What’s in Batman’s utility belt?
If Bruce Wayne can be said to have any superpowers, one of them is his talent for preparation. Whether he’s fighting the Joker atop a WWII biplane or battling the Scarecrow in an abandoned factory, Bruce Wayne always has the right tools for the job. Some of them are no-brainers that anybody would think of, and some of them—well, see for yourself. By the way, this is by no means a complete list. For that, see “The Great Batman Equipment Archive.”
- Batcall: Featured in the storylines Batman: Year One and Batman vs. Predator, the Batcall emits an ultrasonic tone which attracts the swarm of bats that makes its home below Wayne Manor. This has been used to distract and throw off enemies.
- Batarangs: Read the rest of this entry »
The men behind the mask of Batman
Numerous actors have portrayed Batman through the years, and most of them couldn’t be more different from each other. From the camp of the ‘60s television show to the darkness of the new Christopher Nolan films, Batman has proven a character capable of hitting a number of tones and styles. Here is the list of the most notable men to wear the cape and cowl.
- Lewis Wilson (Batman, 1943): This 15-part film serial pits Batman as a government agent against the Japanese scientist Dr. Daka, who has discovered a way to turn people into zombies. Despite its propaganda and campy feel, the series spawned a sequel, Batman and Robin. Robert Lowery played the title role. Read the rest of this entry »
Best Batman stories for new readers
The popularity of the new films is likely to encourage viewers to seek out more Batman stories on their own. However, the vast amount of series with the Bat-logo on them in comic shops can be intimidating for new readers. Thankfully, most comic shop owners are always happy to guide new readers to some good starting places. Here’s what they’ll most likely suggest. Given Batman’s new popularity, most of these are available in regular bookstores as well as comic shops.
- The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson. This story is considered not only one of the greatest Batman tales, but one of the greatest comic stories of all time. Miller writes a hard-bitten Batman who has given up crime-fighting in the face of modern crime, but is inspired to return in order to fight a bigger conspiracy. Miller’s psychological depiction is spot-on, and the reader is introduced to a number of Batman’s most popular foes. Read the rest of this entry »
Batman: Under the Red Hood delivers action and adventure
The fates have been kind to the Batman film franchise in the last five years. Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins wiped the bad taste of 1997’s Batman & Robin out of our mouths, and The Dark Knight blew everybody’s expectations out of the water. Now, a new film has come out in that fine tradition—not quite at the blockbuster level, but offering a different perspective on the hero and his motivations. Its name is Batman: Under the Red Hood, and oh—it’s animated.
The film stars Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek, I’m Not There) as the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) as mysterious new villain the Red Hood. The plot may seem more traditionally “comic-booky” than usual to viewers who have only seen Nolan’s films. There’s good reason for that, as the film is based off Judd Winick’s 2005-2006 storyline “Under the Hood” and features many more costumed villains than the live-action films. You’ll see Amazo the killer android; Black Mask, the faceless mob kingpin; and the Riddler.
Batman returns to Gotham this October
It seemed like a strange idea at the time. Just as Batman was coming back into the public eye with the release of the blockbuster The Dark Knight in 2008, Grant Morrison was writing Bruce Wayne out of the series with a storyline called “Batman: R.I.P.”. Among other things, the story revealed a villain who claimed to be Wayne’s father having faked his death. The story ended with Bruce Wayne as good as dead in the present, his mind being sent back to the beginning of human civilization.
For the past year and a half, the role of Batman has been filled by Dick Grayson. Grayson first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in 1940 as an orphaned acrobat rescued by Bruce Wayne and subsequently trained into the role of Robin. Unlike most comic book characters, Dick Grayson later aged and became the teen vigilante Nightwing. The Robin to Dick Grayson’s Batman is the original Bruce Wayne’s test-tube son (don’t ask).