References to the films in the comics

[BatmanFurst]

In Legends of The Dark Knight 52 (1993) the 89 Batarang is featured.


As far as I can tell Legends of the Dark Knight 9 (1990) aka Batman Gothic was the first appearance of the 89 Batmobile in comics.


In the Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween special from 1993 titled "Choices" Bruce shows up to a costume party without a costume. Felt very reminiscent of Batman Returns.

[BatmanFurst]

Sean Murphy, author of White Knight, co-hosts a Batman The Animated Series podcast called "The Batman The Animated Series Show Podcast". In their review episode of the 89 Batman back in 2019 Sean mentions that to this day if an artist asks DC for a reference of what Gotham City should look like, they will hand you Anton Furst's sketches.

[BatmanFurst]

In 'Wings' (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual Vol 1 #5, 1995) Batman uses a cape glider that is visually similar to the one from Batman Returns.

There's a visual nod to the mistletoe scene from Batman Returns in 'The Prison' (Batman Chronicles Vol 1 #8, March 1997) where Talia al Ghul kisses a dazed Batman while he lies wounded on the floor.

The Romero, Nicholson, and Ledger Jokers all make cameos in 'The Sound of One Hand Clapping' (Adventures of Superman Vol 2 #14, August 2014) along with several classic comic book versions and the DCAU incarnation.

With that Glider picture it should also be noted that this is the very first time that Batman had a glider built into the cape in the comics. Batman Returns should absolutely be credited with inventing that idea which has become synonymous with the character. The Nolan films have it as well as the Arkham games. However, Returns got there first.

[BatmanFurst]

I could use some opinions on this one. This comic was dated February 1996, but in these panels I thought Two-Face's appearance was similar to Tommy Lee Jones in Batman Forever. Am I reaching?

[thecolorsblend]

I don't think you're reaching at all.

As it is my understanding, the similarities were planned out ahead of time. Essentially, nobody wanted a repeat of what happened with BR, where the movie likeness of the Penguin just wasn't going to translate over to the comics.

So, with the lead time Schumacher had, the BF designs for the Riddler and Two Face were circulated around DC early. In the case of the Riddler, he was similar enough to the existing comic book version that the two were already pretty compatible with each other. The Two Face design was incorporated into the comics fairly early as I recall.

The earliest that I can think of is Two Face's appearance in the Prodigal storyline, which I think began at the tail end of 1994. As you show in your post, subsequent Two Face appearances brought his aesthetic even closer to his BF likeness. I think that's even his BF suit design.

By the mid-Nineties, "synergy" was the name of the game and DC did the job right by that point. Everyone made sure that the BF Two Face had a marketable image that could be incorporated into the comics fairly easily. Which is exactly what happened.

As a matter of preference, I'm torn on the subject myself. On the one hand, the green acid burns never made logical sense to me. Purple scarring makes far more sense. But at the same time, I've always kind of resented movie stuff intruding on comics. I always thought the two should be kept separate.

[BatmanFurst]

I don't think you're reaching at all.

As it is my understanding, the similarities were planned out ahead of time. Essentially, nobody wanted a repeat of what happened with BR, where the movie likeness of the Penguin just wasn't going to translate over to the comics.

So, with the lead time Schumacher had, the BF designs for the Riddler and Two Face were circulated around DC early. In the case of the Riddler, he was similar enough to the existing comic book version that the two were already pretty compatible with each other. The Two Face design was incorporated into the comics fairly early as I recall.

The earliest that I can think of is Two Face's appearance in the Prodigal storyline, which I think began at the tail end of 1994. As you show in your post, subsequent Two Face appearances brought his aesthetic even closer to his BF likeness. I think that's even his BF suit design.

By the mid-Nineties, "synergy" was the name of the game and DC did the job right by that point. Everyone made sure that the BF Two Face had a marketable image that could be incorporated into the comics fairly easily. Which is exactly what happened.

As a matter of preference, I'm torn on the subject myself. On the one hand, the green acid burns never made logical sense to me. Purple scarring makes far more sense. But at the same time, I've always kind of resented movie stuff intruding on comics. I always thought the two should be kept separate.

Thanks for the response! I read Prodigal not too long ago and it didn't dawn on me that Harvey's face was a different color. It just jumped out to me reading the comic above because it's the only time I've seen Two-Face wear a black and pink suit up until this point.

Some of the changes from the 89 film I actually prefer to what was there before. Like I'm glad they changed the look of Gotham and I like that the grapple gun became a permanent tool in Batman's arsenal. However, I definitely can see how doing that for every single film becomes tiresome.

[BatmanFurst]

I'm surprised this hasn't been put here already. In 1996 every Batman comic had inherited the font of the Schumacher Batman films on the covers.

[BatmanFurst]

Was reading Legends of the Dark Knight 93 when I came across the Batman Forever Batmobile in the bottom frame.

[BatmanFurst]

In Shadow of the Bat 67 the Batmobile is revealed to have shields similar to the 89 film.

[The Dark Knight]

In Shadow of the Bat 67 the Batmobile is revealed to have shields similar to the 89 film.

From my POV the Furst shields are what really make it The Batmobile. They make it even more than just a cool looking car - it becomes a comprehensive piece of technology in every aspect. They're an extra layer of protection that the other cinematic vehicles lack, and honestly, while a Batmobile is armored by default, that doesn't seem enough when you're parking alone on the streets of a city like Gotham. To me it would still feel exposed. Batman doesn't take any chances, and the shields capture that idea.