SEEKERS OF THE BAT

Here we see a Filipino cosplayer with an excellent recreation of the batsuit from the film ‘The Dark Knight’. By his own admission, he needs to put a little more work into the helmet.

via cosplay.ph

Today, we’re featuring a different kind of fan art. This bat fan painted a batman logo in midair with special photography. Spectacular.

Much like James Bond or MacGyver,  Batman is a character that can be counted on to ALWAYS triumph in the end, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. This photo depicts just another such impossible reversal of fortune, as Batman finds the strength and willpower to dig his way out of a buried coffin. In this way, he is much more than just a rich guy with gadgets. He is a irrepressible force of nature, and deserves to be feared by his foes.

Another alternate universe?  Muppets Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Beaker are actually Batman and Robin?  Hilarious!

via Bat-Blog

Here DC Comics gives us a teaser for the cover of Batman 650.

After Dick Grayson left the fold to become Nightwing, Batman was left without a partner. That wouldn’t last long, as he soon came across an angry but extremely gifted juvenile delinquent named Jason Todd.

As the second Robin, Jason was violent, unmerciful and allowed people to die. Although Batman tried to reel in his tendencies, Jason soon became a very unpopular character, prompting DC Comics to conduct a nationwide poll on his fate.   The people spoke, and in the infamous ‘A Death in the Family’ story arc,  the Joker bludgeoned Jason Todd to death with a crowbar before Batman could save him.

Much like the obsessive, irrational guilt he holds over being unable to prevent his parents’ death, Batman also punishes himself for Jason Todd’s death. Soon after he took on Tim Drake as the third Robin, he erected the now-familiar glass memorial to Jason’s memory to ensure he never forgot his greatest failure.

The significance of Jason Todd’s glass case would eventually have gone the way of the giant penny and robot dinosaur except that in 2003, Jason was brought back to life by the ridiculous “Superboy-Prime Reality Punch”. In retroactive continuity, Jason now inexplicably clawed his way out of his grave shortly after his death to be nursed back to health by Talia, daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul. He has returned to plague the Bat family in a number of guises, first as an adult Robin, then as an evil Nightwing, then as the murderous Red Robin, then as a gun-toting stand-in for the recently killed (Omega Sanctioned) Batman, and currently as the new Red Hood, the original alter ego of the Joker. In all his versions, he sees himself as a more effective Batman, using lethal force to succeed where his mentor failed.

Update: His return in the comics has coincided with the release of the excellent animated film: Under the Red Hood, which recounts Batman’s reaction to his return:

This might be the best fan film to date. The Joker escapes from Arkham and Batman interrogates all the usual suspects for information. The Bat in the Sun film crew’s attention to detail and faithfulness to the source material is outstanding. Except for the alternate logo, which I understand the reason for (see the seekers of the bat logo above), I completely buy this take on the Batman universe. I also appreciate the main actor using more of a Kevin Conroy batvoice rather than the much maligned Christian Bale grunt. My one question is was that bartender supposed to be Black Canary? Seems like the sequence was inserted purely to shoot a strip club scene :)

The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh was introduced in a Golden Age story as an alternate Batman from a different planet. However in Grant Morrison’s Batman RIP story arc, he was reintroduced as an emergency backup personality tucked away just in case Bruce Wayne ever lost his mind. Although the garish costume was stitched together out of rags, the Zur-En-Arrh personality says the bright colors indicate absolute confidence. Once again, Batman proves his ‘superpower’ is super preparedness; having a backup plan in the case of any contingency.

Dann Lord gives us this fantastic shot of Batman mugging for the camera.

A man can’t push his mind, body and soul to the ultimate limits without the constant risk of excruciating pain. Batman demonstrates absolute mastery over his body here, as he ignores all his body’s warnings to escape from a situation most people would consider impossible. The final frame hammers home Batman’s overachieving mindset, as he reminds himself that his best still isn’t enough.