New JOKER Viral Marketing Website for THE DARK KNIGHT!

I hope you guys get this information in time to see it! Warner Bros has released a new "Joker Viral Marketing" website for THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie called The Clown Travel Agency. It will have some kind of special feature that will happen on April 1st, 2008! For right now there's only a picture of a suitcase with an envelope that reads, "Departure Date 4-01"...Hmmm, I wonder what the Joker is up to now!? Here's a link button to check it out!

Another Official Bat-Blog Contest: WIN A 1966 BATMOBILE!!

Some people arrive at this blog by reading & clicking on a post title in an RSS feed so if you think we're giving away a real 1966 Batmobile you're crazy, sucker! Ha Ha! But we are giving away, for FREE, the next best thing. This contest is for an Original 2007 Mattel Hot Wheels 1966 Batmobile, Mint In Package. It's the car we all love from the classic 1960's TV Show that was designed by George Barris & it's really beautiful! All you have to do to enter is e-mail us your full name/address ( Please put "1966 Batmobile Contest" in the title ). We never sell or give away any information so it's totally private. The Bat-Blog Contest ends on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 11:00 pm - Central Time. Just be sure to send your name/address before then. I guess for legal reasons we need to state that this contest is in NO way associated with either DC Comics, Warner Bros, or Mattel. It's just that the Bat-Blog is very generous & we care about our readers! Oh yeah, one last thing: PLEASE ENTER TODAY and GOOD LUCK!!

CONTEST RULES:

1. The contest is open to the general public as well as anyone currently reading the BAT-BLOG on a daily basis. Employees of the Bat-Blog and employees' immediate family members and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are excluded from this contest.
   
   
2. The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded.
   
   
3. Decisions of the contest judges are final - no substitutions will be available.
   
   
4. By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including without limitation, radio broadcasts, newspapers and other publications and in television or film releases, slides, videotape, distribution over the internet and picture date storage) which Bat-Blog may deem appropriate.
   
   
5. In accepting the prize, the winner, and any reader(s), acknowledges that the Bat-Blog may not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with accepting or using this prize.
   
   
6. The person whose name is drawn as being the winner of the specific prize will be required to send us their correct mailing information before the prize is awarded to them. Postage to be paid, free of charge, by the Bat-blog.
   
   
7. Detailed contest rules applicable to this contest, including contest entry dates, how to enter, and prize value, number and any restrictions applicable to these prizes are available upon request by reading these Contest Rules, ha ha!
   
   
8. The Bat-Blog retains the rights, in its absolute and sole discretion, to make substitutions of equivalent kind or approximate value in the event of the unavailability of any prize or component of the prize for any reason whatsoever.
   
   
9. This contest is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
   
   
10. The Bat-Blog reserves the right to withdraw or terminate this contest at any time without prior notice.
    
    
11. Approximate value of prize varies.
    
    
12. Contest open to loyal Bat-Blog Readers only.
    
    
13. One entry per person.

The Art of Marc Wolfe: Batman, The Joker, & Harley Quinn!

A friend of mine told me about an artist who must really like Batman because he has a few examples of Batman-related artwork in his online portfolio. The artist's name is Mark Wolfe & this guy is pretty talented. Here are a few examples of some graphics he did that look like real-life playing cards. I think they would make an awesome card set. They feature Batman, Joker, & Harley Quinn ( The one of Harley is my favorite ). Down below is a link button to check out his page. If you check it out please let us know what you think about his work by leaving a comment down below. Also, be sure to BOOKMARK the Bat-Blog before ya leave!

Batman Fan-Made Film: BORN LAUGHING ( Heath Ledger's Joker )

"Born Laughing" was written to chronicle the early crimes of Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger's incarnation of the Joker character. The acting is pretty good for a fan-film. Also, The Joker's costume, hair, & make-up look very much like Heath Ledger's version...nice!

Batman Humor Photo: The Dark Knight Rockin' The Casbah!

I snagged this photo awhile back when surfing through MySpace but now I forget where I got it, ha ha. But anyway it's from a guy who's a musician & one Halloween he & his band members all dressed up in costume on stage. I thought this picture was kinda funny with Batman playing the guitar! If you have any humor Batman photos to share then please send them today or just leave a comment down below to let us know what you think about this pic. Thanks.

Photo: "Golden Age Joker" Batman Graphic Tattoo Art

I just found this really great example of some Batman-Related Tattoo Art. This is a graphic of the "Joker Playing Card" logo from the Golden Age of Batman comics. The tattoo belongs to a friend known as "Montreal_Clown" who resides in, you guessed it, Canada! I think the artist did a very good job. The colors are vivid & sharp...nice, very nice! As a side note I wanna thank the owner for allowing me to post this great pic. I appreciate that & your Joker tattoo looks awesome, a very good choice of imagery!

Video: Fan-Made Film ( Dubbed Dutch Language ) Batman Beyond: The Return of The Joker

Here's a recently found video that I thought was pretty interesting. Some fans took a clip from a Batman Animated Cartoon & added their own voices, in Dutch! Even though I can't understand what they're saying you can still get that they did a good job with the inflictions, timing, & "sound" of the characters. Check it out, it's kinda neat.

Original Harley Quinn Artwork By Bruce Timm Submitted By Bat-Blog Reader!

One of our readers named Peter sent us this awesome picture of a Harley Quinn Sketch done by Bruce Timm. We all know her as The Joker's girlfriend & she's a great character! This guy was responsible for creating "the look" of the, now classic, Batman: The Animated Series. It appears that our friend had this wonderful piece of art properly framed & matted, that's cool! Thanks Peter for sharing this with us. We appreciate that & you have an awesome sketch you should be proud of. As always we wanna invite ALL other Bat-Blog Readers to send any Batman-related photos to share! Art, Humor, Toys, Wallpapers, etc...

Vintage 1960's Batman & Robin Artwork By Carmine Infantino Inspires Comic Book Covers!

The first image shown in this post is an icon in comic book history. This graphic of Batman & Robin posing on the edge of a Gotham City rooftop is super-famous. It was created by the Silver-Age comic book artist Carmine Infantino. It has been made into a Poster, a Vinyl Placemat, a Jigsaw Puzzle, graphics for a Batman Board Game, and it has even been a source of inspiration to many later comic book artists while doing a comic book cover, sort of an homage. The next few photos are just some examples. I have always thought this is a really great image & thought you might like these random covers, they're both cool & kinda funny. If you know of some others then please submit them by e-mail. Also, leave a comment & let us know which one you like the best.

2 Free BATMAN WALLPAPER BACKGROUNDS Featuring THE JOKER!

Regular Bat-Blog Readers know the drill! Every Wednesday we post 2 Brand-New BATMAN WALLPAPERS you can use as a background in a MySpace layout or to decorate your PC Desktop! Here are some with a JOKER theme. The 1st one is a new one at the Official DC Comics website where they kinda hype the soon-to-be-released BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE 20th Anniversary Graphic Novel Book ( I can't wait till this comes out & they're also gonna make some very cool Action Figures too ). The next Joker Wallpaper is extremely special because it was created by a friend of the Bat-Blog named "Bacon". He's a graphic designer dude with a lot of talent. He made this just for you guys & it's really cool! I like how, in the background, there's the phrase "WHY SO SERIOUS?" & the letter have a drop-shadow to give them a 3-D look. The graphic of Joker has the same shadow & it's just a neat trick-of-the-eye that I like. We wanna invite other readers to send us LARGE graphics we can use as backgrounds. Sharing information & the joy of Batman collecting is what this blog is all about!

NEW: French BATMAN PRODUCTS From France!

In response to a post we did recently about some "Foreign Batman Memorabilia" our friend Andrew sent these wonderful photos of some current Bat-items available in France. The 1st picture is my favorite & it's a box of Batman Cookies. The graphics are awesome! Oh yeah, in Europe they call cookies "Biscuits", so I guess this is a box of biscuits, ha ha! The next 2 sets of photos are the magazine covers to, what Andrew calls, "Baby Magazines" that are probably marketed to small children. They feature THE BATMAN & The TEEN TITANS cartoons. He said he gets them because they come with cool premiums like stickers, cards, watches, keychains, etc...Thanks Andrew for taking the time to photograph these & send them. I really appreciate that & I know my readers will enjoy seeing this rare Batman stuff. I wanna invite ALL Bat-Blog Readers to send photos, no matter where you live!

The Bat-Blog is On The "I Believe in Harvey Dent" Viral Campaign Website!

OK, I know I'm a major bat-nerd now when I get really excited about being placed on THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie Viral Website, ha ha! Warner Bros has created a page called "I BELIEVE IN HARVEY DENT" that is the base for their HARVEY DENT For DISTRICT ATTORNEY Political Campaign. It's a cool site that looks real & it allows people to get involved in different ways. One way is they have some really great PDF pictures that you can download & then take to a local printer to get bumper stickers or campaign posters printed, the graphics are nice! So, I had a "HARVEY DENT FOR GOTHAM CITY" banner made & put it on the back of my work truck. Plus, awhile back I found some LETTER vinyl stickers & put "BAT-BLOG.COM" on my back tailgate. Everywhere I drive or park I advertise the Bat-Blog, ha ha! OK, so I took a picture of the back of my truck & submitted it. It got accepted & is now on the page. The funny thing is that the "Bat-Blog.Com Propaganda"also appears in the photo! If any other readers have some great ideas to advertise the Bat-Blog then please let me know ( You guys might mention this site in a message board you belong to or post a bulletin at your MySpace page, hint, hint ). One last thing, in the picture down below are some of the Political Campaign Buttons & Stickers being given away by the DENTMOBILE. If any of you live in a town where they are appearing please get me some of these! I live in Oklahoma City & they are NOT even coming close to my area ( yeah, that sucks! ).

Video: "Kid Cornered" Music Video with Kids in Batman Costume!

I discovered this music video the other day & it has a great "Batman moment" in it. Plus, the song is kinda cool ...enjoy.

Vintage Magazine Ad: BATMAN'S TV SWEEPSTAKES 1966

Here at the Bat-Blog we're pretty popular for our contests but this is not one of them, ha ha! Again, we are NOT giving away $250,000 dollars worth of prizes, ha ha ha! ( I wish! ) There is NO $50,000 First Prize, Ha! This picture was an original magazine print ad published by Prell Shampoo & Gleem Toothpaste in 1966. They teamed-up with the 60's TV Show to have this contest. Back then you would see this advertisement in a large-format magazine like LIFE or the Saturday Evening Post. I just love the vintage graphics & it's a neat part of bat-history.

PHOTO: New BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE JIM APARO Statue

Ya know, these BLACK AND WHITE Statues from DC Direct just keep getting better & better! ( Click on the picture up above for a larger, more detailed, photo ). One of my favorite childhood heroes was the classic comic book artist Jim Aparo. His version of Batman is still one of my favorites, up there with Neal Adams & Jim Lee. At the DC Comics website I noticed this new statue in their "Just Announced" section. The text reads:
"DESIGNED BY JIM APARO; SCULPTED BY MIKE LOCASIO

The popular BATMAN: BLACK and WHITE line of artist-inspired statues continues!
This rendering of the Caped Crusader is based on the cover image from DETECTIVE COMICS #443, drawn by longtime Batman artist Jim Aparo. Painted in monochromatic tones, this statue is certain to be another sought-after addition to DC Direct's line of BATMAN: BLACK and WHITE statues.

The statue measures approximately 6.5" tall x 8" wide x 5" deep. It features a logo-shaped base, and is packaged in a black-and-white box.

$ 75.00 US | On Sale June 11, 2008"

Vintage Batman Memorabilia From Poland, Germany, & Belgium!

Readers who sorta-kinda know me from reading this blog over the last few years know I am totally goo-goo over the "Foreign Batman Toys", ha ha! So, it's been nice getting a few photos of Bat-Memorabilia from readers around the world. The 1st photo is a very RARE Batman Batmobile Toy shown Mint in Original Box! Our friend Albert sent this, it was made by Polistil & it's from the late 1970's. It's extremely cool. The next photo is from our friend Norbert who lives in Germany. He had originally sent this photo as a response to a request we made for items with the newer Batman Logo but I saved it for now. It's a special German-Issue of Batman which came with an original comic book art sketch on the cover! They need to do that here. The last photo is from a reader in Belgium who wrote that these Batman Cookies were out awhile back but no longer in stores. Oh man, I would love to have a box of these Bat-Cookies! The graphics all around the box are extremely cool! I wanna thank everybody who send these pics & as always, I wanna invite other readers, in or out of the USA, to send us your photos!

ART: Batman Happy Birthday Cake Photo!

OK, I just realized I haven't posted a Batman Birthday Cake photo lately so here ya go! This one was sent in by Lisa, a reader from Chicago, who says her husband loved his cake. Ha Ha, we love it too, thanks for sending us the picture! It's really cool. I mean, it's an ART Masterpiece, very well done! We wanna ask ALL our loyal Bat-Blog readers who have had a Batman-themed Cake or party recently to send us a photo...we love 'em!

BATMAN TATTOO ART: Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, & Catwoman Tattoos

One of our Bat-Blog Readers, named Peter, sent us these amazing photos of his 2 Batman-related Tattoos & they're AWESOME! Extremely well done with sharp lines & nice coloring. Basically it's the "GOTHAM GIRLS" done in the artwork-style of Bruce Timm from Batman: The Animated Series. On one arm he has the Catwoman leaping through the air & on the other arm is a graphic showing Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn together. I have always loved that Classic TV Cartoon & think this is a great choice for tattoo art. Thank you Peter for sending these wonderful photos. If any other readers have some pics to share then please send them in, we always appreciate it!

It's the 20th Anniversary of BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE Graphic Novel Book!

It's hard to believe that Batman: The Killing Joke came out 20 years ago, this makes me feel really old! I remember when it came out (I still have my original copy). Even back then it was a very BIG deal because it was written by the famous comic book writer Alan Moore & the artwork by Brian Bolland is still extremely beautiful by today's standards. In fact, this graphic novel is ICONIC. Shown up above is the original 1988 comic book ad hyping the release of the original graphic novel, 20 yrs ago! That famous picture of The Joker has been made into T-Shirts, Posters, Banners, etc. If you have never read The Killing Joke you should because it's really an important piece of history in the Batman Comic Book Universe. Plus, it's just so incredibly well-written & drawn, a great book! Recently, DC Comics published a Special "20th Anniversary" Edition. Here's a link for more information, check it out!

David & Victoria Beckham's Son, Cruz Beckham, Dressed in BATMAN BEYOND Costume.

OK, I hate tabloid news but the tabloids in the UK are going totally nuts over this & it is Batman-related so here we go. The famous LA couple David Beckham ( Soccer Player ) & his wife, Victoria ( Posh, from the Spice Girls ) have 3 children. The other day, in Los Angeles, "Posh" took her kids out to a movie for one of the kid's birthdays. But, it seems that their youngest son, 3 year old Cruz Beckham, stole the spotlight because he wore his BATMAN BEYOND costume to the show. ( Thanks to Andrew for telling me about this event ). I have to admit that the choice of this variation of Batman is kinda cool. Now, back to "real news".

MTV NEWS Interviews Actor Christian Bale and Director Christopher Nolan!

Recently MTV NEWS got the chance to talk with both the actor Christian Bale ( Batman / Bruce Wayne ) & Christopher Nolan, the director of the upcoming 2008 THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie talks about Heath Ledger's amazing performance as The Joker. Here are the videos:

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

Reader Photos: Awesome ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER Vintage Toy & Action Figure Collection!!

It seems that every day new readers are discovering the Bat-Blog ( I love that! ) but what I love more is the fact that a lot of them send in some really great photos, ha ha! This is a perfect example. This morning I got this wonderful e-mail from a new reader:

Hi, this is my first time emailing you, and I was reading through the archives how readers emailed you pictures that would look cool on your website. I have a picture of some of my Robin figures that I thought you'd might be interested in. Most of it are megos, but a few are DC Direct action figures. The strange looking Robin with the weird outfit is a Lily Ledy one ( the Mexican equivalent of a Mego ). It's a pretty cool piece!

And I also have a really neat Non-Magnetic Fly Away Action Mego Robin with artwork that just pops in the back! This figure is pretty rare and I wanted to share it.

And my last picture is a Secret Identity Bruce Wayne Mego figure. These are pretty rare as well and everything on mine is all original EXCEPT the tie, which is a repro. The deal with the secret identity figures is that they were only available exclusively at Montgomery Wards during a short time in 1974. I'll be getting a Dick Grayson Secret Identity one soon so if you want to see a picture of that one feel free to message me back.

-Francine


Oh yeah, Francine, we wanna see the photos of that Dick Grayson Figure when you get it. Please send it later! Also, thank you very very much for sending these great pics. You have a really awesome collection of Robin Memorabilia here! There's a ton of extremely RARE items & the condition on most of them are very very nice! I appreciate when collectors send photos of their bat-stuff on display. It's really neat to see & I want to invite ALL Bat-Blog Readers to do the same! Oh yeah, Readers, Be sure to click on the photos up above for larger, more detailed, pix!

Italian Nesquik Ad with DC Comic Characters Gets Translated!

In a recent post here at the Bat-Blog we showed a cool Italian vintage comic book ad that featured some DC Comic Character Premiums ( Batman, Robin, Superman, & Wonder Woman Jet-Planes ) that were given away inside Nesquik Chocolate Drink Mix boxes. Well, our friend Andrew knows Italian very well & sent us this translation:

Robin/Batman/Wonder Woman: "Our spaceships"

Superman: "Gift in Nesquik Astroquik"

Landing on Nesquik and obtainable free with Astroquik, the magnetic spaceships of the superheroes.

From today in every 400g box of Nesquik Astroquik, you will find one of the magnetic spaceships preferred by Superman, Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman. Every Astroquik is complete with super pilot, a magnet and coloured decals to attach. You can find 4 different Astroquik to make your magnetic astro fleet and invent your spacial adventures.

With the taste of chocolate, it captures the milk.

Thanks for translating this for us Andrew, that's cool! I would love to find some of these jets, they're kinda neat, & the container has very nice graphics too.

New York Comicon Comic Book Convention Opens on April 18-20, 2008 in New York City!

For the Bat-Blog readers who live on the east coast I thought I would do this post to remind them that the annual NEW YORK COMICON COMIC BOOK CONVENTION is on April 18th-20th, 2008. This year they have a ton of guests that are "Batman-related". They include ( in no certain order ) : Mike Mignola, Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Grant Morrison, Alex Ross, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Jim Lee, Denny O'Neal, Steve Rude, Darwyn Cooke, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, & probably a few others I missed! The guest list is HUGE! Also there will be three exclusive Batman toys. I featured 2 of them in a previous post ( scroll way down ) but shown here is the just-released Special Edition Comic Book Convention Exclusive "Tech Suit Mr.Freeze" action figure from Mattel ( Booth # 1547 ). I think this figure is really great! This is an awesome event that I highly recommend you going to, especially for the chance to get some sketches and/or autographs from these classic Batman writers & artists. Here's a link button down below if ya need more information:

KOOL, The Advertising Icon Character That Inspired BOB KANE To Create The Penguin.

A friend to the Bat-Blog recently sent us these 2 photos showing the KOOL CIGARETTES PENGUIN ( Advertising Icon ) & the Batman Comic Book PENGUIN Villain. This Vintage Advertising Character is well known for being the inspiration to Bob Kane for creating the Penguin. If you look at the 2 pics you can see the resemblance. Thanks for sending us the pictures & readers, be sure to send your interesting Bat-photos today!

HAPPY EASTER From The Batman!!

This BATMAN EASTER BASKET is so gosh darn cute, ha ha! Our friend Kevin sent us this cool photo of a new Batman product that is out for Easter. He told us he just found this at a Target Store. That's funny, I was just there a few days ago & checked...I didn't see it. They must have just got them so if you want one be sure to go there tonight...HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY!! Oh yeah, Thanks Kevin for the great pic, appreciate that! Also, any Bat-Blog readers who spot new Batman merchandise please send us the information ( what, where, cost, & a photo if you can ).

Interesting GRANT MORRISON INTERVIEW ( Batman Comic Books ) at Newsarama.

A friend sent me this link the other night to a very interesting interview with the famous comic book writer Grant Morrison. Grant will be responsible for the new Batman story arc titled "BATMAN R.I.P." & if you're a fan of this writer you should check it out, here's a link button:

Video: Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm Batman. ( Mac / PC Parody )