WHEELS AND WISHES 2012 FUNDRAISER - New Jersey Batmobiles!

Last weekend, well, Friday and Saturday to be exact, the MAKE-A-WISH Foundation of New Jersey held a Charity Event called "WHEELS AND WISHES 2012". It was held at the Wesfield Armory in Westfield, NJ. Basically, it's a huge Charity Dinner, Car Show and Auto Auction to help raise money for this great organization. Seriously, they do wonderful work! Now the cool news, and a story we're pretty proud about here at the BAT-BLOG, our Friends BatDave, Louie, and Detective Genaro Ortiz were there for support. 

Genaro is the grim Essex County Dark Knight who recently marked 20 years of suiting up as The Batman, trying to keep inner city children keep away from gangs and off of drugs. He brought his Customized Batman-Themed Car to the event ( 1st and 2nd photos ). Then, long time Readers of the Bat-Blog will know our Good Buddy Louie! This Guy has a sweet 1966 Batmobile Replica that he carts around to various Charity Events. He's a Batman Fan who has done a lot of positive work for his community. BatDave was there to lend support and help with set-up. Plus, he got us these great pics, ha!



Yes, The "BAT-CARS" were there and both Children and Adults alike just went completely wacko-crazy when they saw "The Batmobiles"! Check out that photo of the Father and Son getting to see Batman's Car in real-life, that's GREAT!

ALSO: This fundraiser marked the debut of Louie's sweet MOBILE CRIME COMPUTER!! "Gotham City Supercars Club" Genius, John Brown, built this from scratch. It was totally inspired by designs from the 1960's TV show. The details are insane and it's just a really fun item.

So, to wrap things up, the show went well and we also wanna thank the "Batmobile Guys" for lending their support to this great event. Now, for any Bat-Blog Fans out there who would love to donate some money to the MAKE-A-WISH Foundation, here's a LINK! Please give anything you can, every dollar helps and this is a great charity that does good work.

BOB KANE Original Art Drawing - BATMAN vs. Jack Dempsey!

Here's an interesting piece of Bat-History! The photo up above features an original drawing of the World Heavy Weight Boxer Jack Dempsey fighting in the ring with the Dark Knight himself, Batman - illustrated and signed by Batman "Creator", Bob Kane!

The story goes that Bob Kane was enjoying a night out at Dempsey's Bar and drew this art piece for the famous Boxer, who was a fan of the Caped Crusader. A funny note, Kane may have been a little tipsy as he misspelled Dempsey's name on the title of the fight! The piece is signed by Bob Kane and inscribed to The Champ! The piece is framed at 24" X 33." This thing was sold on eBay recently and did pretty well.

CUSTOM ART SCULPTURE - Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble as Batman & Robin!

Check out this ultra cool custom sculpture! Here is Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble as Batman & Robin in a Diorama that was on display at the Hanna-Barbera Studios! This was a recent Auction item by "Profiles in History". It was created by artist Terry Lattimore. Fred’s car has been transformed into a prehistoric Batmobile! Each figure is cast in solid resin, completely hand-painted and detailed ( Click on the above graphic for a large photo ).

BATMAN AUCTION NEWS - Rare ROBIN PEZ Dispenser Sells For Over $1500

Just recently, on evil eBay, a Rare ROBIN The Boy Wonder PEZ CANDY Dispenser Prototype sold for $1540.00, wow! Back in the 1970's the PEZ CANDY Company came out with a set of DC Comics Superhero Dispensers. They made Batman, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, The Joker, and The Penguin. Now that was not a big deal really. They came out with new characters all the time. But the thing about these that were special were that they had "rubber heads" instead of the regular hard plastic ones. PEZ experimented with this on occasion & there are a few "Rubber Heads" out there. I don't know if they were created for safety reasons or to lower the cost of production, who knows.

But as a manufacturing company PEZ needed to create promotional literature to send to Retail Store chains so these places would order their product. So, from time to time, they would make these "fake PEZ" for the photographs, usually, before production happened. Most of the time they had already created a mold in which to make the product. OK, for a promo photo they added some ROBIN PEZ that they were considering. Why he was dropped nobody knows but my guess is that they thought he would not sell very well ( everybody will want "Batman" ) or they wanted a "Girl PEZ" to make sure that Moms bought these toys for their Daughters too. That might explain the weird fact that there is a "Wonder Woman" mixed in with all these Batman characters.

So now this long-winded story ( sorry ) gets to the modern-day Auction. This eBay Seller had somehow come across this RARE "Robin" Prototype that was still "MINT in Original Package" & never produced on a large scale. Like, I don't know the exact numbers, but they might have only made 10 of these & then how many of these exist today? So, in both the PEZ collecting world and Batman Memorabilia this ROBIN PEZ is super-rare!

BATMAN AUCTION NEWS - Hake's Americana & Collectibles Goes Batman Crazy in November!

If you are a Vintage Batman Toy Collector then right now is the time to check out the "Hake's Americana & Collectibles" website. They are currently running a few very amazing LOTS of super-rare Batman items. The photos of treasures shown here are only a small example. The 1st pic shows a few pieces from the BATMAN EXECUTIVE DESK SET, which, they are selling in it's original box. Now, to be honest, this is not the rarest item they have... but it's very sought after by Serious Bat-Collectors because it's so cool & it is actually very hard to find. I've been collecting for 25+ years & I don't have it, ha!

Speaking of RARE, the next piece is practically a "Toy Museum Piece"! No hype intended, this is a "One of a Kind" item that you may never see again. This is the original Injection Mold Piece that was used to create a rubber-vinyl head for a set of Batman Slippers back in the 1960's.

Next up, and pretty darn RARE too ( ha! ), is this BATGIRL SUPER-QUEENS DOLL. This was made by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967. This toy line didn't sell very well back then & today these figures are highly sought after. This example has her original batarang & her costume with cowl is really nice!

OK, Do you remember the BAT-MANGA JAPANESE BATMAN Book created by Chip Kidd a couple of years ago? Well, here's an extremely RARE Large 18" X 24" Promo Poster used to publicize the book. Actually, it was for an event held on January 15th, 2009 at the Philbrook Museum Of Art in Tulsa, OK. The graphics are beautiful & this baby is ULTRA-RARE!!

Now, these items are running right now, as we speak, and most will end around November 10th. Plus, like I said, I couldn't list everything they have!! So, for more information be sure to visit the HAKES AUCTION Website & while you're there be sure to use their SEARCH function & hunt down more "BATMAN"!

BATMAN AUCTION NEWS - Jerry Robinson's Original Cover Art for DETECTIVE COMICS #67

In recent BATMAN AUCTION NEWS everybody is totally excited about a new piece of Original Golden Age Comic Book Art that has hit the market, it's the Cover Art to DETECTIVE COMICS #67! HERITAGE AUCTIONS of Dallas, Texas is offering it on October 27th,2011. The sale ends around November 15th-17th, 2011. This masterpiece was drawn by Jerry Robinson back in the "Batman Golden Age" era. It's also important to note that this cover was the very first appearance of a character named THE PENGUIN. It's an extremely important piece of Bat-History & my guess is that it will set a record price. Also, if you click on the photo of the artwork up above you can see a very high-def pic with great details, check it out! Oh yeah, if you wanna bid ( or maybe buy this for me as a Christmas gift, hint hint ) then just click HERE!

World’s Only Jet-Turbine Powered BATMOBILE Replica Car - On Sale Now!

Here at the Bat-Blog, awhile back, we did a story about a guy in Ohio who bought a Military Drone Helicopter Engine & used it to make a Batmobile Replica Car that was unlike any other. Well, I guess he has decided to sell it, it's on eBay right now. OK, before you get ready to go hit eBay & bid let's just say that it's pretty expensive. I mean, the "BUY IT NOW" price is $620,000.00, ha! Yes, over half a million bucks! But the car is pretty impressive & would totally turn you into a complete Chick Magnet! So, go bid now! Here's a LINK.

eBay Find of The Week - BATMAN 1966 TV Show ADAM WEST & BURT WARD Autographed Photo

I thought I would experiment with a new idea of, each week, posting a cool Batman item I come across on eBay, that is still for sale. Now, this is NOT an invitation for eBay Slaves to spam me with what they're selling, ha! ( That's not gonna happen! ) I'll just find something fun & post it on my own. This item is pretty cool. Here's a Framed Color Photo of Batman and Robin from the Classic 1960's TV Series. It's signed by both Actors from the BATMAN TV Show, Adam West & Burt Ward. It's a photo you don't see that often & the signatures look really good. Here's a link to check it out, just click HERE!

Original Yvonne Craig BATGIRL Costume on the Auction Block!

An original production-made complete Batgirl Costume, used by Yvonne Craig in the classic 1966 BATMAN TV Show, will be offered in an online auction soon that will begin on July 30th, 2011. This is the cowl used in the very first episode featuring "Batgirl" and there are many photos of her wearing it. The costume includes: Unitard, Utility Belt, Gloves, Boots and Cape. It will also include paperwork and authentication from Western Costume as well as letters detailing the history of the costume from the original owner. Yvonne Craig examined the costume and told the current owner the story about the cowl. The estimate is between $9,000.00 and $12,000.00 ( I think it should go for more than that, ha! ) For extra information on this item just click HERE!

Auction News - Profiles In History Sells Original ROBIN 1966 Bat-Cycle Go-Cart

HOLY GO-CARTS, BATMAN! Yesterday, May 15th, 2011, the company "Profiles in history" sold the original 1966 Bat-Cycle Go-Cart used by Robin The Boy Wonder ( Burt Ward ) on the 1966 BATMAN TV Show & Movie. This cart appeared in four episodes of the classic 60's TV series. It was totally custom & hand-built by Richard “Korky” Korkes and Dan Dempski. It sold for $30,000.00. Be sure to click on the photos for larger, more detailed, pictures.

BATMAN AND ROBIN WALLPAPERS - Frank Miller Artwork

Here at the Bat-Blog awhile back we reported about a piece of Frank Miller Batman Comic Book Art going up for sale at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. it was an iconic splash page of Batman and Robin ( Carrie Kelley version ) from The Dark Knight Returns #3 , penciled by Frank Miller and inked by Klaus Janson. Well, it sold at Heritage Auctions for a record of $448,125. Yes! This is a top selling record. So, to celebrate, here are 2 BATMAN AND ROBIN AUCTION ART Wallpaper Backgrounds I created from photos of the original artwork. Oh yeah, and by the way, being poor totally sucks!

AUCTION NEWS - Frank Miller's 1986 THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS Original Comic Book Splash Page Art

Right now at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas ( for the next day & 1/2 ) they're having an auction for an original piece of Batman Comic Book Art by Frank Miller. It's the famous splash page from BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS ( © 1986 ) showing Batman & Carrie Kelley ( The 1st Female "Robin" ) flying through the sky of Gotham City. It's an extremely iconic image & also a major part of Bat-History. Right now the piece is up to $100,000.00! Yes, you read that right, one hundred thousand dollars! Man, being poor totally sucks, ha! For more info, or to bid on this baby, just click HERE!

Auction News - Frank Miller BATMAN AND ROBIN Drawing

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.

BATMAN AUCTION NEWS - Bob Kane's Original 1939 Page Proofs for Detective Comics 27 at Heritage

The big news in both the auction world & comic book fandom is that Heritage Auctions ( Dallas, Texas ) is offering the Original Production Proofs for Detective Comics # 27 ( 1939 ) that were once owned by Batman Co-Creator Bob Kane. Of course we're talking about the first appearance of the character here! A "Proof Page" in comics was a test printing of an uncolored page used by artists and writers to see how their work would look on the printed page. Now, while this is not the actual original art, this is probably the closest anybody will ever come to owning some production material from this landmark issue. They're estimated to sell for at least $1000 each & they have 5 of them for sale, which are pages 2-6. The image up above shows page 3 & if you click on it, it's extremely sharp, you can see the amazing details of this item. The "Batman Page Proofs" will be part of Heritage Auctions' Signature Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction held on February 24th, 2011. For more details, click HERE!

Auction News - Batman Movie Memorabilia at Profiles in History

Next Friday & Saturday, December 17th & 18th, PROFILES IN HISTORY will be holding another of their famous "Hollywood Memorabilia" auctions in Beverly Hills, CA. This time they have some extremely amazing items up on the auction block: Original Puppets by Tim Burton from "The Corpse Bride", a Ton of "Blade Runner" Movie Props, Some items from "Terminator", & even "The Wizard of OZ"! But the best items for us Batman Collectors are some pieces from the "Batman Returns" 1992 movie & even one film-prop model from "The Dark Knight". In the "Returns" list there are many Conceptual Art Drawings, Danny Devito's Penguin Costume Pieces ( Umbrella, Monocle, Cigarette Holder ), & a 1/4 Scale Model of the Batmobile. The car alone is expected to bring $30,000 to $50,000 ( just a tiny bit out of my price range ). The "Dark Knight" item is the Garbage Truck driven by a Joker Goon. Well, not the actual "truck", ha ha!, but an extremely detailed model ( check out the pics ). There are even a few more items to numerous to list. So, here's a link to their website, just click HERE! Please keep in mind that Christmas is coming up & ANY of these items would make wonderful gifts... for me!

Auction News - Golden Age BATMAN Original Comic Book Cover Art

There's a HUGE BUZZ in Auction News right now with the Artist Jerry Robinson putting up an extremely famous piece of Original Comic Book Art on the market. We're talking about the cover art for a Golden Age classic, Detective Comics #69 ( Nov 1942 ). This "Joker Double Guns" cover is beautiful, showing Batman, Joker, and Robin, the Boy Wonder! It's important to note that Jerry Robinson created "The Joker" character so it makes this piece even more wonderful. Be sure to click on the image up above for a nice large sharp picture...it's beautiful! The art is being auctioned by a company called Comic Connect and, at the same time, they will also be offering another classic cover, Superman #14 with artwork by Fred Ray. To bid, or for more information, be sure to click HERE!

Auction News - BATMAN Comic Book Issue # 1 Sells For $55,268.75

The big comic book news right now is the fact that Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, TX just sold a number one issue of BATMAN for $55,268.75. Yeah, you read that right, 55 thousand! There's a photo of it up above showing that it was graded at 5.5 condition by CGC. The guy who owned it is from Alaska & bought it at a garage sale back in the 1970's. So, I'd say that was a pretty good investment. According to the Associated Press there are only about 300 known issues of this book to exist.

BATMAN Comic Book DETECTIVE COMICS # 27 Makes Record Price at Heritage Auction

Well, it looks like the DETECTIVE COMICS #27 recently auctioned off by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, TX is now totally famous as being the world's most expensive auction price for a Golden Age Comic Book! Of course all Batman Fans know this issue to be the very 1st appearance of the Dark Knight in 1939. It sold for $1,075,000. Yes, you read that right, One Million Seventy Five Thousand Dollars!! Just 3 days prior to the Batman comic book selling so well a company called Comic Connect auctioned off a vintage issue of Superman ( Action Comics # 1 ) for 1 million. Then, Batman beat that record price by 75 thousand!!

FIRST BATMAN COMIC Expected to Set World Record Price at Heritage Auctions

Attention Batman Fans: On February 25th, 2010 Heritage Auction Galleries ( Dallas, TX ) will be offering a truly exceptional copy of Detective Comics #27, the very first appearance of the Caped Crusader! The auction is expected to set two important marks:

It will, more than likely, become the single most valuable comic ever offered at public auction. Though it's being sold with no reserve and no minimum bid, it's expected to bring at least $300,000. The current record for a comic sold at auction stands at $317,000, for a copy of Action Comics #1, sold last year at another auction house.

The other question the auction will settle, at least for the time being, is one of the great debates of Pop Culture: Who is worth more today, Batman or Superman?

“Since Heritage began auctioning vintage comics, we have heard more client requests for Detective #27 than for Superman’s first comic, Action #1, and that’s both from hard-core comic collectors and from clients in other fields who are interested in this issue as a pop culture milestone,” said Lon Allen, Director of Sales for the Comics Division of Heritage. “Superman came first, but I think in certain quarters Batman is the more popular character. This is probably the most desirable comic Heritage has ever auctioned.”

The third-party certification service CGC has graded the comic Very Fine 8.0, a grade that only one other copy of this issue has reached and none has surpassed. To visit HERITAGE AUCTIONS just click HERE!