It's always "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" here at the Bat-Blog & this week I thought I would go totally RETRO 70's! The 1st Batman Wallpaper uses a hi-res graphic I found of vintage 1970's artwork by Neal Adams. This was a popular image used on a lot of toy packaging, like Corgi Toys Diecast Cars. Of course I am a huge Neal Adams fan so I had to use that! The next background is just as classic. It's Batgirl as drawn by Carmine Infantino. Another great comic book artist from the Silver Age. I think older readers will like these because they bring back nostalgic feelings & younger people will enjoy them just because the artwork is so good. Please let me know what YOU think about them. If you ever want a certain wallpaper design or a character that's kind of obscure just let me know & I'll see what I can do.
The other day I was talking to a friend & he said, "Oh yeah, I thought of you last night because I saw a TV Commercial featuring The Dark Knight Batman movie". I asked about it further & he said it was for some kind of pizza deal but he didn't see the whole thing. I just assumed that Domino's Pizza brought back their "Gotham City Special". Well, I was wrong. I went to Papa John's Pizza last night to pick up our order & they had these special BATMAN GIFT CARDS on sale. It seems that Warner Bros teamed-up with them to promote the release of The Dark Knight to DVD & Blu-Ray Disc. If you buy one of these Gift Cards you can use them yourself ( like if you're gonna get a pizza anyway ) or just ask the manager if you can have one. I did & they just gave me one. They also make great Christmas gift ideas too, ha ha. Oh yeah, on the box they have a coupon for $3.00 off your Dark Knight DVD movie purchase, not too shabby.
OK, Awhile back we reported here about a brand-new Batman product of the music soundtrack CD ( 2 - Disc Set ) of BATMAN, THE ANIMATED SERIES. As a HUGE FAN of this extremely well-done classic television series I could not have been more thrilled. Well, I received a promo copy the other day & have been listening to it the last 2-3 days. It took me forever to hear all of it because it's around 2 1/2 hours long! Oh man, the music is beautiful & the quality is really great too! Here's the basic information about the soundtrack, The thrilling orchestral scores from the acclaimed Warner Bros./D.C. Comics animated series BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES are finally unleashed in this spellbinding 2CD Limited Edition pressing. Composer Shirley Walker, along with Lolita Ritmanis and Michael McCuistion ( BATMAN BEYOND, TEEN TITANS ), and Danny Elfman's iconic "Batman Theme", revolutionized animated TV music with robust, full-blooded music that propelled BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES to lofty critical and artistic heights, enriching the The Dark Knight's legacy. 20 Page CD booklet features in-depth liner notes including comments from writer/producer Paul Dini and composers Lolita Ritmanis, Michael McCuistion and Danny Elfman. Limited Edition of 3000 Units.
OK, you just read the company's info, here's mine: It comes with 2 CDs, a 20 page booklet that is actually well-written, & is limited to only 3000 units ( which is really not a lot & I expect this thing to sell-out pretty easily ). It was created by a company called LA-LA LAND RECORDS & you can really see the love they put into it. The overall design of the entire thing is very well done & my favorite part, this will be kind of corny maybe, but when you open the CD Case the very 1st thing you see, on the left side, is a photo of the composer Shirley Walker. They print the words, "In Loving Memory ...SHIRLEY WALKER 1945 - 2006". Ya see, she died very recently & she was very well respected by a lot of music fans. She did an incredible job on this cartoon ( among others ), & was really loved by a lot of people in the industry. Seriously, her music is great & she was also a very nice person. I thought that was very sweet & sort of a very classy thing to do as most published music CDs would not do a thing like that...very very cool. But, I'm sorry, back to the actual product. The music is really wonderful & will bring back a lot of memories of this awesome animated TV series. Of course it includes the classic TV Intro Theme Song done by Danny Elfman, which we all love. But, even the rest of the music is a total joy to listen to. If you go to the LA-LA LAND website there's a published track listing that shows all the songs on the 2-Disc Set. A few of the songs are "clickable" & you can listen to a few MP3 samples to get an idea...very nice! I guess one thing I should mention too is that this merchandise will ONLY be available at their website ( and maybe at some other obscure "music fan" sites ) & is reported to not be sold by other sites like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. So, if you're interesting in buying it then be sure to visit the link button down below. I guess I should say one thing. On a personal level I very seriously LOVED this Batman TV show & the fact that La-La Land Records did such an amazing job on this soundtrack really feels me with a lot of pride. The respect & love they put into this project is well appreciated by me & I know if you get a copy you'll love it too.
One of our good friends here at the Bat-Blog is a Graphic Artist by the name of Sean Hartter. His art style is pretty cool & very unique so, just for fun, he created a Batman Desktop Wallpaper he wanted to share with you readers. So, here it is...please enjoy! Thanks Sean for making this exclusive background for the Bat-Blog. I really appreciate that a lot and it's extremely AWESOME!
Looking for a last minute Christmas gift idea for that special Batman Fan? Here's the "The Dark Knight - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack ( 2 CD Special Edition )". It has just been released by Warner Bros & is one of the hottest ticket items out there. If you are going to be using Amazon this year, for ANY purchases, then please remember to return to the Bat-Blog & use one of our Amazon links. This helps keep the Bat-Blog going...Thanks for your support, it's seriously appreciated!
YES! It's time again for another Super-Wacky-Fun Bat-Blog Contest! This time we're giving away a free copy of the brand-new, hard-to-get, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Soundtrack 2-CD Set! This amazing music CD, just recently published by La La Land Records, features all the theme music from the Classic Warner Bros TV Cartoon! Please be sure to check out our "CD REVIEW" we did a few days ago for more information. In the mean time though, you need to enter to win! The rules are pretty easy: 1. e-Mail us your full name & address. 2. Put "BATMAN ANIMATED SERIES CD" in the title. That's all, easy as pie! Now, on January 5th, 2009 ( near midnight ) we will pick a lucky winner from the stack. So, get busy, send us an e-mail, & GOOD LUCK!
CONTEST RULES:
- The contest is open to the general public as well as anyone currently reading the BAT-BLOG on a daily basis. Employees of the Bat-Blog and employees' immediate family members and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are excluded from this contest.
- The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded.
- Decisions of the contest judges are final - no substitutions will be available.
- By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including without limitation, radio broadcasts, newspapers and other publications and in television or film releases, slides, videotape, distribution over the internet and picture date storage) which Bat-Blog may deem appropriate.
- In accepting the prize, the winner, and any reader(s), acknowledges that the Bat-Blog may not be held liable for any loss, damages or injury associated with accepting or using this prize.
- The person whose name is drawn as being the winner of the specific prize will be required to send us their correct mailing information before the prize is awarded to them. Postage to be paid, free of charge, by the Bat-blog.
- Detailed contest rules applicable to this contest, including contest entry dates, how to enter, and prize value, number and any restrictions applicable to these prizes are available upon request by reading these Contest Rules, ha ha!
- The Bat-Blog retains the rights, in its absolute and sole discretion, to make substitutions of equivalent kind or approximate value in the event of the unavailability of any prize or component of the prize for any reason whatsoever.
- This contest is subject to all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
- The Bat-Blog reserves the right to withdraw or terminate this contest at any time without prior notice.
- Approximate value of prize varies.
- Contest open to loyal Bat-Blog Readers only.
- One entry per person.
The comedians over at RIFFTRAX have just completed a funny parody of THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie. These are the guys who did Mystery Science Theater 3000 ( or MST3 for you fans out there, ha ha ) & RIFFTRAX is sort of the same thing. They watch movies & make funny commentaries while watching. Be sure to check out their website for more information. But, warning, ya gotta pay for their movies. They're not free.
There's gonna be a few new variations on the Hot Wheels 1966 Batmobile Car that has caught a lot of people by surprise. It looks like Mattel will create a reissue of the '66 Batmobile they made last year ( what a surprise, ha ha! ) for 2009. This new version will sport some new tires on the car & the header card will have 2 variations: one has a plain background with concept art of the Batmobile ( nice! ) & the other one is identical but has some "snowflake" graphics on it. These have already started to surface on eBay so I guess they're out now. Remember, be patient & look for these in stores. Don't pay greedy scalper prices! I remember when the 1st original version came out people were paying $100.00+ for these babies. I couldn't believe it! Go look on there now, you can buy them for 99 cents, ha ha!
A new friend to the Bat-Blog, named Rick, sent me an e-mail about his cool hobby of making custom dolls & action figures. He calls his company DARKSIDE CUSTOMS & his work is totally amazing! His focus is on the many different characters from the classic 1966 Batman TV Show. The attention to detail is totally insane! Plus, I really enjoy that he made a few of the obscure villains. Now of course he made a Batman & Robin ( Adam West, Burt Ward ) but the rouge's list includes: Catwoman ( Julie Newmar ), The Riddler ( Frank Gorshin ), Bookworm ( Roddy McDowall ), Mr. Freeze ( Otto Preminger ), The Madhatter ( David Wayne ), & Egghead ( Vincent Price ). I'm showing only a few examples here so if you like these be sure to visit Rick's website!
Here's a new Fisher-Price Imaginext DC Superfriends item to keep an eye out for. This Gift Set is a Target Store Exclusive so you can only find it there. It retails for about $30 & that's a pretty good deal for what you get. So, don't pay the idiot scalper prices you see on eBay, ha ha! Once they restock their stores it should be around. I have pictures of almost all the figures & vehicles included but couldn't find a decent picture of the Robin figure & his special Motorcycle Bat-Bike. The other action figures include: The Joker, Mr. Freeze, & 2 different Batman. The vehicles are great too! They include: Bat-Copter, Bat-Wing Jet, & the Joker Car. I'm gonna be looking for one of these because as a multiple set it's really cool!
Since today is the 1st day of 2009 ( Happy New Year Everybody!! ) I thought I would post some good Batman humor to get us all started!
During the Batman Movie craze of 1989 a company in Peru called F nix made some BATMAN COOKIES. Over there they call them "Galletas". Here's a RARE old Vintage TV Commercial Spot for the product. Man, I would love to have a package pf those!! 
A friend of mine sent me this very cool Vintage Ad the he found in an old 1980's Batman Comic Book, 1982 to be exact. It's an advertisement for SEARS Department Stores & the fact that they carry a popular game called THE ORIGINAL MAGIC SNAKE. Which, looks a lot like a Rubik's Cube-Type Puzzle. Apparently Robin, The Boy Wonder has been kidnapped by The Joker & the clues lead Batman to the toy department of the local Sears. The advertising is one of those kind that are made to look just like the comic book you're reading at the time. When I first saw this I thought it was one of those "Hostess Cupcake" ads, remember those? I always loved them so this one was quite a surprise! Plus I really like old vintage toys so it's twice as awesome. ( Thanks Gary ). Everybody, be sure to click on the above image for a HUGE version you can actually read...enjoy!
Actor Pat Hingle, who played Commissioner Jim Gordon in the Batman movies from 1989 through 1997, died on Saturday. He was only 84 years old. Friends of the family say he has battled heath problems the last few years. His last role was in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" which came out in 2006. On a personal level I always liked this guy, both in the Batman movies, & many other films he did. Plus, as a regular person, he always seemed like a really cool guy. He will be missed. . . Rest in Peace. As sort of tribute I found this recent video of him talking about his life. It's titled "Pat Hingle, In His Own Words".
A very good friend to the Bat-Blog has just recently been interviewed on NPR Radio so I thought I would proudly share it here. His name is Saul Ferris & besides being a pretty nice guy he's also a Super-Collector of all things Batman ( Just so you know, his picture really didn't have a Batman Mask on it, that's just me being wacky! ). His main focus is on the Super-Rare Vintage 1960's Batman Toys & Memorabilia. He was a major contributor to the publication of Chip Kidd's latest book "Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan". In fact, the Bat-Manga book is a large part of the radio show but also includes a lot of tips about collecting toys & comics. Also included in the interview is Anne Ishii, who served as the Japanese translator for the book project. To hear this show on either your iPod or PC just click on the link button down below. When you arrive at the website just look for a show titled "The Sweet Smell of Yesteryear" recorded on January 4th, 2009. Click on the "audio button" & it magically appears in your media player. Also, if you want to contact Saul about any old 60's Batman Toys you have for sale he can be reached at ICOLLECTBATMAN@aol.com. ( Someday I'm gonna have to tease him about still being on AOL, ha ha ). Oh yeah, one last thing. I had a photo of Saul Ferris that I could post here but apologize for not having one of Anne. I tried to find one on Google, but couldn't find one that wasn't copyrighted. Just so you readers know, she is very very cute!
In a previous Bat-Blog report you might remember a pair of Batman & Joker Bobble Head Nodders we posted. Of course they were from THE DARK KNIGHT movie & were pretty cool. I never got around to getting a set but plan on it in the future. Well, it looks like the NECA Toy Company has produced a totally brand-new set of 3 HeadKnockers of TDK Batman, Joker, & Harvey Dent / Two-Face ). These too are pretty cool & it's nice to see some new TDK merchandise.
An art student named Brad did this amazing CGI animation video while learning to lip sync a character. It was an assignment for a 3D animation class & he chose The Joker from The Dark Knight Batman movie. It uses Heath Ledger's voice & it's pretty cool, I mean, super-creepy!
I have a question to ask the readers of the Bat-Blog. Please look at this photo of these 2 RARE 1966 Batman "Bat Brush" Toothbrushes made by The Butler Brush Company. One is Red & the other is sort of an Aqua-Green. The question is, "Have you ever seen any other colors of this item before?". This is something that a Bat-Blog Reader named Ralph wanted to know. Apparently he wants to get one of each color & is wondering what the other ones are. Personally, I think he should be happy with one of them & send me the other one as a gift...that would be cool, ha ha! If you know of any other colors then please leave a comment down below, thanks.
Here's the latest issue of MAD MAGAZINE with an awesome JOKER parody cover! It shows Alfred E. Neuman as the Heath Ledger version Joker from The Dark Knight Batman movie. "WHY SO STUPID?", that's hilarious! I saw this at evil Walmart the other night & was going to report on it but totally forgot. Then later I got an e-mail from a Bat-Blog Reader who reminded me ( Thanks Paul ). That just proves that if the Bat-Blog is any good at all then it's because of it's readers! Hey everybody - be a good citizen & keep sending photos, pictures, or information... thanks!
We reported awhile back about a website where you can get some awesome "Vintage-Style" BATMAN & ROBIN Paper Craft Toys you can download & make. Well, now they have made a JOKER one to go with them. Basically it's a free PDF file you can send to your PC's printer ( or e-mail to Kinko's Copies ) & then cut-out to assemble. I think the artist did an amazing job capturing all the small details. The toys look pretty cool & while you're there be sure to check out the many different designs they have. But I gotta warn ya, these Paper Craft Projects are totally addictive!
