SEEKERS OF THE BAT

Pandemonium reigns when the theft of a molecular mass divisor signals the first domino to fall in a nefarious crime wave to topple the noble city of Gotham. Who will rescue the fair citizens of this great metropolis?!?! Holy obvious set up, old chum!! It’s none other than that dynamic duo Batman and Robin, the caped crusaders of justice, freedom and tortured aphorisms!  Written and directed by Jim Fourniadis, this play spoofing the 1960s television show had a 2005 run at San Francisco’s Darkroom Theater.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Seekers of the Bat!  Batman’s not really a flowers and chocolate kinda guy, so here are pictures of the lovely Selina Kyle as Catwoman by Adam Hughes. Yes, she does kinda look like Audrey Hepburn.

Dustin Nguyen gives us this awesome group shot of the major characters in the Bat universe. It must have been a blast to put together. The only character I had trouble identifying was the little girl sitting on Clayface’s shoulder. It turns out she’s Annie, Clayface’s “daughter” from the animated series. For such a loner, Batman sure does have a lot of people in his life :)

Here we have the very first issue of Batman’s self-titled series. Published in 1940, it came 3 years after Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27. Robin had already been introduced to the Bat mythos by this time. Batman #1 was also the first time we were introduced to Catwoman and the Joker.

Batman and Catwoman again; this time by Dustin Nguyen. Although Catwoman is often seen wearing black leather or vinyl, the coloring here shows her in white, emphasizing the distance between her tragic Romeo.

Women! Can’t live with ‘em, can’t stop them from leading a life of crime as a master cat burglar specializing in feline themed jewels!  Art by ArtNerdEm.

Here we have a gorgeous shot of Ms. Selina Kyle, aka Mrs. Selina Wayne in a past life.  In many ways, she and Bruce are perfect for each other. Unfortunately, life keeps getting in the way. Picture by Wakkawa.

No great achievement ever came without sacrifice. In Batman’s case, he has completely shut himself off from the possibility of happiness in another person. As this poignant scene shows, he readily admits that his relationship to Selina Kyle, the Catwoman, lasted only because she was ‘the enemy’.  Although his devotion to his mission is total, he clearly still has moments of regret. Whether it is the result of a man fulfilling the promise of a traumatized boy, or a deep seated survivor’s guilt preventing him from accepting happiness, the Batman has decided to fight on alone.

This wonderful fan trailer depicts an alternate future where Dick Grayson, the original Robin, has to come out of retirement to avenge the death of the Batman.  They appear to ignore Dick’s time as Nightwing, as well as [his wife!] Barbara’s crippling at the hands of the Joker (although one shot alludes to it). Superman appears to play a minor role as a boy scout blindly following orders, as well as several great appearances by Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman?, Batgirl, Catwoman, the Riddler, Penguin and of course the Joker. If there was one fan trailer I’d want to see made into a full film, this would definitely be it.

via Untamed Cinema