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Why oh why didn't they have action figures this cool when I was a kid?

We wouldn't have appreciated them in the same way.

And technically, these aren't action figures. And I wouldn't be using them as such.

If they're not action figures, what are they? They're not statues, because they articulate. They could be called "dolls", I suppose, or "figurines".

Why oh why didn't they have action figures this cool when I was a kid?

DocLathropBrown,

For someone who criticizes the SHH mentality, you're sure great at displaying it.

1. You started the negative tone by claiming you know more about Batman than us.
2. You then claim that Travesty started the negative tone.
3. You claim that we have no justification for our opinions, despite repeated explanations.
4. You're derisive toward opinions you don't share.

Those are all chapters out of the "How-to Post on SHH Guidebook".

I think this conversation may be getting a little more heated than it has to. There's no reason to pull out the measuring tape and compare Batwang sizes. We're all fans, we all have our preferences, and there's no harm in discussing them.

Arguments that rely on the premise "Batman has done X or Y in the comics" are largely pointless. Batman fights space aliens in the comics too. He's been written in ways that make him a completely different character from one iteration to the next. Batman & Robin was a mostly faithful film, but it certainly wasn't a good film.

Nolan has a penchant for filming Batman in bright light even when it makes no logical sense. Consider the interrogation scene in TDK. What sense does it make to have the lights come ON while Batman assaults the Joker? Wouldn't it be more appropriate if police couldn't see what he was doing?

Daylight just doesn't suit the character. Even Burton's Batman would be ineffectual during the day.

DocLathropBrown, this is an instance when realism gets in the way of good storytelling. Does crime happen during the day? Of course. But in a movie, crime happens whenever the director wants. Daylight just doesn't suit the aesthetics of the Batman. It highlights the ridiculousness of the character (not to mention Nolan's Batsuit).

Nice to see you here Travesty. You're a voice of reason on SHH. I'm mcallima over there.

Excellent post! I've always favoured the 'calm and cold' interpretation.

Adams, Aparo, Nguyen, in that order.

i understand liking batman with blue and grey but i say it looks silly.

anybody ever seen Batman all black with a yellow sheild on his chest like in the movies? come to think of it ive never seen that. ever.

Batman had an all-black costume for a while in the 90's. It's called the "Troika suit", after the storyline it first appeared in. Here's a good look at it: http://img3.imagebanana.com/img/sxeetj0c/mark_bagley_SpiderMan_and_BatmanDiso.jpg

I'm a "New Look" fan, but I enjoy black/grey too. All black is too plain for my tastes, and doesn't highlight the superheroic nature of the character well enough.

This seems like as good a place as any to make my first post here. I'm good friends with BatmAngelus, who convinced me that I should sign up. A lifetime ago, I was an active poster at Batman-on-Film. Since I left, I've been making occasional posts at the anarchic mess that is SHH. I'm not what you would call a Burtonite. I hold '89 in very high esteem, but it's not without flaws and I do hate Returns more than I hate TDK. In general, I'm a comics fan first and foremost, and it bothers me when any Batflick feels more like a Burton film or a Nolan film than a BATMAN film. Still, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Nolan's cult of personality gets in the way of meaningful discussion, so I'm just looking for a place where that mindset isn't prevalent.

Now, to the topic at hand. I've been pining for a "reboot" since the stink of TDK first became apparent. Like '89, Begins was an excellent Batman film that suffered from a few minor welts. It dealt with the origin in a satisfactory manner, so I have no real desire to see a strict origin film for the foreseeable future. That said, the death of Bruce's parents should always cast a shadow and the most organic way to revisit the issue is to tell the origin story of Dick Grayson. The first film in the new cycle could use Dark Victory for its thematic inspiration, and we could rewrite the rules of the franchise without having to focus another film on Bruce's first days in the cowl. My top two choices to direct are David Fincher and Alfonso Cuarón. I'd also love to see Guillermo del Toro direct a one-shot with Man-Bat as the villain.