Yes, you read that right, DIAL B FOR BLOG is Back! Now a lot of people are gonna be real excited about this news. Back in the day, DIAL B FOR BLOG was a really fun website. It covered silver age comic book history like no other. It had style, substance, & was very well designed. But then one day the owner/creator decided to quit. It was discovered that he had a set goal to reach a certain number of posts & then quit. So, after hitting that number, he did. The site was left up for people to enjoy but it was never updated for a really long time. Well I got an email from him & he said he's bringing it back. No way! I didn't believe him. That is, until I went to go check it out for myself and yes, DIAL B FOR BLOG is Back! Do you too also think it's too good to be true? Well, Just CLICK HERE!
Here's a quick post to share some cool artwork! A Friend of ours has recently started a new Art Project where they're posting "Silver-Age DC Comics Superhero" Comic Cards done in a cute cartoon retro-style. The choice of obscure random characters is pretty awesome and eventually there will an entire complete set of Playing Cards. Now, they have only made a few cards so far so here's your chance to start collecting them, just click HERE!
It's time again Boys and Girls for Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday! Yes, this week I thought we could celebrate the "Silver Age of Comics"! These 2 Free BATMAN WALLPAPERS were made from hi-res scans of a few vintage comic book covers. They both feature the Dynamic Duo and one even has Batgirl.
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!
Over at the awesome CAPTAIN TOY website they have some wonderful photos of all the 2011 Christmas Keepsake Ornaments that Hallmark Cards plan to release next year. The main one that most Batman Fans are going to be really excited about is the 1966 TV Show Batmobile Car designed by George Barris!! They will also be making ones of Catwoman ( modern version ), Harley Quinn with Hammer, & a Silver-Age Batman! If you visit the site they also show all the others & there are some really great ones! My personal favorites include: The Peanuts, Toy Story, Tom & Jerry, the new TRON movie light-cycle, Green Lantern, Superman, Indiana Jones in the Snake Pit, Rosie The Robot from The Jetsons Cartoon, a cool Star Wars one with Han & Greedo ( Han shot first, ha! ), & many many more. Just click here to check them out, LINK!
I know this guy named Dean Trippe who is a Graphic Artist / Illustrator & he is extremely talented. The cool thing is that he is also a serious Batman Fan. Well, recently he became inspired by his appreciation of the British DOCTOR WHO TV Show & decided to meld it with his love of the Silver-Age Batman & Robin stories. So, he created this parody comic book cover as sort of an homage ( click on it for a larger, sharper, version ). The art is really great & I totally love the vintage-style Batmobile car! If you would like to purchase this Fine Art Print then be sure to visit his etsy website by clicking HERE!
Alright! It's "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" again so since I got a recent request for more "Batman Comic Book Art" I thought I would post these babies. Here's a set of Desktop Wallpapers I made using graphics drawn ( penciled ) by Curt Swan & inked by Murphy Anderson. Personally, these 2 artists are some favorites of mine & I totally love the retro-feel of the artwork, it's very "silver-age" or vintage. I made the 1st one just black & white to sort of show-off the crisp-clean line work. Then the others are jazzed-up with a little color. I made the blue one sort of light-colored, just in case you have a ton of desktop icons ( they'll be easier to see ). Now remember, we always post new backgrounds every Wed & we also have a ton of them you can see by digging through the Bat-Blog Archives ( located at the middle of the left-side of this page ).
There's a brand-new Batman blog I discovered recently that I have to share because it's really funny & very clever . In fact I wish I would have thought of it, ha ha! It's called THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD: THE LOST ISSUES. Basically it's a parody humor site with vintage issues of the original "Brave & The Bold" Comic Books that have been mashed-up with other comics to produce books that were never made. But, they're all ones we wish they did! Like, he did one with Batman & "Batman Beyond" that is awesome! There's even one where the Caped Crusader teams-up with Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek ( hilarious! ). In most of artwork for the fake covers the Photoshop technique is extremely well done. I mean, they look totally real! I think that's a large part of making them so funny. They just seem so believable. You'll find yourself thinking, "Hey, how did I miss that when it came out?". Here's a link if you want to check it out sometime, just click HERE!
The other night I was kinda bored & decided to check out what kind of new Batman Merchandise there was out there. My main focus was some kind of cool T-Shirt or other clothing. One website that I totally love to buy from is called SUPERHERO STUFF. They have great service & an awesome variety. While there I saw they had a bunch of brand-new T-Shirts & here's the one I think I'm going to buy. It has a graphic on the front of a Silver-Age Comic Book Cover that features artwork by Carmine Infantino. Actually, it's Detective Comics # 380. I don't know, I think it's pretty cool. What do you think? Oh, if you're wondering where their website is I placed a link down below, check it out sometime.
You might remember, last year, Asgard Press came out with a special 2009 VINTAGE DC SUPER HEROES Calendar. I remember seeing it & thought it was pretty cool! It featured many Golden Age Comic Book Covers of Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Flash, Wonder Woman, etc... Well, this year they have a brand-new one called the 2010 VINTAGE DC COMICS Calendar. It's basically the same thing, but with different artwork. Plus, the general theme with this one is the special 75th Anniversary of the DC Comics company ( DC published their 1st comic book in 1935 ). Plus, I like that DETECTIVE COMICS is on the cover, ha ha! For more info be sure to click HERE!
The other day, on the Internet, I came across a most excellent find that I knew I had to share with my readers. I found a company that makes high-end "Chrome-Plated BATMAN Emblems" for your car, truck, or auto!! Well, they also make Superman ones too but who cares, ha ha! There are 2 different Batman-themed auto emblems: The "Modern Bat-Logo" that you see on the chest of the Bat-Suit in the current comic books and an older silver-age version that is the classic "oval-shape". Oh man, I really love both of them, but I'm leaning more towards the oval-shaped one just because it's more recognizable. Now, these are not made out of cheap plastic, like some companies make, but they're actual chromed metal, very high quality. The retail price ( including Free Shipping ) is $25.00. When you get them they are presented inside a special Jewel Case box. I was actually thinking that if you have a Display Case ( piece of furniture ) in your house then this would be cool to stick on there to make it look like an "Official Batman Display Case", ha ha! For more information please be sure to visit their website by clicking HERE!
I usually don't post new Batman Toy information this early ( these won't be out until the middle of next year ) but when I saw these "new" Batman Action Figures I thought they were really great so here they are! I love the "Silver Age" look of them. It looks like DC Direct is going to re-release a set of 5 figures that they have done before, but now they have a slightly different paint job, & will also come with a special graphic novel book of collected stories. Here's what DC Direct actually says about them:
Five of Gotham City's most colorful figures are collected in this special action figure box set, in both 3D and comics form! A 64-page original collection of classic stories featuring Batman, Robin, Batgirl, The Riddler and Bat-Mite is packaged along with an action figure of each character. The stories included in the special DETECTIVE COMICS CLASSICS book are "The Riddler's Prison-Puzzle Problem!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #377, "Tall, Dark, Handsome – and Missing!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #384, "Hunt for the Helpless Hostage!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #385, "The Invader from Hell!" from BATMAN FAMILY #1, and "Bat-Mite" from WHO'S WHO: THE DEFINITE DIRECTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #2. On Sale: June 23rd, 2010
I just found out about an artist named Matt Allison who's work I really like a lot. He contacted me the other day to share some graphics he made that he thought Bat-Blog Readers would enjoy. Well, they're really great! What he did was his own interpretation of an actual silver-age Batman comic book cover that is drawn in his special graphic style. I mean, it looks just like the original but is kinda strange & unusual ( I mean that in a good way ). He also made a parody of one of those wonderful Hostess Twinkies Ads too & it totally cracks me up! The last picture is one that I found while searching his blog ( Be sure to click on them for larger, more detailed, versions ). He writes a personal blog where he shares his artwork & there's a lot of great stuff there as well. If you think you might like to check it out, then here's a link, please CLICK HERE!
Up above is a Batman and Robin Desktop Wallpaper with artwork by Carmine Infantino. I've included it here to remind everyone of what it looks like because down below is a 3D Computer Animation of this iconic comic book image from the 1960's Silver Age. As soon as I saw this on YouTube I knew it had to be shared on the Bat-Blog, it's pretty cool!
I'll admit that I don't really wear belts, never have. I don't like them. I don't know if it's fashion or if I have just never had a problem with my pants falling down, ha ha! One job I had one time I had to wear a belt, I hated it. But, while surfing the net the other day, I came across some extremely cool Batman & Joker Belt Buckles that are so awesome, I just might have to start sporting a belt! The 1st two shown are, of course, are the Classic Bat-Symbol Logo. One is the traditional "Yellow Oval" & the other is a chrome-plated bat shape. It looks pretty cool in simple elegant shiny silver! The next two are just as great. They feature THE JOKER villain! the 1st one is a close-up of his evil face. The 2nd one is the Silver-Age Style JOKER LOGO...Sweet! I don't know, between the two Jokers, I really like the comic book logo. Maybe it just reminds me of my childhood or something. If you would like to see some more Bat-Belts then be sure to click on the link below.
Here's a neat piece of Bat-History! Here's a vintage graphic that was an ad inside a silver age BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD comic book ( #66 to be exact! ). It advertised that in "current" issues of Batman & Detective Comics they will have special full-page pin-up art featuring Batman & Robin. The artwork shown here is by the famous DC Comics artist Carmine Infantino, a fan favorite!Be sure to click on the above graphic for a larger, more detailed, version.
A new friend to the Bat-Blog, named John, sent us some very cool photos of some amazing action figures he has customized. They all have a cool retro silver-age look about them & he did a great custom job! Check out the pics of the toys he made. You'll see Superman, Batman, Red Tornado, Hawkman, & The Joker too! The detailing in the costumes is very accurate & these figures look AWESOME! Thank you John for sharing these, you did a great job on them.
The latest episode of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is on tonight, Friday, January 23rd at 8:00pm, 7:00 Central on the Cartoon Network. To help remind you here are 2 Desktop Wallpapers of the event. This weeks guest will be the Silver Age Blue Beetle ( voiced by Wil Wheaton )...I can't wait!
This weeks episode is called "THE FALL OF THE BLUE BEETLE" & will star Wil Wheaton ( Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation ) as Ted Kord / Silver Age Blue Beetle. It airs on Friday, January 23rd, at 8:00 pm, 7:00 Central on the Cartoon Network. The Basic Story: Blue Beetle traces his legacy back to the original Blue Beetle, to learn why the Scarab has chosen him to share in it’s powers and become a super hero. The journey leads him to the dangerous Science Island where he battles legions of robots alongside Batman and learns the truth behind Ted Kord’s disappearance.
It's always "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" here at the Bat-Blog & this week I thought I would go totally RETRO 70's! The 1st Batman Wallpaper uses a hi-res graphic I found of vintage 1970's artwork by Neal Adams. This was a popular image used on a lot of toy packaging, like Corgi Toys Diecast Cars. Of course I am a huge Neal Adams fan so I had to use that! The next background is just as classic. It's Batgirl as drawn by Carmine Infantino. Another great comic book artist from the Silver Age. I think older readers will like these because they bring back nostalgic feelings & younger people will enjoy them just because the artwork is so good. Please let me know what YOU think about them. If you ever want a certain wallpaper design or a character that's kind of obscure just let me know & I'll see what I can do.
