OK, here we go -- what's your favorite Batman incarnation and why? Are you a movie person, or do you prefer the comics? If you're a movie Batman devotee, which incarnation is your preferred one, from Michael Keaton to Christian Bale? If comics, do you like your Batman original Bob Kane style, the Jim Aparo Seventies version, or the down and dirty Frank Miller era?
On a related note, when a big geek movie comes out, do you go see it opening night or do you wait for the crowds to die down? Or do you skip the theater altogether and just catch it at home on DVD?
If you like, in return for answering my question to you, you may ask a question of me on any topic and I'll do my best to answer honestly and completely. Just leave your reply (and question, if any) as a comment. The goal is to learn a little more about our community!
(Image and character ©2012, DC Comics & Warner Bros. Pictures.)
I am more of a fan of the comics than the movies. That being said, I prefer the Batman from Hush and the Grant Morrison run of the old Batman. I really like the DCnU Batman as well, especially Jim Lee’s take. As far as story, the straight Batman title is a really good one and Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are doing an awesome job. The other “Bat-book” I like right now is Nightwing, but that’s a story for another time.
Jeff & everyone else: If you could create the perfect villain for Batman, what would he/she be like? Also, am I the only one wondering what the Joker looks like now in the New 52?
Like a bug, because that’s what bats eat. Or a giant flower, if you think Bruce Wayne is more of a pollen-eating species.
I haven’t been following it, so I am not wondering, no. I kind of get tired of Batman-Joker, to be honest. I’m glad Bane’s the villain of the new movie.
It’s like with Superman. We only get a handful of movies, does he have to fight Luthor in EVERY one?
Batman TAS, hands down!
I liked the 60’s version when I was a kid, but these days I want something more. The Michael Keaton movies were good, but let’s face it, the villains carried those movies. I found The Schumacher films to be pretty much unwatchable. I resented the fact that “Batman Begins” put all the Batman’s inventive talents into Lucius Fox. “The Dark Knight Returns” was entertaining, but too much of a downer.
Batman TAS took the character seriously and retained his ultra-human qualities. The villains were engaging but did not over-shadow the hero. Plus, the story-lines were generally first class drama, with positive endings that didn’t seem forced or easily won.
Adam West is my favorite Batman. I realize that his Batman wasn’t true to what Batman was like in his beginnings, and from the 70’s onward, but for a young boy who had lost his father recently, he was a cowled father figure that was there for him just about every week. So, maybe other Batman’s were cooler, tougher, and more bad-ass, but his Batman made life a little bit less scary for some of us.
I like to watch the movies…..I think that Christian Bale was definetly the Best Batman….the movies he’s in he portrays Batman very accuratly while the movies themselves are as realistic as possible. On the other hand, my favorite Batman to watch is Val Kilmer.
Jeff, My question to you is: if you were to make a team of Xmen who had physical mutations (such as Beast,, Nightcrawler, Archangel, or Mystique) who would be on the team
Jeff & everyone else: If you could create the perfect villain for Batman, what would he/she be like?
I would have to say that I would create a clone of Batman and warp his mind so he thought the real Batman was an enemy. They a person is his own worse enemy
Hm, I don’t think I know the roster well enough to do a great job with this. But yeah, Beast and Nightcrawler would definitely be on it. Would you count Colossus in that group? If so, definitely him. I’m contractually bound to say Wolverine, too.
After that, I’m a bit clueless. Who would you use?
Beast Nightcrawler Nocturne Wolfsbane Sabertooth and Mystique
To me the “real” Batman is the animated series. That cartoon probably encapsulated Batman perfectly. The cast, the art style, the music. Though it was partially evoking the Burton/Keaton Batman I think it far surpassed it. As far as the films, up until Batman Begins the best Batman on screen was Batman: Dead End. You know what I’m talking about. And as comics goes I think Dark Knight Returns is probably. the ultimate incarnation.
I dont have a question but I’d like to give my two cents on the X-Men. I think the best line-up was the “ALL-NEW” team from Claremont/Bryne days. Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Colossus, Shadowcat. To me that will ALWAYS be the real X-Men.
I would have to say that the most recent representaion of Batman that I enjoyed was the DTV Batman; Under the Red Hood. If you haven’t seen this animated movie yet, you must see it.
Question – You know me, I’m always wondering how buisness is doing. Is the program evolving into what your goals are? Seems the community has grown in the past couple of weeks on the forums, which is always a good thing. I’m surprised that not more ‘machiners post their pics on Facebook. Why is that? Anyone?
Amen, brother!
Business is meh. The Facebook page keeps growing, which is nice — up to 8100 “likes” now. I don’t think it’s a great way to share your creations, honestly. It seems hard to keep track of them. I mean, yeah, you can make albums and stuff, but it just doesn’t ever feel like you get any traction.
What I really need to do is to quit adding new items, finish the left-right and male-female conversions, and bundle a “for sale” version.
ok i have a question? how to i undelete all my saves? i was trying to clean my browser and i deleted all my saaaaves.
I don’t think you can, unfortunately. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. Sorry, man.
robin
oh jeez… i had months worth of upcoming characters and monsters for my dnd campaign. oh well the players just lost a visual aid.
I’m really sorry to hear that, barbario, that stinks.
A bit late, but always always always make manual text file backups for just this occasion.
NOOOOOOOooooooooooo………….!
no im am just the dumb
i dont even wanna run the campaign now… dnd canceled…
Sorry, I lost interest in Batman once the “New Look” came in and it turned artsy-fartsy. The 50’s – early 60’s Batman with the jaw that could open letters, who fought guys wearing bad suits and solved crimes without a nuclear-powered Cray mainframe. Back when a rope, some tear-gas and a domed & finned Cadillac were sufficient to fight the good fight. The Batcave hasn’t been the same since it stopped having a giant penny in it.
@ Jeff – http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/
The best superhero movies are the most realistic, there for Batman begins and the ones of that story line are my favorite.
Jeff, I look forward to seeing what you add and so do alot of other people. Keep going bro, create as much as you can so we can create as much as we can. I gave you ideas a couple weeks ago. Would love to see stuff like tables etc for background scenes.
Anyone on here play Avengers Alliance? If so please friend me on fb.
https://www.facebook.com/charliesmith13?ref=tn_tnmn
I’m more of a comic Batman fan, myself. I prefer the flexibility of the comic to the relative rigid capabilities of showcasing Batman in film. The last wo movies were the best by far, but they only achieved that level of quality by taking the character in a rather largely-different direction from the comic universe.
Jeff, if you were given the job of re-designing any single DC character and Marvel character, which characters would you choose? Please note that I am not asking you to post images of said characters. I am just curious about who you like the most, but still think you could do a good job re-designing. For example, I know I wouldn’t want to be charged with re-designing my fav characters (like Batman or Captain America), for fear of messing them up. I would have to take characters that I like, but only so much…
Batman the Animated Series pretty much defined what I wanted and expected out of Batman–and out of his rogue’s gallery. To the point that the comics tend to be a disappointment. I mean, would it kill the Joker to actually be funny?
What’s your favorite of the golden age comics you’ve read?
I’ve always enjoyed the animated series batman the best, though I always liked him more when he stayed in Gotham. To me when he got out of Gotham, his power levels were increased too much to match up with other members of the JLA. So I like it when he stays in Gotham like he did in Batman the Animated Series, or in some of his movies like Under the Red Hood, which is amazing and almost equals Mask of the Phantasm.
My question to you, Jeff, is what movie blockbuster were you looking forward to the most. Note that this means movies that already came out do qualify as well.
i would have to say my favorite batman was definatly be the christian bale batman and the new mobile neck suit is amazing… the rubber nipples on the other suits from forever and &robin not working for me here…
Did any body notice that Robins suit in B&R was more nightwing style?
@Jeff… How many Robins were there and who did each become?
Good point, I feel the same. I can’t imagine the pressure Jim Lee was under given that he had to do all the heavy hitters in the Justice League. Love it or hate it, you have to tip your hat to the guy for having the guts to take on such a monumental project.
I’d like to say my standard Flash or Green Lantern, but I think they’ve both been messed with enough. Ditto Wonder Woman and Aquaman, two characters I’ve thought about doing in the past. So to speak.
I do have a weakness for the Legion of Super-Heroes, so I will go with someone from there. And for my choice, I’ll take Wildfire.
As for Marvel … hm. I have to say I’m influenced by the Mighty God King blog, but Dr. Strange would be interesting. I don’t think they’ve quite known what to do with him for a while.
Good question! I’ve really enjoyed them all, but head and shoulders above the rest is “Bulletman”. I mean, Bulletdog alone makes it the winner!
I think these Target comics are pretty good, too, in terms of the actual art and storytelling. With the exception of The Targeteers. Seriously? Targeteers? Oi.
This might just be because it was so recent, but I have been pumped for the Avengers movie since the first appearance of Samuel L. Jackson in the after credits of Iron Man. That’s a lot of foreplay! By the time the movie got close I was in full-on nerdgasm mode.
That’s not the kind of question I’m going for here, my man. Stuff like that is why they invented Teh Google.
QFT.
I was just trying to test your comic book knowledge… I know the answers. Jeff you are such an amazin creator of heroes and this program.
I was never really that kind of geek, memorizing lists of things and knowing trivia. That’s a major geek fail on my part. I just loved reading the stories and looking at the art.
About the only geek stuff I got into to that degree was reciting dialog from “Holy Grail”. Mostly I have been a motivated consumer rather than being a student of the genre.
I understand… May I share the answer With you?
Dick Grayson – Robin I > NightWing > Batman II > NightWing
Jason Todd – Robin II > Red Hood
Tim Drake – Robin III (red Suit Robin) > Red Robin
Stephany Brown – Spoiler > Robin IV > Batgirl III
Damian Wayne (son of Bruce Wayne and Thalia Al Gual – Robin V (current Robin)
I have to go with batman from the new movies. He’s the batman I think is badass enough that I can actually really like him. I know this might be sacrilegious on a sight like this but I actually don’t care for the batman. Personally, I don’t think of him as much of a superhero because he just has martial arts training, money to buy gadgets, and good detective skills, and I feel anyone could do that, so he isn’t so special. Anyway, I like him in the movies cuz he does really cool things and also he has the one batman costume I’ve seen that I think looks cool. Also, awesome batmobile.
Well, my favorite Batman is the one from the earliest Detective Comics, when he wasn’t a walking mega-uber-high-tech nightmare, had a red car and his suit was stored in a chest in the storage room. Even before Robin and crazy adventures, before giant Bat-Cave full of Bat-Mobiles, Bat-boats and other Bat-crap, before Batman Inc. and even before all those Arkham residents. Just some highly trained guy in epic costume, fighting off regular goons.
My question to you, Jeff – do you think those DC’s New 52 series are interesting? I mean, with most characters changed in sometimes unbelivable way?
I can honestly say I haven’t read a single one. So no, not interesting to me at all. Part of that is living 500 miles from the nearest comics store, of course, but I haven’t been motivated to order them.
Oh. Well. You americans are really weird. Answering that and your “related note”, I don’t buy comics and movies, too. I know some sites where I can download comics for free, or watch movies just so – I don’t rush in cinema or DVD store. I guess, now I am going to be looked at as if I said about making love to a little chicken, huh?
Since I’m in a field where piracy is common, and since I at one point relied on this app exclusively for literally putting bread on my table, I’m not one to take content without paying for it.
Not gonna lie, my favorite Batman is from the animated series because of 2 things: Mark Hammil as Joker and (MOST IMPORTANTLY) that show was what got me into comic books in the first place! Though, Superman may be my favorite superhero now, Batman will ALWAYS have a top 2 place in my list of favorite superheroes of all time.
My question is: what got you guys into comics?
That’s a great question! I might steal that for the next Sharing Day, well done.
My dad and brothers got me into comics. We didn’t have a super easy childhood — with seven kids, money was tight. But every now and then Dad would bring home a huge stack of comics for us all to read. The girls got Archie and Richie Rich and Caspar the Friendly Ghost, while the guys got Conan and Superman and Spider-Man. It was great fun.
you got it! hell, while we’re throwing them out, here’s mine for anyone who would like it.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/dan.debacker1
I have to say my absolute favorite Batman incarnation was TAS. But not because of Batman.
In my opinion Batman is awesome but to me he is nothing without great villains. And the animated series had the best of the best. Every version of the villains pale in comparison to that series. I mean just take for example a couple of my favorite villains:
MR FREEZE: In the comics he was a secondary character. In the 60s tv show he was campy. In the film he was an idiot. But in the 90s animated tv show he was bad ass. He had the dark tragic side that made you feel bad for the guy and understand WHY he was commiting all those crimes. Plus he had that cold emotionless voice that sent chills down my spine.
THE RIDDLER: In the comics he was so-so. In the 60s show he was goofy. In the film he was *shudders* Jim Carey 0_0. But in the 90s tv show he was a cold calculated genius who was just as obsessed with puzzles as Greg House is on his show. In fact that’s who he was…an evil House M.D. I remember an episode where the Riddler was actually driven insane by the fact he COULDN’T answer a question.
Sorry for the long comment but here’s my final thoughts. The show was dark and serious…but was also for children. It took its audience serious and is the first memory a lot of people have of Batman. Plus it not only perfected characters but CREATED characters. Harly Quinn isn’t from the comics she was created for that tv show. And also Mark Hamill…nuff said
Here’s my question…I don’t know why it popped into my head, probably because I’m so nostalgic.
What was your favorite tv show as a kid?
Hm, I liked Thundercats a lot, and the Voltron cartoon. Also Thundarr the Barbarian and Bugs Bunny cartoons.
Probably Bugs was my favorite, at least the Chuck Jones ones.
I’d have to say I’m a Nolan / Bale guy. I’ve always liked Batman, but in a more casual way than most people here. I’ve never really been huge on collecting the comics, because I’ve always thought it’s just way too many issues to be able to get caught up. And I know I’ll never own any of the old ones. I know that’s a crazy way to look at it, but it just always felt overwhelming to me. So, even thought I like the character, I’ve always been more in tune with the movie / cartoon versions. The first version I think I’d ever seen was on Superfriends, and then on the 60’s show when they showed it in re-runs. I liked the 89 version when it came out, but it didn’t age well. I never really liked Returns, and try to not ever acknowledge that Forever or Batman & Robin even exist. I was also a fan of the Animated Series, but I think it’s unbalanced. There are some truly amazing episodes, then there are some absolutley terrible ones. I feel like the Nolan movies just got it right.
So, my question for everyone, what was the first comic you ever owned, and do you still have it? Here’s mine. Batman 369 from 1984. It’s in beat up condition, but I still have it.
My brothers had so many comics that I read from the time I could read, I’m not sure which were “mine”. My earliest memory of buying a comic was the Secret Wars saga. At least that was the first time I remember thinking “I have to get the next one of these” rather than just getting whatever was on the rack when I happend to go to the convenience store.
Speaking of Thundercats…has anyone seen the new series that’s airing now?
My first comic I ever owned was an anual crossover issue Fantastic Four vs the X-men. I ended up getting rid of all my comics and my dads comics as well. But when I recently started rebuilding my collection I bought most of the same ones again.
Oh, and the second part of the question, for me it depends on what movie it is. Avengers I went opening day. Same with Thor, and Cap and Irom Man 2. THe first Iron Man I waited on, because I didn’t know if it was going to be good. I’d say most Marvel movies I see within a month of the time they are released. DC movies, except for the new Batman’s, I usually wait for DVD. I did see Green Lantern in theaters, but I waited about a month.
Never got into the comics too much, although I do have Frank Miller’s Dark Knight run and Batman: Year One. I’ve always been more into Batman in movies, and particularly in animation. I love Batman: Brave and the Bold, and of course, like many people here, I’d probably say that my favorite iteration is Batman: TAS. I love the dichotomy of the underlying brooding darkness, and yet it still being family friendly.
As for the second question, I usually go see most of the nerd films on opening weekend, as soon as I get the chance.
Jeff, you never actually answered your own question: Which Batman does it best for you? Usually you have an answer for us, but you skipped over it this week. And since I haven’t had a question for you for a few sharing days in a row now, I’m happy to use mine today to ask this.
Quit paying attention!
So I did, so I did. I was weaned on the Jim Aparo and Neal Adams era Batman, where he was a mix between a hard-core detective super-hero and a street-level thug-beater. He wasn’t yet up to the somewhat ridiculous heights he would achieve (“Batman can beat Darkseid!”), but he was a far cry from the campy tv version as well. He spent more time on the streets and less time in the JLA satellite. I like that middle ground.
I will say that the Frank Miller “Dark Knight” series was pretty freaking awesome, though for me the style sometimes got in the way of the story. Still, it was pretty thrilling stuff.
I too like the Animated Series Batman, but I was too old by the time it came out for it to be “mine” in the sense that a lof of folks here have said.
None of the movies really thrilled me, but the Nolan trilogy clearly stands out as a superior franchise. It’s just a little TOO dark for it to be “my” Batman.
So yeah, I’ll stick with the Aparo/Adams era Caped Crusader. The older I get the more I think the “best stuff ever” is whatever happened to catch our fancy during our formative years, when our lives were better.
I gotta say, that one in particular is a great title. The Talon and Court of Owls are better villains than Joker ever was. They cause him to actually have to try to fight. Since owls are a natural predator of bats, they’re sort of tailor-made to be his greatest villains.
I only got into Batman (and comics in general) in the past couple of years, but my favourite version of Batman is either the Animated Series version and the comics version. I’ve only watched the first season of TAS so far, but I really love it. It’s got great stories, characterisation and the whole look of it is great.
As for the comics, I’ll admit that my experience is mostly confined to Grant Morrison’s Batman and Robin run and the first few issues of the New 52 Batman. But, I did enjoy reading Batman and Robin and it had some good stories. Then again, I don’t really have anything else to compare them to. Although, the anthology reprint book that I read them in also introduced me to Batwoman, so that’s a plus.
As for my question, what’s your favourite part of Monty Python and the Holy Grail without saying ‘the whole thing’?
Strange as it may sound, my favourite bit is the opening credits. The whole thing with the mooses (what’s the plural of moose? meese?) made me laugh hardest, to the point where I had to pause to take a deep breath. Close in joint second would be the Knights who say Ni! and the scene with the peasants who live in an ‘anarcho-syndicalist commune’.
Oh yes, the credits are AWESOME! Best credits of any movie, ever, both beginning and end. Inspired stuff.
But my favorite is probably the scene you mentioned, with the peasants discoursing with King Arthur about the nature of a valid system of government.
OK, I can’t help myself (this is cut and pasted, I don’t have THAT good a memory):
DENNIS: Listen — strange women lying in ponds distributing swords
is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power
derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical
aquatic ceremony.
ARTHUR: Be quiet!
DENNIS: Well you can’t expect to wield supreme executive power
just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!
ARTHUR: Shut up!
DENNIS: I mean, if I went around sayin’ I was an empereror just
because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they’d
put me away!
ARTHUR: Shut up! Will you shut up!
DENNIS: Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system.
ARTHUR: Shut up!
DENNIS: Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system!
HELP! HELP! I’m being repressed!
ARTHUR: Bloody peasant!
Okay, a whole blog post/comment thread about Batman, and nobody has mentioned Holy Musical B@man! yet. I can only assume this means the HM community is unaware, and I must rectify this.
HMB! was made by Starkid, the same folks who made the two Very Potter Musicals, if you’re familiar.
I guess I’d have to say that’s my favorite Batman. That or Adam West. I can’t really buy versions of Batman that take themselves seriously.
I’m a huge fan of the Nolan and Bale depiction of Batman and his mythos. He turned a character whose film portrayals had devolved into a mess of action-figure tie in uniforms, brilliantly colored molded plastic muscle accents, cheap one-liners, and a team that paid no respect to the years of history behind the character; into something entirely feasible. His Batman could actually exist, and he stays true to the ideals of who Batman is and the motivations behind his crusade (not to mention Heath Ledger’s hauntingly terrifying portrayal of the Joker)
That being said I’m a huge fan, but I’m going to have to go with the general consensus and go for TAS. It surpasses the Nolan depictions in that it doesn’t have to divorce itself from the more genre-inspired fanciful aspects of Batman. One key episode I remember involved a group of kids from Gotham each reciting their own version of who they thought Batman was, leading into a couple vignettes of different styles paying homage to the various incarnations of Batman: a campy 60’s Batman, a Frank Miller inspired version. The episode wraps up with the kids encountering Batman during a battle with Firefly and their realization that Batman is all of those things in one. That’s what makes the TAS Batman so great. It acknowledges the gritty and mature themes Batman deals with, without losing the sense of adventure or fantasy.
Jeff, do you have a specific Batman moment (be it in comics/cartoon/film) that you look back on more fondly than others?
Thanks Dan, I accepted your friend request.
The first comic I bought with my own money was Legion of Super-heroes 277 “The Man Who Chained the Earth.” It had a beautiful George Perez cover, and I already loved the Legion from reading my brother’s collection.
The Neal Adams/Jim Aparo/Irv Novick version of Batman from the 70’s is the way Batman is supposed to look, act and behave, not the psychotic version that’s always angry that was presented by Frank Miller in TDKR, as a 50-year old Batman.
I don’t agree either with the loser/strange voice/aggressive version that Bale portrays in Nolan’s movies. That’s not Batman. The definitive version of Batman on the movies is yet to be achieved. What do you think?
I wouldn’t say that’s completely accurate,, although in most cases it is. Still, if it was absolutely true, Batman for me would be either Superfriends or Adam West, because that’s what I grew up with.
Batman:TAS was me coming back from class ay the University, watching Batman and drawing the characters. I used to do the same with Sailor Moon as well. Man, I wish I hadn’t fallen out of that habit. And I’m still a huge nut for superhero cartoons, my library of DVDs is pretty extensive. Even at almost 40, I can’t resist buying the newest DC animated feature.
I don’t remember what my first comic book was. Probably something with the JLA. When I was that young, I didn’t take care of my stuff, so I don’t still have it. First sequential art series I actually got into on a regular basis was actually Asterix the Gaul (translated into English, because my French sucks). And I think I still have a few of those. First actual comic book I bought with my own money was Uncanny X-Men #184, and I have that one in storage.
PIECEWISE! ok, so Keaton was my favorite Batman but as bad a Bruce Wayne as Clooney. Kilmer was AMAZING as Bruce Wayne but just not anywhere near as good as Keaton at Batman. Oh and guys–I figure Batman should be a thankless role, because the Bat was supposed to be secretive and pent-up and quietly angsty. . . if the villains aren’t incredibly more flashy and script-dominating then something is wrong.
Jeff and anyone else still looking. How long till and what will it take for, since Hollywood can’t get us an actor who does both sides of the role to more peoples’ satisfaction, for Hollywood to have two DIFFERENT actors play the two sides but be the SAME person and the fans be happy?
Might as well, now that I’m home. I could use more allies on Avengers Alliance. Sent both of you friend requests.
I like that episode for the same reason. Heck, I used to set my VCR to record TAS. Video Cassette Recorder… ask your parents, kids. Admittedly, I did not read a lot of the comics. Even at the time, comics and graphic novels were expensive and hoarders coveted them all. If you didn’t pre-order at my local comic shop, you weren’t getting a copy.
Big fan of the first Michael Keaton / Tim Burton Batman movie. When I first heard “Michael Keaton,” I expected the worst. He did a better job as Bruce Wayne than Batman. Which actually made the movie for me. And Jack Nicholson… well, he was the same old Jack Nicholson that he is in every movie. To me, he actually was a drag. I can do without the other movies up until Bale / Nolan. They just stunk.
Love Batman Begins for its mix of darkness, martial arts, and Detective Comics vibe. Christian Bale was a real ham in The Dark Knight. But, man, did Heath Ledger steal that movie! “For my first trick, I’m going to make this pencil disappear.” The more previews that I see for The Dark Knight Rises, the more amped I get. Perhaps because Bane looks a lot like a certain gas-mask wearing, mohawk-sporting, camo-pants dancing superhero whom we all know and love. ;9
Question… I always wanted Richard Lynch to play Magneto in an X-Men movie. Though he’s tall, I think Robert Englund would be good as The Riddler. So… out of all-time actresses, who would you want to play Wonder Woman or the recently promoted Captain Marvel in a movie? Who could fill Lynda Carter’s uniform? On looks, I would go with Catherine Zeta-Jones. On talent, I would say Diane Lane. For Ms. Marvel? Virginia Madsen. Of course, if Virginia Madsen were to star dressed in a polar bear costume the entire movie, I’d still go see it.
Cobie Smulders.
Not bad!