Batman Clip-art

How many of you Bat-collectors out there can boast of this beauty?
Batman clip art by Konami.
This came out some time in the mid nineties and I bought it for my kids. (Wink, wink!)

This box is showing its age a little bit by yellowing but it is still in pretty good shape.



The box is about the size of a comic book and a good three quarters of an inch thick.

What kind of goodies could be packed in that much box?

Just a card folded in half.
All you old enough to remember buying any software in the nineties know about buying a giant box that only contained a floppy diskette and a single sheet of instructions inside.

That was always disappointing.
So this was actually a treat to have such nice packaging holding the diskettes.


Even if it looked exactly like the box it came in.

It did open up though to reveal . . .

a line up of characters and two diskettes.

Imagine how much must be stored on all that disk space.
It claims to have 80 images on it.
I didn't find that many.

Kids, this was back when you turned on your computer and the only thing you saw was a C prompt. C:_

This didn't run on Windows.
It was just an image library.
You could use the images in Printshop though.
Printshop ran all on its own too and didn't use Windows.
Strange time I know.

Needles to say it took a little bit to get the images that I have below off the disk.
Most of the images were black and white that you could print out for the kids to color.



The Bruce Timm artwork is great though.

Brian B

In the Studio

A short discussion in the comments section of the last post compelled me to post these photos. These are shots of some Batman collectibles in my studio from 2 or 3 years ago. The majority of my collection is in storage but I always like to have some Bat-stuff around while I work. Some of this stuff has been put in storage and replaced with other items. However, these shots show a point when I probably had the most Batman stuff on display.

If you like seeing this kind of stuff...Enjoy. If not, move along. :)

Batmen

I'm in the process of cleaning my studio today. I thought I'd pull out some of my loose Batman figures and throw them up in a grouping. Nothing vintage or even older than 5 or 6 years but fun to see in a set, all the same. So, I thought I'd post a quick shot.

More reviews of statues and individual items coming soon.

Batman View Master

Looking for Batman View Master reels?

We've got you covered.



I have posted all of the Batman: The Purr-fect Crime reels at my other blog.
These are done in "Wobble" style to try to recreate the 3D effect of View Master reels.
I also include scans of the booklet that came with the reels.

There are also pictures of my families trip to the "Hero Museum" in Indianapolis that has since closed its doors.


I also have various other Batman related pictures there as well.

So if you want a trip down memory lane hop on over to
Click HERE

Brian B

DC Direct Batman Black and White Statue: David Mazzucchelli

One of my favorite things to collect, over the past few years, has been DC Direct's line of Batman Black and White statues. Each statue is presented in an entirely black and white paint scheme and is based on a specific artist's interpretation of the character. They are not big statues. This one is about 7 or 8 inches tall. There have been quite a few released, and I've picked up a handful of them along the way.

This is Batman as he was characterized by Artist, David Mazzucchelli, from the fantastic 4-part series, Batman Year One (written by Frank Miller). This series was first released as standard comic book issues in early 1987 and has seen print as a collected volume since. The series tells the story of Batman as he is just beginning his crusade against crime. In fact, more than a few story elements from this comic story found their way into the 2005 film, Batman Begins.

Mazzucchelli's art style in Year One was definitely a departure from the norm. His deceptively simple drawing and line work, somehow, added realism and credibility to the story told.


The pose used for this statue is taken from a promotional drawing used to raise awareness of the, then, forthcoming Year One story in Batman comics. Sculptor, Jim McPherson, has done a great job of capturing the look of that now iconic image.

This is how I like to see Batman. He's not over-muscled with bulges, veins, and striations bursting out of every nook and cranny of his physique. A lot of artists depict Batman looking like he's practically naked with a cape and has been spray-painted gray. I prefer this simpler style that realistically shows what cloth looks like on a human body....you don't see every muscle and detail.


Ever since the Batman Black and White line of statues began, many (myself included) had hoped that DC Direct would eventually get to a Year One Mazzucchelli Batman. We finally got it and it doesn't disappoint.

Batman Costume

This is an ad for an official Batman costume that is in a 1992 Starlog Magazine.

I never ordered anything from this ad but I did read it and imagine though.
There were several reasons why I never ordered any of this official Batman gear.

1. What Bat-collector cuts up a piece of their Bat-collection?
There was a form in the magazine that you had to fill out and send in with your order.
Oh? Wait.
They allowed for crazy Bat-collecting.

2. The cost.

The Cowl was really the only piece I wanted and it was $55.95!

Sure the cape came with unique dowel rods for full extension but $79.95?

Bat-spats for $29.95? In 1992 you could buy a really nice pair of real boots for that price.

3. In 1992 I was 27 and had two small kids at home. This is a really good reason not to spend money on a Bat-costume. Diapers and formula were needed at home.

4. When would I wear it?
Halloween? Parties? To watch T.V.?

5. I had a wife at home who would have made fun of me no matter when I would have found a reason to wear the suit.

6. Friends and family would have made fun of me if they found out I ever wore the suit.

7. If my wife ever found out what the suit would have cost she would have killed me.

8. I was afraid I would look as dorky as this guy.

So I am Cowless.

Brian B

••••••••••••••••••

UPDATE!
Bubba over at Toyriffic had the perfect post to accompany this post. See it HERE.

Batman Megos!

In the early 1970s, a toy company named Mego produced the first-ever Batman action figures. I've covered many of these great toys on sister-site, Yesterville Toy Room. However, I thought that Batman Megos might be something that readers of this blog might be interested in, as well.

So, in the spirit of lazyness and sharing, I've added links to all the posts about Mego Batman figures on Yesterville. I'm sure some of you have already seen these. If you haven't, here are the links:

BATMAN

ROBIN

JOKER

RIDDLER

PENGUIN

BATMOBILE

More Batman Minis

After seeing Brian B's smallest Batman item a few posts ago (Batman Crocs decoration), I knew I had to dig these guys out and share them, as well. These are tiny porcelain Batman statues that were a gift from a friend and fellow Bat-fan (Thanks again, Guenter!) last Christmas.

These little guys are about an inch and a quarter tall. I believe they were originally created to be placed in cake. There's a fun European tradition (French, I believe) that involves baking a small figurine into a cake. When the cake is cut and served, someone gets a small surprise in their piece. It would be fun to find one of these little guys in your cake.

I'm not sure what company produced these, but they sure did produce a wide range of Batman characters and items. They mostly center on the film, Batman Begins.

Batman with penny for size comparison.

Gray-cowled Batman.

Another gray-cowled Batman.

Batman in running pose.

Mini billboard style image.

Rhas Al Ghul.

... and even Ducard.

Batman Collection Stolen

Send up the Bat-signal!!!

The second largest Bat-collection in the country has been stolen.

"FORT LAUDERDALE - Not the shark-repellant spray, nor the goo gun, nor even the Caped Crusader's Batarang could apparently protect the country's second-largest Batman collection from disappearing.

The Miami Herald has learned that much of the Batman memorabilia owned by slain Fontainebleau heir Ben Novack Jr. is missing from several warehouses in Broward County. Sources close to the case said the locks on the warehouses were cut."

Authorities say the theft might be linked to a murder case that stretches across the country.

They don't know who has stolen the items yet but the good news is the authorities have narrowed the writers of "Under the Giant Penny" out of their investigation.


"The [Batman] stuff is gone — disappeared," said Chief Gregory Austin of Rye Brook, N.Y., police, which is investigating the millionaire's unsolved murder. Novack was found dead in a Westchester, N.Y., hotel in July."

The police didn't say if they found any rhyming riddles or clues pointing them to the dastardly criminals next targeted crime.

We here at Under the Giant Penny are willing to help the police with any clues that have been found, as any good citizens would.

Full story HERE

Batman 3D!

This post combines two things that I love, Batman and 3D.
This is a Starlog magazine that I have from 1992 which features a ton of things on Batman Returns. I will post some of those things later but for now I want to focus on the 3D pictures that were included.

Starlog included four pages of a comic book entitled "Batman 3-D".
Sadly I have not found a copy of this book yet to place into my collection.

The article says the book includes artists like Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Barry Windsor Smith (Conan the Barbarian) and George Perez (Teen Titans).

The 3D is done by Ray Zone and he is the master of 3D anaglyphs.


A year earlier Mr. Zone did a 3D comic book for The Rocketeer, which I own, and it is awesome 3D. Not only does it have 3D pictures but dimensional sound too called binaural.
That is the Rocketeer this is BATMAN!


So dig out your "Sherk 3D" or "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D" DVDs and pull out the red-blue glasses that came with them so you can view these amazing samples.

Caution! The newer 3D movies like Coraline and Monsters vs Aliens use a different color lens glasses for their 3D process.

Brian B