Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 38

Week 38: Cat.

"Catwoman consults her script." Sketch of Eartha Kitt from "Batman", based on a publicity photo. Black finepoint Sharpie and white Signo opaque pigment marker on gold Quill Metallique card, mounted on black card.

Update:

Week 38: Cat II.

"Belling the cat." Sketch of the famous fable in black finepoint Sharpie on pink card, coloured with watercolour pencils and white opaque Signo.

Week 38: Cat III.

"Meggsie hides." Watercolour, finepoint black Sharpie and watercolour pencils on watercolour paper. Based on a 1976 photo of Meggsie from my album.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 22

Week 22: Science.

Ida Lupino as the evil alchemist, Dr Cassandra Spellcraft, in the "Batman" TV series of the 1960s. Oil pastels on A3 paper, with watercolour wash.

Update:

Week 22: Science II.

"Periodic Table of the Elephants." White pigment Signo ink and collaged black finepoint sketch on black card.

Year 3 of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 17

Week 17: Collector.

Matryoshka Batman. Freehand sketches of "Batman" characters (based on photos of my action figure collection) in brown Slick Writer permanent marker, coffee wash, gold Kindy Glitz and watercolour pencils on watercolour paper Matryoshka shapes, collaged onto a separate sheet of watercolour card.‬

Update:

Week 17: Collector II.

"Reverse Santa." Climbs out of the chimney with your treasured collections. Sketch in black Sharpie and watercolours on watercolour card.

Ian's Batman action figures

Here is a PhotoPeach slideshow of my 8" Batman '66 TV series action figures from Figures Toy Co. (and a few customised characters by me).

Ian's Batman action figures

Requires Flash, so it won't work on iPads or iPhones.

Holy sleight of hand, Batman! Customising Dr Cassandra and Cabala

One of my favourite episodes of the 60s "Batman" TV show was its penultimate adventure: "The Entrancing Dr Cassandra", featuring Ida Lupino and her husband, Howard Duff. A guilty childhood pleasure, and for a long time seemingly elusive in repeat, in the days of no episode guides or IMBd.

The Terrific Trio go 2D. "Flat as flounders."

Dr Cassandra Spellcraft came from a line line of failed alchemists, but she did have some trippy, if shortlived, successes: camouflage pills that enabled invisibility, stealing the Mope diamond, and inventing an Alvino raygun that could rob people of their third dimension. She also succeeded in masterminding a jail break of all six of Gotham City's arch criminals: Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, Egghead and King Tut. (The stunt doubles playing the arch villains in this episode were supposedly the regular ones matched to the actors from the series: Fred Carson as Joker, Eddie Hice as Riddler, Guy Way as King Tut, Al Cavens as Penguin, *unknown* as Egghead (not listed on callsheets, but Al Wyatt Sr. had double for Vincent Price in earlier episodes), and Marilyn Watson - who used to double for Julie Newmar before Eartha Kitt took over the role - returning as Catwoman. This penultimate episode was probably seen as a farewell opportunity to these performers from the producers. A reunion, as such.)

With all the great "Batman '66" tie-ins in recent years, and action figures in both a 5" and 8" format, I became resolved to create customs of Dr Cassandra and Cabala. Cassandra uses a 7" Juliet Burke (Elizabeth Mitchell) figure from "Lost" as the base. (I anticipated that "Big Bang Theory" Penny would arrive last night, as she did, and she was forfeiting her pink dress and boots. I tried to dye some spare Supergirl tights orange, but the nylon wouldn't hold the colour, so Aquaman lent her his shirt sleeves instead.) Cassandra's bowler hat and cane fish purse are made of orange Fimo. Meanwhile, Cabala had started life as an 8" bald "Anchorman" Battle-ready Champ (David Koechner) figure. I gave him quick-set putty hair, thicker eyebrows, an earring, an Andorian's boots and a "Wizard of Oz" figure's pants and vest, with the vest material covered in pieces of red discarded underpants (from my own drawer).

Source materials: Juliet from "Lost" and Champ from "Anchorman".

Cassandra's dress was seen before: on Josie (Joker episode), in a Catwoman episode, and on Octavia (Minstrel episode).

Note Cassandra's recycled fish handbag, originally owned by Undine in "Surf's Up, Joker's Under".

Above: My customised Dr Cassandra Spellcraft and partner Cabala action figures, from the 60s "Batman" episode, "The Entrancing Dr Cassandra". They stand with the commercially available Egghead and King Tut 8" figures. In the 70s, I attempted crude customs of Egghead and King Tut, now both long gone, but definitely a project that has stuck with me over the decades.

UPDATE:

Okay, so I knew that Joker's moll, Josie, was wearing the pink and orange mini dress eventually used by Dr Cassandra, but recently I noticed that, in Part 2, Josie turns up in a new orange number (below) - but the orange tights and dangly plastic earrings worn with that outfit end up being teamed with the dress from Part 1 to complete Dr Cassandra's ensemble!

Return of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge, Week 24

Week 24: Calendar

This is "Calendar Man", one of the lesser-known Batman villains. Sketched (without pencil or eraser) in black and red Sharpie and white opaque Uni Paint marker on red car, mounted on black card. Based on several panels from DC Comics.

I had a Batman board game in the 60s, a tie-in to the 60s TV series, but which drew heavily from the comics of an earlier decade. The villains were the usual Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman, but also Mr Zero (who had became Mr Freeze before the TV series), Blockbuster and the Calendar Man, whom I'd never heard of! Poor Calendar Man is ridiculed by the other villains for his fascination with calendars.

Update:

Week 24: Calendar II

Freehand-cut symmetrical heart in red card, with watercolour highlights on a sketch in black Sharpie.

Sunny side up!

Egghead is in da house!

Eggs-actly! Eggs-ellent! My favourite "Batman" villain has always been Egghead. He was original to the 1960s television series, played by the irrepressible Vincent Price.

When I started reading the "Batman" comics, though, I was disappointed to realise that neither Egghead nor King Tut (Victor Buono) - both "arch villains" (alongside the Riddler, the Joker, Catwoman and the Penguin) in the TV series - had never appeared in the comics. There was a teasing mention of both, once, in "When is a Door: The Secret Origin of the Riddler...?", in a "Secret Origins Special" (#1, DC Comics, 1989), but nothing else:


Secret Origins Special #1

Recently, while trawling eBay for interesting stuff I didn't yet own, I happened upon a reference to comic appearances by Egghead and King Tut. I think I'd heard about the Tut trilogy of issues before (in "Batman Confidential" #16-18), but it was essentially a reinterpretation of the character. It had recently been collected in graphic novel omnibus form, "King Tut's Tomb" (2010). But...


Egghead features in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #16

... how come I'd managed to overlook a story called "Egg Hunt!, or, The Evil of Egg-Head!" in "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" #16 (2010), in which Batman and Wonder Woman team up to face off against the punning Egghead (above) and the bizarre, Humpty Dumpty-like, Y'ggphu Soggoth, Last Spawn of the Elder Gods.

I shall now Eggs-it, stage right, to read my new mail order purchase from Mile High Comics. It just arrived this morning!

Holy wooden acting, Batman!

Handpainted wooden (unlicensed) Dynamic Duo found in a Merimbula souvenir shop in 2007. (There were many other characters, all dated underneath in pencil by the artist! These are marked as March 2005.) Batman's mask and Robin's hair are built up with a textured medium. The bendy legs are made of stiffened sash cord.

Holy fine finny fiends, Batman!

Okay, I know they found a bullshark swimming in a flooded Brisbane street this week, but I found *this* in my garage yesterday! It took me a while to work out exactly what it was - but it's the interactive shark fin prop I made when Hoyts Cinema Centre in the Sydney CBD asked us to dress up and do a series of weekly "Rocky Horror Picture Show"-type events for the 60s' "Batman" movie revival in January 1987!

As Robin, I ran across the screen with this "fin on a stick" just before the famous "rubber shark scene". Ah, fame is so fleeting sometimes.

Grayson!

Although I'd heard of this amazing fan film trailer, I'd never bothered to seek it out, and here it was on Youtube.



I love it. For fans of Robin the Boy Wonder, "Grayson" (2004) is an alternate, Batman-less future, where Dick Grayson decides to come out of retirement, threatening his happy family life with Barbara Gordon (Batgirl). The costuming and makeups are excellent. Some fun cameos by various DC Comics' heroes and villains. It is written and directed by a guy named John Fiorella, who also stars in the trailer as Dick Grayson and Robin.

Enjoy!

It figures: Being black on the right side?

Commercial Playmates Toys' Commissioner Bele of Cheron and (customised by me in the 90s) Lokai of Cheron - from the "Star Trek" episode, "Let that be your Last Battlefield". The face sculpt of Frank Gorshin (aka The Riddler of the 60s' "Batman" TV series) is uncanny. I chose a Major Don West of TV's "Lost in Space" to double as Lokai. I did remove the silver hem of the costume's tunic, by simply tucking in Lokai's shirt, and unstitching the collar decoration.


Today's pic: They meet the official 2009 replica of the 70s Mego figure!

Ian in Wonderland - in 3D!

Oh frabjous day! I thoroughly enjoyed this evening's little excursion to the cinema to see the new "Alice in Wonderland" 3D movie! I'd heard rather mixed reviews, but this was a most satisfying 3D experience.

And how curiouser and curiouser to notice Joel Swetow in the credits as Man With Big Belly - I own the Andorian ambassador's robes he wore in "Star Trek: Enterprise". Always love a neat Star Trek connection! And yay Michael ("Alfred Pennyworth") Gough as the voice of the dodo!

I wished I gone with someone now, even it it was to get a photo standing in the middle of this huge cardboard display (above). Woulda looked a bit like this:


Me, attending the Mad Hatter's Tea Party in Central Park, New York (January 1992).



Today's pic of the day: a signwriting plane going home at sunset, after a hard day's signwriting?

Photo roundup!

On the way to the Capitol Theatre, in Sydney's CBD, to see "Wicked". This jacaranda tree, in full bloom, created the most bizarre optical illusion against the azure blue sky, but the flowers have photographed much darker than I'd hoped. Still pretty, though. 24 October 2009.


Kitchen light. 25 October 2009.


My Wollemi Pine is shooting new growth! 26 October 2009.


"Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed!" Toy Batmobile painting by Nick Stathopoulos at the opening of his exhibition "Toy Porn", at NG Art Gallery, Chippendale. The exhibition was opened by David Stratton, of TV's "The Movie Show". 27 October 2009.


Realisation! It's almost midnight again. 28 October 2009.


I swear I had nothing to with this. A class of Year 1 kids were making a life-size chalk drawing of a dinosaur on the playground today - and were asked to show what he'd eaten. Amongst the pterodactyls and smaller dinosaurs was this... Andorian. 29 October 2009.


I have to restock this spinning rack of animal books every day. 30 October 2009.

"Couchman" interviews science fiction fans!

Scroll down to click on four segments.
In 1990, ABC-TV, Australia's non-commercial network, aired an episode of Peter Couchman's popular interview show focusing on science fiction fans. It tied in very nicely with a hilarious stage revival/parody of the Supermarionation TV show of the 60s, "Thunderbirds", by actors Gavin Robertson and Andrew Dawson.

You'll see a plethora of Sydney science fiction media fandom identities of the 70s, 80s and 90s! Thanks to whoever uploaded the footage. (Gosh, I'd forgotten those amazing yellow shoes of mine... Well, they matched the Batman logos on my T-shirt.)

Peter Couchman kept returning to the escapism angle of science fiction but, if I recall, many of the fan participants were rather suspicious of Couchman's planted "experts", Dr Stephen Juan, anthropologist, and Professor Brent Waters, psychologist. However, these experts were surprisingly supportive of science fiction fandom, ie. we were adults who haven't forgotten how to "play", and who have found a sense of community and acceptance of each other.

We weren't supposed to draw attention to our dual membership of fan clubs, so I was representing Battalion, the Australian Legion of Batman Fans, while Karen Lewis was representing Sydney Star Trek fandom. Spotto also: Kerrie Dougherty, Dallas Jones, Nick Stathopolous, Lewis Morley, John Gaspar, "Garfield" Barnard, Brett Harrison, Mike McGann, Bodine Amerikah, Edwina Harvey, Robert Luxford, Adrian Broughton and Professor John Tulloch, among many others!


Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4
My beard was only rather new at the time, otherwise I'd have been dressed (at the station's request) as an Andorian or in my Robin the Boy Wonder outfit. Some of the fans in the episode are now working as professionals in their various fields (including writers, artists, actors, SPFX guys, museum curators, etc). An exciting find, because I haven't really watched it since it aired, and I haven't seen my VHS copy in about fifteen years.

"Reality is for people who can't deal with science-fiction."

Nostalgia for comics

IDW's comic mini-series "Countdown" to the new "Star Trek" movie has lots of fans reading comics for the first time in ages, or ever. Someone asked me today, "What's so special about comics?", as in why not just watch a movie or read a book?

For me, the magic of comics comes from nostalgia. My brothers and I were not bought comics as kids, although we did read the Sunday strips in the newspaper every week - including a wonderful, now-rare, newspaper introduction to the character of Batgirl, which ran during the weeks and months before Batgirl turned up on the third season of the wonderful "Batman" TV series in the 60s. And, if we were sick, Mum would buy us a few British comic books, "Beano", "Bunty" and "Sparky". And a "Phantom" comic was traditional in a Royal Easter Show showbag!

Then, perhaps every 18 months or so, we'd receive a brown paper grocery bag of comics, passed on from a cousin we hardly ever got to see. In that bag would be Disney and Harvey comics, plus the odd "Archie" or DC superhero comic. Once there was even... a "Teen Titans" comic! We would devour the whole pile over a week or so, often sitting in the tent belonging to the girls next door.

It was only many years later, when I'd see an interesting title on a newsstand, that I realised how expensive a single comic was, especially for the brief time involved in reading it. However, a beautifully drawn, well-written comic does withstand multiple readings, and even multiple casual browsings. So when I found Star Trek fandom in 1979, I rediscovered a few Gold Key "Star Trek" titles in second hand shops... and then Marvel's new post-TMP line. As bad as some of those were, the nostalgia was also strong. Different to watching the ST movie at the cinema, different to episodes on TV, and different to reading the Bantam novels, but better than Gold Key.

About the same time, I began to follow "New Titans", a revival/revamp of "Teen Titans" (again remembering that lone TT issue from my childhood) and the coming of Nightwing, when Dick Grayson abandoned his Robin persona. And then I rediscovered "The Fantastic Four", while researching their uniforms for a convention.

So, what's special about "Star Trek" comics? I dunno. They just are.

What I loved about the "Watchmen" movie two weeks ago: even though I barely new the original mini-series/graphic novel, and read the first four issues/chapters before seeing the film, it captured the nostalgia for days gone by that, for me, is intrinsically entwined with comics.

Fun to have with your pants on... perhaps

Okay, this is utterly disgusting school kid humour, and I followed the link intending, and expecting, to be mildly outraged.

I ended up with tears streaming from my eyes and having a good few hearty belly laughs. Someone's been very creative here, and it's a cut above most of the fart fanfilm mashups that have been seemingly mass-producing themselves on Youtube in recent years. In fact, I think it was the homage to the 1960s "Batman" TV show that gave me the most smiles.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is the future of the Internet:


"STAR TREK: LETHAL ATMOSPHERE II: Return to Flatulon III"

Jingle bells, Batman smells...

Okay, young whippersnappers! When did the words of this famous 1960s Christmas carol parody get perverted? (Well, even more perverted than from its "Jingle Bells" origin?)

Every kid I knew in 1968 knew it as:

"Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
The Batmobile lost one wheel,
All on Christmas Day."

I'm sure that is the version that ended up in one of those June Factor & Peter Viska collections of Australian school rhymes and chants ("All right, Vegemite!", "Far out, brussel sprout!" and "Unreal, banana peel!", etc). In fact, in 1968 - or '67?, definitely around the time of the Adam West/Burt Ward "Batman" TV series - my Batfriends and I were not only singing it, we thought we'd invented it!

Imagine my surprise when someone at TrekBBS had, as their current sig line:

"Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
And the Joker got away."

"Ummm," I told them gently, "You've remembered some lines incorrectly..." Now, even allowing for Chinese whispers-like variations, and numerous regional variations, "egg" doesn't even rhyme with "away"!?

"That's the point," I was reminded.

And, from someone dismissing mine as "the Australian version" (which it obviously is!), who boasted, "I know it doesn't rhyme, but we Americans don't need no stinkin' rhyming."

Then, yesterday, someone offered this 1992 clip, from "Batman: The Animated Series":



Mmmmmm. 1992? As if that's somehow definitive? But do I really want to pick a fight with the Joker? I don't think my Robin outfit (see top of entry) even fits me any more. Certainly not as well as it did in the 1980s.

Someone even offered other line variations: Batgirl broke a leg...; Mr Freeze cut the cheese...; and agreed that there were "lots of arguments about the correct lyrics". Even Wikipedia wasn't definitive. Not that it ever is, but then that's the point of Wikipedia. A disturbing number of uninformed youngsters on the Internet attribute the song's origins... to Bart Simpson!

Our guess, over on the bbs, was that the song was inspired by the Adam West "Batman" series, which premiered in the US in 1966 - but how schoolchildren circulated the, ah, "Jingle" jingle so quickly around the whole planet is a testament to pre-Internet communications.

In those days, a TV show which premiered in the USA in September didn't reach Australia until the next February, so the time lag was extremely useful for marketing departments, not to mention toy manufacturers, TV tie-in books, and their distributors - and most of the kids were oblivious to what they'd been missing out on for all those months.

The Internet is the great equalizer, since I'm usually as current for "Star Trek" and "Batman" goss as the rest of the world - and even ahead of the USA sometimes, when the International Date Line works in my favour, such as the upcoming premiere of JJ Abrams' upcoming "Star Trek" movie!

Holy extra word power, Batman!: novels and novelizations

Extending my post of mass market paperbacks (MMPBs) based on DC and Marvel superheroes (2000-2008), here are all the Batman-related novels and novelizations:

"Batman vs. Three Villains of Doom" by Winston Lyon (Signet, Apr 1966)

"Batman vs. The Fearsome Foursome", novelization of "Batman" movie, by Winston Lyon (Signet, Aug 1966)

"Batman and Robin in The Cheetah Caper" (Big Little Book) by George S Elrick (Whitman, 1969)

"Justice League of America" (Super Powers Which Way series) by Robert Loren Fleming (Pocket/Archway, 1984; Transworld/Carousel, 1985)

"Batman: The Doomsday Prophecy" (Super Powers Which Way series) by Richard Wenk (Pocket/Archway, Aug 1986)

"Batman" movie novelization by Craig Shaw Gardner (Warner, Jun 1989)

"The Further Adventures of Batman" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam, Jul 1989)

"The Further Adventures of the Joker" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam, Feb 1990)

"The Batman Murders" by Craig Shaw Gardner (Warner, Oct 1990)

"Batman: To Stalk a Specter" by Simon Hawkes (Warner, Feb 1991)

"Batman: Captured by the Engines" by Joe R Lonsdale (Warner, Jul 1991)

"Batman Returns" movie novelization by Craig Shaw Gardner (Warner, Jul 1992)

"Batman Returns" junior movie novelization by Andrew Helfer (Little, Brown and Company, 1992)

"Batman in The Black Egg of Atlantis" junior novel by Neal Barrett Jr (Little, Brown and Company/Penguin Fantail, 1992)

"Batman in The Six Deadly Demons" junior novel by John Albano (Little, Brown and Company/Penguin Fantail, 1992)

"Batman in Terror on the High Skies" junior novel by Joe R Lonsdale (Little, Brown and Company, 1992/Penguin Fantail, 1993)

"The Further Adventures of Batman 2: featuring the Penguin" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam Spectra, Jul 1992)

"Catwoman: Tiger Hunt" by Lynn Abbey & Robert Asprin (Warner, Sep 92)

"The Further Adventures of Batman 3: featuring Catwoman" edited by Martin H Greenberg (Bantam Spectra, Mar 1993)

"Batman: The Animated Series: Shadows of the Past" novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Nov 1993)

"Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" animated movie novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Jan 1994)

"Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" junior animated movie novelization by Andrew Helfer (Bantam Skylark, Jan 1994)

"Batman: The Animated Series: Dual to the Death" novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Feb 1994)

"Batman: The Animated Series: The Dragon and the Bat" novelization by Geary Gravel (Bantam, Jun 1994)

"Batman: Knightfall" comics novelization by Dennis O'Neil (Bantam Spectra, Aug 1994)

"Batman: Knightfall & Beyond" junior comics novelization by Alan Grant (Bantam Skylark, Aug 1994)

"Batman Forever" movie novelization by Peter David (Warner, Jun 1995)

"Batman Forever" junior movie novelization by Alan Grant (Little, Brown and Company, 1995)

"Batman: The Ultimate Evil" by Andrew Vachss (Warner/Aspect, Nov 1995)

"Batman & Robin" movie novelization by Michael Jan Friedman (Warner/Aspect, Jun 1997)

"Batman & Robin" junior movie novelization by Alan Grant (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)

"Robin: Facing the Enemy" by Alan Grant (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)
- junior novel tie-in to "Batman & Robin" movie

"Batgirl: To Dare the Darkness" by Doug Moench (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)
- junior novel tie-in to "Batman & Robin" movie

"Legends of the Batman" edited by Martin H Greenberg (MJF, 1997)
- previous volumes, "Tales of the Batman" and "Adventures of the Batman" were hardcover reprint collections from "Further Adventures of..." MMPBs

"Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero" junior animated movie novelization by James Raven (Little, Brown and Company, 1997)

"Kingdom Come" (Elseworlds series) comic novelization by Elliot S Maggin (Warner/Aspect, Mar 1998)
- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and others

"Batman: No Man's Land" comic novelization by Greg Rucka (Pocket, Jan 2000)

"Batman: No Man's Land" junior comic novelization by Alan Grant (Pocket/Minstrel, Jan 2000)

"Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" junior animated movie novelization by Michael Teitelbaum (Scholastic, Nov 2000)

"Batman: The Stone King" (Justice League of America series) by Alan Grant (Pocket, Mar 2002)

"Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" junior animated movie novelization by Louise Simonson (Bantam, Oct 2003)

"Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu" game novelization by Devin Kalile Grayson & Flint Dille (Warner/Aspect, Nov 2003)

"The Forensic Files of Batman, the World's Greatest Detective" by Doug Moench (ibooks, Jun 2004)

"Catwoman" movie novelization by Elizabeth Hand (Ballantine/Del Rey, Jun 2004)

"Catwoman: The Junior Novel" movie novelization by Jasmine Jones (HarperEntertainment, 2004)

"JLA: The Exterminators" (Justice League of America series) by Christopher Golden (Pocket, Jul 2004)
- Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" comic novelization by Marv Wolfman (ibooks, Apr 2005)

"Batman Begins" movie novelization by Dennis O'Neil (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2005)

"Batman Begins: The Junior Novel" movie novelization by Peter Lerangis (Scholastic, Jun 2005)

"DC Universe: Inheritance" by Devin Grayson (Warner, Jun 2006)
- Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Nightwing, Arsenal, Tempest

"Infinite Crisis" comic novelization by Greg Cox (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Oct 2006)

"DC Universe: Helltown" by Dennis O'Neil (Warner, Nov 2006)
- The Question, Lady Shiva, Richard Dragon, Batman

"Batman: Dead White" by John Shirley (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2006)

"Batman: Inferno" by Alex Irvine (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2006)

"Batman: Fear Itself" by Michael Reaves (Ballantine/Del Rey, 2007)

"52" comic novelization by Greg Cox (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Jul 2007)
- focus on Booster Gold, Supernova, The Question, Batwoman

"Batman: Gotham Knight" animated movie novelization by Louise Simonson (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Jun 2008)

"The Dark Knight" movie novelization by Dennis O'Neil (Berkley Boulevard/Penguin, Jul 2008)
- sequel to "Batman Begins"

"The Dark Knight: The Junior Novel" movie novelization by Stacia Deutsch & Rhody Cohon (HarperCollins, 2008).

"Enemies & Allies" by Kevin J Anderson (HarperCollins, 2009)
- Batman, Superman

"Countdown" comic novelization by Greg Cox (Ace, Berkley/Penguin, Jul 2009)
- focus on Jimmy Olsen, Mary Marvel, Troia/Wonder Girl, Robin II, Catwoman

"The Dark Knight Legend: The Junior Novel" by Stacia Deutsch (HarperFestival, June 2012)
- young adult movie novelization of "The Dark Knight Rises"

"The Dark Knight Rises" movie novelization by Greg Cox (Titan, Jul 2012)
- sequel to "The Dark Knight"

"Arkham Night: The Riddler's Gambit" video game prequel novel by Alex Irvine (Titan, Jun 2015)

"Arkham Night" video game novelization by Marv Wolfman (Titan, Jul 2015)

"Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice: Cross Fire" young adult companion novel by Michael Kogge (Scholastic, 2016)

"The Lego Batman Movie: Junior Novel" movie novelization by Jeanette Lane (Scholastic, 2017)

"Batman: Nightwalker" by Marie Lu (Penguin Random House, 2018)

"Catwoman: Soulstealer" by Sarah J Maas (Penguin Random House, 2018)

"Batman: The Killing Joke, A Batman Novel" by Christa Faust and Gary Phillips (Titan, Sept 2018)
- comic novelization

"Harley Quinn: Mad Love, A Batman Novel" by Paul Dini and Pat Cadigan (Titan, Nov 2018)
- comic novelization

"Batman: The Court of Owls, A Batman Novel" by Greg Cox (Titan, Feb 2019)
- comic novelization

"Batman: Resurrection" by John Jackson Miller (Penguin Random House, 2024)
- novel sequel to the 1989 movie novelization

"Batgirl: Possession" by Jade Adia (Penguin Random House, 2024)

Captain's log: Supplemental (Updated: 14th February, 2025)

Heath Ledger - what?

We just had a radio news flash that Aussie heartthrob actor Heath Ledger - soon to be seen in the new "Batman: The Dark Knight" motion picture as The Joker - has been found dead in Manhattan, New York, USA.

Oh dear.


Vale Heath Ledger. R.I.P.

Captain's Log: Supplemental. Well, this became one of those ultra sad "Where were you when __________________ (insert name here) died" days.

I decided to take a train ride up to Katoomba today; in every shop along the main strip, everyone was talking about Heath Ledger. It was Australia in disbelief, and mourning. I found a discounted copy of his "Ned Kelly" movie (which I thoroughly enjoyed at the cinema) on DVD, and had to buy it. I'd always intended to get one, but now it was essential. The young actor will probably always be intrinsically linked with train rides to Katoomba, second hand book stores, and the novel I finished reading ("The Dominion" story in "Worlds of DS9, Book 3") on the way up. Kinda like how John Lennon is always intrinsically linked with a certain bus ride from Ramsgate to the city, on a date near my birthday.

No doubt details of Heath Ledger's death will be big news for some time to come.

Back shortly

I was reminiscing yesterday with some online folk about the days when cinemas included a full program of cartoon, advertisements, a film short and the main feature. i understand they were phased out in the USA in the early 60s?

We definitely had a short with "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" Down Under. I can't recall which one, though, though film shorts were still going strong. (Actually, it may have been a documentary about kayaking, if I recall correctly.) We had a 33 min. film short, "The Rocking Horse Winner" (1983), with "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". If I saw that bloody rocking-horse again, I was gonna scream!

I also remember we stunned director Tim Burton, in a Sydney press conference for "Batman" (1989) when lowly members of a newly-formed Batman fan club had probing questions about his supposedly unreleased b/w "Frankenweenie" short (1984) - which had received a cinema release in Australia. It ran before screenings of Disney's "Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend" (1985). (It was news to Tim, and we assume he went stomping back to Disney to investigate his royalties!)

So, yeah. We had shorts Down Under until at least 1985, then a break of only a few years... until that first new "Roger Rabbit" short, "Tummy Trouble", released theatrically worldwide with "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" (1989).

Pixar has also made the concept of film shorts remain in the public consciousness. Not to mention Tropfest and other short film festivals.