References to the films in the comics

[The Laughing Fish]

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.





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...



...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.





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

[Travesty]

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

[Silver Nemesis]

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.

[Silver Nemesis]

'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.

[Silver Nemesis]

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:

[thecolorsblend]

Batman recently acknowledged the Burton Batmobile was his favourite

Mine as well. Good find!

[Silver Nemesis]

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.

[The Dark Knight]

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.

[The Laughing Fish]

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



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?

[Silver Nemesis]

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.