Video - Michael Uslan BATMAN The Dark Knight Phenomenon

Here's an interesting video shot at New York Comic Con of an almost 1-hour speech by Michael Uslan, the Producer of the Batman Movies. This is part one ( 10 minutes ) & there are 5 total, that you can enjoy at YouTube. Basically, he shares his stories about being a HUGE Comic Book Fan & going to early Comic Book Conventions. In fact, he went to the VERY FIRST Comic Con in NYC back in the 1960's. Now the reason I'm posting this video is because he talks about Batman, a lot!

Photos - Comic Book Artist JOE KUBERT at New Jersey Comic Book Store!

Last week the Bat-Blog announced the special appearance of JOE KUBERT for a Book Signing at Dewey's Comic City in NJ. Well, Ace Bat-Reporter BatDave went to the event & said it was fantastic! He said that, "Mr. Kubert was extremely nice & even signed stuff for free!" It's great to see that some Artists are not greedy, ha! but, I've always been told by Friends who have met this guy that he's very down to earth. So, that's cool. While there Bat-Dave had some of his personal comic books, favorites from his childhood, signed. He also got these great pics. The 1st one shows the legend himself, Joe Kubert! Oh man, I wish I could have been there. As a side note: the last image, of the classic comic book covers, I made that into a JOE KUBERT COVER ART Wallpaper Background you can use to brighten your desktop. Also, a special thanks goes out to BatDave for his awesome reporting skills!

What Country Are These BATMAN Comics From?

Anyone who has been reading the BAT-BLOG for any length of time knows that I am totally goo-goo for Batman "Foreign Comic Books", ha! But here are two ( images, not actual books ) that I recently found & I have no idea where they're from. So, this post was made to ask everyone out there, "Do you know what country these came from or maybe the publisher?" Both of them look like reprints. The 1st one with the Joker on the cover has the artwork from the original cover to Joker #2. The next comic is a reprint of a 1960's story with classic art by Carmine Infantino. I forget the number of the actual BATMAN issue but it's a very iconic image.

Reminder - FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is Saturday, May 7th

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow, Saturday, May 7th is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. This is when you can hit your favorite Comic Book Retail Store ( or Public Library, in some cities ) and pick-up some free comics!! Now, this year there will be 2 books you will want to pick-up that are sort of Batman-related. The 1st one is a "Young Justice / Batman: The Brave and The Bold" issue. This book features stories with characters from each Cartoon Network animated TV series. The 2nd one is totally wacky & comes from Bluewater Productions, "The Mis-Adventures of Adam West". Reading it, I know he mentions the Batman character from time to time but it really is more about Mr. West himself. It's kind of wacky too, ha! For a list of ALL the free books they're gonna have be sure to click HERE! Also, while you're there, you can click on a book's cover & then read a sample of it online ( Read some of the "Adam West" one to get an idea of it ).

BATMAN ARTIST - JIM APARO - TREASURY COMICS - Original Comic Book Cover Art!

As a little kid back in the 1970's I became an obsessed comic book collector & one of my very most favorite things in the entire world were "Treasury Comics". They were put out by both DC Comics & Marvel ( I was more of a "DC Guy" ). If you have never seen or experienced these beautiful books then your life is completely sad, ha! Treasury Comics were basically reprints of classic stories but sold in a giant-size format. I mean, these babies were HUGE! It was almost like reading a newspaper, ha! I totally loved them & still have about 15 or 20 of them stored away in the very very back of my closet, in protective plastic bags of course.



Which, gets me to the reason for this post. The other day, while trolling on eBay, I came across a guy selling the Original Comic Book Art for the Cover to the 1975 BATMAN Treasury Comics Limited-Collectors-Edition #C37. The Artist back then was Jim Aparo!! I have always been a HUGE Aparo Fan & totally love his artwork. Now, as you can imagine, this baby is out of my price range, but I would kill to have it, ha! To own an actual piece of your childhood history like that, is what gives Collectors a reason to live. Oh well, I guess I can just drool over the photo posted up above ( Please click on it for a larger, more beautiful, picture ). The later photos show the actual product ( front & back ) and also a few advertisements that showed-up in comic books back in the day. By the way, if your a big fan of treasurys, or just wanna learn more, then please let me suggest TREASURYCOMICS.COM, it's a great reference site!

Batman Video - History of the Batmobile Car in Comics, TV, and Movies

Check out this Educational "Batman History" Video created by WATCHMOJO. It covers the evolution of the Batmobile Car in the Comic Books, TV Shows, and Movies.

BATMAN MEMORABILIA From Around the Globe!

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.

THE BRAVE AND THE OLD - New Batman Fan Website

No, the word "old" in the title was not misspelled. I'm talking about a brand-new website, created by a comic book reading Dad, that is dedicated to seeking out kid-friendly comic books that families can read together. I think that Parents who love comics might find this site interesting. It's called THE BRAVE AND THE OLD. Here's a link to check it out, just click HERE!

Vintage BATMAN AND ROBIN Movie Food Products

Here are 2 print advertisements that were printed on the back cover of a few comic books back in the day. They advertised a few food products that tied into the latest Batman movie, of the time, 1997's BATMAN AND ROBIN. I remember when these came out & even though I was NOT a big fan of the film, I still bought these for their boxes. I have always loved wacky food packaging like this. In hindsight I'm glad I did. This stuff is sort of strange now & kinda hard to find. In the future they should be pretty rare. The 1st ad is for the Batman & Robin Movie Kellogg's Pop-Tarts. The weird thing is that it only shows 3 boxes but there were actually 4. I think the one they didn't show was "Batgirl". Next, we see an old ad for MR. FREEZE Freezer Bars. The funny thing is that it was the actual name of the product even before the movie promotion. Seriously, see the Snowman? That's "Mr Freeze", ha! I guess that was the perfect tie-in. The graphics on this large box were actually pretty cool.

Ivan's NEW Vintage-Style BATMAN T-SHIRT Retro 1970's Graphics

Here's a quick post to share a nice photo sent in by a Bat-Blog Fan from Italy. This is Ivan & here is a Batman T-Shirt that he just bought in an Italian Store. Yes, BATMAN is popular enough in Italy that they actually market products there... and that is so AWESOME! I also think it's cool that the graphics look very retro-style. Check out the Bat-Logo, just like the comic books from the 1970's & 80's. I wanna thank Ivan for sharing his pic. Plus, if any other readers from outside the US come across ANY brand-new pieces of bat-merchandise then please let us know.

Vintage 1950's BATMAN Comic Books From Argentina!

This group of photos is just a very nice assortment of some foreign BATMAN ( El Hombre Murcielago ) comic books you could have found in Argentina, in the 1950's. Oh man, I'm totally lovin' the vintage-style artwork here. I also like that they are in a strange "landscape" format...beautiful!

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.

BATMAN and ROBIN PARODY ART From The COVERED Blog!

Oh Yeah! The COVERED Blog is a website where they ask other Comic Book Artists & Graphic Designers to re-create some classic comic book covers in their own unique style. They usually show the original book next to the new piece & it's always very clever. This is such a great concept that I wish I would have come up with the idea, ha! Here are just a few examples that are Batman-related. There are many more at the site which you can visit by clicking HERE!

JERRY ROBINSON, THE AMBASSADOR OF COMICS - New Batman History Book!

Jerry Robinson is one of the living legends of American comics. As a member of the original Batman team, he created the first and most iconic of all super-villains, the Joker, and co-created Robin, the Boy Wonder sidekick. During the Golden and Silver Ages of comics, Robinson worked on every comic book genre there was. His artistry also extended beyond comic books into editorial cartooning and popular syndicated newspaper strips such as Still Life and Flubs & Fluffs, as well as magazine and book illustration, fine arts, academia, and humanitarian affairs. Robinson has been an influential teacher, an important curator of cartooning art exhibits, and a tireless champion of artist's rights. This rich, fully illustrated collection of his work was written in collaboration with the artist himself. Written by N. C. Christopher Couch; illustrated by Jerry Robinson; introduction by Pete Hamill; foreword by Dennis O'Neil. It will be released as a hardback edition with dust jacket, 8" X 11" in size, & will have around 220 full-color illustrations. This book sounds really awesome & I'm very excited about it....should be pretty cool!

Hong Kong BATMAN Comic Books

Super Happy Fun Time! Here's an assortment of some wacky BATMAN BOOTLEG Comic books from Hong Kong. I say "bootleg" because I don't think they got publishing rights from DC Comics. The artwork is totally crazy & done in a very Manga-type style. I'm not sure what year they came out but I have to guess 1960's or at least 1970's. I say that because the monster on the 1st cover reminds me of Jack Kirby's art. Plus, is that Ultraman on one of the covers? Weird! I also like that they ripped-off Superman, ha ha! Either way I totally love the graphics!

German - BATMAN KLASSIK Comic Books By Hethke Publishing

Lately I have been sort of obsessed with "Foreign Batman" comic books. They're really hard to find in the US. I like the ones that have a total foreign language on the cover. I can't read them at all, but they're cool to look at, ha ha! Here are a few examples of a title called BATMAN KLASSIK. They're published in Germany by the Hethke Publishing Company. This series reprinted all the classic "Neal Adams Batman" stories from the 1970's, mostly the ones featuring the characters that Neal Adams created, R'as Al Ghul & Man-Bat. I always loved those stories from my childhood so they're kinda great to see in another format. If there are any Bat-Blog Readers from other countries who could send some information or photos that would be great, thanks!

New BATMAN T-SHIRTS Over At SUPERHERO STUFF

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.

Garrey's Awesome BATMAN COMIC BOOK, TOY, & MEMORABILIA Collection!

The Bat-Blog recently received a whole bunch of really great photos from a Bat-Fan named Garrey. This is his room where he displays some of his Batman Collection. He's got a lot of Vintage Comic Books, New Graphic Novels, DVD Movies, Action Figures, Collectible Toys, Movie Posters, etc... I couldn't post ALL the photos he sent so I just condensed them down to a few of the best ones. He really has a lot of neat Batman items! Now, you know I totally love all this kinda stuff ( especially the toys ) but I gotta say that the BAT'S MOTEL sign is really funny! If I remember right, he said he got it at BIG LOTS during the Halloween Season. It's not really a "Batman item" but it does totally fit into the collection. Plus, I like the humor. Thank you Garrey for sharing your personal photos with us, I appreciate that a lot & know that many people will enjoy seeing these pics. It's always cool to see what other people have so if YOU ( Bat-Blog Reader ) have anything to share then please send us your pictures today!

BATMAN ARTIST - NORM BREYFOGLE at NORTH EAST COMIC CON ( Boston ) in March!

The Legendary BATMAN Comic Book Artist NORM BREYFOGLE will be a Special Guest at the NORTH EAST COMIC CON in Boston, Massachusetts on March 7th, 2010. So, if you live nearby, then this is your chance to meet him & maybe get a drawing or sketch of the Dark Knight. Now, another reason I mention this Boston Comic Book Convention is that they will also be giving away, as a door prize, an Original 1940's Golden Age Copy of BATMAN #1!! WOW! That would be extremely cool to win! I mean, I have wanted that iconic issue since I was about 12 years old, ha ha! For more information about this show be sure to visit their site by clicking HERE!

Justin's BATMAN TRADE PAPERBACK BOOK Collection!

We just received an email from a Bat-Blog Fan named Justin & it was loaded with a bunch of cool pics! Justin said that he has been a Fan of the Dark Knight since age 5 & he is now 19. The thing he really enjoys is collecting the Batman Trade Paperback Books ( Graphic Novels ), Hardback Books, & Comic Books. Here are some photos he sent of his collection. Because of space limitations I couldn't publish them all but these do give you a really good idea of what an awesome library he has. On a side-note, I like how he has a Post-It Note attached to the shelf, near the Batman books, that reads, "DO NOT TOUCH!", that's funny! Thanks Justin for sending in these photos & sharing your collection with us. You have some great stuff! As always, I want to invite all Bat-Blog Readers to share your pics of anything Batman-related. It can be a Vintage Toy Collection, a photo of you meeting Adam West, your recent Bat-Birthday Party, whatever!