Carmine Infantino (1925-2013)

In Search of "My Batman"...

Here's an update of a post from 2008...

Okay, I know Christopher Nolan Batman series is a top-notch film trilogy. It's got a talented cast, superb acting, incredible stunts, sate of the art effects, impeccable production values, and drama of epic proportions. Now having seen all three, you may ask "Did I enjoy them?" Well, let's just say I survived them. 

Let me start by saying I am a Batman fan from way back. I've been buying, collecting and reading Batman (and various other DC) comics since about 1972 - when I was 8 years old.

I have a collection of hundreds of Batman toys and trinkets. I grew up on the old BATMAN TV series (Aunt Harriet! Batgirl! Lola Lasagna!), the wooden Filmation cartoons of the late 60s and of course the various corny but fun incarnations of SUPERFRIENDS throughout the 70s and 80s.

Also along the way there was the ridiculous 1966 feature with much of the TV cast, the newer (and improved) Filmation series from the late 70s (even though that show brought us the dreaded Bat-Mite!)

and the various odd projects like LEGENDS OF THE SUPER-HEROES (yikes!) and the infamous guest spot on THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES.

While Batman continued to be marketed to us 70s kids in every shape and form from Underoos to Ben Cooper Halloween costumes, some of the best Batman comics ever were be published by National Peroidical Publications, aka DC Comics. 

Great runs like the sophisticated and gothic Denny O'Neill/Neal Adams issues which introduced the darkly seductive Talia (as seen in THE DARK NIGHT RISES) and the bold Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers run in DETECTIVE COMICS (#469-476) which brought us the sexy and sultry Silver St. Cloud, were among the best and definitive interpretations. There was also some later good stuff in the early 80s from teams like Doug Moench/Don Newton and Mike W. Barr/Alan Davis. These were all "my Batman".

Along the way, there was some pretty dreadful stuff too, like most of WORLD'S FINEST and many BRAVE & THE BOLD outtings. Then came Frank Miller. 

Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and BATMAN: YEAR ONE (issues 404-407 of the BATMAN monthly) changed everything. These two grim and gritty bookend miniseries told the last and first Batman stories, setting the new standard for storytelling about the caped crusader and leaving other creators to fill in what happens in between. 

At the time, I thought both Miller's writing and artwork were refreshing and unique- but by the time he returned for a sequel, 2001's miserable and offensive THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN - I loathed both him and his style. His most recent Batman maxi-series (did it ever conclude??), ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER is pretty to look at (thanks to Jim Lee), but was not on my "must buy" list. Again, not "my Batman".

Tim Burton's BATMAN hit theaters in 1989, I was in fanboy heaven. Despite the miscasting of Michael (MR. MOM) Keaton as Bruce Wayne, there was finally a Batman that wasn't silly, corny and campy - though looking back, it might be after all. Then the dreadful Prince soundtrack kicked in. Ugh. But I liked it because there were lots of cool toys and other merchandise that I could buy and finally the Batman that I was reading about in the DC Universe kinda sorta existed elsewhere now.

Burton's sequel BATMAN RETURNS was a bit better, thanks to the Catwoman subplot...

and the great Siouxsie and the Banshees song "Face to Face" over the closing credits.

The less said about Joel Schumacher's BATMAN & ROBIN, BATMAN FOREVER and Pitof's (what the fuck kind of name is that?) ludicrous CATWOMAN the better. None of these were "my Batman" or "my Catwoman" - they were closer to being "My Little Pony".

Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES and all it's various sequels were a lot closer to the Batman that I knew and loved, though I was not a fan of the futuristic and unneeded BATMAN BEYOND.

Another animated series called THE BATMAN ran from 2004-2006. I only saw a few episodes here and there. Looked okay, was a bit too Manga-oriented for my tastes.

Christopher Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS was a vast improvement upon the the Burton and Schumacher films - borrowing some elements from the O'Neill/Adams run. I was not and still am not impressed by the tank-like Batmobile. aka the Tumbler Definitely not "my Batmobile". I have only seen it BATMAN BEGINS once, and don't plan on watching it again any time soon, the same for the uber-popular sequel THE DARK KNIGHT. 

While die-hard fans of the 1960s ABC series wait for Fox and Warners Bros. to come to terms about releasing the show on DVD, Fox has released the 1966 theatrical film on blu-ray utilizing a deceptive DARK KNIGHT-themed advertising campaign. One wonders who might buy this expecting to see a grim and gritty Adam West.

The recent THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD animated series was pleasant and unxpected a return to "my Batman" - with great guest stars like Plastic Man, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, the Doom Patrol and the new Blue Beetle. The stories were smart, fun and placed the character firmly in a universe of super-powered friends and enemies that felt like the DC Universe I grew up loving.

As THE DARK NIGHT RISES continues it juggernaut across movie theater screens across the world, I wonder if there will ever be a film that lives up to the expectations that I have for "my Batman"...and will I ever see Aunt Harriet again?

Naughty & Nice - Holiday Pin-Ups

From 2008 : Since a certain nameless blog listing service turned down Dougsploitation because it considered it "pornography" - I decided to put my money shots where their mouths are and share some slightly sexy photos from Santa's private collection.

First up, we have everybody's favorite Batgirl, Yvonne Craig showing some skin as she poses among some brightly wrapped packages spilling out of Old St. Nick's big sleigh.

Next up we have a classic James Bidgood photo of a hunky young man (circa 1966). Looks like somebody has already started unwrapping their present!

Yvonne's back, this time looking pert and stylish as she poses with a smiling snowman in front of a lovely decorated holiday window.

Meanwhile, a twinky blonde caroler has arrived with quite an assortment of gifts for some lucky recipient. This is another shot from a Bidgood collection called Holiday.

A Brief History of Batwoman

A New BATWOMAN monthly comic book will debut in a few weeks as part of the DC Comics "New 52" reboot/relaunch. Let's take a quick look back at the history of this semi-obscure character.The DC Comics character Batwoman has always been one of my favorites, mostly because she was basically a D-List superheroine.

Kathy Kane was introduced in Detective Comics #233 (July 1956) and spent most of her short-lived crimefighting career trying to romantically woo the Dark Knight Detective.She was often doomed.
Paired with Bat-Mite.
Forced into being a surrogate mother to Robin.
Batman also saw her as the competition.
Kathy was later joined by her niece Betty in 1961 as the first Bat-Girl. Kathy and Betty were intended to be romantic interests of Batman and Robin, respectively - to fend off rumors that the caped crusaders were gay lovers.Like Lois Lane, she sometimes developed super-powers when the story called for it.And took part in some of the more bizarre Batman adventures.

She faced many unusual challenges.

Batwoman, as well as Bat-Girl, and other silly characters like Ace the Bat-Hound, and the fore-mentioned Bat-Mite pretty much disappeared from comics by the early 1960s.

Kathy was more or less replaced by Barbara Gordon's much more popular Batgirl during the height of the ABC TV series in last third of that decade.

Kathy resurfaced briefly in the late 1970s as a member of The Batman Family.

Ms. Kane became the owner of a circus after retiring from crimefighting.

Batwoman donned her costume for a few new adventures in the DC Universe–

including a team-up with Batgirl and The Freedom Fighters!

But Kathy's comeback was destined to be short-lived, and she was brutally killed by The Ras Al Ghul's League of Assassins in Detective Comics #485 (September 1979).

Her neice, Betty was renamed Bette after Crisis on Infinite Earths and later joined the Titans as Flamebird.

Years later, Batwoman made a ghostly cameo appearance in The Kingdom: Planet Krypton, in which she is one of many "lost" DC characters that haunt a superhero-themed restaurant.

Other Elseworlds and alternative versions of Batwoman have appeared in recent years, only appearing once or twice. Another Batwoman appeared in the animated film BATMAN: MYSTERY OF THE BATWOMAN. Here Batwoman is actually three different women, one of them is named Cathy Duquesne (pronounced "du-kane").

Batman writer/editor Denny O'Neil hinted for years that a new Batwoman was on her way in the late 1980s/early 90s - but that never happened. Most likely the character evolved into the third Batgirl (Cassandra Cain, no relation) who was introduced after Gordon became paralysed in The Killing Joke and transformed herself into Oracle in the pages of Suicide Squad, and later Birds of Prey. Now, many years later, Barbara Gordon will be returning to the role of Batgirl as part of the DC reboot/relaunch.

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A brand new Kate Kane was finally introduced to the DCU in the 7th issue of a wonderful weekly maxi-series called 52 (July 2006), becoming the new Batwoman in issue #11 (also July 2006). Kate was now cast as former Gotham police officer Renee Montoya's ex-lover and heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Gotham City.Batwoman and Renee (now the new Question) subsequently got involved with Intergang, the Crime Bible and all sorts of danger during 52, and two follow-up miniseries. This new, improved version of Batwoman debuted as the lead character in Detective Comics (with Renee's Question providing back-up support), coming full circle and bumping her up to the A-List at last. She also briefly joined a new version of the Justice League! It's a interesting footnote that Detective Comics, the title which DC Comics gets its name from costarred TWO lesbian superheroes. In a recent issue of BATMAN INC., Batwoman has an interesting encounter with the "ghost" of the first Batwoman.
A new BATWOMAN #0 appeared a few months back, with the monthly solo series delayed until the big September reboot/relaunch. With stunning art by J.H. Williams III, this is on my shortlist of the new titles I will be buying. You've come a long way, Batwoman.