Batman-Online.com

I recently saw a panel in DC#850 depicting all four on-screen Batmobiles (Anton Furst's, the Batman Begins one and the two animated cars), something that was obviously a nod to Batman's various incarnations.

Since my comic book knowledge is a bit limited, does anybody know of other (and maybe older) references to elements from the Burton movies in comics?

Anton Furst's Gotham City design was used in the comics for a good part of the 1990's. They also gave him a grapple gun, though it didn't look like the one used in the movies.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blissnet.org%2Farchives%2F2009%2F090329%2Fbatmobiles01.jpg&hash=ea797e8ea8fc3903fc6b2e53a37747508c4e798f)
You can see a snatch of the Burton Batmobile towards the upper left in this image from All-Star Batman & Robin #4.  I know I've seen that same Batmobile in other issues but I'm too lazy to dig 'em up.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blissnet.org%2Farchives%2F2009%2F090329%2Fgotham01.jpg&hash=3610466b73876dda789d1897459ac753af181ed6)
Not sure if this counts, but Kelly Jones always had a pretty Burtonized Gotham.  Of course, that may have just been his natural instinct for how Gotham City ought to look but the similarity is there, if you ask me.

Quote from: batass4880 on Sat,  4 Apr  2009, 21:08
Anton Furst's Gotham City design was used in the comics for a good part of the 1990's. They also gave him a grapple gun, though it didn't look like the one used in the movies.

You're close. DC actually asked Furst to do a complete redesign of the comics Gotham for them, which he did. And yes, it was used from 1990/1991 until the Earthquake storyline in the late 90s. So it wasn't the same designs as the movie, but considering it was done by the same guy, it might as well have been.

The first issue in which Furst's Gotham appeared had come out by the time he committed suicide, and the issue was dedicated to him.

I believe that these covers support Doc's statement (although they came out in 1992, not 1990/1991):

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coverbrowser.com%2Fimage%2Fbatman%2F474-1.jpg&hash=b5822537e5daddcbacd0cfcf809aa9e2e1ebcfe7)

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coverbrowser.com%2Fimage%2Fdetective-comics%2F641-1.jpg&hash=ea484b7cbbf5116aa15c3e8b047d07cd2951041c)

Quote from: batass4880 on Sat,  4 Apr  2009, 21:08
Anton Furst's Gotham City design was used in the comics for a good part of the 1990's. They also gave him a grapple gun, though it didn't look like the one used in the movies.

Ah, good times.. I remember some comics images with a very "Gothic" looking Gotham here and there. I didn't know they officialy asked for Furst to do designs, I just thought artists used it as visual reference, they thought Gotham is "supposed" to look this way. This may be true for Kelley Jones.

It's always nice to see recent comic book nods to the "Burton Car". These "All-Star" boooks are fairly recent I think?

DK Detective, these two covers look like they used actual concept art by Furst as the background.  ;D

Quote from: silenig on Sun,  5 Apr  2009, 15:06
DK Detective, these two covers look like they used actual concept art by Furst as the background.  ;D

Those covers do indeed use Furst's concept designs, & man do they look flawless! 8)

Any time they draw the Penguin with flippers for hands is a nod to Batman Returns. Tim Sale's Penguin is the most obvious, right down to the Victorian suit, but I saw some other issues that featured a be-flippered Oswald. I don't remember the issue numbers or the specific Bat-Title though.

Anton Furst's non-produced, exterior subway design was apparently used for the back of Mattel's 2003 Batman action figure cards:

(Sorry about the quality)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.batmanmovieonline.com%2Fgallery%2F1229385349.jpg&hash=addc16176207d233ba56fedcc63fe281508ea630)


(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.batmanmovieonline.com%2Fgallery%2F1202211939.jpg&hash=be3fb384175d5b94768162f006bb083963f2fa35)

I've seen images of Batman standing on top of a building like in B89:

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lambiek.net%2Fartists%2Fb%2Fbreyfogle_norm%2Fgreyfogle_batman01.jpg&hash=2b1577179d03ea956f959223d9b0f552a750a800)

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F4%2F40%2FBatmanlee.png&hash=3bfc3b9094c51068001813b9d6a8aafe32c31b9e)

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fz.about.com%2Fd%2Fcomicbooks%2F1%2F0%2Ft%2FB%2Fbatman3.jpg&hash=3e26837b382660674caaa9847b40bb54ed55cc14)

Quote from: batass4880 on Sat,  4 Apr  2009, 21:08They also gave him a grapple gun, though it didn't look like the one used in the movies.

It did at least once, in Batman: Tenses.
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg686.imageshack.us%2Fimg686%2F9935%2Fspearguntenses.jpg&hash=676f3706a81dc46ade6e4feb2186031bd3f678bf)

Apparently he also shot it through a thug's shoulder, the way some people think Keaton did at Axis chemical.
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg593.imageshack.us%2Fimg593%2F1598%2Ftenses.png&hash=9f9bdd8c7e9d17841837de5095a0769ea63a6437)

What's funny is I don't think I have a single comic in my collection where he actually uses a grapple pistol. Every time I've seen him use a grappling hook it's just a rope with a batarang on it.

Also as some of you already know, I recently discovered the cover art to Batman: Gotham City Secret Files and Origins, which appears to be very much a homage to the Gotham of Batman Returns, it even has the Shreck building in the corner.

Anyone know of more influences/references to the films? This would make a nice feature on the site if we could pull together some more stuff.

Well the comics gave Joker Jack Napier name. The earliest instance when it appeared that I know is Legends of the Dark Knight #50 by O'neil and Blevins

Quote from: GothamAlleys on Sat, 27 Nov  2010, 19:07
Well the comics gave Joker Jack Napier name. The earliest instance when it appeared that I know is Legends of the Dark Knight #50 by O'neil and Blevins

Are you sure about that, GothamAlleys?

I've read that issue, and remember his cousin in the story referring to him as 'Cousin Jack', but not specifically 'Jack Napier'.

Outside of the 1989 film, the other times that the 'Jack Napier' name has been used (that I am aware of), was of course in the Batman Animated Series where he's clearly identified as 'Jack Napier', and in the anthology book, "The Further Adventures of the Joker". Which features a short story that specifically identifies his last name as, 'Napier'. But that story is considered anything but cannon.

Looking through my issue, he's only called "Cousin Ja-" by his cousin Melvin, whose last name is Reipan.  Reipan, of course, is Napier spelled backwards.  But there's no definite name given.
Hell, it's possible Joker even pretended to be Melvin's cousin, but there's no evidence of that in the comic.

On the other hand, I've read that he's dubbed "Jack" by his wife in flashbacks in the storyline "Pushback" (which basically tried to bring the failed comedian origin from The Killing Joke into canon by having Riddler corroborate that origin story).

He's definitely called "Jack" in the "Lovers and Madmen" storyline in Batman Confidential, which, like the Burton movie, took on the idea that the Joker was always a homicidal maniac and the chemical bath only pushed what was already there.

As for my contribution to the thread, here's a scene from The Dark Knight reinterpreted in The Brave and the Bold #31:

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/File:Joker%27s_Impression_of_Himself.jpg

It's been evident for awhile now that there's an affinity for the name "Jack" as far as as a possible name for the Joker is concerned by DC writers, considering it's appeared, and re-appeared in completely unrelated stories pertaining to the Joker's mysterious past over the years. A name which I've never read much rejection towards. But the idea of "Napier" being his last name seems to be downplayed in comparison, though the name did appear in COUNTDOWN #31 in the "The Origin of the Joker", as one of the Joker's perceived possible origins is that of a mob killer named Napier. Which was of course a nice nod to the characterization of the Joker in Batman 1989.

^Yep.  Even has a picture of "Napier" in Nicholson's fedora and coat from the Axis Chemicals sequence:
http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/heroes_and_villains/?hv=origin_stories/joker&p=1

The best part is the Joker saying "You're too young for that one..." So, unfortunately, true.

Well, you guys pretty much covered it when it comes to the name Jack in the comics

Now, this CAN'T classify as a reference of course, but it's still a bit funny.

In Punisher: Barracuda (a MAX miniseries by Garth Ennis - http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/11715777001609.htm (http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/11715777001609.htm) ) there's a character named "Big Chris Angelone" who is drawn to look like Christopher Walken. He is drawn with a longish haircut similar to A View to a Kill and Batman Returns. The punchline? Chris Angelone has a son named Oswald.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg812.imageshack.us%2Fimg812%2F7639%2Fpunisherwalken.png&hash=73dff79768c93ec757d189e9c21863db630925ce)

^That's definitely one of the most random and bizarre references ever. WTF.

And that is surely Shreck's likeness.

From Batman: Battle for the Cowl ? The Underground #1

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi292.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fmm2%2Fplexd11%2FBBFTCTU1p04-1.jpg&hash=480255f9efb39bc375e53844669b43405a8a5d8f)

Wow! Talk about uncanny, that is definitely DeVit's Penguin.

This pic is one of the best comic-book Penguins I have seen, and his likeness is definitely based on DeVito.

Here are a few other examples of the movies' influences on the comics that I spotted.

Gotham City Secret Files and Origins has already been mentioned a few times in this thread. In that particular comic, Wayne Manor was shown to have mirrors on the roof like it had in Batman Returns.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fmirrors.jpg&hash=e30fa27f134c1371566adb8786ce0613df59c84c)

Bruce Wayne wears glasses in Batman #462. Probably not a reference to the movie, but you never know since it came out in 1991.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fb462.jpg&hash=48c006d9d6db6a36635f370ff9fbf53b9fdfb1c4)

There's a scene in Batman #476 which is clearly influenced by the conversation in Batman 89 where Bruce tries to tell Vicki he's Batman.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fb476.jpg&hash=29bc74f274899dcaa9577c1b78ca2158d64306b8)

While technically the grapple gun was introduced in the 89 movie, there was actually something similar in existence as early as the 1960s. In the Adam West TV show, batman occasionally used the Batzooka to fire grappling hooks up to hard-to-reach places. Around the same, the Batman and Robin in the comics were shown using guns that fired suction cups with ropes attached to them.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fb183.jpg&hash=4790a6addf3ae6818985f1d631f10293ac9b482b)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fb183-2.jpg&hash=463bba62384ea91f4e77aeb2d102d5d94a025b3c)

Having said that though, the idea for a gun that fired a tethered hook with a mechanised recoil function originated in B89.

The double grappling hook/line-launcher has shown up in several comics.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Flinelauncher.jpg&hash=4637845380d4b07228e2d140482c6bc51f7bde0b)

For a while the comics featured Batman wearing an all-black costume with a yellow utility belt and chest emblem, following the Troika story arc in the mid 90s.

Artists love to draw the old Batmobiles in the background of the Batcave. Here's the example from Detective Comics #850.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fdc850.jpg&hash=c2e0ace2de4309957e4fa3b530892879afd0e58e)

Oswald Cobblepot had previously been depicted in the comics as short and fat, with a pointed beak-like nose. But Tim Burton was the first person to give him more exaggerated physical deformities – namely pointed teeth, pale skin and syndactyly (a real life condition where the digits on a person's hand are fused together http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndactyly). The more grotesque deformed variation of the character has subsequently appeared in numerous comics and animated productions.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fpenguinhn-1.jpg&hash=1c51f600ff2d26b267928a3ed875d206b0a9e442)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fpenguinf210.jpg&hash=995672598e7df65bc070fe1cbd7d8e1c0c0f73c6)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fdc803.jpg&hash=9efc279a1178d9db95befee7312c263b47a2ef3d)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fmignolapenguin.jpg&hash=da3058220712f48e52ed557d241e9eeb2513d952)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fdc777.jpg&hash=114895b41894baffd73b8eb768f610d1d8fe26b8)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fdc782cov.jpg&hash=bb0f667cbb635304bd2415aa9300c039d778c905)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fpenguindarkvictory-1.jpg&hash=6ddee5e3d2e9e87c11bd859078c11031af3049be)

The canonicity of the 'freak' Penguin in the current comics is somewhat blurry, as stories alternate between the deformed and more traditional versions, depending on the preference of the writer/artist. It's also worth noting that some comics depict the deformed Penguin on the cover and the non-deformed version on the interior, or vice versa (e.g. Nightwing #149, where cover artist Rags Morales depicted him with fused digits and interior artist Don Kramer didn't).

Some comics have depicted the Penguin as having normal hands, but resembling the Burton version in other ways (having pointed teeth, pale skin, etc).

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fb622.jpg&hash=f9d26b0908db377c694d40f67ea103aa03925110)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fpenguindk.jpg&hash=a3ee6202aaf041621ecc0c94aaaff1b205cf537a)

Artist Paul Gulacy clearly used scenes from Batman Returns as the basis for a lot of his art in Batman: Terror (Legends of the Dark Knight #137-141). There are loads of examples of this in the story, but I'll just post a few here.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture3-5.jpg&hash=f64c83eb291f679786d5456d6225baac865e763a)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture-5.jpg&hash=369eedb8e4bcaf51afcad16f5eb1764d51daa75b)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture2-5.jpg&hash=cc967e8c65733de40cd05da5b6706c66730b6d69)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture1-9.jpg&hash=7f06ab193ee06b72c70bbdbd171bac1385fb7f51)

In an interview with MTV last year, artist Jim Lee mentioned that his drawings of Batman in recent comics have been influenced by Nolan's films, and that his drawings of Batman in earlier comics (such as Batman Black &White and Hush) were partly influenced by Michael Keaton's Batman from the two Tim Burton films.

QuoteMTV: Your work on these characters covered such a long stretch of time. Did you find any of your styles influenced by other versions of the characters as they became more prevalent in other media — like movie or television versions of the characters, perhaps?
LEE: Actually, the "Hush" run was before "The Dark Knight," and I did the comic book version of Batman — the grey tights, the dark blue, etc. I always liked that look and I always felt that the grey was kind of apologizing for the fact that this character was a comic book character and had his roots in four colors. So I always felt I could carry that off and still make it look cool. ... To me, there's nothing wrong with the classic costume, and that wasn't a costume I'd seen a lot of lately.
While it's not so much other versions of the characters [that have influenced me], per se, sometimes you see the cities in animation or movies and that can inspire you. The first designs from the original Batman movies was very influential [on my Batman], but then of course when Christopher Nolan did a very more realistic Batman, he kind of fused the two — so again, people aren't alienated by the fact that this Batman [in the comics] doesn't look like the Michael Keaton "Batman" era, but it also suggests sort of this Christopher Nolan "Batman" era. I guess some of that thinking goes into the art, but it's more in terms of the environment and things like that.

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/10/26/jim-lee-batman-costume-superman-art/

Similarly, Grant Morrison and David Finch have cited the Burton movies as an influence on the recent Batman Incorporated costume.

That's all I can think of for now.

I'm speechless Silver Nemesis! Fantastic research, i especially live the Batman poses from Returns making it into the comics!

Good stuff, good stuff

Here are a few more comparisons from Batman: Terror.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture3-7.jpg&hash=3de33dca8a52b0dc94b13904e26cccd8559a03a4)

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture2-7.jpg&hash=dd06e3ba620b0f51662509b8994a2e3a825f1403)

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture1-11.jpg&hash=644f329f8e06b9de2a563d2bc1ffd89756de99be)

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture-7.jpg&hash=8f09c96fcbfc6b969ff1c67f195ffd576c893ce0)

The Batmobile in this story, while not identical to the movie version, bears something a resemblance to it.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture1-12.png&hash=2fd9cb68faac3f07c27e58cadcab85f562549a01)

The same is true of the Batboat.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture-8.png&hash=63ebd9890209a6b9343bbf338c223435f1faa18e)

And here's a picture of the dining room in Wayne Manor, clearly influenced by the Batman 89 version. Note the lamp in the foreground and the chair beside the fireplace.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture4-7.jpg&hash=d0a8609a491bbb7e3e1912f7c6dcf0f0a5465188)

Paul Gulacy seems to have had a soft spot for the Burton films.

Great posts, Silver Nemesis :)

Thanks :) I know there are plenty more references in the comics, I'm just wracking my brain trying to remember them all. But for now here's a fairly substantial one. So substantial in fact that I was surprised to find no one had mentioned it before in any other thread. It should interest the members of this site.

BATMAN: CHILD OF DREAMS

The most heavily Burton-influenced Batman comic of all time is probably Batman: Child of Dreams (originally published in 2000-2001, paperback edition published in 2003). Written and drawn by Kia Asamiya, and adapted into English by Road to Perdition writer Max Allan Collins, this graphic novel was an experimental fusion of Batman and manga. It was very heavily influenced by the Burton movies, and the paperback edition includes an interview with Asamiya in which he credits the 89 movie for introducing him to the Batman mythology.

Quote"...what really got me into Batman was the Tim Burton Batman movie. I started reading American comics more at that point too."

There are plenty of references to both Burton movies throughout the book, but I'll start with the most obvious one. The Batman in this story was allegedly modelled on Michael Keaton, and several reviews I've read have pointed out the visual similarity. The Batman Wiki page on Keaton's Batman even goes so far as to list Batman: Child of Dreams as one of his appearances: http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_(Michael_Keaton)#Appearances

The image of Batman on the cover portrays a remarkable resemblance to the actor.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture-9.jpg&hash=6e3cf679909c9c753ae68d046fb79cfe7e96a9e0)

But while this story does not take place within the standard Post-Crisis canon, it isn't technically part of the Burtonverse canon either (if such a thing exists). Both the Joker and Penguin are still alive, Harvey Dent is Caucasian, and Commissioner Gordon resembles his comic counterpart rather than Pat Hingle. The similarities with the Burton films mostly stem from Batman himself and his arsenal of gadgets.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture1-13.jpg&hash=a185b7e3b4278c82b37c40f7f94d606117910da1)

Gotham City looks similar to the version from the 1989 film. Note the bridge on the left side of the image. Its explained in the back of the book that manga is typically read from right to left, as opposed to the western style of left to right. In order to make it easier for westerners to read, the pages were flipped horizontally (which is why Two-Face's scarred side is on the right side of his face rather than the left). So originally the bridge would be on the right side of the panel, just like the opening shot of Batman 89.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture2-8.jpg&hash=26a8befba6a87e0321f7b678abbcf95feacbbb0a)

The main love interest in the story is a Japanese TV journalist called Yuko Yagi, who's come to Gotham in the hopes of landing a one-on-one interview with Batman. The first time she and Batman meet is when the Dark Knight rescues her from a Two-Face imitator (the central plot concerns a criminal mastermind deploying genetically enhanced imitations of Batman's greatest foes). This scene is clearly influenced by his first encounter with Selina Kyle in Batman Returns. The Two-Face imitator has a gun to Yuko's head. Batman hurls a Batarang so that it becomes embedded in a wall, making his opponent think he's missed. Then he tugs on an attached cable, pulling the Batarang out of the wall so that it hits the Two-Face imitator and knocks the gun out of his hand, allowing Yuko to escape.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture3-8.jpg&hash=a2def16c4a9162f85df0ad9301e57b2d4f2499c7)

Some of the reviews I read pointed out that while Batman looks like Michael Keaton, Bruce Wayne looks less like the actor. This is true to an extent, and Wayne chiefly resembles a standard manga character. He has straighter hair, a more prominent nose and a smaller forehead than Keaton. But his eyebrows, jaw, mouth and cheekbones still resemble those of the actor.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture4-8.jpg&hash=42af1ca632306e667ef33cd361bee6344635f57c)

Yuko is invited on a date by Bruce Wayne. She dresses for the occasion in a long black coat and matching beret.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture5-5.jpg&hash=9b8156b4c53a292509a9f579a5f62fa6375506f5)

The dinner date takes place at Wayne Manor, and begins with a series of images depicting the two talking and eating together, implying a cosy and intimate meal...

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture6-9.jpg&hash=a16442f325f365543d8b2996cc58dc68dd63841a)

...until the following page reveals they are actually sitting at opposite ends of a long dining table. A gag taken straight from Batman 89.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture7-7.jpg&hash=1e4fe3ebfb0176856d5e59f431408bbc62ee49b6)

The date ends prematurely when the Joker is sighted in Gotham Park, standing atop a mountain of pills and beckoning to nearby spectators. The way he goads the crowd in this scene recalls his dialogue during the parade in Batman 89.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture8-7.jpg&hash=dc91c3c5bef7c355dbda558d5242f0ae13e86dc4)

This is later revealed to be another imitator, and the real Joker is still locked up in Arkham Asylum. Nevertheless, this imitator has been injected with the Joker's DNA and displays the same criminal characteristics. Batman tries to take an explosive detonator off him, only for the Joker to pull the same detachable-hand trick from the movie.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture9-3.jpg&hash=83b245123ab7656635f5648be35f98c2d2c8b630)

Another fake villain who shows up is the Riddler, and Asamiya seems to have modelled him on the Jim Carrey version from Batman Forever.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture10-3.jpg&hash=f04ff55947bb4d15da05afda93e63fed6d59096d)

The Joker imitator then lures Yuko into a trap by tricking her into thinking she has a date with Bruce.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture11-4.jpg&hash=2819caae8e5c1964aa5697387f0d1ca76e0e23f9)

But Batman rescues Yuko from the fake Joker, at one point hoisting her from the jaws of death using the grapple gun.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture12-2.jpg&hash=deb434bd1b5da5641e9945e4a7c4e75de62c830f)

Batman then takes her back to the Batcave.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture13-1.jpg&hash=9aea226bf166b51d8646ad0cea06643df546fb7d)

Unlike the movie, Yuko is unconscious when he takes her to the Batcave, but wide awake when he takes her back to the city.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture14-1.jpg&hash=d52e1117faf2a6b1a94d8a8140110042003beb38)

Notice the dialogue in this scene. Batman only speaks when he has to and is generally characterised in a similarly reserved manner as Keaton's Batman. Throughout the story he refers to the fact that he likes to remain in the shadows and that, if he does his job properly, no one should even know he was there; echoing Burton's sentiments that Batman is a character who likes to remain hidden.

Also, Bruce Wayne is this story is not shown to be an extrovert partier, but rather a focused and intense businessman. Early in the book we are told:
"But somewhere along his tortured, if righteous path, the bat became dominant, of the two words making one...the man beneath the cape and cowl overshadowed by the dark role he played on the darker streets of Gotham. He was born Bruce Wayne, and yet now he spent his days pretending to be himself...ever since becoming a nightmare figment of his own imagination...even as children of all ages acted out their own Batman fantasies."
This could easily be a description of Keaton's Batman, uncomfortable in his own skin and immersed in the monster he's created out of his childhood fears.

The Batmobile in this comic is also clearly inspired by the Burton version.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture15.jpg&hash=237072376b2aa59965d5eb21b1fbffeb48fc578b)

In the interview featured in the paperback edition, Asamiya is asked what his favourite aspects of the Batman myth are. He replies:

Quote"Personally, I love cars, so if I had the money I'd buy the actual Batmobile from the movie, register it and drive it in Japan. That's my dream."

Batman's costume seems to be based on the movie version too. The cowl, gloves and boots all look like the ones seen in the films.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture16.jpg&hash=c5290a52a96a383c9c5aeada3de08da7cd730249)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture18.jpg&hash=0796c4230df09dd34fedc05d8de62ce081068d2f)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture17.jpg&hash=d4c2928231e2aaada73a601ec8d096bcf43517bf)

On their way back to the city, Batman and Yuko are attacked by a Batman imitator. After defeating him, the real Batman removes the imposter's mask. He is shown to tear the material in a manner recalling the umasking scene from Batman Returns. The texture of the material as it rips suggests it is made from the same rubbery material.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture19.jpg&hash=cb69fe229a768d0fdd49b5fae4cf79c33b6bfe28)

Later in the story Yuko dreams about the first time she saw Batman when she was a child. This flashback has blatant parallels with the opening sequence of Batman 89. Yuko and her parents are visiting Gotham and walking the streets late at night. Her father struggles to locate their hotel on a map, while her mother suggests they find a taxi.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture20.jpg&hash=35eb0af0c063b46960275a52d59b57cc60a68ce2)

They wander down and alleyway and are confronted by a pair of muggers, one of whom is dressed like Eddie (George Roth) from the 89 film.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture21.jpg&hash=7ae4936545f557b5e33abe6c26887de177ac42ef)

But of course Batman comes to the rescue, and the muggers turn to find him standing behind them, cloak spread in a wing-like fashion.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture22.jpg&hash=0c2691a9b0cbdf4017e294a45e2f4e9fff919d2a)

The story takes Batman to Tokyo on the trail of the main villain. Once there, we see him suit up – with the focus on the belt fastening, cape and chest emblem – similar to the suit-up scene from the 89 movie.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture23.jpg&hash=2663a8fe8e7eabb8ea8d3848c8e012714204165a)

While investigating Tokyo, Batman finds himself face to face with Catwoman. Only this is actually Yuko, who has been injected with Selina Kyle's DNA by the villain and brainwashed into acting like the real Catwoman. She immediately attacks Batman and the two of them fight on a rooftop.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture24.jpg&hash=3afb8969cd0a8c54a9e1d7d0f84d607ddd60b08a)

At one point Catwoman strikes Batman's ribs in the same weak spot she identified in Batman Returns.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture25.jpg&hash=df58550fa8907c55293dc665d9c604cb5c61802d)

She also makes a couple of nine-lives puns.


(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture26.jpg&hash=1083ce32e70e9d130a9dd5132bde6c8663ec7661)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture27.jpg&hash=8af965952ccb03ac07cb3aefd30714ab10f9e496)

During the final showdown, Batman's opponent has injected himself with Bruce Wayne's DNA and donned a high-tech version of the Batsuit (which bears a slight resemblance to Bale's Batsuit from The Dark Knight). Once he has defeated his foe, Batman tears off his enemy's mask. And again, he physically rips the cowl like he did in Batman Returns.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture28.jpg&hash=5c377119112d4ace0dcf7b5a8c3cc2c1eff88e12)

The villain then activates a bomb in a final effort to kill Batman. Batman uses a voice activated remote to summon the Batmobile and make his escape.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture29.jpg&hash=1d1b4f1fdd687aca85d1b509019bf3c5d75993dc)

At the end of the story – in a scene reminiscent of Batman Returns – Bruce Wayne is shown relaxing in front of a roaring fire while watching television back at Wayne Manor.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture30.jpg&hash=b261c7dded67fe1fb472dd7be4ca82910bdf5ede)

Well that's about it. Sorry this comparison was so longwinded, but Batman: Child of Dreams is a pretty long book and there's a lot to be said about it. All in all, it's actually a pretty good Batman story and a particularly enjoyable read for fans of Michael Keaton's Batman.

You are a legend Silver Nemesis!  Keep up with these awesome posts.

Hey Silver, do you have Detective #742?

There's a moment in that issue where he gives the Batmobile some Keaton-esque voice commands. He's even running down a wet city street, with his cape kind of catching the wind in similar way, telling it to "Open."

Cheers Gobbs ;D Glad you like them. Here're a few more.

QuoteThere's a moment in that issue where he gives the Batmobile some Keaton-esque voice commands. He's even running down a wet city street, with his cape kind of catching the wind in similar way, telling it to "Open."

Good call Bingo. I'd completely overlooked that one. The silhouette of his cape mirrors the shape of Keaton's when he's running down the alley with Vicki. And the use of a single-word voice command reflects the minimalist speech of the movie Batman.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fdc7422.jpg&hash=6e34856a7eb8cc00328137176f4c4f79f7fed16c)

I was looking over some of Paul Gulacy's work on Legends of the Dark Knight and Catwoman Vol2, and he's used Burton's movies for visual reference more times than I'd realised. This image in particular was clearly influenced by Batman Returns.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2Ftumblr_l76b5bB0NE1qbladco1_500.jpg&hash=40885957d4bf94538d8ec710b3c688e3f571c45c)

The term 'Batwing' originated in the 89 film. Until that point it'd always been referred to as the Batplane. Many comics have since modelled their depictions on the versions seen in Batman 89, Batman Forever and Batman: The Animated Series.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FDetectiveComics781pg18-1.jpg&hash=8adb38d2b460bc622f658f4d71fb87123fb475fd)

In the Elsworld story Batman: Gotham Noir the Joker is never actually referred to as 'Joker', but instead goes by the name Jack Napier.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fgothamnoir-1.jpg&hash=aa7799aa2273968f4466f2f333829f7579d8dca1)

Staying on the subject of Elseworlds, my favourite, and the first really gory comic I ever read as a kid, was a 1993 comic called Batman/Dark Joker the Wild. This tale relocates the Batman myth to a violent Warhammer-style fantasy world in which the Joker is a brain-eating sorcerer and Batman is literally a man-beast. The 89 movie's influence on the tale is evidenced in some of the gothic fantasy imagery, but more noticeably in the Batman-Joker relationship. In this story the Joker is the one who killed Batman's parents.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture2-9.jpg&hash=5314a69846046ca92225cb92f11ebeddaf7f6de8)

Batman himself is shown to use lethal tactics against the Joker's forces.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture3-10.jpg&hash=b96897e5db1d3db8172f0f054b7d82431fac6309)

And at the end of the story, in a scene that visually recalls their confrontation from the 89 film, Batman and the Joker fight at the top of a vast, gothic citadel. Batman intentionally kills the Joker, tearing out his throat and hurling him to his death. And for all those people who complain about the Joker screaming when he fell to his death in the movie, he screams when he falls in this comic too.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2Fdjtw.jpg&hash=7370c79595c75033d5ed0cf608f7d26a60115fe6)

The final exchange between Batman and Jaymes (this story's equivalent of James Gordon) is similar to the scene where Gordon first activates the Batsignal in Batman 89.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture5-7.jpg&hash=5ecc707f871f4cfdba55bb47a7483ee8e4653f9c)

This isn't a Batman comic reference, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. In Mark Millar's Kick-Ass the eponymous character and Red Mist listen to some unspecified Danny Elfman music while patrolling the city. While they never state what the music is, I always assumed it was the Batman theme, since that fits the context.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture1-15.jpg&hash=972bee592eb944d8cfad20fdd286ea99efa1024f)

I was really disappointed they changed this scene in the movie. But one scene they changed for the better was the final one, where the villain Red Mist quotes Jack Nicholson's Joker.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture-10.jpg&hash=1ff7ac06da102a9cb5f9f2102a5e29eefefe0653)

In the movie they made this reference more explicit by having Mist sitting at a desk looking out of a window as he says it.

Track 8 is "Roasted Dude".  Not exactly cruisin' music.... :-\

Here's a short post about the Batman newspaper comic strip that ran following the release of Batman 89. Written by Max Allan Collins (who also wrote the English language translation of Batman: Child of Dreams) and drawn by Marshall Rogers, it was originally published between 1989 and 1991. The Desert News ran an article introducing the comic in which they pointed out the movie's influence on the strip.

QuoteLast summer's movie is not only responsible for this new comic strip, but also for a great deal of its plot.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/71391/NEW-BATMAN-COMIC-STRIP-PREMIERES-TODAY.html?pg=2

Interestingly, the article also addressed the issue of Batman killing in the movie and the comics.

QuoteBatman had no qualms about killing criminals in the movie, nor has he ever had any hangups in the comic books. In fact, historically Batman will kill when necessary, while many other superheroes will not. This difference has caused Batman's friendship with other heroes to be shaky at best. For example, Batman and Superman split up their comic book friendship in the mid 1980s because of differences relating to violence and killing. (Ironically, Superman did later have to kill three Kryptonian villains and this caused him to develop a split personality and to spend months of self-imposed exile in outer space. But he and Batman are still estranged).
The Batman movie perhaps best aligned itself with the mid-1980s graphic novel, "Batman: The Dark Knight" by Frank Miller. Hence, the surge of violence and dark overtones.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/71391/NEW-BATMAN-COMIC-STRIP-PREMIERES-TODAY.html?pg=2

The strip doesn't take place in the movie canon or the comic canon, but rather occupies a self-contained continuity that is a mixture of the two. It is implied that the series begins shortly after the events of the movie, or at least a sequence of events similar to those depicted in the movie.

The first page tells us that this is the first year of Batman's crusade, just like the film.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture-12.jpg&hash=1adccb9f35262f87daa65e442af9c64a17c1731f) 

Vicki Vale has won a Pulitzer for her coverage of Batman's activities. She physically resembles Kim Basinger, albeit with shorter hair.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture1-16.jpg&hash=cb1085003e4f21d5efb40959ff0db7780c0ba0a6)

The first time we see her she is being interviewed on television, discussing whether Batman is a friend or foe.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture2-10.jpg&hash=2632c2adf713a0bfb5830f2bcd9b1b705b529ea1)

She and her interviewer talk about the Joker's recent reign of terror. Apparently Batman rescued Vicki from the Joker.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture3-11.jpg&hash=3420dcdb8a01f310ff9a99d3dbec7550d5b451d3)

Not much is known about the clown prince of crime, though he's rumoured to have been an enforcer for a recently murdered crime boss.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture4-11.jpg&hash=37a4bc8975a05b134dca4d529694c4943ae9aa9d)

The details of Batman and the Joker's final confrontation are then related by Vicki. Apparently she witnessed the two of them fighting. The Joker tried to escape by grabbing a rope ladder dangling from a helicopter. Batman hurled a projectile at the Joker, causing him to let go of the ladder and plummet to his doom.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture5-8.jpg&hash=546f458bd576e46eb2eeed1769f1cedff924dd22)

However, the Joker's death is far more ambiguous in the comic. He fell into Gotham bay and might have survived, though he is presently presumed dead by the authorities.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture6-10.jpg&hash=08d8bd1add01862dc5e2c4eb8da16321fb09ee0e)

At the time the comic strip begins, Batman has not yet returned to Gotham following the defeat of the Joker. He's waiting for the city to summon him using the Batsignal he gave them in the wake of the Joker's demise.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture7-8.jpg&hash=398ff6faaa645089def392fdb91f4c393b1ec0a4)

This was the starting point for the strip and it clearly has its basis in the 89 film. The strip would go on to feature Catwoman, the Penguin and Two-Face, and those stories in turn influenced Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series and Batman Forever. I'll post more about that in the relevant threads if I get the chance.

QuoteMarshall Rogers, a relatively unknown cartoonist

That was a long time ago!

I love Marshall's style.

Yeah, I thought that 'unknown' comment was a bit off. Rogers was always one of my favourite Batman artists. Didn't he do some pre-production concept art for the 89 film?

Quote from: DocLathropBrown on Sun,  5 Apr  2009, 00:35


You're close. DC actually asked Furst to do a complete redesign of the comics Gotham for them, which he did. .

The first issue in which Furst's Gotham appeared had come out by the time he committed suicide, and the issue was dedicated to him.

Anyone knows which issue is that? I just wrote about the impact and influence of 1989's Batman and I really wanted to add that

"Destroyer" was a three part story. http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_Destroyer (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Batman:_Destroyer)

Batman #474
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #27 (this issue has drawings by Furst at the end)
Detective Comics #641

In Legends of the Dark Knight # 122, part of the NML arc, Batman not only wears all-black, but there are a few obvious visual nods to the movies (some panels obviously used Kilmer as reference). Also, note the musculature of the torso armour and the gloves, like a combination of the B89 and BF suits. Batman in this issue combines the darker look of the movies with the agility of the comics, IMO it shows that an all-black Batman can totally work on the page.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash4%2Fs720x720%2F418178_166478776820859_868983340_n.jpg&hash=4769370fdd3db414fdde82a9672be322a8e631f8)

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-snc6%2F217773_166478803487523_1347266388_n.jpg&hash=a7580c308b974f75def25298eb9e8ad90a434fc2)

(Imageshack decided long ago that they want to suck, badly, so a facebook page can serve as an imagehost too)

Note: this reply was written before I found there was a thread devoted to this story LINK (http://www.batman-online.com/forum/index.php?topic=1789.0)

I got a certain BR vibe from Penguin: Pride & Prejudice (a 5-issue mini series released a few months ago). Some reviews have pointed out the similarities.

- It opens up with his birth. The difference is that his father is disgusted, but his mother loves him.
- Visually his design is a bit similar to De Vito. Beaked nose, long black coat, top hat. The only difference that he has hands and not flippers.
- There's this panel below with a direct reference. Very Burton-like.
- The climax is an all-out attack on Gotham (especially, quoting the book, "your cruel little children") using rockets that control the behaviour of birds.
- I don't know if there's an official Penguin logo, but the font used for the book's title is exactly the same as "Penguin Triumphant", a one-shot comic that came out in 1992 to coincide with the release of Batman Returns.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fa1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash4%2Fs720x720%2F384640_400190440041410_2049432138_n.jpg&hash=fcc07b7cf191a99bfb485e08d81b47a18f0e21a8)

Art by Paul Gulacy, published in 2005. Contains numerous visual references to the films, including the Batwing itself (from Forever).

Silver, can you pinpoint the exact issue/page/panel where Batman used the non-suction cup grappling hook pistol for the very first time?

(If you haven't already)

Unfortunately I don't have a visual but the Hush storyline does; in the batcave there are panels of the West, Keaton, and Bale batmobiles

Quote from: Furstmobile on Sun,  6 Jul  2014, 17:55
Silver, can you pinpoint the exact issue/page/panel where Batman used the non-suction cup grappling hook pistol for the very first time?

(If you haven't already)

I can't say with absolute certainty, but I think this scene from A Lonely Place of Dying (1989) might be the earliest instance of him using a handheld grapple gun (not counting the Batzooka from the TV show or the aforementioned suction cup version from the sixties). The precise issue this appeared in was 'Batman: Year Three, Part III: Parallel Lines' (Batman #441, November 1989).


I can't offhand recall an earlier example than this, but I'm open to correction.

I was reading a three part story called The Penguin Affair recently. Part two showed a scene where Batman beats up two grave-robbers who resemble a lot like Eddie and Nick - the two creeps we see in the beginning of B89 (as seen in Detective Comics #615).

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fd2x1e9T.jpg&hash=9ae23f75e09abc80d0b8ae22db9539b6ef7df11b)

From Batman Vol 3 #25:

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2017/07/06/dc-rebirth-comic-pays-tribute-to-tim-burtons-batman-movie

QuoteIn an interview with The Washington Post, writer Tom King revealed that he had a specific goal in mind with this cinematic homage. "We're trying to elevate Riddler the way that movie elevated the Joker," King said. "Sort of be a villain worthy of that much attention."

Writer Sean Gordon Murphy has revealed the Joker will be called 'Jack Napier' in Batman: White Knight.

Quote
Big news: JACK NAPIER will be the name of my JOKER. Warner just approved--1st time Napier has been in a comic (minus Burton adaptations).

https://twitter.com/Sean_G_Murphy/status/898144563109535745

Of course the name has previously appeared in comics other than the Batman 89 adaptation, as documented elsewhere in this thread. The 'Reipan' anagram was featured in 'Images' (Legends of the Dark Knight Vol 1 #50, September 1993). The full name 'Jack Napier' was referenced in:

•   Batman: Gotham Noir (March 2001)
•   Michael Uslan's Batman: Detective No. 27 (December 2003)
•    'The Origin of the Joker' (Countdown Vol 1 #31, September 2007)

The name 'Jack' (but not 'Napier') was also used in Batman: Lovers & Madmen (Batman Confidential Vol 1 #7-12, September 2007-February 2008). There may be other instances that have slipped my mind, but the point is the name has featured in comics other than the movie adaptation.

EDIT: Double post.

This is cool - the latest issue of DC Rebirth's Batman (issue #33) appears to pay homage to the Knightmare Batman from BvS.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DMcPzLmWkAI83ul?format=jpg)

I see that all of the images hosted on Photobucket have been restored with a watermark. I guess the website came to their senses and realised it wasn't good business to force users to pay an expensive subscription fee in order to show their content on third party sites. I'm glad.

I was reading The Dark Prince Charming a couple of weeks ago, and I noticed Batman's face resembled a lot like Ben Affleck under the cowl.

(https://i.imgur.com/p5r0w4N.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/FrMw1oa.jpg)

I also noticed a few more examples of Batman resembling a lot like Michael Keaton; this one picture of Batman while he tries to make amends with Commissioner Gordon during No Man's Land...

(https://i.imgur.com/SYOW8lT.jpg)

...and these two front covers of Detective Comics #652 and #653, where Batman teams up with the Huntress to investigate Krasnian terrorists protected by diplomatic immunity.

(https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_large/5/56044/1715477-detective_comics__1937___652.jpeg)

(https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_large/5/56044/1715478-detective_comics__1937___653.jpeg)

In Batman: Hush, you can see the the 1960s TV show Batmobile parked in the Batcave, right near the bottom right corner.

(https://hushcomics1.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/hush-615-batmobile.jpg?w=630&h=472&crop=1)

^And you can also see the Batman Forver-mobile in the bottom left of Hush.

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.

'Small Problems' (Brave and the Bold Vol 3 #31, March 2010) includes the following reference to The Dark Knight.


'Fear City' (Batman: Arkham Knight Annual Vol 1 #1, November 2015) contains a splash panel depicting different incarnations of Batman from across the DC Multiverse.


Bat-Keaton can be seen standing behind Baleman in the bottom right corner of the scene.


Batman: White Knight (2017-2018) contains numerous allusions to the Batman films, and especially the 1989 movie and Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin. The Joker's real name in this story is 'Jack Napier'.


It's also explicitly stated that he wears makeup instead of having bleached skin, similar to the Ledger Joker.


Axis Chemicals appears.


There's a flashback to the Joker's origins which includes an image of his hand reaching upwards, garbed in a torn glove and accompanied by playing cards.


There are several other visual references to the 1989 film.


The story contains a subplot about Alfred dying. Bruce tries to treat his faithful butler using technology created by Mr. Freeze. Another plot point concerns a giant freeze canon built by Fries' father which is later used by another villain to turn Gotham into a block of ice. All of these elements hark back to Schumacher's Batman & Robin.

There's a scene where Batman drives the Batmobile over the rooftops of Gotham, à la Batman Begins.


Later Napier calls him out for this and highlights other examples of Batman endangering the public and causing property damage.


There's a scene where Napier meets with the other villains that references the B:TAS episode 'Almost Got 'Im'. Note Killer Croc's line about the big rock.


Several classic vehicles from Batman movies and TV shows are visible in the Batcave.


The main plot concerns an inversion of the Batman/Joker hero/villain dynamic. Jack Napier reforms with the help of medication and sets about trying to bring Batman to justice for the various crimes he's committed during his career as a vigilante. Batman's behaviour in response to Napier's actions becomes increasingly violent and erratic, until at last Gordon issues a warrant for his arrest. Several of Batman's allies unite to form the Gotham Terrorist Oppression Unit under Gordon's supervision. Eventually the GTO is charged with taking down the Dark Knight. However Batman has a Batmobile that can outmanoeuvre any police vehicle and withstand almost any attack. Gordon admits they don't have the hardware to beat such a vehicle, but Nightwing assures him he can get hold of a car that'll get the job done. The car in question turns out to be this:


There then follows a battle between the Furst Batmobile, driven by Gordon, and the new Batmobile driven by Batman.



The chase ends with Gordon ramming the Furst Batmobile into the newer model and causing them both to crash.


Batman emerges from the wreckage and is confronted by Jack Napier, who tells him, "You know, you're not easy to get over." The Joker says a similar line to Batman during the finale of the 1989 film regarding the outcome of their first confrontation: "That wasn't easy to get over, and don't think I didn't try."

Eventually Batman, Napier and Gordon all team up to take down the Neo Joker, at which point Batman equips the members of the GTO with Batmobiles for the final battle. These include the Furst Batmobile, the Lincoln Futura from the sixties TV show, the nineties animated Batmobile and the Tumbler.


The scene in the comic where Batman and his allies drive these Batmobiles through the frozen streets of Gotham to confront Neo Joker is similar to the scene in Batman & Robin where Bruce, Dick and Barbara break out new vehicles to reach Gotham Observatory.

There's a moment where Two-Face leaps onto the bonnet of the Furst Batmobile and fires at the windscreen with a machine gun.


Another familiar moment sees Batgirl use the Tumbler's 'bridge launch' function to leap up onto the top of the villains' ice cannon. This jump is bigger than any leap the Tumbler attempted in the movies. Bullock remarks, "That's a hell of a jump," to which Duke Thomas replies, "There's a reason I gave her the Tumbler."


There's a scene where Napier is driving the latest Batmobile towards a narrow gap with Harley as his passenger. He activates the car's 'Batcyle' mode, which causes a vehicle resembling the Batpod to eject and pass safely through the narrow gap. This was obviously inspired by the Batmissile from Batman Returns and the Batpod from The Dark Knight


Victor Fries joins forces with Batman and uses his father's ice cannon to unfreeze all the people of Gotham. This scene is almost identical to the scene where Gotham is unfrozen in Batman & Robin. In both stories we're shown images of frozen Gothamites.


Later we're shown these same people as they're bathed in a warm golden light that revives them.


There's a lot more to say about this comic, but I'll leave it there for now. It's one of the best Joker stories I've read in recent years, so I recommend fans pick up a copy.

Batman recently acknowledged the Burton Batmobile was his favourite in Batman: Curse of the White Knight Vol 1 #7. He also repeats Bat-Keaton's "Let's get nuts" line:

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sun,  1 Mar  2020, 18:01
Batman recently acknowledged the Burton Batmobile was his favourite

Mine as well. :D Good find!

Mine would be a tie between the Lincoln Futura from the sixties TV show and the Burton Batmobile. I can't decide which of those cars I love more, so they share the top spot. No other Batmobile comes close to those two IMO.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sun,  1 Mar  2020, 23:44
Mine would be a tie between the Lincoln Futura from the sixties TV show and the Burton Batmobile. I can't decide which of those cars I love more, so they share the top spot. No other Batmobile comes close to those two IMO.

I have a soft spot for the Kilmer Batmobile, but those two you've listed are absolutely the best. I prefer Affleck's Batmobile to the Tumbler. Add in Arkham Knight, and the franchise really embraced the battle tank look in recent years. Which isn't a bad thing per se, just a phase they went through.

This doesn't really qualify as a film reference, but nonetheless, here is a nod to BTAS in Batman #486.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Do3a7rSX4AYhXqU?format=jpg&name=small)

So, I guess Harold Allnut is not only a genius inventor and engineer in the comics, he's also the genius cartoonist who created BTAS? ;D

Since Dr. Chase Meridian has just appeared in Batman: Fear State: Omega #1 (January 2022), now seems like a good time to run through her comic book history. Obviously her first appearance in a comic book was in the Batman Forever adaptation back in 1995.


After that she appeared in the 'Herded Limits' arc (Legends of the Dark Knight Vol 2 (digital) #77-79, November-December 2013), in which she was portrayed as a newcomer to Gotham who was romantically involved with Bruce Wayne. She was called upon to psychoanalyse Edward Nygma.


At one point the Riddler takes her hostage and Batman has to rescue her.


At the end of the story Bruce breaks up with Chase after he learns she's started compiling a psychological profile on the Batman.


Chase's next appearance was in 'The Cowardly Lot, Part Three' (Batman Vol 3 #108, July 2021), though technically only her voice was heard on television and she didn't actually appear in the flesh.


And that brings us to Batman: Fear State: Omega #1. Chase appears briefly at the end of the issue when Batman delivers Jonathan Crane to Arkham. She offers treatment to Batman himself, but he declines the invitation.


For some reason she looks more like Vicki in Batman '89 than Chase in Batman Forever.


So there you have it. Dr. Chase Meridian is now part of the comic book canon.

In Legends of The Dark Knight 52 (1993) the 89 Batarang is featured.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/FlLW35jbzE2dh3r0HTzgZpKmHBnXM8598WrdovQ-7jTUAo9G8lX_yoxbWqcZeQA_j6YkNOPnVOXI=s1600)

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.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/EyJ9ynQOewftVqWvyaIh8gV45uqX4QQ-rp5qURfCl6lrmSuZQngjd9Uh2emfrAeCWkPDLPvSZMva=s1600)

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.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/LmZPO8klsSPydKCpOYO1JihZvEQZ1P_XK7WNi1b6bwRGYvp9Huyc1BdU7FKGw0i_CgznuqTRXs8Pnn_p1jhFRUtvTpZxankgMJfaPLa88arIhfglHID0A-aFySP8cVIFoY27DG4jUA=s1600)

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.

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sat, 10 Nov  2018, 20:36
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.

(https://i.postimg.cc/2SDwzn3h/lotdk5.png)

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.

(https://i.postimg.cc/bYZLLzKD/bc8a.png)

(https://i.postimg.cc/Pq6zzcyQ/bc8b.png)

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.

(https://i.postimg.cc/c1PhbpSD/rom.png)

(https://i.postimg.cc/SsJLZrtF/nic.png)

(https://i.postimg.cc/TYm0Mt2T/led.png)

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.

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?(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/WwrdVcLYud6fEfvVscbHViKu2Vuff8COIoNLr6Kx_vS37fGbgoRrWsFD0sGF0PDG0A-OWaOpD4Jt=s1600?rhlupa=MjYwMTpjMjo4MjAxOjJjMDo3Y2E2OmE4OTA6MTQ2NToyMDQ=&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKGlQaG9uZTsgQ1BVIGlQaG9uZSBPUyAxNV82XzEgbGlrZSBNYWMgT1MgWCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNjA1LjEuMTUgKEtIVE1MLCBsaWtlIEdlY2tvKSBWZXJzaW9uLzE1LjYuMSBNb2JpbGUvMTVFMTQ4IFNhZmFyaS82MDQuMQ)

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.

Quote from: thecolorsblend on Sat,  3 Sep  2022, 18:55
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.

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.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Batman_forever.svg/1280px-Batman_forever.svg.png)
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/EXbFB834_4hZIaDDarsyPSX7BiToIBWM9XTSGxbfjikWiexKSuF35eVn0r4c9hBiUm4BmGFkh1NL=s1600?rhlupa=MjYwMTpjMjo4MjAxOjJjMDo2ZGFmOjdhMzk6ZGZmMDo0NWUw&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKGlQaG9uZTsgQ1BVIGlQaG9uZSBPUyAxNV82XzEgbGlrZSBNYWMgT1MgWCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNjA1LjEuMTUgKEtIVE1MLCBsaWtlIEdlY2tvKSBWZXJzaW9uLzE1LjYuMSBNb2JpbGUvMTVFMTQ4IFNhZmFyaS82MDQuMQ)

Was reading Legends of the Dark Knight 93 when I came across the Batman Forever Batmobile in the bottom frame.
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/bH65a4-kdywYogqkGiITFfo1HyNZ33xEcYqQUrHUJP4PS3h_y7UPAgZfbzqRtKr44_4epimfM9g=s1600?rhlupa=MjYwMTpjMjo4MjAxOjJjMDpiOTRmOjNkYWE6YTAzNjo3NjBi&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKGlQaG9uZTsgQ1BVIGlQaG9uZSBPUyAxNV82XzEgbGlrZSBNYWMgT1MgWCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNjA1LjEuMTUgKEtIVE1MLCBsaWtlIEdlY2tvKSBWZXJzaW9uLzE1LjYuMSBNb2JpbGUvMTVFMTQ4IFNhZmFyaS82MDQuMQ)

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

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gVm4vv2J7TA/Vx7X48gCRkI/AAAAAAAAS4c/YzsA0-o3Mccl9gAHSAl30uv884yqXQhcwCCo/s1600/RCO006.jpg)

Quote from: BatmanFurst on Mon, 10 Oct  2022, 22:43
In Shadow of the Bat 67 the Batmobile is revealed to have shields similar to the 89 film.

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gVm4vv2J7TA/Vx7X48gCRkI/AAAAAAAAS4c/YzsA0-o3Mccl9gAHSAl30uv884yqXQhcwCCo/s1600/RCO006.jpg)

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.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Tue, 11 Oct  2022, 09:32
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.

It's surprising that it wasn't already part of the comics. I like the 60's Batmobile, but it's funny how many times villains steal it in the show. The cocoon is nice extra bit of security to prevent something like that from happening.

Quote from: BatmanFurst on Mon, 17 Oct  2022, 14:51

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Tue, 11 Oct  2022, 09:32
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.

It's surprising that it wasn't already part of the comics. I like the 60's Batmobile, but it's funny how many times villains steal it in the show. The cocoon is nice extra bit of security to prevent something like that from happening.

Unless we have the Penguin obtaining the Batmobile blueprints to reverse engineer the shield mechanism, which really is a miraculous occurrence. Just like how the Batwing's targeting system somehow missed The Joker, the Batmobile's sabotage wasn't expected and thus was perfect for a framing operation. As per the novel, Penguin gets the plans from Max, who bribed the Batmobile's engineer. I can see the logic in that chain of events, but I'm not sure if it quite works for me. Bruce is seen repairing the car himself before the masked ball, and I prefer the idea he kept equipment construction strictly in house, no matter how unrealistic that may be.

So to my surprise there actually is an influence from Batman & Robin. In Shadow of the Bat 75 it's shown that Mr Freeze needs diamonds to power his suit. I don't recall this ever being mentioned before. This most definitely is an influence from B&R which had just come out.
(https://i.imgur.com/2DwmbRz_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)
(https://i.imgur.com/bJPENRw_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

It has been noted that Anton Furst created new designs for Gotham in the early 90's. However, while reading No Man's Land I noticed a couple instances of them using his original designs from the 89 film. These are from Legends of the Dark Knight #123 and Batman No Man's Land: Ground Zero respectively.

(https://i.imgur.com/vWhE1zW_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

(https://i.imgur.com/UCArSdB_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

In Detective Comics 741 Robin finds a can of Joker venom and refers to it as Smilex. I think this is the first time I've seen a comic call it that, but I'm not sure.

(https://i.imgur.com/i4dqlOt_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

In Batman: Book of Shadows you can see the Shreck's department store building in the skyline.

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cifMAb3elspKQhMGlaAHQbsbXzRdNF7Y5zB2wvx6sak06Rikd8ol01cpypyWNbsJLbripLtUV7bumWZjJSRxtC2Q3gBw1kNo9-86DiE3rXTSbotAKZLqI1EwfTWHMxm9_61lMwymdg=s1600?rhlupa=MjYwMTpjMjo4MjAxOjJjMDo5OWQwOmQ0ODE6NWQ1Nzo5Yjk0&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKGlQaG9uZTsgQ1BVIGlQaG9uZSBPUyAxNl8xXzEgbGlrZSBNYWMgT1MgWCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNjA1LjEuMTUgKEtIVE1MLCBsaWtlIEdlY2tvKSBWZXJzaW9uLzE2LjEgTW9iaWxlLzE1RTE0OCBTYWZhcmkvNjA0LjE=)

Quote from: BatmanFurst on Mon, 19 Dec  2022, 22:04
In Batman: Book of Shadows you can see the Shreck's department store building in the skyline.

(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/cifMAb3elspKQhMGlaAHQbsbXzRdNF7Y5zB2wvx6sak06Rikd8ol01cpypyWNbsJLbripLtUV7bumWZjJSRxtC2Q3gBw1kNo9-86DiE3rXTSbotAKZLqI1EwfTWHMxm9_61lMwymdg=s1600?rhlupa=MjYwMTpjMjo4MjAxOjJjMDo5OWQwOmQ0ODE6NWQ1Nzo5Yjk0&rnvuka=TW96aWxsYS81LjAgKGlQaG9uZTsgQ1BVIGlQaG9uZSBPUyAxNl8xXzEgbGlrZSBNYWMgT1MgWCkgQXBwbGVXZWJLaXQvNjA1LjEuMTUgKEtIVE1MLCBsaWtlIEdlY2tvKSBWZXJzaW9uLzE2LjEgTW9iaWxlLzE1RTE0OCBTYWZhcmkvNjA0LjE=)

This is interesting because there has been alot of people asking why Shreck hasnt been featured outside of Returns

Quote from: eledoremassis02 on Sat,  4 Feb  2023, 19:07This is interesting because there has been alot of people asking why Shreck hasnt been featured outside of Returns

I'm sort of one of them, tbh. Batman has a fairly impressive rogue's gallery. But conspicuously missing is a Lex Luthor-style corporate villain who can prey upon Gotham City in a different kind of way. Whether it's Shreck or a reimagined Rupert Thorne, I think a villain like that could be very effective in the Batman mythos.

I agree, and it's actually one of the reasons why I enjoy TDK Rises. The deconstruction on Bruce's life covers all facets, and that includes his business and personal wealth. Daggett's resources were simply used by Bane, but he nonetheless had a wide network. Using construction workers all over the city to install bombs is a logical way around large scale terrorism believability, along with their knowledge of city blueprints and the like. A respectable front business character who has that level of power but can't be easily pushed around would be most welcome. And a good contrast to the likes of Penguin and Black Mask.

The Red Triangle Gang appears in 'Parent Trap' (Robin V #15, August 2022). I won't post the scene in its entirety, because the fight lasts for several pages, but here's an extract. Note the umbrellas in the panel on the left, hinting at their connection to Cobblepot.

In Batman DOA (1999) Batman uses a wrist mounted grapnel which initially debuted in Batman Forever.

(https://i.imgur.io/Memc5xg_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

(https://i.imgur.io/iv8jlSH_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Fri, 30 Jun  2023, 15:02The Red Triangle Gang appears in 'Parent Trap' (Robin V #15, August 2022). I won't post the scene in its entirety, because the fight lasts for several pages, but here's an extract. Note the umbrellas in the panel on the left, hinting at their connection to Cobblepot.

(https://i.postimg.cc/B66FR7BN/red-triangle-gang.png)

(https://i.postimg.cc/Hkv8X9gy/red-tri.png)

Interesting. Aside from the colors, the umbrella holder even matches the one from Returns.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned this before, but in Batman #135, Batman travels the multiverse and encounters different versions of himself. This includes Keaton's Batman and West's Batman. You can see glimpses of Burt Ward's Robin and Cesar Romero's Joker in the background.

(https://i.imgur.com/Ft8rXC8.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/AdG0qAc.jpg)

Other cameos include BTAS, Arkham Batman, Batman Beyond. The variant cover has West and presumably one of the Batman actors from the 1940s.

(https://i.imgur.com/YJ0kbxl.jpg)

I don't have screen shots. But about midway through No Man's Land, there was a storyline involving (I think) Lynx. Iirc, it was drawn by the always welcome Paul Gulacy.

More than ever before, Batman was drawn to visually resemble Val Kilmer and his outfit was colored black and resembled the Panther suit from BF.

I glanced through the thread and didn't see anybody else mention it.

I just want to point out that I'm reading Detective Comics, Batman Comics, and Legends of the Dark Knight. I'm skipping the majority of the Elseworld's tales. So some of the stuff I'm pointing out could've debuted in Elseworld's comic books and I don't have a clue.

Having said that, in "Batman Dreamland" Batman uses a line launcher. This is the first time I can recall him using such a device in comics. The line launcher initially debuted in the 1989 film.
(https://i.imgur.io/sJYjgUt_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

In Batman Ego (2000) the name Chuckie Sol is mentioned which is a reference to a gangster in Mask of the Phantasm.
(https://i.imgur.io/rOU2Cet_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

Another reference in Ego is the chemical factory being named "Axis Chemicals".
(https://i.imgur.io/hlXvZbt_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

In Detective Comics 781 the Bat-Plane is in the shape of the Batsymbol. I don't recall seeing this prior to this issue so this very well could be the first time that design was implemented into the comics. Based on how the villains are designed in this comic series, I think this was initially meant to be a reference to the Animated Series Batwing. However, I'm posting it here because Batman (1989) was the first piece of Batman media to have a Bat-Plane shaped like this.
EDIT: I just noticed that Silver posted this panel years ago. My mistake.
(https://i.imgur.io/vpobT1J_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

In Legends of the Dark Knight 172 the Batcave has elements that I think are inspired by Batman 1989. The Batcomputer and the vault seem to be direct lifts from the film.
(https://i.imgur.io/ffwm7WG_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

Quote from: Silver Nemesis on Sun,  6 Mar  2011, 23:05Thanks :) I know there are plenty more references in the comics, I'm just wracking my brain trying to remember them all. But for now here's a fairly substantial one. So substantial in fact that I was surprised to find no one had mentioned it before in any other thread. It should interest the members of this site.

BATMAN: CHILD OF DREAMS

The most heavily Burton-influenced Batman comic of all time is probably Batman: Child of Dreams (originally published in 2000-2001, paperback edition published in 2003). Written and drawn by Kia Asamiya, and adapted into English by Road to Perdition writer Max Allan Collins, this graphic novel was an experimental fusion of Batman and manga. It was very heavily influenced by the Burton movies, and the paperback edition includes an interview with Asamiya in which he credits the 89 movie for introducing him to the Batman mythology.

Quote"...what really got me into Batman was the Tim Burton Batman movie. I started reading American comics more at that point too."

There are plenty of references to both Burton movies throughout the book, but I'll start with the most obvious one. The Batman in this story was allegedly modelled on Michael Keaton, and several reviews I've read have pointed out the visual similarity. The Batman Wiki page on Keaton's Batman even goes so far as to list Batman: Child of Dreams as one of his appearances: http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Batman_(Michael_Keaton)#Appearances

The image of Batman on the cover portrays a remarkable resemblance to the actor.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture-9.jpg&hash=6e3cf679909c9c753ae68d046fb79cfe7e96a9e0)

But while this story does not take place within the standard Post-Crisis canon, it isn't technically part of the Burtonverse canon either (if such a thing exists). Both the Joker and Penguin are still alive, Harvey Dent is Caucasian, and Commissioner Gordon resembles his comic counterpart rather than Pat Hingle. The similarities with the Burton films mostly stem from Batman himself and his arsenal of gadgets.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture1-13.jpg&hash=a185b7e3b4278c82b37c40f7f94d606117910da1)

Gotham City looks similar to the version from the 1989 film. Note the bridge on the left side of the image. Its explained in the back of the book that manga is typically read from right to left, as opposed to the western style of left to right. In order to make it easier for westerners to read, the pages were flipped horizontally (which is why Two-Face's scarred side is on the right side of his face rather than the left). So originally the bridge would be on the right side of the panel, just like the opening shot of Batman 89.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture2-8.jpg&hash=26a8befba6a87e0321f7b678abbcf95feacbbb0a)

The main love interest in the story is a Japanese TV journalist called Yuko Yagi, who's come to Gotham in the hopes of landing a one-on-one interview with Batman. The first time she and Batman meet is when the Dark Knight rescues her from a Two-Face imitator (the central plot concerns a criminal mastermind deploying genetically enhanced imitations of Batman's greatest foes). This scene is clearly influenced by his first encounter with Selina Kyle in Batman Returns. The Two-Face imitator has a gun to Yuko's head. Batman hurls a Batarang so that it becomes embedded in a wall, making his opponent think he's missed. Then he tugs on an attached cable, pulling the Batarang out of the wall so that it hits the Two-Face imitator and knocks the gun out of his hand, allowing Yuko to escape.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture3-8.jpg&hash=a2def16c4a9162f85df0ad9301e57b2d4f2499c7)

Some of the reviews I read pointed out that while Batman looks like Michael Keaton, Bruce Wayne looks less like the actor. This is true to an extent, and Wayne chiefly resembles a standard manga character. He has straighter hair, a more prominent nose and a smaller forehead than Keaton. But his eyebrows, jaw, mouth and cheekbones still resemble those of the actor.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture4-8.jpg&hash=42af1ca632306e667ef33cd361bee6344635f57c)

Yuko is invited on a date by Bruce Wayne. She dresses for the occasion in a long black coat and matching beret.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture5-5.jpg&hash=9b8156b4c53a292509a9f579a5f62fa6375506f5)

The dinner date takes place at Wayne Manor, and begins with a series of images depicting the two talking and eating together, implying a cosy and intimate meal...

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture6-9.jpg&hash=a16442f325f365543d8b2996cc58dc68dd63841a)

...until the following page reveals they are actually sitting at opposite ends of a long dining table. A gag taken straight from Batman 89.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture7-7.jpg&hash=1e4fe3ebfb0176856d5e59f431408bbc62ee49b6)

The date ends prematurely when the Joker is sighted in Gotham Park, standing atop a mountain of pills and beckoning to nearby spectators. The way he goads the crowd in this scene recalls his dialogue during the parade in Batman 89.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture8-7.jpg&hash=dc91c3c5bef7c355dbda558d5242f0ae13e86dc4)

This is later revealed to be another imitator, and the real Joker is still locked up in Arkham Asylum. Nevertheless, this imitator has been injected with the Joker's DNA and displays the same criminal characteristics. Batman tries to take an explosive detonator off him, only for the Joker to pull the same detachable-hand trick from the movie.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture9-3.jpg&hash=83b245123ab7656635f5648be35f98c2d2c8b630)

Another fake villain who shows up is the Riddler, and Asamiya seems to have modelled him on the Jim Carrey version from Batman Forever.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture10-3.jpg&hash=f04ff55947bb4d15da05afda93e63fed6d59096d)

The Joker imitator then lures Yuko into a trap by tricking her into thinking she has a date with Bruce.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture11-4.jpg&hash=2819caae8e5c1964aa5697387f0d1ca76e0e23f9)

But Batman rescues Yuko from the fake Joker, at one point hoisting her from the jaws of death using the grapple gun.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture12-2.jpg&hash=deb434bd1b5da5641e9945e4a7c4e75de62c830f)

Batman then takes her back to the Batcave.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture13-1.jpg&hash=9aea226bf166b51d8646ad0cea06643df546fb7d)

Unlike the movie, Yuko is unconscious when he takes her to the Batcave, but wide awake when he takes her back to the city.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture14-1.jpg&hash=d52e1117faf2a6b1a94d8a8140110042003beb38)

Notice the dialogue in this scene. Batman only speaks when he has to and is generally characterised in a similarly reserved manner as Keaton's Batman. Throughout the story he refers to the fact that he likes to remain in the shadows and that, if he does his job properly, no one should even know he was there; echoing Burton's sentiments that Batman is a character who likes to remain hidden.

Also, Bruce Wayne is this story is not shown to be an extrovert partier, but rather a focused and intense businessman. Early in the book we are told:
"But somewhere along his tortured, if righteous path, the bat became dominant, of the two words making one...the man beneath the cape and cowl overshadowed by the dark role he played on the darker streets of Gotham. He was born Bruce Wayne, and yet now he spent his days pretending to be himself...ever since becoming a nightmare figment of his own imagination...even as children of all ages acted out their own Batman fantasies."
This could easily be a description of Keaton's Batman, uncomfortable in his own skin and immersed in the monster he's created out of his childhood fears.

The Batmobile in this comic is also clearly inspired by the Burton version.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture15.jpg&hash=237072376b2aa59965d5eb21b1fbffeb48fc578b)

In the interview featured in the paperback edition, Asamiya is asked what his favourite aspects of the Batman myth are. He replies:

Quote"Personally, I love cars, so if I had the money I'd buy the actual Batmobile from the movie, register it and drive it in Japan. That's my dream."

Batman's costume seems to be based on the movie version too. The cowl, gloves and boots all look like the ones seen in the films.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture16.jpg&hash=c5290a52a96a383c9c5aeada3de08da7cd730249)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture18.jpg&hash=0796c4230df09dd34fedc05d8de62ce081068d2f)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture17.jpg&hash=d4c2928231e2aaada73a601ec8d096bcf43517bf)

On their way back to the city, Batman and Yuko are attacked by a Batman imitator. After defeating him, the real Batman removes the imposter's mask. He is shown to tear the material in a manner recalling the umasking scene from Batman Returns. The texture of the material as it rips suggests it is made from the same rubbery material.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture19.jpg&hash=cb69fe229a768d0fdd49b5fae4cf79c33b6bfe28)

Later in the story Yuko dreams about the first time she saw Batman when she was a child. This flashback has blatant parallels with the opening sequence of Batman 89. Yuko and her parents are visiting Gotham and walking the streets late at night. Her father struggles to locate their hotel on a map, while her mother suggests they find a taxi.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture20.jpg&hash=35eb0af0c063b46960275a52d59b57cc60a68ce2)

They wander down and alleyway and are confronted by a pair of muggers, one of whom is dressed like Eddie (George Roth) from the 89 film.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture21.jpg&hash=7ae4936545f557b5e33abe6c26887de177ac42ef)

But of course Batman comes to the rescue, and the muggers turn to find him standing behind them, cloak spread in a wing-like fashion.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture22.jpg&hash=0c2691a9b0cbdf4017e294a45e2f4e9fff919d2a)

The story takes Batman to Tokyo on the trail of the main villain. Once there, we see him suit up – with the focus on the belt fastening, cape and chest emblem – similar to the suit-up scene from the 89 movie.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture23.jpg&hash=2663a8fe8e7eabb8ea8d3848c8e012714204165a)

While investigating Tokyo, Batman finds himself face to face with Catwoman. Only this is actually Yuko, who has been injected with Selina Kyle's DNA by the villain and brainwashed into acting like the real Catwoman. She immediately attacks Batman and the two of them fight on a rooftop.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture24.jpg&hash=3afb8969cd0a8c54a9e1d7d0f84d607ddd60b08a)

At one point Catwoman strikes Batman's ribs in the same weak spot she identified in Batman Returns.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture25.jpg&hash=df58550fa8907c55293dc665d9c604cb5c61802d)

She also makes a couple of nine-lives puns.


(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture26.jpg&hash=1083ce32e70e9d130a9dd5132bde6c8663ec7661)
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture27.jpg&hash=8af965952ccb03ac07cb3aefd30714ab10f9e496)

During the final showdown, Batman's opponent has injected himself with Bruce Wayne's DNA and donned a high-tech version of the Batsuit (which bears a slight resemblance to Bale's Batsuit from The Dark Knight). Once he has defeated his foe, Batman tears off his enemy's mask. And again, he physically rips the cowl like he did in Batman Returns.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture28.jpg&hash=5c377119112d4ace0dcf7b5a8c3cc2c1eff88e12)

The villain then activates a bomb in a final effort to kill Batman. Batman uses a voice activated remote to summon the Batmobile and make his escape.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture29.jpg&hash=1d1b4f1fdd687aca85d1b509019bf3c5d75993dc)

At the end of the story – in a scene reminiscent of Batman Returns – Bruce Wayne is shown relaxing in front of a roaring fire while watching television back at Wayne Manor.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi396.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fpp42%2Fsilver-nemsis%2FNewPicture30.jpg&hash=b261c7dded67fe1fb472dd7be4ca82910bdf5ede)

Well that's about it. Sorry this comparison was so longwinded, but Batman: Child of Dreams is a pretty long book and there's a lot to be said about it. All in all, it's actually a pretty good Batman story and a particularly enjoyable read for fans of Michael Keaton's Batman.

I know this was posted a while ago, but great job with this post Silver. I just got done reading this manga myself and the influence of Tim Burton's original film was very apparent. I wanted to add two more visual nods that I noticed.

Wayne Manor looks exactly like it did in the film.
(https://i.imgur.io/8Mln07Q_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

In these panels Wayne sports a black turtleneck and is sitting in a chair that resembles the seats in the 89 Batmobile.
(https://i.imgur.io/SyedEdg_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium)

Those are good additions, BatmanFurst. It's been a long time since I read Child of Dreams, but I remember enjoying it a lot. From what I recall, it evoked the feel of the Burton films more successfully than the Batman '89 comic did, even though it wasn't set in the Burtonverse.

If I was to compile a list of graphic novels that fans of a particular cinematic version of Batman would enjoy, then Child of Dreams would definitely make the Burtonverse list.

A recent storyline by Chip Zdarsky has shown Batman mentally battling various incarnations of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh (the backup identity in Bruce's subconscious that takes over if his mind is ever compromised), each modelled on a different version of the Dark Knight. One of them is based on Keaton. He first appears in 'The Bat-Man of Gotham: Conclusion' (Batman V3 #135, July 2023), following the Keaton cameo mentioned earlier in the thread.


This issue also features a scene where Batman defeats a giant Shark Joker using shark-repellent bat-spray given to him by the Adam West Earth-66 Batman.


The Batmen of Zur-En-Arrh return at the end of Batman V3 #139, and the Keaton version is among them. Note West standing next to him.


The storyline continues in Batman V3 #140.


Batman has to mentally fight the Zurs for control of his body. At one point he goes up against the Bat-Keaton of Zur-En-Arrh.


Keaton throws a chemical capsule at him like he does when battling Catwoman in Batman Returns.


Then Batman takes him down by exploiting his inability to turn his head.


Batman also fights a West Zur-En-Arrh in this issue, as well as other Multiversal incarnations including the vampire Batman and The Dark Knight Returns version.

This next one was so random. While reading Legends of the Dark Knight 179 I noticed a panel that was a direct recreation of a shot from Batman Forever.
(https://i.imgur.com/H0DfS8h_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)
(https://i.imgur.com/Y4JnhI8_d.webp?maxwidth=1520&fidelity=grand)

Finally started reading Under the Red Hood for the first time and started to notice the first of Nolan's influences on the comics. In Batman 635 this is the very first time where we find out that Bruce's gadgets have been coming from the R&D department of Wayne Industries. This comic is dated to February 2005, but I definitely think it's an influence from Begins which would've been in post production around this time.
(https://i.imgur.com/4dvU8Y4_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)
(https://i.imgur.com/i2uCmrN_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

The credits for Batman 637 feature the Nolan Batsymbol. This is the very first appearance of this symbol in comics that I'm aware of.
(https://i.imgur.com/WAD84Os_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

This is speculative on my part but I thought the cowl on the cover of Detective Comics resembled the Batman Begins cowl.
(https://i.imgur.com/X3qN4f2_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

In Detective Comics 815 the appearance of Zsaz is changed. He's now bald with brown eye brows. Since this comic was made in 2006 I can only assume that this change was influenced by Zsaz's look in Begins.
(https://i.imgur.com/xNjitTx_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

In Detective Comics 820 Scarecrow's design has also changed. He's now wearing a Scarecrow mask with a noose. Clearly inspired by the characters design in Begins.
(https://i.imgur.com/V6tGoCp_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

Doesn't the noose thing go back to The New Batman Adventures?

Quote from: thecolorsblend on Fri, 26 Jan  2024, 23:03Doesn't the noose thing go back to The New Batman Adventures?

Yes it does. I'm not saying that Begins invented the noose for Sacrecrow. However, I am saying that this comic changed the design to be closer to the way he looked in Begins. Other than the mask and noose nothing about that redesign in the comic looks like Scarecrow. It's the same thing in Begins, the mask with the noose around the neck is the defining costume trait that makes him Scarecrow.

In the latest issue of Joker: Year One story, many pages had modeled Batman with Batfleck's likeness. Including the Knightmare timeline.

(https://i.imgur.com/cZKYkCg.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/fqLxjCd.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/SDBhpEh.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/dV3ykps.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/2zubwvD.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/VulpLoq.png)

There are two references to Batman Forever that I came across. One was in Batman Confidential 4 where Batman parks the Batplane upside down like the Batwing in Forever.
(https://i.imgur.com/fngvHUU_d.webp?maxwidth=1520&fidelity=grand)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZHpsoin_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

As far as I know Forever was the first time that Robin was given gauntlets similar to Batman's. In May 2006 after Infinite Crisis Tim Drake's new suit also incorporated these gauntlets. This is the first time I've come across a Robin suit with that feature in the comics. If anyone has an earlier example please let me know.
(https://i.imgur.com/2bNzWaF_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)
(https://i.imgur.com/qsYFYfn_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

In Batman Confidential 7 one of Batman's early vehicles is shown to be a tank. The design seemed to be inspired by the Tumbler from Begins. This is the first time I've seen that design implemented into the comics.
(https://i.imgur.com/hshbnHn_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)

In Batman Confidential 8 Batman gives Joker a Glasgow Smile. This issue came out in December of 2007. I think it's definitely inspired by Ledger's look in Dark Knight.
(https://i.imgur.com/i92wAbe_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)
(https://i.imgur.com/yffzqcs_d.webp?maxwidth=760&fidelity=grand)