OK, Long time Bat-Blog Fans know the drill. Every Wednesday we post a few custom-designed BATMAN Wallpaper Backgrounds for you to enjoy....so, enjoy! The 1st one is an homage to 1970's Batman. I think this artwork was originally the comic book art of Neal Adams, a Bat-Fan favorite! Then, the 2nd one is a parody of the 1960's TV Series Logo. It says, "HENCH", referring to "Henchmen". This is all about some characters on the modern day TV Cartoon, The Venture Bros. On that show there's an evil Super-Villain named "The Monarch" & he has a very large team of Henchmen. This graphic design is actually from a T-Shirt & if you would like more info on that then just click HERE!
OK, I woke-up this morning to discover that there are even MORE MORE MORE Costume-Mod Skins for Batman: Arkham City! Keeping up with it all is driving me crazy and I predict that there will probably be many more, ha! For now, here are the ones that will be foreign exclusives to certain companies. I would like to add that I think all of these will be made available to everybody in the future. I mean, you know everyone world-wide is going to want each and every Bat-Suit! Here they are -
From left to right: Batman Beyond, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Earth One, 1970's Batman, and The Animated Series. The last one is the Regular "Arkham City" Version.
For now, the break-down on who is offering these skins is as follows:
ShopTo.net (UK) or Toys ‘R Us (USA) – 1970′s Batman
MightyApe – Batman Beyond, Earth One, The Animated Series
In BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM we could all pretty much be Batman but all with the same costume. For BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY there has already been an announcement that, in the Special "Limited Collector's Edition" of BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY, it will include a Frank Miller-style "The Dark Knight Returns" Batman skin that will change the appearance of the character to look like the TDKR version.
OK, it's been announced in the UK that if you buy the "Limited Collector's Edition" of BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY from a company called SHOP TO, you can get a free EXCLUSIVE download that will enable you to have a 1970's Inspired Costume Skin ( see the pic up above ). Now, I'm not sure if this will be made available in the USA or if it will even work with American Consoles. But if you're curious & wanna check it out then here's a LINK!
OK, if you're hitting the Comic Book Shop today then you need to keep an eye out for this baby! This is the cover to the "DC Retroactive 1970's BATMAN #1" One-Shot. I love the old DC Comics logo, & speaking of that, I also love the 70's BATMAN logo too ( Click on the above graphic for a larger photo ). You see, these are the comic books I grew-up with & it's just nice to see them again. Of course back then they only cost 25 cents, "Holy Inflation, Batman!" This one-shot issue features both a brand new story and a classic story by Len Wein, originally published in the 1970s. It also features art by Tom Mandrake, John Calnan and Dick Giordano.
Oh yeah, for a teaser where you can read the 1st few pages for free, click HERE!
Here's a wonderful photo sent in to us by our friend Yuji. He had a BATMAN Birthday Cake with a graphic of his favorite Vintage Toy, a 1970's Batman MEGO Doll... I mean, Action Figure! This cake looks goooood & it's making me hungry, ha! Plus, I totally love Mego Toys so this is great stuff! ( Thanks Yuji for sharing your pic ).
OK, I know that this is really not "Batman -Related News" but I'm a HUGE FAN of the Christopher Reeve SUPERMAN Movies from the 1970's, so, here we go! HOT TOYS has just released a teaser photo of one of their next major figures they're going to release. It's the SUPERMAN THE MOVIE Figure, a Classic Christopher Reeve version! The pic doesn't show his face, but knowing this Toy Company, it's gonna be awesome! Now, let's just hope they do every single character in the film, "KNEEL DOWN TO ZOD!"
If you have ever read the Bat-Blog for a few days or longer then you know I love the Batman Toys, ha! I like everything from the 60's all the way to today. But the stuff that's the most special to me is the merchandise made in the 1970's. You see, I was born in 1964 so I remember most of the bat-products on the shelves around that time. I guess you could say they were "the toys of my childhood". So, I'm sort of nostalgic for them. Now, in the 70's there was a "retail-marketing thing" called RACK TOYS. They were usually extremely cheesy plastic toys that were sold inside a clear bubble-pack on a thin-cardboard header card.
You would see them all the time at Grocery Stores, Drug Stores, & especially 7-Eleven! They were inexpensive & some modern-day Toy Collectors call them "Shut-Up Toys". You know, you would whine that you wanted it & Mom would say, "OK, here, get this one & be quiet!", ha ha! So, this post is dedicated to those wonderful collectibles from the past. Most of the photos are pretty self-explanatory so I'll just let you check them out. Also, if you have any special memories of this stuff then please share.
I don't know what my fascination is with "Foreign Batman items" but that sort of stuff is really cool! Plus it's very hard to find. Here's some great examples: The 1st photo shows a JAPANESE POTATO CHIP BAG with a 1989 BATMAN movie promotion. Now, how wacky is that! Speaking of "Japanese", right now my heart goes out to all the people of Japan. The recent events there are such a tragedy. Let's hope things get better soon. The next pic features a 1980's German-Language BATMAN Comic Book... from Germany ( Duh!, ha! ). The the last group of photos are vintage Batman items from Australia. These Australian comics are from the 1970's. So, what do you think? Is this stuff kinda cool!? Hey, I got a question, Do YOU have any foreign bat-items you would like to share? If so, then please send us some pics today. Remember, the Bat-Blog is all about sharing information about the joys of collecting.
Just the other day I got an email from a Bat-Blog Reader asking me about a Batman Promo Glass he found at a Garage Sale. He sent a photo of it and as soon as I saw it I knew what it was. I mean, I totally remembered these from my childhood in the 70's. It's a glass from the 1976 DC Comics Superhero Pepsi Series. If I remember right, they were a promotion at Burger King, the Fast Food Restaurant ( or was it Arby's? ). But either way here's a photo that shows the complete set of 6 glasses ( Click on the pic for a larger sharper version ). OK Rob, you now need to find Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, Shazam, and the Flash!
I recently got a message from a guy named Steve who is searching for a piece of his childhood. Well, he's looking for a Batman Rain Coat that he had as a kid in the 1970's. He wrote me to see if I had any information but I have never seen this bat-product before. The cool thing, he made these 2 awesome drawings to represent what he's looking for. Yeah, he got into heavy detail here, ha! the Coat was made out of Heavy Black Latex Rubber & was sort of like a Poncho. It had a Bat-Cowl Hood with a Clear-Plastic Visor. On the back was a Large BATMAN Logo ( 1970's Style ) inside a Yellow Oval-Shape. So, has anybody ever seen this thing? If so then please let us know. Thanks.
Everybody who grew-up in the 1970's will recognize this stuff, it's a Jigsaw Puzzle in a Can! Oh yeah, as a little kid I used to love these. I think I had 2 or 3 of them, Superman & Batman. But here are some that were sort of an unusual series, The SUPER-FOES! These puzzles featured major Batman Villians: The Joker, The Penguin, & The Riddler! These are all the pictures I could find of these super-rare toys & I'm wondering if they made more of them. I mean, it seems sort of logical that they might have made one with Catwoman too. But either way, the artwork on these are wonderful.
If you're a real Bat-Fan then you know about the debt we all owe Bob Kane. I mean, he "created" Batman, our favorite superhero! So, here's a few vintage photos of him. The 1st one is sort of a fake promo showing him "painting" a Pop Art Masterpiece with a model dressed-up in a Catwoman Costume...MEOW! The next one is more candid ( real ). This is an original photo taken by a fan at a 1970's Comic Book Convention. I think the year was 1973 & you gotta love that groovy purple silk shirt, ha! Of course he's holding up an issue of Batman #1. I thought I would post these because they're images you don't usually see of him. If you know of any other ones that are rare then please let us know.
The main focus of the Bat-Blog is to share the joy of collecting Batman Toys and Bat-Products, both old & new. OK, I know we also cover the TV Shows, Cartoons, Movies, Video Games, etc...but we're mainly all about being a collector. Now one of my personal favorite areas of collecting is the neat stuff they made in the 1970's. I was a little kid during that period so they have a lot of nostalgia for me. Plus, they made a lot of wacky items back then, ha! Here's just a small example: Check out this Original Batman PEZ Store Display Box. The vintage graphics are wonderful. Back in 1976 the PEZ company made a set of PEZ Candy Dispensers of Batman, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, The Penguin, & The Joker. The cool thing, also, was that they had rubber heads ( instead of the regular hard plastic ). Today, these babies are extremely hard-to-find! Plus, why isn't the Penguin shown on the box? Strange.The next item is RARE too. Here is a Batman Finger Puppets Play Set made in 1976 by Ideal. Basically it was a set of molds where you could make some superhero character heads out of Modeling Dough. The next item is a Batman Toy Watch made by MARX Toys. It's from around 1977 & I totally remember having it as a little kid, ha! I have one of these in my personal collection ( but NOT in the original packaging ). The last item is one that I didn't even know existed until about a year ago & I've been a serious collector for 20+ years. It's a Batman L'il Zips Bat-Cycle made by AHI. OK, I knew there were one of these Bat-Cycles out there ( a larger one ) but this one is very small, a different scale. Hence the name, "L'il Zips". Someday this baby WILL BE MINE! I hope some of these pics bring back fond memories. I have a question...Do YOU have any RARE Batman Toys you would like to share? If so then please send us some pics today. Our email button is always on the top right-hand side of this page.
Oh yeah! We have just teamed-up with the Mego Museum to bring you the latest BAT-BLOG CONTEST! The prize? A mint copy of "1978 REIMAGINED". It's a Fantasy Mego Toy Catalog filled with cool custom dolls, beautiful graphics & wonderful color photos!! If you remember, the Mego Toy Company went out of business in 1977 & this fantasy catalog asks the questions, "What if they didn't? What if they still produced toys in 1978? What would they have made?" OK, now part of it is a "dream list" of items we all wish they would have made & a few pieces are toys they actually had planned but never got to make. Stuff like: Dolls for the Superman Movie, more KISS Dolls, Figures based on the 1966 Batman TV Show, Universal Monsters, Scooby Doo, Wizard of OZ, Star Wars, etc...way too much to list here! Overall it's a pretty clever idea & an interesting book. It's very well made & they even feature a lot of cool Batman items. So, we're giving away one mint copy to one lucky winner. All you have to do is email us your full name & address with the words "MEGO MUSEUM CATALOG CONTEST" in the title. The names will be collected & on Friday, July 16th, 2010 ( at midnight ) a lucky winner will be randomly chosen. Then, we'll pay the postage & send this baby to you! Our email button is down below & for more information about this wonderful book click HERE!
CONTEST RULES:
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.
The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded.
Decisions of the contest judges are final - no substitutions will be available.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
This contest is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
The Bat-Blog reserves the right to withdraw or terminate this contest at any time without prior notice.
Here's a wonderful vintage 70's family photo sent in by our good friend David. It shows him & his friend John Paul playing in the swimming pool with some of those Mego Bend & Flex Figures. Basically they were "bendy toys" of popular DC Comics superheroes ( they made MARVEL ones too ). I have a few of these in my collection. They're really hard to find in MINT shape. Mostly because, back in the 1970's, little kids played with them in the water ( Hey David, ha ha! ). If you would like more information about these toys, plus see some great pics, be sure to check out this article at the YESTERVILLE TOY ROOM website, just click HERE!
Here's an extremely RARE piece of Bat-History! This is some footage from an old 1970's ABC Television's Silver Anniversary Special, it's a song and dance tribute to BATMAN, interspersed with clips from the original 1966 TV show. It is completely insane, enjoy.
I love it when Bat-Blog Fans send us their vintage family photos & share their love of the Batman Universe. This group of pictures is our buddy Dave back in 1976! That Summer he made this incredible Robin, The Boy Wonder costume!! Dave said,
"Growing up in New Jersey, I was consumed with reruns of GET SMART, original STAR TREK, The MONKEES, and of course, BATMAN!! Adam West was fantastic as Batman, but he was a grown-up ( and kind of beefy! ). Weighing only 80 pounds, I found it much easier to relate to the lean, acrobatic Boy Wonder as portrayed by the great Burt Ward. Looking back, my primitive sewing skills were not that polished, but I think that my homemade Robin outfit holds up pretty well."
Yes, this homemade costume is really GREAT! Thanks for sharing the fun pics. As a side note, that one picture of you on the ladder looks exactly like a famous publicity photo of Burt Ward. It's the same angle & pose, everything, that's cool! If any other Bat-Blog Readers out there have similar pics to share then please mail them in. Our email button is always on the top right-hand side of this blog page, thanks.
A Loyal Bat-Blog Reader named Williams sent us this cool pic the other night of a set of BATMAN AND JOKER TATTOOS he recently got. The cool thing is that the images are the original vintage comic book logos that were popular in the 1970's & 80's. I remember these from my childhood & they have always been a favorite ( especially "The Joker" ). The Tattoo Artist here did a really great job on both the colors & sharpness of line. I also wanna thank Williams for sharing this photo. Thanks Dude, your Bat-Tats look awesome!! Remember Bat-Blog Fans, if you ever get some ink done please be sure to send us a photo.
