The Publisher, Chronicle Books, has just released this cool new BOOK PROMO VIDEO to start early hype for "THE BOY WHO LOVED BATMAN". This book was written by Michael Uslan who has been the Executive Producer for all the recent Batman Movies. We're talking "1989 BATMAN" all the way up to the next Bat-Film, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. But, besides working in Hollywood, Michael Uslan is an extremely serious Batman Fan, and has been since early childhood, this is his story.
"Batman's Biggest Secret is NOT Bruce Wayne...", reads the front of this brand-new Promo T-Shirt. The back says, "Put Your Finger on it, July 2012, NOBLEMANIA". OK, This post is sort of mysterious but here's the deal. There's a Book Author named Marc Tyler Nobleman who is in the very very early stages of promoting his next book ( The actual release date is almost a year from now, July 1st, 2012 ). You might know him as the guy who wrote "Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman". Well, his next major book will be all about the uncredited Batman Co-Creator, Bill Finger. Serious Batman Fans know who this guy is because his story of how he never got any credit for helping create the greatest comic book superhero in history is legendary. But the unusual thing is that he was so "hidden" that even serious Fans don't know much about him. Well, hopefully that's gonna change after the book comes out. Basically it's going to be a very serious Biography about Mr. Finger & his contributions to the Comic Book genre, especially the Dark Knight character. I've been following the creation of this book for awhile now & the attention to details, & the interviews with other Artists/Writers, is extremely meticulous. I'm predicting it's gonna be a really great book.
OK, to get back to the T-Shirt. The shirt you see up above was created as a promotional Tool for the next 2011 Comic Con. Marc is set-up to do a lecture & panel discussion at that event for the "Bill Finger" Book. We're hoping a few people buy the shirt & wear it to the event. It's designed in such a way that it's sort of "vague", & then if somebody asks what the shirt is about then you can get into a dialogue about the "Finger Book". So, if you wanna support this great project then please be sure to visit SKREENED where you can buy this shirt.
Now, please keep in mind that the shirt is sold in TWO ways: 1. You can get a shirt that is screened with both designs on the front & back, Or 2. You can get a shirt that has JUST the "front" design with nothing on the back. Either way it's a great item! Seriously, all your friends will be super-jealous, JEALOUS!
Here's some great news for wacky-crazy BATMAN Toy Collectors! The next Happy Meal Toy Promotion at McDonalds will be BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD! This is the 2nd time they have promoted this TV cartoon so that's cool! I guess the 1st time was pretty popular! OK, This news is so early we don't even know what the toys are gonna look like or how many there will be. There are also NO photos yet. But, be sure to stay tuned to the Bat-Blog and as soon as we know, you'll know!
Here's one of those "Cinematic Motion Comic" Promo Videos for the DC Universe Online Video Game. This one features HARLEY QUINN & she's crazy in love with the Joker! To make it they used Batman comic book artwork by Jim Lee, a bonus!
The Dark Knight is well known for his Large Rouges Gallery ( Villains ). You have: The Joker, Catwoman, Bane, Two-Face, The Riddler, Penguin, Hugo Strange, etc... But now you can add "The Evil Gingivitis"! Here is a recent Batman Product that I never knew existed. What's up on that!? While doing some research on the Internet the other night I came across this item by accident. It's "Batman Listerine Smart Rinse". The graphics are from the BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Animated Series on the Cartoon Network. Now, I have seen the B:TB&TB Reach Toothbrushes, Toothpaste, and Bubble Bath, but have NEVER seen this! Did this come out in Canada or something? From the website I saw this from it seems like it has been out awhile... weird!
Check out this extremely cool Batman-themed T-Shirt used to promote the San Francisco Fire Department, specifically "Engine 26" in Diamond Heights. The design looks a lot like the opening title graphics for the 1966 BATMAN TV Show. Now, speaking of that TV series, somebody went to a Comic Book Convention where all the actors posed with the T-Shirt. There is Adam West ( Batman ), Burt Ward ( Robin, The Boy Wonder ), Julie Newmar ( Catwoman ), & the 1966 Batmobile Car Designer, George Barris!
Here's a brand-new Batman product we recently came across that is totally cool! This is a BATMAN AND ROBIN GLASS made to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics. This was a special promo glass made by Toon Tumblers for the Baltimore Comic Con. The glass features different artwork on both sides that was taken from a few vintage BATMAN comic book covers. One represents the 1940's Golden Age ( Batman # 9 ) & the other is more Modern-Day ( Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder # 9 ). I guess it's also important to note that the artists are Dick Sprang & Jim Lee. I have shown the original covers here for reference. I have always loved this iconic image of "Batman & Robin in The Spotlight"...it's Classic! For more information about this product just click the button down below ( But please keep in mind that if it doesn't show-up in a search that it is sold-out & will be available later ).
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.
Here's a very interesting fan-made video promoting the BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY Video Game. No actual footage from the game has been released yet but this didn't stop one fan from making a very clever film. He took the promotional photos surrounding this property & then animated them using techniques reserved for motion comics. It's pretty neat, check it out!
It looks like our buddy "Brohawk" aka David Williams has been pretty busy since we talked to him last. Check this out, he has published a brand-new hardback book of his amazing artwork titled "Brohawk's Weapons of Choice, The Art of David Williams". This cool "Book Promo" video was created ( see down below ) to promote it. He will have some copies at San Diego Comic Con 2010 at the "Big Wow" booth #4902 so look for him there or visit his website by clicking HERE!
DC Comics has teamed-up with Taco Bell Restaurants to celebrate their 75th anniversary. There's a brand-new "DC Comics 75" Taco Bell Kid's Meal where you get an HUGE 3-D Color Poster, 3D Glasses, and a 3D Punch-Out Superhero Scene featuring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, or Green Lantern! Down below are some examples of the Batman Premium ( which is the character we all care the most about, ha ha! ). Thanks to MATT for giving us the heads-up about this new fast food promo & also for sending the cool photos!
Here's the new TV Commercial featuring Adam West ( 1966 Batman ) & Rich Fields ( The Price is Right ). It's a promo for the new PRICE IS RIGHT Apple iPhone App Game. The cool thing is that we get to see the 1966 Batmobile Car in all it's glory! Plus, the whole thing is pretty funny because they do it in a very corny deadpan kinda way...enjoy!
Here's an extremely awesome set of photos sent in by a Bat-Blog Fan all the way from Egypt! Yes, Egypt! His name is Myret & he wrote,
"Here are some pics I took in downtown Cairo of a building that has an advertisement of the "Batman and Robin" movie on it's side. It's been up since 1997, so it's a little bit rough around the edges, but it's still cool. The translation of what is written is "NOW IN ALL CINEMAS IN CAIRO AND ALEXANDRIA - BATMAN AND ROBIN!"
WOW! Thank you so much Myret for sending this, it's totally GREAT! The fact that this wall mural ad has existed all this time & has never been painted-over is very cool news. I totally love this!
OK, I'm probably the only person who thinks this is cool, ha ha! But here are some Italian television channel "Bumpers" for THE BATMAN CARTOON in Italy. They're short promo video clips announcing the TV show.
OK, I gotta say upfront that this is a post I am very proud of. You see, I just recently got an e-mail from a Batman Fan who lives in Egypt! Yes, EGYPT...How cool is that?! Her name is Myret & she says she has loved the Dark Knight since she was around 9 years old. She is now 23. She was also kind enough to send some great photos of a few pieces of Batman-related merchandise she has found in her country. The 1st two photos relate to a Batman Food Product called "Halwani FUN Sausages". They are a Meat Snack & the box says, "They're Ready To Eat!" She said that as a free premium inside you get the Set of Batman Playing Cards that are shown in the 2nd picture. WOW, a whole deck! The last photo shows 2 Bags of Potato Chips that she said are a lot like ( American ) Cheetos. Now, their special premium prize were some Batman & Robin ( comic book version ) Puzzle Playing Pieces. I guess if you collect them all they make a neat image...WOW! Thank you so very much Myret for taking the time to shoot these nice pics. I really appreciate you sending them. These unusual pieces of Bat-Memorabilia are really GREAT!!
Anybody remember these BATMAN RETURNS Movie Cups from McDonalds? I do, I collected them all! I also remember being sort of upset that they were plastic because for a long time these Premium Promo Glasses from Fast Food Restaurants used to be high-quality glass. Then, I guess some moron sued them or something ( or maybe they became too expensive to produce ) so they all went to plastic. But, these BATMAN RETURNS Cups were still pretty neat & the graphics were really nice. The lids were actually a Mini-Frisbee that didn't fly very well, but looked cool. There were 6 to collect: Batman, Catwoman, The Penguin ( 2 ), Bruce Wayne, & The Batmobile. Now, I got the photos here so you can see the cups & that "Newspaper-looking thing" was the Paper Placemat used at McDonalds for the trays. I remember a HUGE Standee Store Display Sign that was in the store too but couldn't find a pic at the time of this post. But really the main thing are the cups & the video. Yes, the TV Commercial! It's down below so be sure to check that out too.
OK, This video is only kinda-sorta Batman-related ( because it has Adam West ) but basically it's a promo for Fox TV & their Sunday Night Line-Up of wacky animated TV Shows. These commercials have really been cracking me up lately so I thought you guys would like to see one as well. Especially people who don't get that channel, enjoy!
Here's an interesting piece of Bat-History, a TV promo spot for the 1966 Batman TV Show that aired in Germany! And for people who understand German, read this: Programmhinweis von Pro7 zur Batman Serie von 1966.
OK, This is kind of funny! As the main writer of the Bat-Blog I am always constantly stressing out about how I can promote the site. It's a very difficult thing to do. If I were to study the growth of this blog ( or ANY blog for that matter ), it's an extremely slow process to obtain new readers. It totally drives me crazy, ha ha! For example, awhile back I printed a small ad-sheet that I gave to people to advertise the site ( I still do it even today ). But one time, about 2 years ago, I got all "Guerrilla Marketing" about it, & taped one onto a Newspaper Vending Machine. Now the part that's totally hilarious is that it lasted for almost 2 1/2 years! I always wonder if it had any value at all...did it bring in any new people? Probably not, or if so, not too many. One thing I've learned is that the best response is by "word of mouth". So, what I'm gonna do here is ask every single reader of the Bat-Blog, at least those who enjoy the site, to please tell all their friends about it. You can do it inside a Message Board, with a Banner or Bulletin on your MySpace page, a Link on your own Blog, a Link-Post on your Facebook Page, e-mail a friend who likes Batman, etc... But please don't do what I did this one time & plaster a sign on some property, ha ha! If you need to know ways to promote the Bat-Blog or if you need a special-sized banner then just please shoot me an e-mail. I would be more than happy to help! One last thing, I hope a lot of people out there enjoy this site & I want to thank everyone who comes back to read it every single day. It really means a lot.