Holy Pizza-Face Batman! Head over to Gotham City Pizzeria, and if you know where to click (ha ha), you’ll see a trailer that features the first appearance of Two Face in the upcoming Dark Knight movie.
I know, with Hulk opening this weekend, we should be focusing on that, but damn if these tid-bits from The Dark Knight don’t look good.
And the debate goes on…
Oh, make sure you stick around until after the credits.
In this outing, Image founders head for home, wall-crawlers head back to the big screen, X-Men head back to Earth, DC’s Big Three head for trouble, the next big thing is twenty years ago, and we tackle head on one of the world’s great conundrums: Can Logan’s claws pierce Steve Rogers’ shield? Plus, a look back at Frank Miller’s opus. All this and much much more on this, as the podcast reaches the age of majority.
Show Notes After The Jump.
I really get the distinct impression that Paul Dini has a collection of favorite Batman characters; Zatanna, Batman, and the Riddler, as this issue features another appearance by the criminal turned good guy trying to out smart one of the most brilliant minds in the DCU.
Because a little snark on a Friday is a good thing.
On the next Major Spoilers Podcast, we’re diving deep into the comic that, in 1986, made me sit up and go Hellz Yeah! That collected trade would be none other than Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
If any comic has a claim to have truly reinvigorated the genre, then The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller–known also for his excellent Sin City series and his superb rendering of the blind superhero Daredevil–is probably the top contender. Batman represented all that was wrong in comics and Miller set himself a tough task taking on the camp crusader and turning this laughable, innocuous children’s cartoon character into a hero for our times. The great Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing, the arguably peerless Watchmen) argued that only someone of Miller’s stature could have done this. Batman is a character known well beyond the confines of the comic world (as are his retinue) and so reinventing him, while keeping his limiting core essentials intact, was a huge task.Miller went far beyond the call of duty. The Dark Knight is a success on every level. Firstly it does keep the core elements of the Batman myth intact, with Robin, Alfred the butler, Commissioner Gordon, and the old roster of villains, present yet brilliantly subverted. Secondly the artwork is fantastic–detailed, sometimes claustrophobic, psychotic. Lastly it’s a great story: Gotham City is a hell on earth, street gangs roam but there are no heroes. Decay is ubiquitous. Where is a hero to save Gotham? It is 10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. And things have got worse than ever. Bruce Wayne is close to being a broken man but something is keeping him sane: the need to see change and the belief that he can orchestrate some of that change. Batman is back. The Dark Knight has returned. Awesome.
We have really enjoyed reading your comments on the show, and I know there are thousands of you out there who have read this series. In the comment section below, share your thoughts. Then listen to the next Major Spoilers Podcast and see if we share your thoughts with the thousands of Major Spoilers Podcast listeners.
It’s sure to be a good time, but probably not two hours long like the last one.
Hollywood tradition dictates that an Academy Award nomination begets lucrative offer after offer, and the nominee usually reaps the immediate seven-figure benefits. But sometimes, boyhood dreams take precedence.
Buoyed by his Oscar nod for scripting “A History of Violence,” Josh Olson has become one of the most sought-after writers in Hollywood. But amidst the offers following his nomination came the opportunity to pen a chapter of “Batman Gotham Knight” – and that was an offer simply too tempting to resist. The result is an impressive opening segment to the film that not only arrests the imagination with visually stunning perspectives of Batman, but sets the thematic tone for the entire six-chapter film.
DC Universe original animated movies are created by a unique collaboration between four diverse units within the Warner Bros. family – Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video, Warner Bros Animation and, the source of the characters and many of the stories, DC Comics. Leading the charge for the latter group is Gregory Noveck, Senior Vice President, Creative Affairs for the iconic comics company, and credited as Executive in Charge of Production for DC Comics on all of the DC Universe films.
Well, providing they’d stop using growth hormones on cows that then gets passed on to the wee babies… or so they say.
Oh god, now I’m going to the Dairy Farmers of America after my ass.
Maybe Batman can help.
Want a nice, frank conversation? Corner Greg Rucka and pick a subject. He is anything but restrained, speaking freely and constantly exuding the kind of creative flashpoint from which arises his fascinating array of benchmark characters.
Raised on California’s Central Coast, and schooled at Vassar College and USC, Rucka brings a street sensibility to his work – which has ranged from nearly a dozen novels and several short stories to a daunting list of comics, non-fiction essays and, now, a segment of the highly-anticipated animated film, “Batman Gotham Knight.”
The first installment of Batman R.I.P. hit stores last week and promptly sold out at the distributor level, prompting DC to go back to press for a second printing that includes a variant cover.
Batman #676 (second printing) is scheduled to be in stores on June 11, with the cover you see below.
And because we know you will want to collect every issue in the series, Major Spoilers has provided you with a handy checklist with release date.
I’m hip deep in stuff today, so forgive the over abundance of video today. But at least it is something, and at least it is something good.
Kevin Conroy had studied for and starred on the stage, advanced his career through soap operas, and was featured in television series like “Dynasty” and “Tour of Duty.” He had no idea that stepping into a sound booth in 1991 to audition for his first cartoon voiceover role would forever cement his place in the annals of animation and help to extend the Batman legacy to untold legions of fans.
Conroy quickly became the Batman voice by which all others are judged – and rarely assessed as an equal. He has cast a loud shadow in voicing the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne for 17 years, beginning with “Batman: The Animated Series” and continuing through 16 films, video games and animated series (covering more than 220 episodes). He reprises the role in triumphant fashion in “Batman Gotham Knight,” the highly-anticipated third film in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies.
“Batman Gotham Knight” will arrive July 8, 2008 on DVD and Blu-Ray disc, and will also be available that day On Demand via digital cable and for download through broadband sites. The film is produced as a collaboration between DC Comics, Warner Premiere, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation. The film will receive its world premiere at Wizard World Chicago in late June.
From his home in New York City, Conroy spoke at length about the film, his ongoing relationship with the character, and the surprising manner in which he first approached and procured the role of Batman.
It’s not the best copy, but it is a pretty cool theatrical trailer for television viewers.
It’s still going to be the best movie of the summer.
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