers & this is a great choice. The Tattoo Artist here did a fine job with the colors too. I wanna thank Christopher for sharing these nice pics & if any other Bat-Blog Fans out there get some ink done then please be sure to shoot us some photos. 'Cause, we're ALL about Bat-Fandom around here!
Here are 2 print advertisements that were printed on the back cover of a few comic books back in the day. They advertised a few food products that tied into the latest Batman movie, of the time, 1997's BATMAN AND ROBIN. I remember when these came out & even though I was NOT a big fan of the film, I still bought these for their boxes. I have always loved wacky food packaging like this. In hindsight I'm glad I did. This stuff is sort of strange now & kinda hard to find. In the future they should be pretty rare. The 1st ad is for the Batman & Robin Movie Kellogg's Pop-Tarts. The weird thing is that it only shows 3 boxes but there were actually 4. I think the one they didn't show was "Batgirl". Next, we see an old ad for MR. FREEZE Freezer Bars. The funny thing is that it was the actual name of the product even before the movie promotion. Seriously, see the Snowman? That's "Mr Freeze", ha! I guess that was the perfect tie-in. The graphics on this large box were actually pretty cool.
Boys and Girls, it's time again for the Adventures of LADERLAPPEN OCH ROBIN! Here are some old Vintage 1950's Batman and Robin "Reprint" Comic Books from Sweden! Yes, these classic stories were retold in Swedish for the foreign market. Even though there is NO way I could ever read one of these books they would still be extremely cool to own. I mean, the artwork on the cover alone is truly beautiful!
OK, Here's a really great Vintage TV Commercial for some older Batman Toys that will either bring back fond memories, or will be a total nightmare, ha ha! I say that because these action figures were from the BATMAN AND ROBIN Movie by Joel Schumacher. I remember seeing this on TV a long time ago & I always liked the catch phrase, "BE THE MAN, BATMAN!".
Check out this amazing animation by Javier Olivares. I love the art style of the graphics & the animation is extremely well done. I'm guessing this was a school project but either way, it's AWESOME! Yes, it's sort of short, but it's still worth watching...check it out!
OK, this is sort of an experiment. This week, for "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday", I thought I would post these 2 brand-new BATMAN Desktop Backgrounds. But instead of the normal 1024 X 768 size I usually do. I'm posting these new ones that are 1440 X 900. Please let me know how these work for you guys. Do you like the new size or do you want to go back to the old format? The 1st one features a pretty sweet graphic of a recent Catwoman Action Figure & the 2nd one is a vintage Black & White Photo of the Dynamic Duo, Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder! Of course they are the 1966 TV Show version of those characters....POW!
A panel from DC Comics' BATMAN AND ROBIN #16, written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Cameron Stewart. Drawn with Manga Studio 4 Ex, with a Wacom Cintiq 21UX. Video speed increased 200%.
