Comic Creators Comment on Batman Movies

[johnnygobbs]

Man, I hope Silver Nemesis didn't leave us due to Caviezel not getting the Batman part 

It's a shame Silver Nemesis has been so quiet lately although I don't see why he would leave the site on that basis.

[BatmAngelus]

I was half-joking.  Still, I haven't seen a post from him, post-Affleck casting, and I was curious what he thought.

[Cobblepot4Mayor]

Cobblepot4Mayor, where would you place 'Batman Forever' in relation to 'Batman '89' and 'Batman Returns' these days?

Hi. Well let's not be too foolish here. As a maturer guy now of course the Keaton movies are better and my favorites. I did start off with them. I'd certainly rank Batman Forever in third place. Because it's been around longer and I have fantastic memories of going to see it I wouldn't rank any of the Bale pictures over it (though Batman Begins is my fourth favorite).

Maybe you had to be a certain age to appreciate the third one. I'll certainly never forget how popular and huge it was in the summer of 95. Ve Neil, the lady who did most of the films makeup, commented in the making of book that the film felt much bigger and more elaborate than what Batman Returns had been designed to be. I just think the action sequences got larger and certainly more insaner than previously (where else will you find a "wall crawling" Batmobile? lol). It seemed a lot more packed with action and the cast of characters felt grander too. Seeing my favorite villain of the time, the Riddler, as the main villain was a big deal and of course finally getting Robin. I still love the Batcave scene when Robin properly enters the movie in costume. My dad and I loved watching the tv show at the time so getting a feel of that in the modern films was a tremendous exciting thrill and turned the whole ending of the third film onto another level than the previous two. It's hard to disregard how massive something was and how much you had a great time seeing it.

[Azrael]

Dennis O'Neil on Tim Burton's Batman (August 29, 2013)

When the world learned that Michael Keaton had been chosen to drive the Batmobile in director Tim Burton's 1988 Batman it seemed like a highly questionable pairing of performer and role. But what we didn't know, all of us inclined to say nay, was that Mr. Burton had his own vision of what the character might be and proceeded accordingly. Not my vision, but a vision that was valid on its own terms. Burton made a pretty good movie and then he made another. Not great flicks, but I'll generally settle for pretty good.

Source: ComicMix.com

[Silver Nemesis]

Man, I hope Silver Nemesis didn't leave us due to Caviezel not getting the Batman part 

Verily, my butthurt on that score knows no bounds. But Warner Bros have made their choice (for better or worse), so we'd best make the most of it.

Regarding my recent absence, I'm afraid I couldn't get a decent internet signal from The Dark Knight's basement... ugh, that is to say I took a break from the internet for a while to enjoy the summer holidays.

As for the whole Batfleck controversy, I've got a lot of thoughts on that subject. I'll post them when I've got more time (expect some of my signature rambling posts). But for now I'll just say that I'm in the "give the guy a chance" camp. I do have serious misgivings about the project as a whole, and I think there were other rumoured actors who would've been more suitable for the part. But I'm still willing to give him a shot. He might surprise us.

Part of the reason I'm keeping an open mind about Affleck is because I don't like how nasty some of the personal attacks on him have gotten. I'm not his biggest fan, but these rumours about death threats and suicide pacts are just horrible. You'd think with all that's going on in the world (Syria anyone?) people would have a more balanced perspective on the matter.

But like I say, I'll post more on the subject soon.

Dennis O'Neil on Tim Burton's Batman (August 29, 2013)

When the world learned that Michael Keaton had been chosen to drive the Batmobile in director Tim Burton's 1988 Batman it seemed like a highly questionable pairing of performer and role. But what we didn't know, all of us inclined to say nay, was that Mr. Burton had his own vision of what the character might be and proceeded accordingly. Not my vision, but a vision that was valid on its own terms. Burton made a pretty good movie and then he made another. Not great flicks, but I'll generally settle for pretty good.

Source: ComicMix.com

Thanks for posting this. I've not read this quote before. It's certainly the most recent comment I've seen from O'Neil on the subject. I think he did say some negative things about the Burton movies round about the time Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were released. But it looks like his attitude has grown more favourable since then.

[BatmAngelus]

Ha!  Glad to see you're alive and well, my friend.  Not to derail this thread into talking about Affleck, but I agree with your sentiments.

Thanks for sharing the O'Neil quote, SilentEnigma.  Interesting to see O'Neil's stance change over time.  I'd be curious to hear what he thinks of Batman Forever now, in light of his "maybe the best Batman movie" speculation for the Batman Forever Official Movie Magazine.

[Silver Nemesis]

I was just browsing James' blog over at 1989Batmancom and I found this interesting quote from Bob Kane concerning Batman Returns.

Bob Kane (on Batman Returns)

"The movie has a dark brooding atmosphere with some comedic dialogue relief. The dialogue is kind of risqué in certain parts, more adult, I think. It's a very good movie."

Quoted in "Comics Scene Spectacular" Issue #6, July 1992
http://www.1989batman.com/2013/08/vintage-magazine-article-comics-scene.html

Add that to the positive quotes we've already gathered from Denny O'Neil, Grant Morrison, Jason Aaron and Scott Snyder and it looks like Batman Returns isn't so hated in the comic industry after all.

Can anyone find any more quotes? I've always got the impression that Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Mike Mignola were fans of Batman Returns. But aside from a few comments on the DVD extras, I can't seem to find any definitive statements from them. Can anyone else?

[zDBZ]

Here's a quote from Paul Dini, though not directly related to Returns:

Tim Burton's vision was very over the top; a little bit Gothic but at the same time sort of like Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Christopher Nolan's Batman was very modern day; it almost got to the point where I was watching the movie and I was noticing landmarks as I'm a native of Chicago where it was shot. To some degree I don't think Batman works in a completely modern city; I think Gotham has be reflective of his personality and those of his enemies.

[Silver Nemesis]

Ann Nocenti (on the characterisation of Selina Kyle in Batman Returns)

"When she turns into Catwoman, she takes her frumpy little apartment and she destroys it. She realizes she was locked into a non-feminist life as a downtrodden secretary. And she just rips that to shreds. To me, that's a feminist moment. From then on, she takes care of her stuff. She doesn't fit in at a work-a-week, wage-slave job. And never again."

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/story/2012/09/17/catwoman-writer-embraces-feline-accidental-feminist/57794298/1

[Azrael]

I have an even more bashful quote by Joss Whedon (from a 2005 issue of Wizard). You sure want to see it?