New Trailer Out

[The Joker]

The New52 actually did a different confrontation in which a young Bruce Wayne confronts Chill with a gun to ask who hired him to kill his parents and finds out that Chill was just a down and out mugger and not out to carry a hit. This leads Bruce to drop his revenge quest and undergo training to become something more. It basically merges the classic Joe Chill confrontation with Batman Begins.

To me, I think it's more important that the cops never caught the killer than anything that happened between Bruce/Batman and Joe Chill later on. It was the fact that the cops weren't able to find him and bring him to justice that motivated Bruce to hunt down criminals himself and become a vigilante. The only version of the story to change this element was Batman Begins, in having the cops arrest Joe Chill that same night (and instead had Bruce motivated by seeing how corrupt the system had become and how ashamed his parents would be if they knew that he was being idle about it).

Zero Hour popularized the idea that the Wayne's killer was never caught or identified and while it seems many fans hold onto this, this version is pretty short-lived in comparison to the rest of Batman's history (much like the idea that Batman is a loner and Joker has no origin, even though Batman hasn't really been a loner since 1940 and Joker has had an origin since 1951).

Plus, I think it's erroneous to think that Bruce Wayne, the World's Greatest Detective, would never have even tried to figure out who was behind the trigger that night or why his parents had to die that night, much less catch the killer himself (though ironically, most accounts show Batman encountering Joe Chill through happenstance rather than seeking him out). Personally, the Joe Chill story from the 1940s is a classic to me and Batman The Brave and the Bold had a perfect adaptation of it, thanks to Paul Dini, in the Chill of the Night episode.

Thanks for the info! I'll have to check out that Brave and the Bold episode, as I was unaware that the classic 1940's Joe Chill issue was actually adapted.

Yeah, even though I personally would lean towards the idea of Joe Chill being the murderer of the Wayne's, I can see why people would hold onto the notion of the killer never being found, and essentially remaining faceless. As it essentially re-establishes that impression of Gotham City having been overwhelmed with the criminal element for some time, and that a case like that could possibly remain unsolved, even if Batman himself attempted to solve it, due to those unsavory factors. It's a idea that does have it's merit for sure, and it's probable that some readers found it a more pleasing retcon considering the way "Batman: Year Two" handled the final confrontation with Chill.

As far as Batman #47 from 1948, that to me is the definitive Joe Chill story. Having been a comic book reader for a number of years now, and having become very familiar with numerous retcons/revamps/reboots during that time, I find myself gravitating more and more towards the original versions of characters as presented by the creators of said characters (and wanting to read those stories as well). Which is not to say other writers/artists thru the years haven't made incredible contributions, as that's certainly not the case, but the fact that Bill Finger himself wrote that 1948 issue, and it being done incredibly well, that to me is the version that will ultimately stand the test of time no matter how many times it's deviated from. Again, I really now want to check out that Brave and the Bold episode! 

Score samples:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BORWRP8

Nice.

[BatmAngelus]

Definitely check it out, Joker. It has its own twists to the story, but it's a wonderful episode. As a kid, I grew up watching B89 nearly every day and following that up with an audio adaptation of The Untold Legend of the Batman, so the Joe Chill story has always been a part of my life as a fan.

There's a discussion about this in the General Bat-Chat if you want to join:
http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=2788.msg47502#msg47502

Another sample track - The Red Capes Are Coming. This may be the Lex Luthor theme.
https://soundcloud.com/watertowermusic/redcapes

[The Laughing Fish]

I'm listening to the track "The Red Capes are Coming" right now. Am I the only who thinks it sounds as if it would fit perfectly in an Arkham video game? 

[The Dark Knight]

Haven't heard that one yet.

But I've heard the full Batman suite. I'm a fan. The beginning has the melody played softly, without the drums. Mournfully. Showing how this theme can be presented in different ways. It's actually reminiscent of Goldenthal's Batman theme in places, which isn't a bad thing. Junkie XL still has enough going on to make this brand new, too.

There's this other motif he's created too. It comes across as sad and reflective. I think it could be Bruce's personal theme. The internal pain he feels over his parents death. Really good stuff. It has an otherwordly feel.

And then the cue ends with the complete theme - what we've already heard. The banging overhead the Goldenthalish melody. I've come to really enjoy this new musical direction for Batman. It's dark, heroic, reflective and defiant. And actually a clear melody you could hum and remember in time. It has choral chanting ala Elfman as well.

If you want to hear it, I can lead you in the right direction via PM's.

[BatmAngelus]

Been warming up to the new theme now that I've heard more of it from the suite and definitely becoming more of a fan. I think it emphasizes, more than others, the "monster" persona that Batman has become. I can easily imagine it playing in the full fight scene from the beginning of the last trailer as he tackles two dozen thugs head-on.

[The Dark Knight]

Also, check this out:

A Jeep ad which shows Bruce driving into the Metropolis ground zero. Looks impressive to me.

[The Laughing Fish]

Ha, gotta love the product placement. 

My only reservation is Alfred's change of job description.

I'm wondering if, in this version, Alfred takes a more active approach in helping Bruce, out of guilt for not being there to save the Waynes that night.

Coming back to this. Your guess reminds me of Batman: Earth One's depiction of Alfred, where he works as a security guard and warned Thomas Wayne not to go out in public on the same night where he and his wife died. As sole guardian of Bruce, Alfred reluctantly co-operates with Bruce as gets older and becomes Batman, and he often gets frustrated with Bruce's stubbornness.

[The Dark Knight]

This type of Alfred seems to be the trend. Earth One, Beware The Batman and Gotham all feature gruffer, hands on versions of Alfred. Which I'm not against, to be honest. As long as the actor and character have a degree of warmth - which I think Jeremy Irons has in spades.

[BatmAngelus]

Agreed. Even the Batman Live show had a version where Alfred had taught Bruce how to fight. To me, it makes a lot of sense for Alfred to have these skills and be able to help Bruce in this way, aside from bringing him food that he never touches. The rougher version of Alfred from Earth One is just an extension of all this. It's a change in personality, sure, but I do love the character development in Earth One/Gotham's Alfred being forced to become a father figure for a child when he never imagined being one.

My only (extremely) minor issue is that I wish Alfred looked like Alfred again. Michael Gough, Michael Caine, Sean Pertwee, and Jeremy Irons have all been clean shaven and both Caine and Irons seem to have strayed away from the traditional Alfred clothes (with Irons, it might make more sense since his character isn't a butler, but a head of security could still wear a black suit).

Sure, the original Alfred (Alfred Beagle) was clean shaven, but he was also heavyset and bumbling and wanted to become a detective. So unless they're casting Stephen Fry in the role and writing him that way, I don't think that's the Alfred that filmmakers were going for.

Considering how close everyone else looks to the comics (even Eisenberg looks like he's from the flashbacks in Birthright and we know he'll be bald later on), it would've been nice to see Irons in a moustache and the suit.

In the meantime, poor Henry Cavill finds himself up against "brutally honest" comic book fans in asking who's better: Batman or Superman...

[The Dark Knight]

So apparently BvS will be rated PG13 for cinemas, but a Director's Cut will be planned for Blu-ray release that is rated R. That's okay with me, because it's optional. I imagine the R rating would be because of Doomsday's carnage and Batman's rough style of justice.