MICHAEL KEATON as the BATMAN?!

OK, This is a totally hilarious piece of original Bat-History right here. A Bat-Blog Fan, who wishes to remain anonymous ( we respect that ), sent us this copy of a petition some very serious people ( I think in Canada ) started back in the late 1980's when they heard the news that Michael Keaton was chosen as the Actor to play the role of "Batman" in the upcoming 1989 BATMAN Movie. 

Now, how funny is this? The irony of course is that Mr. Keaton totally blew everybody away with his performance & turned out to be a really good Dark Knight!

It Reads:

"It has recently been announced that the Actor MICHAEL KEATON has been chosen to play the BATMAN in the big budget film being directed by TIM ( BEETLEJUICE ) BURTON for release in 1989 ( the 50th Anniversary of the BATMAN ). If the Producers of this movie are truly committed to leaving the camp image of the 60's TV Show behind and presenting to the world the DEFINITIVE DARK KNIGHT DETECTIVE they can't allow MICHAEL KEATON to play this role!! Don't get me wrong,  KEATON is a fine comedy actor who has done exemplary in the past in such films as BEETLEJUICE, MR. MOM, NIGHT SHIFT, etc.. but he's defiantly not the sort of imposing figure needed to define the ultimate creature of the night, the BATMAN! Help us to stop this ridiculous decision before filming starts in December/--88 Sign the petition below and let's bring the folks at Warner Brothers Films to their senses!

We, the undersigned, strongly insist that the decision to cast MICHAEL KEATON as the BATMAN is a major mistake and must be reversed before filming starts on BATMAN: THE MOVIE!!"

1989 BATMAN Movie Batmobile Spotted in Canada!!

Check out these awesome photos sent in to us by a loyal Bat-Blog Fan who lives in Ontario, Canada. If I got the info correct, he spotted this beautiful 1989 Batman Movie Batmobile Replica Car in Orangeville. Either way it's pretty amazing and I know he completely freaked-out when he saw it! ( Please be sure to click on the pics up above for larger photos )

Video THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - The TRIBUTE Interviews The Cast & Director!

Are YOU a BATMAN FAN? Well, if so, then you really need to check this out! In Canada, THE TRIBUTE, just posted some exclusive interviews that they did with the Film Actors and the Director of “The Dark Knight Rises” Batman movie. They're really great to see but because I was not able to embed them on my site ( crappy! ) I'll just post some links to them. But, each and everyone is worth a visit and you will totally enjoy watching them. Please be sure to check 'em out!

Christian Bale - 

http://www.tribute.ca/interviews/christian-bale-the-dark-knight-rises/star/53176/

Anne Hathaway - 

http://www.tribute.ca/interviews/anne-hathaway-the-dark-knight-rises/star/53179/

Michael Caine & Morgan Freeman - 

http://www.tribute.ca/interviews/michael-caine-morgan-freeman-the-dark-knight-rises/star/53177/

Gary Oldman & Joseph Gordon-Levitt - 

http://www.tribute.ca/interviews/gary-oldman-joseph-gordon-levitt-the-dark-knight-rises/star/53178/

Christopher Nolan - 

http://www.tribute.ca/interviews/christopher-nolan-the-dark-knight-rises/director/25653/

BATMAN COSTUMES - Character Cosplay Spotted in Toronto, Canada!

It's weird, I have visited almost every single state in the United States, including Hawaii ( Not Alaska ), but I have never been outside the US. Yeah, I have never been to a "foreign country". That's extremely weird isn't it? But, I have always dreamed of doing so & if I ever get to someday then one place I do plan to visit is Canada. That special area just seems like a really cool place to be.



Anyways, here are some very fun photos sent in to us by a Bat-Blog Fan named Neville. He said that there's a great Canadian Fan Expo Convention in Toronto and to prove it he sent these pics he shot back in 2009. Yes! This is photographic proof that they totally love BATMAN in Canada! Check out these amazing Cosplay Costumes of Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, The Huntress, The Question, Harley Quinn, The Riddler and a few variations of  The Joker. WOW! ( Thanks Neville! )

WACKY BATMAN BATMANIA From Around The Globe!

I love to meet Batman Fans from around the Globe because it blows my mind how popular the character is all over the world. Here's some fun examples of some cool people I have met and photos they recently shared.

First up, Check out this Large BATMAN Store Display Poster our friend Paul got from a Hallmark Store in Canada. The artwork is great but I also love the French language. This was from the recent "Father's Day" promo. ( Thanks Paul )

Next, Believe it or not but this Bat-Bike is a Bumper Car Vehicle you can ride in Italy! Yes, our friend Massimo shot this pic just the other day. How cool is that?! As a little kid I would have ran to that one right away!( Thanks Massimo )

Last, but not least, is a funny photo from our Buddy Erik who lives in Denmark. Well, this is a photo of a cool Batman Toy Figure he stuck on his car. The 1st pic shows a close-up of the product and then you can see what he did. He now has BATMAN as a Hood Ornament, Hilarious!! OK, I would be worried somebody would just steal it, ha! But I'm sure he only did it for display. ( Thanks Erik )

THE TUMBLER TOUR Hits Montreal Canada!

I have been meaning to post these photos for a few days but just keep getting side-tracked. But I'm happy to be finally posting them now. These were sent to us a few days ago by a major Batman Fan named Paul who lives in Canada. Paul was lucky enough to get to see the TUMBLER TOUR while it was in Montreal and he shot us these incredible photos at the event. As you can see they had the original Tumbler Batmobile Car AND the Bat-Pod Motorcycle, both of which can be seen in THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie. These vehicles will also make an appearance in the next "RISES" film. ( We can't wait to see that! ) Oh yeah, he had a great time and it's funny, he wore his Classic 1966 Batmobile T-Shirt. Heck yeah Paul, Representin'!! Also, Thanks for sharing your fun pics, I appreciate that very much.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Photos of the TUMBLER TOUR in Canada!

The BAT-BLOG.COM reported awhile back about Warner Bros' plan to have THE TUMBLER TOUR in major cities to promote THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Movie. Well, they recently went to Toronto, Ontario, Canada ( June 7th, 2012 ) and our Buddy Tom got these amazing photos ( Click on them for larger hi-res pics ). Yeah, he was kind enough to share and it's pretty cool to see these original movie prop vehicles up close. 

As you can see they had the Tumbler Batmobile ( Black Version ) and the Bat-Pod Motorcycle. Oh yeah, that's Tom in the 2nd to last photo & then in the very last one his Buddy Frank is getting kneed by Batman ( or I guess I should more accurately say, "Bearded-Batman", Ha Ha! ) Thanks Guys for sharing your cool pics. It looks like everybody had a great time!

BAT-VIDEO - Ultra-Rare "Batman Fish" Discovered in the Deep Sea!

Some Marine Biologists from Canada recently discovered the ultra-rare "Batman Fish" in the deep sea. They shot this amazing video and their description of it reads:

September 13th,  2011: During a deep-sea (2324m) cable route survey we encountered Batman gliding over a field of pillow lava!



Holy Toledo, what was that strange creature?!



Marine biologist Bill Austin has suggested it is likely a comb jelly (ctenophore). George Matsumoto, a ctenophore (comb jelly) expert at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Research instutute identified it as a lobate ctenophore of the Lampocteis genus.



Comb jellies are jellyfish-like creatures, which swim using groups or rows of cilia. Most comb jellies have cilia strips, running along the lengths of their outer bodies.



All comb jellies are predators. Unique among all animals, comb jellies hunt by squirting glue from specially adapted 'colloblast' cells onto their prey. Comb jellies feed on microscopic larvae, copepods, amphipods and even krill.



There are about 150 known species, ranging in size from several millimetres to 1.5m.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Enter The "Design a Movie Poster" Contest - CANADA ONLY!

OK, Our Canadian Friends are gonna be excited about this post! I recently got an email from Tribute Entertainment in Canada. They’re currently running a contest where you can win free passes to the Canadian Premiere of Christopher Nolan’s new movie “The Dark Knight Rises.”  All you have to do is design a new movie poster and submit it online to be entered. There are also secondary prizes available. The contest is open to all legal residents of Canada (including Quebec). For more information and details CLICK HERE! Oh yeah, the contest closes on July 9th, 2012 so you better get busy!

BATMAN COSPLAY at the 1st Ottawa Canada Comic-Con!

Here are some totally wonderful photos sent in by a Bat-Blog Fan named Mark. He and his Son recently went to their very 1st Ottawa Comic-Con in Canada! Actually, it was this weekend. Now of course there were a lot of wacky COSPLAY Costume People there and Mark got some great pics. 



The first photo features Mark's Son Eli in his Batman outfit with Mario and Luigi. Hey, how cool is that?! More pics include the Mad Hatter, Bane and Harley Quinn ( She's the "Arkham City" Version ), a Nolan-Universe Batman, Two Face and another wonderful Harley Quinn ( The "Animated Series" version ). WOW! Looks like everybody had a really great time. I hope Eli had fun ( I bet he did ). Thanks Mark for sharing these fun photos, they're great!

NEW BATMAN TOYS - Matchbox Batmobile Car in Canada

A brand-new Matchbox BATMAN Batmobile Car is showing up in Canada in the new 10-packs. It will also be available later as a single pack soon. Not sure if this toy will reach the USA, but I assume it will. This car looks a lot like the Toy Vehicle for the recent Mattel BATMAN Action Figures. But Matchbox is owned by Mattel so that might be why. Stay posted to the BAT-BLOG.COM and we'll let ya know when we find out more info.

VIDEO - Batman's Night Out

OK, This is kinda funny. Batman, the Dark Knight, recently hit the streets of Canada to frighten people, ha!

YAMAHA CUSTOM 1966 BATMAN TV Show BAT-CYCLE For Sale in Canada

Check out these great photos from a Classified Ad in Canada! It appears that somebody there is selling their Custom 1966 Yamaha BATMAN TV SHOW BAT-CYCLE Motorcycle. The asking price is only around 15-Thousand, which seems pretty fair to me considering how much a brand-new motorcycle costs. Plus, this one is both "Vintage" and "Totally Bad Ass", ha ha! For more information be sure to click HERE. Oh yeah, one last thing, my Birthday is in January, on the 19th. So if you need my mailing address to send this to me then please let me know. ( Thanks Clark )

BATMAN AND JOKER 1989 Movie Collectibles

One of my many favorite areas of BATMAN TOY Collecting is all the crazy merchandise made during the 1989 Tim Burton Movie. This film was a HUGE blockbuster & they made a ton of tie-in products. Here are just a few really fun examples: The 1st pic shows a Promo Poster for TOPPS Bubble Gum Trading Cards. The graphics are pretty simple but also very cool! Dealers could find this poster inside a case of cards & it was made available to them to promote the product. The 2nd photo shows a BATMAN Playdoh Play Set. It was made by the, now classic, Kenner Toys Company. The graphics on the box are really great! I love how it combines both photography AND graphic art... nice. Plus, it came with a Batmobile & Joker-Car! Speaking of Joker, the next item is a really nice JOKER FACE Cloisonné Pin. It's more of a "Comic Book" version but still came during the film. Now, the last item shown here is actually kinda hard to find ( Here in the US anyway ) because this was a Magazine published in Canada. It was called TRIBUTE GOES TO THE MOVIES & it's best feature was that it always came with a few promo posters inside. This one as a nice color photo on the cover of Michael Keaton & Jack Nicholson, in costume. I hope a lot of people enjoy seeing this stuff again.

Vintage 1989 BATMAN MOVIE Canadian Cereal Boxes

Here are a few Vintage POST Cereal Boxes with cool graphics from the 1989 BATMAN Movie. They were made for the Canadian market & that is why the boxes have both English & French languages on them. They did the promotion on Honey Combs, Sugar Crisp, & Alpha Bits. Also, if you look at the back of the box ( 1st photo, right-side ), then you'll see that the free premiums available inside the box were some "3-Way Action Trading Cards"... AWESOME! Now, I never knew that they made these back then so I hope you're as surprised as I am.

ADAM WEST ( 1966 BATMAN ) Does The Batusi Dance in Canada!

This is a fun video captured by our good friend Gerry who recently went to a screening of the 1966 BATMAN Movie at a small movie theater in Canada. Adam West was in town to be a guest at the Fan Expo Comic Book Convention & during that time he went by the theater to make a special appearance. When he came out on stage he did his famous "Batusi Dance" & Gerry caught it on film!

NEAL ADAMS Interview on WHERE MONSTERS DWELL Podcast

Listen LIVE on Wednesday, August 18th at 9 pm CST @ http://wheremonstersdwell.ca/

Neal Adams is set to do an interview on the "Where Monsters Dwell" podcast. The word 'legendary' gets thrown around a lot these days but in this case it certainly fits the bill. From his work re-establishing Batman as a dark brooding figure to his work making Green Lantern/Green Arrow 'relevant' and from his work on a few small Marvel properties like X-Men and Avengers, Neal Adams has cemented himself as a legend in the comics industry. He joins WMD this week to chat about creator rights, how the industry has changed since he got in, his new Batman series 'Odyssey' and his new sketchbook coming from Vanguard Publishing 'The Art of Neal Adams'. It's gonna be Episode #113 so be sure to check it out & if you miss the original time you can always listen to it later.

Vintage BATMAN MEMORBILIA & TOYS From Around The World!

I know that the Bat-Blog has kinda been crazy with the Halloween Holiday lately & we have been neglecting the toy collector aspect of the blog. So, here's a post to make up for it, ha ha! Here's a really nice example of a few pieces of Bat-Memorabilia made in different parts of the world. The 1st example comes from the United Kingdom ( England ) & is the Original Bubble Gum Wax Wrapper for a Set of 1966 Batman Trading Cards. Oh man, I am totally crazy over those vintage-style graphics...awesome! The next item might appear to be French but it's not from France. This is a Batman Board Game from Canada! It was made by Hasbro in 1973. OK, the last 3 pictures are a Set of Japanese Batman Canvas Sneakers. These shoes, of course, are from Japan & came out around 1966. The original shoe box is shown here with the product & it's equally as cool! Again, the graphics are just totally beautiful. Do you live outside the USA? If so then please send us some photos of some fun "Foreign Batman" items you might have. Sharing the love of Batman Toy Collecting is one of the main functions of this fan site. Our e-mail button is always on the top right-hand side of this page, thanks.