A Batman '89 comic-book series

[Gotham Knight]

If Keaton does reprise the role again, in whatever capacity, this comic needs to be greenlit.

Imagine reading the most significant moments in Batman's career that would've taken place post-Returns. Wow.

I think an official announcement, and any and all info on every comic issue's subsequent solicitation and release date, would have a lot of us here like these guys.

You ain't just whistling Dixie.


If Keaton is announced, they'll do a catch up series. The more on the minds of the consumer he is, the more they'll be amenable to this kind of marketing. Looking forward to some kind of official confirmation. I hear the Fandom thing in August might be where we get it, if indeed Keaton's return is happening. From there, hopefully we'll get our fix.

[The Dark Knight]

I hear the Fandom thing in August might be where we get it, if indeed Keaton's return is happening. From there, hopefully we'll get our fix.

Yes. We are in limbo until then. A comic series that leads up to a hypothetical Flashpoint movie would be the best marketing I can think of. BvS had a limited comic series which I consider canon. B66 had a large run not long ago. If we couldn't have a long term, ongoing project, I'd go with the key events in his life and strive for quality. A time jump of roughly five years between issues. Robin's appearance (and disappearance?), whatever happened with Selina (marriage?/child?), Alfred's death and Bruce's struggles with older age. A one-shot focused on BDW's Harvey Dent would be a logical choice somewhere in there too.   

[The Joker]

To elaborate further on what TDK said, the idea of how events, characters, and relationships played out in Keaton's Batman's life between the timeline of Post-Batman Returns to Batman Beyond, is fun and interesting to think about. That's A LOT of time that could be delved into, and being that this is the Burtonverse, there are many opportunities to explore. Especially if a potential series gets a run akin to the '66 comic books.

Who's the say that Vicki Vale didn't return to Gotham right around the time that Selina entered Bruce's life again? Causing a love triangle of sorts. Perhaps a Burtonverse Killer Croc was/is affiliated with the Penguin's Red Triangle Circus Gang in some capacity? When did the Jokerz gang first emerge in the Burtonverse?

There's so much alternate history to explore with this.

[Gotham Knight]

To elaborate further on what TDK said, the idea of how events, characters, and relationships played out in Keaton's Batman's life between the timeline of Post-Batman Returns to Batman Beyond, is fun and interesting to think about. That's A LOT of time that could be delved into, and being that this is the Burtonverse, there are many opportunities to explore. Especially if a potential series gets a run akin to the '66 comic books.

Who's the say that Vicki Vale didn't return to Gotham right around the time that Selina entered Bruce's life again? Causing a love triangle of sorts. Perhaps a Burtonverse Killer Croc was/is affiliated with the Penguin's Red Triangle Circus Gang in some capacity? When did the Jokerz gang first emerge in the Burtonverse?

There's so much alternate history to explore with this.

Definitely. Depending on how this iteration is worked in I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find that things haven't worked out for Keaton's Batman. Maybe there is a tragedy that focuses on the inclusion of a Robin going wrong and the failed attempt at training a protege creates an enemy. Or maybe there was no Robin. Maybe, we look at Batman's lone war and continue the trend of of RETURNS which shows a man becoming increasing isolated.

[thecolorsblend]

If a B89 comic ever gets made, I think it might be sort of fun to go in a 100% oppose direction from the established canon. There are a lot of live action Batmen who follow the canon. Some closer than others but there are plenty of options out there.

So a B89 comic where the Burton continuity moves in its own direction is intriguing to me. After Batman Returns, I don't necessarily need to see Burton's Robin or Nightwing or something anyway. So maybe create some original villains or supporting characters. Or perhaps allude to Bruce briefly giving up Batman for a mayoral run of his own to counter Chip Shrek's handpicked candidate. Alternatively, maybe the police continued pursuing Batman after the murder of the Ice Princess since he was never really exonerated? Something else, maybe a Punisher-like vigilante came to Gotham and showed Bruce his own worst nature?

Don't get me wrong, I love the comics but there might be an opportunity here to do something truly unique and original with Burton's Batman.

Or maybe everything I just wrote is a really bad idea...

[The Dark Knight]

If a B89 comic ever gets made, I think it might be sort of fun to go in a 100% oppose direction from the established canon. There are a lot of live action Batmen who follow the canon. Some closer than others but there are plenty of options out there.

That has basis in logic, given the plan for Marlon Wayans to be Robin, and the fact BDW was Harvey Dent. Burton apparently wanted BDW for the black and white concept, meaning the scarring would've been much different. Overall, I would take the supernatural weirdness that BR explored and run with it.

It's interesting trying to fill in the Burtonverse gaps because B89 and BR were more or less constructed as stand-alones. I think the gaps weren't ever really meant to be filled, which makes the timeline so mysterious and alluring.

Much like the B66 series, doing a comic years after the fact feels like a tribute act, rather than like a pure continuation. But if we want an extension of the world it can't be anything else right now. Depending on the quality, we could accept or decline canon status as we pleased. So hopefully they do it – there's nothing to lose.

[The Laughing Fish]

If a B89 comic ever gets made, I think it might be sort of fun to go in a 100% oppose direction from the established canon. There are a lot of live action Batmen who follow the canon. Some closer than others but there are plenty of options out there.

So a B89 comic where the Burton continuity moves in its own direction is intriguing to me. After Batman Returns, I don't necessarily need to see Burton's Robin or Nightwing or something anyway. So maybe create some original villains or supporting characters. Or perhaps allude to Bruce briefly giving up Batman for a mayoral run of his own to counter Chip Shrek's handpicked candidate. Alternatively, maybe the police continued pursuing Batman after the murder of the Ice Princess since he was never really exonerated? Something else, maybe a Punisher-like vigilante came to Gotham and showed Bruce his own worst nature?

Don't get me wrong, I love the comics but there might be an opportunity here to do something truly unique and original with Burton's Batman.

Or maybe everything I just wrote is a really bad idea...

Nice ideas, but the only suggestion I have an issue with is the police going after Batman. I think the Batsignal lighting up in the end of BR implies that he had been cleared of any wrongdoing. Mask of the Phantasm ended exactly the same, we never really saw Batman exonerated for the Valestra mob murders, but the Batsignal shining up in the sky at the end had indicated he cleared his name.

If this comic were to ever get up and running, I wonder if DC Comics would have to pay any royalties for using Michael Gough and Pat Hingle's likenesses to their estates? Assuming if a legal requirement does exist.

[Silver Nemesis]

I've read rumours that Sam Hamm devised a back story for the 1989 Bruce, which he subsequently used as the basis of 'Blind Justice' (Detective Comics Vol 1 #598-600, March-May 1989), which in turn influenced Batman Begins. It might be an idea to go back to Hamm and ask for his input on a potential comic series. However if a comic were to be published, I wouldn't want it to focus on origin stories for movie characters. I would like to see flashbacks depicting a pre-1989 Keaton-Bruce learning the ropes, but I want to see them in a Batman Beyond movie, not a comic. I'm not too bothered about what happened to Oswald between the time he was dumped in the sewers and the time he resurfaced to plague Gotham; I can infer all that from the hints dropped in the movie.

I'd rather a comic series told tales about new characters, or built upon outstanding plot points that were never resolved in the films. Let's see how Ratcatcher and Kite Man's costumes ended up displayed in Wayne Manor. Let's see how Knox's career was affected once his Batman story was validated by the wider press. Let's see how Gordon and the GCPD regained Batman's trust after falsely blaming him for the Ice Princess' death. I'd like to see Burtonised versions of Scarecrow, Man-Bat, Solomon Grundy and the Court of Owls. Remember back in 'Night of the Owls: Gangland Style' (Birds of Prey Vol 3 #9, July 2012) where Starling explicitly describes one of the Talons as resembling a Tim Burton creation?

Later she makes a joke about how she hopes he looks like Johnny Depp under his mask.

This kind of gothic supernatural material is a no-brainer for a Burton Batman series. I'd love to see a comic set around Halloween where Keaton's Batman and Hingle's Gordon have to contend with the Court of Owls. We're never going to see that in a movie (maybe with Pattinson, but not with Keaton) so we may as well see it in a comic.

[GBglide]

Batman was armored, Joker was scarred. Catwoman's costume was as fragile as her psyche. Penguin was deliberately unattractive.
Burton had said that Two Face would have had black on one side and white on the other.

I always thought Poison Ivy would be scantily clad and more plant like, with green skin and petals for hair (changing length at will).

Mr. Freeze would have had a ice/steampunk outfit.

How do you think other characters would have been "Burtonized" had the movies continued?

[The Laughing Fish]

Batman was armored, Joker was scarred. Catwoman's costume was as fragile as her psyche. Penguin was deliberately unattractive.
Burton had said that Two Face would have had black on one side and white on the other.

Really? I wonder if that's where BTAS got the idea for Two-Face from.

How do you think other characters would have been "Burtonized" had the movies continued?

I read that Burton wanted to shave the Riddler's head into a question mark, but I don't know if that's true. Jim Carrey wanted to do the same, but he couldn't because he had to attend court for divorce proceedings.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112462/trivia

Some artists drew up their interpretation of what Burton's third Batman might've been, as you can see in this example below.





https://www.deviantart.com/micromaned/art/Tim-Burton-s-Batman-Forever-78589654