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

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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