Batman '89 (2021)

[thecolorsblend]

I've stayed mum about Catwoman so far.

Gotta say tho... not digging that. For me, part of what makes the Bruce/Selina relationship work is how brief it was. They might've been perfect for each other but they were both too consumed by their obsessions to rly indulge a romance. The song "Face To Face" rly sums it all up for me. The movie ends on a somber note. Yeah, Catwoman is still out there. But I like the idea that they never see each other again and their mutual loss is a tragedy for both of them.

Going back to the well with the Burtonverse's Catwoman is a big risk. She's one of my favorite parts of BR and the idea of revisiting her is fraught with peril.

I emphasize that my expectations for this comic are sky high. Usually, I'm content to let a comic be what it wants to be. But the Burtonverse is my fanboy origin. This is a serious thing for me. And I emphasize that the creators had better be on their A-game. Because I'll tolerate nothing less than brilliance from these comics. The Burtonverse set that expectation for me and the creative team is willingly taking those expectations upon themselves.

With the sweet comes the bitter. I will spare no criticism if this series isn't up to snuff.

(Also, I think we've been teased enough and the art releases need to stop for a while but maybe that's just me)

[The Dark Knight]

Women are like cats. The more you chase them the harder they run. They'll come back in their own time. I'll judge the comic and the interactions with a critical eye, but in the context of an ongoing career, how realistic is it that Batman and Catwoman would never meet again? Judging their relationship from one movie and one moment in time is an easy trap to fall in to, especially given Batman Forever's approach. But Michelle wasn't going to appear in Forever, or any other Schumacher film. That's the chief reason why she's nowhere to be found. I'm sure Catwoman would eventually return to meet Batman, as the final scene of Returns depicts. Not touching upon her whereabouts in a Burton continuation would be the bigger elephant in the room. Each movie is about capturing one idea or feeling. B89 is a dark movie, but it's undeniably heroic. Returns is a dark movie with a sadder conclusion. A third or fourth Burton film would've been different again somehow.

[The Laughing Fish]

I emphasize that my expectations for this comic are sky high. Usually, I'm content to let a comic be what it wants to be. But the Burtonverse is my fanboy origin. This is a serious thing for me. And I emphasize that the creators had better be on their A-game. Because I'll tolerate nothing less than brilliance from these comics. The Burtonverse set that expectation for me and the creative team is willingly taking those expectations upon themselves.

With the sweet comes the bitter. I will spare no criticism if this series isn't up to snuff.

The Batman '89 comics is the only DC-related product I'm very excited about at the moment. Nothing about the glimpses we have seen so far has put me off so I'm willing to keep an open mind and judge once I start reading.

With that said, I can understand what you're saying from a purist's point of view. Burton himself doesn't seem to have any involvement with these comics so it wouldn't surprise me if some people begin to dismiss this as glorified fan fiction rather than a true continuation of the Burtonverse. A director making an unpopular storytelling decision is one thing. Other creators making unpopular decisions without the chief director whose name is defined in the continuity is something else entirely.

Sam Hamm is a bit of a mixed bag. As much as I more than appreciate his work on B89, Blind Justice was alright even if I found the character moments more memorable than the plot itself, but I wasn't a fan of his original Batman II script. So hopefully with the benefit of hindsight, Hamm will honour what was established in both Burton films.

But personally, I'm loving what we're getting so far. I also had the impression that Batman and Catwoman would never see each other again after their premature romance was doomed by fate, but that's because I accepted the idea that Schumacher was canon. Now that BF and B&R are no longer recognised as part of the Burtonverse, I'm curious to see how Batman and Catwoman rekindle their relationship, before it presumably ends thanks to fate yet again.

[Slash Man]

Staying spoiler free, but still commenting on some of the promotional art I've seen. A lot of the cover art unfortunately has fallen into the same pitfall as recent Star Wars comic art; directly tracing images taken from the movies creates an uncanny look. But the inside art at least stands on its own and doesn't reuse stills too heavily as far as I can see.

Robin looks pretty out of place. Too many artists seem to be ashamed of the core aspects of Robin's design that he's virtually unrecognizable. I think it becomes more important to tie that in since Marlon Wayans does not look like Dick Grayson of the comics (obviously). My beef here is that it doesn't look like it's from the Burton-verse, nor does it look like Robin.

We don't really know for sure how along the Robin design was before Burton was ousted. The rumors of a deleted scene seem to be false, as are claims of a costume test (mentioned in this old Batman-online article).
https://www.batman-online.com/features/2008/4/9/burtons-3rd-batman-rumours
The costume design of the unseen screen test being reused by Kenner seems too good to be true since it's a perfect rendering of Tim Drake's comic outfit. I want to believe, but it's not likely. It can easily be dismissed the same way the Penguin used his comics look instead of the movie's.

Still, the concepts by Bob Ringwood are what I'd consider to be a primary source from someone directly involved in Batman 1989. While the art clearly depicts Marlon being recast by a white actor at this point, it still feels authentic to see designs by Ringwood that predate the release of Forever. While the full-face mask one looks very Burton-esque, I personally prefer the more comic feel of the cloth one.

[Gotham Knight]

[Gotham Knight]

[Gotham Knight]

[Silver Nemesis]

Reminds me of this.

[thecolorsblend]

Reminds me of this.

Reminded me of...



Different perspective, obviously. But surprisingly similar.

[Gotham Knight]

Reviews for issue #1 are coming. Even Jett of BOF gave it a good review, though of course it was with the caveat that "if you like Tim Burton's Batman, you'll like this."