GOTHAM CITY BATMAN TATTOO - Inspired by Jim Lee's Art in HUSH Book

I received a nice email the other night from a Bat-Blog Fan named David who said he recently got some bat-ink done. The cool thing was he shared these excellent pics with us. He explained that the artwork was inspired by the art of Jim Lee that you can see in a panel from the BATMAN: HUSH Graphic Novel. It's main focus is the skyline of Gotham City with a Batman Bat-Symbol Logo under it, very interesting choice & well done! Also, it has some of the GCPD Blimps in it too! ( Thanks David )

FUNNY BATMAN HUMOR - Comic Strips, Ha Ha!

It's become sort of a tradition here at BAT-BLOG.COM to, every now and then, share some funny picture or comic strips that are Batman related. So, here we go!! Oh yeah, I guess I should say that the 1st one is my top personal favorite and is also an excellent mash-up parody of the Opening Introduction of the 1966 BATMAN TV Show ( Animation ) and Frank Miller's dark and gritty BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS ( Graphic Novel ). The expression on the face of Robin, the Boy Wonder, in the last panel is priceless!

 

BATMAN - THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS Part 1 - MOVIE TRAILER and BOX ART for New DC UNIVERSE Animated Film

Shown up above is the BOX ART for THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: PART ONE Film set to be the next DC UNIVERSE Original Movie. This film is based on the classic 1980's Graphic Novel by Frank Miller. Wow, it looks pretty good. But even better than that is the just-released Movie Trailer, check it out down below!

Writer PAUL DINI is Set To Return To The BATMAN Character

According to a recent interview by the UK website SFX Paul Dini, Batman Comic Book Writer, has a brand-new BATMAN Graphic Novel that he is working on. Paul is very well known for his work on TV's Batman: The Animated Series. He also scripted the Batman: Arkham Asylum & Arkham City Video Games. So, this is great news. To read their excellent article, just click HERE!

Denisse's KILLING JOKE JOKER Tattoo Art Photo!

Here's a quick post to share this amazing "KILLING JOKE" JOKER Tattoo Art photo that a loyal Bat-Blog Fan sent in to us. Her name is Denise & check out this Bat-Tat inspired by the comic book art of Brian Bolland! ( Thanks Denisse & congrats on the cool ink you got done, it's great! )

Chip Kidd's BATMAN DEATH BY DESIGN Graphic Novel Makes THE NEW YORK TIMES Best Sellers List!

OK, We could not be more proud or incredibly super-happy right now because it has just been announced that the new BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN Graphic Novel ( DC Comics ) by Chip Kidd and Dave Taylor is listed as #2 in the “Hardcover Graphic Books” Section of THE NEW YORK TIMES Best Sellers List!! Wow! It’s almost to good to be true and, on a serious note, a very distinct honor for Chip who can now brag ( ha ha ) about being "a New York Times Best Selling Author". Congrats Mr. Kidd!! Congrats also to Dave Taylor as well because his artwork for this book was amazing!!

Oh yeah, you can order this book now by clicking the TFAW Button down below an save 10% OFF!

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS - New Images From The DC Universe Animated Film

I've been meaning to post these new photos for a few days but have been inundated with a lot of other things, sorry! Anyways - HERE WE GO! Here are some new sneak-peek pics of the art direction for the next DC Universe Animated Film DVD, "THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS". 

Of course we're talking about the Classic 1986 Frank Miller Graphic Novel and I'm loving the images of Carrie Kelley ( 13 Year Old Girl Robin ). OK, The Mutants are pretty cool to see too!

BATMAN DEATH BY DESIGN - Chip Kidd Book Signing at Midtown Comics in NYC!

Mark Your Calendars! Chip Kidd will be making an appearance at the MIDTOWN COMICS Downtown Location in NYC on Thursday, June 7th, 2012. The Book Signing starts at 6:30pm and runs till 8:00pm. This Event is to celebrate the release the New Graphic Novel, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN! 

Yes, this is your chance to get your copy autographed by the Author. For more details, click HERE!

Midtown Comics Downtown
64 Fulton Street NYC, NY
Date: Thursday, June 7th, 2012.
Time: 6:30pm until 8:00pm in EDT

BATMAN - THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS - 2012 Comic-Con-Exclusive Hallmark Keepsake Ornament

HALLMARK today announced its return to Comic-Con International and its line-up of 2012 Comic-Con-Exclusive Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. Now, they're gonna have some characters from the "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" movie and a Cylon Centurion from TV's "Battlestar Galactica", but the really great news here is for Batman Fans! Yes! They're gonna have a brand-new BATMAN Ornament called "A Human Hero", inspired by the 1986 Batman Comic Book & Graphic Novel,  "The Dark Knight Returns"!!

New BATMAN DEATH BY DESIGN DELUXE EDITION Graphic Novel by Chip Kidd & Dave Taylor on Sale Tomorrow!

Oh man, Everyone here at the BAT-BLOG is so excited about tomorrow, May 30th, because it's the release date for the brand-new BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN Deluxe Edition Graphic Novel!! Now of course we're talking about the new book written by Chip Kidd & illustrated by Dave Taylor. Just check out some of the artwork up above, it looks totally amazing! Please be sure to click on them for larger versions. Also, the book is available RIGHT HERE or at your local Bookstore/Comic Book Shop.

BATMAN - THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS - New Promo Photos from the Future Animated Movie

You might remember from last year "BATMAN: YEAR ONE" was made into a full-length animated feature  by Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment. Well, now another classic story by Frank Miller is going to get the "DC Universe Animated Film" treatment! This movie will take on the iconic 1986 Graphic Novel, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS!

This story doesn't even need an introduction. Basically, it's set in the near future when Bruce Wayne is an aging old man, retired. But because of some new events he is brought out of retirement. This Graphic Novel is so important to Bat-History that I'm sort of shocked they're even trying to to do this in animated form. But, it's got Bruce Timm behind it, as well as an amazing cast, so I know it should be pretty cool!



Here are some recent promo photos that have been leaked. My two favorites are the iconic "Lightning Bolt Flash" picture up above and then getting to see Carrie Kelley again, the 13 year old "Girl Robin". 

New JOE FRANKENSTEIN Graphic Novel in the Works!

Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan are working on a creator-owned project called JOE FRANKENSTEIN! It's going to be a Graphic Novel that will be published by IDW. For now it's in the very very early stages and if you would like to keep-up with the project (or follow their progress) you can visit their website, the link is down below. OK, now I know this post is sort of not Batman-related but these are the 2 guys who worked on Detective Comics for many years AND created a Comic Book Villain Character you might have heard of called BANE! This is a personal project for them and I know there are a lot of Batman Fans who loved their work on the character and will probably have an interest. So, please feel free to check out their blog, just click HERE!

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS - Superman VS Batman DC Direct Statue

Sculpted by Derek Miller. Here is a large statue from DC Direct showing Superman doing battle with the Dark Knight himself, Batman! Of course this piece was inspired by the pages of Frank Miller's acclaimed Graphic Novel Book, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS! ( Yeah, we all know who wins this fight, ha! ) Click on the photo here for a larger version.
 

It measures approximately 11" high x 11" wide x 9" deep and will retail for about $299.95. Also, it goes on sale around August 29th, 2012.

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS - DC Comics ARTFX Statue by Kotobukiya

The Japanese Company KOTOBUKIYA has done it again! Around September, 2012 we'll get to see the latest addition to their DC Comics ARTFX Statue Series, THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS! Yes, the classic Frank Miller Graphic Novel is getting the statue treatment again and this piece looks pretty freakin' cool! It features a much-older BATMAN doing battle with the Prince of Crime, THE JOKER. The Bat-Statue stands nearly one foot tall (1/6th scale) and will come with a special display base. We mentioned this thing awhile back here at the BAT-BLOG.COM but we just got our hands on these new photos and had to share, check 'em out!

Batman's HARVEY DENT IS TWO-FACE - Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday!

OK, I know the next major Film Villians in the next Batman movie, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, is gonna be Bane and Catwoman! But I thought it would be fun to pay tribute to the character known as TWO-FACE (Also, Harvey Dent ). So, here are some wacky Wallpaper Backgrounds you will hopefully enjoy, ha!

The first one is a scene from the recent BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY Video Game. This version of the character looked really good & was a great enemy to fight. Next up is an image from an older Graphic Novel. This is from the "DARK VICTORY" comic book storyline. It's got the Joker in there too so that's cool.



Then the last one is my favorite. This is a very detailed photo of the HOT TOYS "Harvey Dent/Two-Face" Figure from their DARK KNIGHT MOVIE Toy Line.

New 2012 GOLDEN AGE BATMAN Graphic Novel Books in Argentina!!

Oh Man, BATMAN Fans and Collectors who live in Argentina are having fun right now! The local CLARIN Newspaper chain has published a special series of Batman Graphic Novels that reprint the first 100 Batman Stories starting with the Classic Golden Age 1939 DETECTIVE COMICS #27 Story. I think they're basically reprints of the "Batman Chronicles" Books we had here in the US, but in a different format. Anyways, there will be 16 Issues to collect and Volume # 1 is out, right now, as we speak! The books have 100 pages and are in full-color. Our good friend Cesar told us about these ( He lives there. Oh, and Thanks Cesar! ) and he said they're pretty nice quality. Shown here is the cover to Volume #1, an advertisement showing other issues, and then the last photo is a pic of some die-cut promo items that were suppliments inside the Clarin Newspaper.

BLACK AND WHITE BATMAN - Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday!

For this week's "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" I thought I would post some FREE BATMAN WALLPAPERS with a Bat-History Theme. Basically, we're covering there major moments: The Golden Age 1940's with the Batman Serial Movie, the 1966 Batman TV Show, and a more Modern-Day version, "Batman: Noel" the Graphic Novel. Please choose which ever one you like the best and if you totally hate them all, ha ha, then please click the button down below for ALL the recent Backgrounds we have posted:

BAT BLOG TRIBUTE - MARSHALL ROGERS Batman Artist

According to the Bat-Blog History Files today is a great day! Today, January 22nd, the Legendary Comic Book Artist Marshall Rogers was born in Flushing, New York ( a Borough of Queens ). In High School he was inspired by a Mechanical Drawing class and decided he wanted to be an Architect. But later, after attending Kent State University, he discovered that Calculus was just wayyy too hard, ha! Plus, he wanted to be more creative. So he decided to try working as an Illustrator.

He submitted work to Marvel Comics but that didn't lead anywhere. He worked odd jobs to support himself while acquiring small assignments from small Magazines. Then, a big break! He started his comic book career working for Atlas, a short-lived comics publisher. They claimed his work was "too detailed", took too long to draw. It was around this time that he got another big break. He started doing small jobs for DC Comics. His first, was "retouching" reprints of 1940's Batman stories. But this wasn't enough so he tried getting more work at both Marvel & DC Comics. Marvel gave him his 1st big assignment working in their Magazine division. He began drawing "The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu" where he worked with Chris Claremont doing "Iron Fist" stories.

Now, here's the part where he really becomes a part of Bat-History! Around 1977 he began working with the Writer Steve Englehart on a, now classic, Batman storyline that ran in Detective Comics #471 thru 476. This was the famous "Joker's Laughing Fish" story. This event also heavily influenced the 1989 Tim Burton BATMAN Movie. It's also important to note that later Rogers began work on the BATMAN Newspaper Comic Strip that ran from November 6, 1989 to August 3, 1991. To check that out, just click HERE!

Sadly, Rogers passed away on March 24th, 2007. He was found by his Son & the Family reports that he had a heart attack. Also, the Coroner reported that he, "might have been dead for a few days". Among Batman Fans, Friends & Family he is greatly missed. His work in the 1970's and 80's is right up there with the works of Dennis O'Neil/Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Classic stuff!! I have a few Friends who state that they had met him at various Comic Book Conventions & they all said, "He was a really nice guy, very talkative & quite friendly".

Much of Rogers' work is now considered vastly important and some of his work was collected in two early Graphic Novels titled, "Batman: Strange Apparitions" & "Batman: Dark Detective". Then, later, and actually very recent, a more definitive Graphic Novel was created called "The Legends of the Dark Knight by Marshall Rogers". This book reprints: Detective Comics # 468, 471-479, 481, Legends of the Dark Knight # 132-136, Batman: Dark Detective # 1-6 and more! Check out this LINK for more details on that.


I apologize for getting kind of carried away with this post, it's almost a "book", ha! But this Comic Book Artist was always a Favorite Childhood Hero of mine. His artwork is really great! Down below I created a "Marshall Rogers Tribute" Wallpaper. I hope you use it as an inspiring background on your desktop.