Funko Pop Dark Knight Teaser Trailer

A fun sizzle reel I created, starring Dark Knight Funko Pop Heroes (and villains). Check it out!

PODCAST: Episode 7

The Bat and the Cat are back after a long (semi)-hiatus. In this half-hour podcast, we talk about what we've been watching or reading related to the Batman universe like Beware the Batman!

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10 Spoiler-Free Thoughts About Man of Steel

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1.  It has a very good pace.
Not a dull moment.

2. Nolan's influence is evident in the first half of the film.
I like the editing.

3. The soundtrack got stuck in my head.
Damn you, Zimmer! :)

4. Kal-El is a bit of a crybaby.
Weep, weep.The movie would also benefit from a little more comic relief.

5. General Zod is a good villain of choice.
Lex Luthor would have been a bit overplayed.

6. Antje Traue is damn sexy.
Sometimes, evil is sexy.

7. The "suits" they wear are sexy.
Superman, Zod, shoulders, arms . . . I'm a straight man . . .

8. The "action" fit the tone of the movie but is not my cup of tea, personally.
Too much debris and bullet-paced movement makes it hard to see what's going on.

9. Easter eggs are prominent, without being in-your-face.
No spoilers.

10. The make-up team did a good job of making Diane Lane look "older".
It was only 10 years ago I was crushing on her in Unfaithful.

*11. I'm getting too old for midnight shows . . .

Currently Reading: Batman Birth of the Demon

From DC Comics

As a Batman fan, my favorite stories involve Ra's al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, and the League of Assassins. If The Joker is a mad dog off the leash, Ra's al Ghul is the wolf on top of a mountain. Birth of the Demon is a collection of three graphic novels: Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon. I plan to do a thorough review once I get through the whole book; but right now, I'm reading it whenever I have the opportunity. It's not new or anything; and I'm about halfway through 'Bride . . . '.


What I like about being away from Gotham City is that we get to see exotic locations; more of the action takes place in the daytime, the action is on a grand scale (environmental threats . . . and airplanes!); Batman does great detective work; and most of all, there is romance.

Many fans think the art is a bit old-fashioned, but in my opinion, it's a nice departure from the modern, stylized Dark Knight we've grown accustomed to. And frankly, the art is a compliment to the story; not the other way around. I plan to take advantage of more "lulls" in my day by getting into more of this great collection!

5 Reasons Why Batman: The Animated Series is THE Best Batman

Opening sequence without a title--it doesn't get cooler than that.

Batman: The Animated Series to me is like comfort food: I know what to expect and I know I'm going to be happy with it. Here are 5 reasons why I think it is not only the best animated series; but the best Batman:

5. It has a good balance

BTAS strikes the perfect balance between dark/gritty and light hearted/comical. To make it TV-friendly, there's no killing or backbreaking, but they come close enough to it. The action never overpowers the story; it supplements it. Bruce Wayne is charming, but Batman is not a nice guy; he'll do whatever it takes to get an answer from a thug. The Joker is equal parts clown and [suggested] killer. Batman and Robin are constantly displaying good detective skills (but maybe a little too good at solving Riddler's puzzles).

4. It shows the human side of villains

A highlight of the Batman mythos has always been its rogues gallery, and aside from The Joker, BTAS portrays its villains as flawed humans who turn to evil instead of justice. Notorious episodes: "Two Face" and "Heart of Ice" but I also like "Feat of Clay".

3. The narrative

BTAS follows a prime rule of good writing in that it shows instead of tells. It's not too heavy on dialogue and creates atmosphere through the characters' expressions and its soundtrack. If you were to flip the channel to BTAS, it is unmistakable. While the later episodes became more entertaining for a younger audience, it is the earlier episodes that are more geared towards adults.

2. The music

In addition to Danny Elfman's kick-ass thematic Batman opening score, each episode has a distinctive soundtrack that's a character in itself. I actually remember each episode by the music. There are several honorable mentions for musical score (including "Appointment in Crime Alley"), but I have a silly addiction to the soundtrack for "The Last Laugh"--a fantastic Joker episode!

 

1. The voice actors

Kevin Conroy is Batman/Bruce Wayne and Mark Hamill is The Joker. But aside from the obvious (did you know that Kevin Conroy was the first to distinguish Batman's voice from Bruce Wayne?), there are other strong players:

• Tara Strong as Harley Quinn ("Mistah J!")
• David Warner as Ra's al Ghul (my personal favorite)
• Adam West(!) as The Gray Ghost in "Beware the Gray Ghost"
• . . . pretty much everyone else, with the exception of Commissioner Gordon and Lucius Fox (they're not bad; they just don't stand out in any way--which speaks more of their character writing than the voice actors).

Make sure to check out BTAS on DVD or Huboom!

Batman Earth One Review -- A Dark Knight for a New Generation

You only think you know his story.

Spoilers are covered in blue. Highlight at your own risk.

I was wary of yet another retelling of Batman's origin, but this DC Comics original was a truly fresh take on the beginnings of the Dark Knight. It deviates from conventions just enough while not straying from familiar territory. In short, I think it's a great read and I even prefer it to Year One.

Pluses:

• Artwork. Earth One has a cinematic quality, in terms of graphic presentation, pacing, and transitions. Panels "come to life" and some even take up two pages. The story is easy to follow and I think it would make a great, but short, animated film.
• Alfred is a bad-ass. The Wayne's "butler" shows his true ex-Royal Marine status; but is still there to remind Bruce that he's not alone. Had this been a movie, Liam Neeson would actually play a good "Earth One" Alfred.
• Batman isn't perfect. Batman's special skills are evident while in the suit, but if the situation is against him, he gets his ass handed to him. He's not immune to occasional clumsiness, either. After all, he his human. And he's young. Not in age; but as Batman.
• It's modernized. In stark contrast to Frank Miller's renowned Batman graphic novels, Earth One takes place in modern time with hints such as Blu-ray discs and a young but competent Lucius Fox.
• Unconventional characters. I think one of Earth One's best highlights is that its main characters are not typical of Batman origin stories, such as:
• Harvey Bullock: in contrast to Batman: The Animated Series where Gordon's green running partner is the butt of fat jokes; Bullock in Earth One is a cheesy handsome but naive TV personality who is out for exposure and learns the true nature of Gotham City the hard way.
• Barbara Gordon: daddy's little girl, all that Gordon has left, a little too ambitious, but is portrayed as smart rather than hasty. I love the scene at the end where she is drawing herself as a Batgirl.
• Mayor Oswald Cobblebot: aka The Penguin, I liked his portrayal here. He actually finds out who the Batman is, but he dies later, so Batman's identity is concealed for now.
• The Arkham family name is mentioned just as much as the Wayne's.
• Good balance of villains. I liked that there was a corrupt cop (Axe), a creepy masked serial killer from the Crane Institute (The Birthday Boy), and a high-status Penguin. The ending took me by surprise the most. I was anticipating one thing, but got another, equally as good.

Minuses:

The fact that I have to wait for the next installment.

Overall Score: 10/10

Batman: The Animated Series Spotlight: Joker's Favor

Batman: The Animated Series is the best thing ever--it captures the essence of timeless comic book Batman with a touch of organic light hearted humor. Most of all, it features Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker. Batman Beyond has a very similar feel even with a completely different canvas, and both are part of the Timmiverse (referring to animated productions by Bruce Timm).

One of the best Joker episodes and best overall episodes of BTAS is "Joker's Favor". It follows an ordinary man, Charlie, who has an unfortunate run in with The Joker on a bad day and is held accountable for a favor "sometime in the future". The Joker keeps close tabs and threatens Charlie's family to make sure he keeps his promise. I'll let you watch the episode yourself, or read about it on the web, but here is why it is one of the best:

•  The Joker is actually scary in this episode. He comes across as more of a clown in most of the episodes (which is not really a bad thing--Mark Hamill's Joker brings lightheartedness in contrast to the more somber villains), but I think the realism of the storyline and the fact that he seems to be drawn slightly differently here make it all the more visceral.
• This is Harley Quinn's first appearance ever in the world of the Dark Knight. You wouldn't think so because she's already a comfortable household character. And she makes a grand first impression.
• Spoiler alert! Batman actually laughs in this episode. It's the context that makes it satisfying.

This is one of the episodes I go back to regularly, and I highly recommend it.

The Bat's 10 Favorite Moments in The Dark Knight Trilogy

I just spent the past couple of days re-watching the entire Dark Knight trilogy from start to finish. I've intended to do something for a while, which is to list my top 10 favorite moments of the trilogy. This list will not agree with everyone; that's why it's simply my opinion and not meant to be all-inclusive. There are scenes not mentioned here that are very important to the trilogy; such as The Joker's interrogation scene in The Dark Knight, many scenes with Alfred, Gordon, and more.

10. The first part of 'Batman Begins'

The reason I like the opening to 'Batman Begins' so much is that it doesn't even look like a Batman movie. It's a ballsy move, but opens the trilogy superbly. It's shot on an exotic location, and even has Bruce Wayne and [who we later find out is Ra's al Ghul] sword fighting (an obvious nod to Batman and Ra's al Ghul fencing!). It's one of the most beautifully shot sequences in the entire trilogy, and the part where Bruce saves "Henry Ducard's" (Liam Neeson) life demonstrates a realistic example of not only how far a person would go to save another man's life; but what Bruce Wayne will do to save the life of a [then known to be] bad man. Brilliant.

9. "Does it come in black?" (Batman Begins)

 

This is not only the introduction to what's essentially the Batmobile; but also the mutual "keep it on the DL" and witty banter between Bruce and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). The look of "the Tumbler" definitely took a while getting used to after all the flashy Batmobiles of previous movies; but once you saw it in action, you never looked back. The look on Fox's face as Bruce is driving the Tumbler like a kid in a race car simulator is priceless.

8. Selina Kyle's fight at the bar (The Dark Knight Rises)

In one of the early scenes in The Dark Knight Rises, we knew Selina Kyle is slick but here we get a (very satisfying) taste of her kicking ass before we see her in her cat burglar suit. As soon as the police arrive, she's the damsel in distress all of a sudden, a true chameleon. In reality, she's totally fearless the whole time, and just casually strolls out of the scene that has erupted. I love it!

7. The Joker Card (Batman Begins)

Batman Begins might be one of the best "origin stories" for a comic book character. It was another brave, but wise move to not include one of the more well-known villains as the antagonist. Although Scarecrow and Ra's al Ghul are no slouches in the Rogues gallery, they're not as well-known to non-hardcore fans. With a semi-happy ending, there can only be one logical conclusion: escalation. The goose bump-inducing Joker tease is so much cooler for the fact that it was only meant to be a tease, originally.

6. Agent of Chaos (The Dark Knight)

 

This scene is so cool for several reasons: it's two great Batman villains in one scene. Nurse Joker is wearing the "I Believe in Harvey Dent" sticker on his chest. The Joker disturbingly convinces Harvey "Two-Face" (and by extension, the audience) what's truly fair in the world. In effect, he makes Harvey look at the other side of the coin. It ultimately ends with the best practical effect in the trilogy and non-verbal acting by Heath Ledger--the hospital explosion.

5. Breaking the Bat

Batman and Bane's first fight in the sewers is just so brutal, you wanted it to end because you knew early on Batman didn't stand a chance. Stunning imagery and choreography, no background music, and one of my favorite lines in the movie (Bane: "Theatricality and deception, powerful agents to the uninitiated. But we are initiated, aren't we, Bruce? Members of the League of Shadows!"). Batman's cowl getting smashed in brings about tears of pain, one crack at a time. Of course, it ends with the famous "backbreaking", which happens so quickly that it's more painful to see here than it can be depicted in comic books.

4. The Climb (The Dark Knight Rises)

This scene resonates with me on many levels. Bruce faces fear again. He was broken and redeems himself. It brings back the "Why do we fall?" theme. The way "the chant" and Hans Zimmer's theme build up and culminate in an uproar of applause. We even see bats again. And then Bruce sees sunlight for the first time. The prison serves as a metaphorical Lazarus Pit ("Batman" is brought back to life). Most importantly, Bruce gives people hope. I get chills every time he makes the jump (without the rope).

3. The Dark Knight Rises Prologue

The third film starts strong with a stunning aerial sequence and a grand introduction to Bane, with the best IMAX has to offer in an action movie. Bane is an imposing physique but can disguise himself when needed. It's very similar to The Joker and his clowns robbing the mob bank in The Dark Knight prologue, although the stakes are much higher here (literally). You also get a sense of Bane's "true believers" ("Have we started the fire?"). Everything works for me here: the imagery, the [practical!] stunts, the soundtrack (big beats, pounding bass), dropping the fuselage of a plane to the ground, you know, that sort of thing. Bane also moves quickly and smoothly through the hijacking, as if this sort of thing can be trained for. I was a bit shocked at hearing Bane's "new" voice at first (as I think most were), but I got used to it right away.

2. Armor Car Chase (The Dark Knight)

Even though I think The Dark Knight Rises is a better action movie overall (and has some amazing cinematography), The Joker chasing the SWAT van carrying Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight is, I believe, the best action sequence in the trilogy. It's quite a long scene (all in IMAX) with no background music, and mostly all practical effects. "SLaughter is the Best Medicine" is a nice touch and very much The Joker. I also enjoy The Joker's military-grade arsenal. We see the reveal of the Bat Pod and get treated to yet again one of the best practical effects in the trilogy--the 18-wheeler truck flip. The scene is just so satisfying when Gordon is revealed as the SWAT driver.

1. The last 5 minutes of The Dark Knight Rises

So many good things happen in the last 5 minutes of 'Rises' after one of the most mind-blowing reveals: Talia al Ghul (although most fans speculated it for a while), along with an amazing action sequence and painful conclusion for Talia. We first get despair, thinking Batman died to save the people of Gotham. John Blake is revealed to be Robin John Blake. (We were waiting for Dick Grayson or something similar. . . but they went straight for it.) Bruce's idea of Batman being a "symbol" is carried on as Blake aka Robin finds his way into the batcave. The music fits perfectly, as the bats fly over Blake (I'm just going to call him Robin) and then Hans Zimmer's score hits hard as Alfred nods straight ahead as he's looking at (an alive) Bruce Wayne, who's at the cafe with Selina Kyle who is wearing the pearl necklace. Our despair becomes hope. Alfred's "fantasy" becomes a reality. Robin "rises" in the batcave, water falls down, cuts to black, and The Dark Knight Rises title card appears. A perfect way to end the trilogy.

Batman's Greatest Villains: Ra's al Ghul

The Demon's Head

When you talk about Batman's greatest villains, the first one that usually comes to mind is the clown-faced guy in the purple suit--what's his name? I think I have his card somewhere . . .

But I would argue that while The Joker and Batman are completely opposite on the surface yet similar on a darker level; Ra's al Ghul and Batman are very similar characters with opposing viewpoints.

Both are highly-skilled masterminds with extensive training in the martial arts. Ra's (pronounced "Rache") even refers to Batman as "Detective". But whereas Batman's goal is a noble one that values life; Ra's al Ghul's goal is an idealistic one that necessitates death.

I won't go into detail of Ra's al Ghul's origin and the League of Assassins (that's what comic books are for); but one thing he is known for is bathing in the veritable fountain of youth called the Lazarus Pit to regain his strength and vigor. The man is supposedly centuries old. As a wellness enthusiast, if the Lazarus Pit existed in real life, I'd probably be one of the people in line.

His daughter, Talia, is one of the many love interests of Batman. She and Batman even give birth to the fifth Robin, Damian Wayne. In Bane of the Demon, Ra's considers Bane as a possible heir to his empire and wants Bane to marry Talia. Talia rejects the idea after being pursued by Bane, as she sees Bane as an animalistic Brute. It's actually quite entertaining--I love romantic interludes in the Batman universe!

I'm also extremely thrilled that Ra's al Ghul, one of the major but less "cartoony" villains, is portrayed in The Dark Knight Trilogy, and in grand fashion.

I would also highly recommend watching the Batman: The Animated Series two-part episode, "The Demon's Quest". If you've already seen it, watch it again! It's so good, it could have been extended into an animated film.

The Many Interpretations of The Joker

While it can be argued who Batman's greatest villain is, no one can really argue with The Joker. Here are some of the more notable Jokers in live action and animation over time. Who's your favorite?

Cesar Romero

A common theme among the different Jokers is that they fit into the world they're in. And that's certainly true of the "Adam West Batman" Joker. Brighter, more colorful, and more of a prankster than a threat. A true clown. Cesar Romero refused to shave his mustache for the roll, wearing makeup over it. Hardcore cosplayers mimic this effect, sometimes even using "fake" mustaches.

Jack Nicholson

 

Jack Nicholson held the spot as the most iconic Joker for a long time, even getting imitated by Jim Carrey in stand up. Isn't it cool that The Joker and Lucius Fox become best buds in "The Bucket List"? Jack Napier is theatrical and twisted, which is Nicholson's forte, and very fitting for Tim Burton's Batman. And what's with that stupid grin?

Mark Hamill

I have this poster at home. Hee-hee!

Certainly the best voice for Mistah J, who would have thought Luke Skywalker had such a twisted laugh? Batman: The Animated Series holds up exceedingly well over time. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are the best Batman and Joker in animation, period. Or is it Joker and Batman? (laughs) What I like about BTAS Joker: he's scary to the layperson (see episode: "Joker's Favor") but also engages in cat and mouse chases with Batman (see: "The Last Laugh").

Heath Ledger

That Australian surfer dude in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, yeah, what's his name? Whereas Jack Nicholson was theatrical, but had a little too much "paunch", Heath Ledger's Joker is tall, slender, grungy and disturbing. The Bat and The Cat were at the midnight show, and the sold-out crowd went nuts after Heath's first major scene of dialogue with the mob. I think it had less to do with Heath Ledger's passing, and more to do with his overwhelmingly convincing performance. Given all the themes in the movie, it makes you question your own moral ambiguity--you want Batman to catch him, but why are you laughing along with him? He kills innocent people, but you think he makes compelling arguments. Sooner than later, he became probably the most cosplayed character since Chun-Li.

 

John DiMaggio

One of my personal favorites. While he might not have the vocal range of Hamill's maniacal Clown Prince of Chaos, he was meaty and dominating--just the right kind of alpha male to beat the shit out of The Boy Blunder. The Joker in Batman: Under the Red Hood also has a similar aesthetic to Heath Ledger's Joker--with the long unkempt locks, dark eyes, tall and skinny appearance, and long coat. His humor was twisted in a more self-serving way rather than making you laugh.

Michael Emerson

Now that Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 is soon to be released on blu-ray, we get another full-length feature with The Joker. And The Dark Knight Returns Joker is certainly a different style: broad-shouldered, more "human" (but certainly not a humanist) and vocally more calm . . . at first. I can't wait! Who is your favorite Joker?