Batman-related Press release from Mattel

Some interesting reveals on the plot here and oh, they’re making action figures of Batman in a new suit! What news!

“On July 18, 2008, The Dark Knight, the second Batman film from director Christopher Nolan, arrives in theaters. Batman (Christian Bale) raises the stakes in his war on crime in Nolan’s The Dark Knight. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker (Heath Ledger).

The Dark Knight producer, Charles Roven added: “Batman is an incredible franchise, and we are really excited about taking it to the next level with ‘The Dark Knight.’ Along with the Batmobile we are introducing a new vehicle, the Batpod, a new Batsuit and some classic characters in The Joker and Harvey Dent. We are confident that fans around the world will enjoy the increased action and the continuation of a great story and we hope they appreciate the integrity and respect we’ve shown for this iconic character.”

“For their film-inspired product lines, Mattel will utilize the multiple elements introduced in The Dark Knight. A new Batsuit, a new vehicle in the form of the Batpod and multiple key action scenes that set the stage for inspired play. Mattel’s action figure line will feature Batman and the new Batsuit. Tyco R/C vehicles bring to life the speed and action of the Batmobile and the new Batpod. An entire line of action play items will allow boys to role-play being The Dark Knight. Additionally, Mattel will release a line of games and puzzles that will capture the film action through board games, puzzles and a special-edition UNO card game.”

Special in that certain UNO cards emit a toxic gas that kills its victims, leaving them with a wicked grin on their faces.

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The Batpod

Designed by Nathan Crowley, the same man behind the tank meets race car ‘Batmobile’ from ‘Batman Begins’ (pictured below), has designed the ‘Batpod’ for the upcoming ‘The Dark Knight’ film.

Driven by stunt rider Jean-Pierre Goy (the stunt cyclist from the Bond film, ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’), the unique vehicle is tricked out with grappling hooks, cannons and machine guns. Both front and rear tires measure in at a an impressive 508 millimeters with engines located in the hubs of each wheel. Armored shoulder sleeves provide the steering in a kind of ‘lean’ directional system rather than traditional handlebars.

A difficult bike to even sit on (as evidenced on the video footage below), the rider lays on his belly with feet 3 1/2 feet apart.

This is a sure indication that there are some thrilling chase scenes in the sequel out next Summer.

More news as it comes…

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Hi-Res Batman image from “The Dark Knight”

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The Watchmen movie

I turn my head and there are three new Watchmen movie rumors!

1. Patrick Wilson (of Angels in America) is set to play Nite Owl.

In a recent interview with Super Hero Hype (SHH!), Wilson stated that he is very familiar with the series and that…

“The material’s phenomenal, let’s put it that way. It’s pretty unbelievable. It’s unbelievable. Just as we were talking about, you know with every huge… and that’s a totally different, when you talk about comic book movies that doesn’t even do an ounce of justice to that script, both the movie script and the original graphic novel is pretty phenomenal writing.”

2. Jackie Earle Haley (last seen by my eyes as the weaselly evil kid in the original Bad News Bears film) has been cast as Rorsharch.

 

Both of these casting rumors are significant because they do not involve Nic Cage, Bruce Willis, Chris O’Donnel, Brad Pitt, or the dreaded Keanu Reeves. Someone somewhere wants to make this film without star power. That, to me, is a very good thing.

You think I’m wrong, go rent Dick Tracy.

3. Zak Snyder is getting closer to his directorial vision.

Rumor has it that Snyder carries the Watchmen Absolute Edition around with him wherever he goes and that he is constantly redrawing the series for film. If nothing else, it’s good for his arms.

Have you seen the size of that book!?

He also seems to have a solid standpoint as a filmmaker on the project. When interviewed by Wizard, he stated…

“With “Watchmen,” from a marketing standpoint and as a filmmaker-the movie and the marketing are the same thing to me-I think, “Okay, what shots are going to be in the trailer? What images can tell people to come to see the movie?” If you don’t look at your movie that way, you’re naïve to the process. Unless you don’t care at all about success and you just say, “You know what? I’m making an art film. If no one goes and sees it then f— them! I don’t care.” On the other hand, if you ever want to make another movie, then you’re in trouble if you don’t look at it from the standpoint of, “What are the images I need here?” Dr. Manhattan walking through Vietnam 200 feet tall, the Comedian riding with the 50-caliber rifle and shooting at the Viet Cong and burning out the village…”

This is just where the project should be.

Between artfilm and DVD boxset extravaganza.

After all, the comic itself was the most talked about mature readers 12 issue series at the time of publication and now it’s a gigantic oversized collection.

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Advance Solicited DC Comics

I’m the one super hero comic book reading guy who did not read 52, so I’m catching up in the trades. Apparently 52 is amazing and One Year Later (which was supposed to follow 52) is a bit of a disappointment. From what I’ve read so far, that jives with me. The new Infinity Inc. springs out of 52… so I have no idea what that means.

DC Comics is set to release a slew of new titles, as if it’s 1985 all over again. Back in ‘85, DC imploded their titles into one universe with Crisis on Infinite Earths, but strangely this meant a bunch of new comics… we got a new JLA, new Flash, Blue Beetle, Question, Infinity Inc., Superman, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad and many others too numerous to name twice… twice, you ask? Well… now that DC wants to rewrite their Universe, I’m seeing new iterations of the exact same titles that I really enjoyed as a kid back in ‘85… or at least I recall liking them.

INFINITY INC. #1
Written by Peter Milligan
Art and cover by Max Fiumara
From the twisted mind of Lex Luthor comes the 52 spin-off that will change everything you know about the members of Infinity Inc. When Lex Luthor and his Everyman project was taken down by John (Steele) Henry Irons, it appeared the story of Infinity Inc was over. But one year-plus later, it seems that life hasn’t been kind to Starlight, Fury, and Nuklon. John suspects the problems may lead back to their experience as on the Everyman Project, opening doors that can never be shut! Written by Peter Milligan (X-Statix, HUMAN TARGET) and illustrated by Max Fiumara (Black Gas), INFINITY INC. #1 will take readers on a tortured trip to the dark side of the superhero dream.
On sale September 5 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US Edited by Matt Idelson

The weirdest bit of news is that Peter Milligan is working on the new Infinity Inc. I’m a big fan of Milligan’s work and the first to point out that it has not all been great. While Shade the Changing Man and X-Statix are wonderful, Elektra is by far one of the worst comics ever… ever. So I have mixed feelings about this one. I wish him the best and will definitely buy the first arc… but I’ll be reading it warily.

SUICIDE SQUAD: RAISE THE FLAG #1
Written by John Ostrander
Art by Javier Pina & Robin Riggs
Cover by John K. Snyder
When original Suicide Squad member Rick Flag Jr. returned from the dead in the pages of CHECKMATE, it blew open a brand-new espionage mystery for the DC Universe! In this eagerly awaited miniseries by legendary Squad writer John Ostrander (WORLD WAR III), it’s revealed how Flag survived a nuclear blast while battling terrorism in Qurac – as his hard path home takes him from Skartaris to Dubai and into the hands of dueling commanders Amanda Waller and General Wade Eiling. Their power struggle reveals surprising secrets from their pasts – even as a new Suicide Squad is created to play a key role in the DCU’s ever-evolving future!
On sale September 12 o 1 of 8 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US Edited by Joan Hilty

The original creator of the Suicide Squad returns to re-invent the series for a new DC Comics. Ostrander is a very hip and renowned writer with lots of great work to his credit including the Spectre, horror anthology series long due for collection, The Wasteland and Martian Manhunter. It’ll be a real treat to see him return to this series.

THE QUESTION: ZEN AND VIOLENCE VOL. 1 TP
Written by Dennis O’Neil
Art by Denys Cowan & Rick Magyar
Cover by Cowan & Bill Sienkiewicz
A new trade paperback collecting the 1980s adventures of The Question, the faceless, morally conflicted avenger based in corrupt Hub City! A martial arts master, The Question delved into Eastern philosophy as he battled crime and the crooked politicians of his hometown. This volume, collecting issues #1-6, features appearances by Batman and many of DC’s martial arts heroes.
Advance-solicited; on sale October 3 o 176 pg, FC, $19.99 US

The best comic book series ever… EVER! is finally getting collected. The Den introduced me at a young and easily influenced age to concepts such as urban decay and Eastern Philosophy in ways that made other comics seem terribly silly. This has got to go on your shelf. Trust me… you’ll look very cool.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE GREAT DISASTER FEATURING THE ATOMIC KNIGHTS AND HERCULES VOL. 1 TP
Written by John Broome, Gerry Conway, Jack Kirby and others
Art by Murphy Anderson, Jack Kirby, Walter Simonson and others
This thrilling volume collects futuristic tales from Strange Adventures, First Issue Special, Hercules Unbound, Kamandi, Weird War Tales, House of Mystery, Superman, Amazing World of DC Comics, and House of Secrets!
Advance-solicited; on sale October 24 o 576 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

Weirdest trade ever. The Kamandi comics are a no-brainer for me. It’s the best series Kirby ever wrote, so it’s worth your time. The others are a mystery to me… so I’m very excited about this collection.

 

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #13
Written by Dwayne McDuffie
Art by Joe Benitez & Victor Llamas
Cover by Ian Churchill
Don’t miss the debut of the new JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA creative team! The “Injustice League Unlimited” story continues from the JLA WEDDING SPECIAL as a hero is severely beaten by the new Injustice League, forcing the JLA to fight back!
Retailers please note: this issue features two covers that may be ordered separately. Cover A features the left half of the art above; Cover B features the right half of the art above. Please see the Previews order form for more details.
On sale September 26 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

The long nightmare of the worst Justice League of America series to date is finally over. Brad ‘I peaked with Identity Crisis’ Metzer is off the title and the incredibly talented Dwanye McDuffie has arrived.

Oh, Frabjuous Day!

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