Bat in the Sun's Batman: Legends

This is a fan film that I definitely wish was real. They stick a lot of continuity in to this fan fiction trailer, but by God, if the real studios ever put a reference to Death in the Family like these guys do, I will jump and down. Amazing job, Bat in the Sun!

Source: Bat in the Sun's Twitter

This Week In Gotham Books

Happy New Comic Book Day!

Hey guys, sorry I didn't get this up Monday, I've kinda had my plate full this week, but here are the Bat-Books for Wednesday, October 28, 2009.

Arkham Reborn #1 (of 3)

Batman #692

Batman: Monsters (Trade)

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #10

Batman: The Killing Joke (New Printing)

Detective Comics #858

Gotham City Sirens #5

World's Finest #1 (of 4)

So, there you have it, the books of Gotham City. GO GET THEM!

Source: DC Comics

Willem Defoe as Batman? Holy Green Goblin!

Apparently, when the 1989 Batman movie was in casting, Willem Defoe was one of the options to play the Caped Crusader. I'm not sure exactly how this would have worked out, but Defoe's prior work has proved that he has the ability to go dark enough to be able to pull off the persona of The Dark Knight, but I'm not quite sure how his Bruce Wayne would have felt.

This bit of news that broke from MTV Splash Page early on Tuesday definitely appears to be odd when you first hear about it, but when you sit down to think, he might have done a fantastic job.

Either way, Willem Defoe as Batman is a Hell of a lot better than Nic Cage as Superman, so thank God for that.

Source: MTV Splash Page

DCU Preview: Batman/Doc Savage Special #1

Here is a special preview page of the Batman/Doc Savage Special.

Writer: Brian Azarello

Artist: Phil Noto.

Now, I don't know what they are trying to do here, but this is clearly someone in a Batsuit firing two guns, and, as we know, Batman doesn't use guns. Draw your own conclusions and tell us what you think in the comments section.

Source: DCU: The Source

Trade of The Month: The Long Halloween

A costumed hero learning he can trust no one.

A serial killer using the holidays to mark his handiwork.

A crime lord trying to hold onto a crumbling empire.

A city beset by gangsters, becoming a haven for freaks.

An honest district attorney hiding a terrible secret.

A dark woman tempting the Dark Knight detective.

and a friendship that would be shattered forever.

These are the pieces of the murder mystery:

THE LONG HALLOWEEN.

Originally published in individual issue form over the course of a 13 month period spanning from 1996 to 1997 and then later collected into paperback in 1998, hardcover in 1999 and an absolute edition in 2007, Batman: The Long Halloween is a classic film noir tale of the crime families of gotham, Harvey Dent's transformation into the villain Two Face and also a thrilling murder mystery revolving around a killer who does his dirty work only on holidays.

The story is set a little bit after Batman: Year One, the Frank Miller miniseries that chronicled the character's modern origin and just happens to be my favorite Frank Miller Batman story. We see Gotham as a place being torn apart by various Mafia families while also seeing the rise of a cornucopia of super villains like The Joker, The Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and Solomon Grundy which some see as a response to Batman's appearance in Gotham. This is such a great time in the history of the Batman, that pure and almost innocent period which is portrayed so well in both Batman Begins and Batman: Year One.

This was my second go around with The Long Halloween and just like the maiden voyage I embarked on several years ago, I could not put it down. This has got to be one of the most engaging and engrossing stories i've ever read. From the opening page to the last panel, Jeph Loeb is at his best here in the gritty world of Gotham City. He weaves a tight and cohesive narrative that rewards those who love a good mystery. The killer's identity is a mystery until the very end with twist after twist leaving you anxious and compelling you to turn the page and find out what happens next.

At the center of the story is the relationship between Commissioner Jim Gordon, Batman, and district attorney Harvey Dent. Of course those familiar with last summer's mega successful film The Dark Knight will be familiar with this territory as this story was one of the models the film took after.

The Long Halloween is the perfect story for Batman (The Bruce Wayne version, sorry Dick) and it also showcases what I enjoy most about the character. Nothing suits the world's greatest detective more than murder mystery. Why so many writers have either forgotten or chosen to ignore this fact is beyond my comprehension. In this tale, Jeph Loeb is able to magnificently flow from character to character and give us insight into the complexities of each while also showcasing what makes each dramatis personae unique. Much like another Leob/Sale team-up (Superman For All Seasons) you get a great revelation about Batman and you see his feelings for his city and the people that surround him.

I was not a big fan of Tim Sale's art when I first read this story. Oh how the times have changed. It was really fun going back and revisiting this because since my initial viewing Tim Sale has gone on to become one of my favorite artists in the industry and this might be his Mona Lisa. Every page and every panel is just a visual treat (No tricks here folks) and I love his character designs and splash pages in particular.

Overall, Batman: The Long Halloween is a captivating mystery with complex character interactions and relationships enhanced by Tim Sales gorgeous artwork and I can not recommend it enough to you. If you loved Batman Begins and The Dark Knight you will absolutely love Batman: The Long Halloween. I believe in Batman. I believe in Gotham City. And after reading Batman: The Long Halloween you will believe in Jeph Leob and Tim Sale.

Written by: Justin Vactor

Buy It:

Absolute Edition

Trade Paperback

Contributor Profile: Justin Vactor

Name: Justin Vactor

Bat-Book: Batman & Robin

Favorite (Batman) TV Series: Batman The Animated Series

Favorite Live Action Movie: Tie - Batman Begins/The Dark Knight

Favorite Animated Movie: Mask of the Phantasm

Favorite Theme: Danny Elfman

Favorite Gotham Hero, other than Batman: Dick Grayson

Favorite Villain: Joker/Harley Quinn

What got you in to Batman?: My Dad

Personal Website: www.geeklandpodcast.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Vactor

New Comics For The Week #1

Hi guys, in this episode, Hunter goes over the new releases for 10-21-2009!

Listen Here

Episode 1: This is a Test

Hey guys, don't even listen to this, it was just a test/space filler telling you what we plan on doing with the Podcast, but that's pretty much been covered here on the site. It was basically a space filler for iTunes, which we are in now, by the way! Expect a Subscribe link at around 7PM CST tonight!

Episode "1"

Click to play

G4's "Cheat" Takes on Arkham Asylum

Here is a little tip on the Silent Night: Extreme Mode challenge map for the Arkham Asylum video game.

Video Game - E3 2009 - X-Play

Villain of the Month: Scarecrow

Another little segment that I would like to introduce here is "Villain of the Month", and October's villain is none other than Scarecrow!

One of my personal favorite villains, Scarecrow fits perfectly with October, the month of Halloween, and the weather of autumn, a perfect time for the Scarecrow to arise. Dr. Jonathan Crane, a former psychiatrist for Arkham Asylum uses mind controlling hallucinogens to distort the minds of all of the Gothamites. There was even a terrifying portrayal of The Scarecrow in this month's Batgirl #3, where he played some mind games with young Stephanie Brown, forcing her to face her fears of herself, a signature move of Scarecrow.

One of the most surprisingly accurate, non-comic book portrayals of Scarecrow was in 2009's Arkham Asylum in which Scarecrow played on Batman's fears about himself and his parent's death. These scenes of the game came off as completely horrifying and stunningly accurate.

Here is the Wikipedia entry for The Scarecrow:

"The Scarecrow is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 (Fall 1941) and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.

A former psychiatrist who uses a variety of drugs and psychological tactics to exploit the fears and phobias of his adversaries, the Scarecrow is a member of Batman's rogues gallery; although he made only two appearances in the Golden Age of Comic Books, ^[1] the character was eventually revived during the Silver Age of Comic Books by writer Gardner Fox and artist Sheldon Moldoff in the pages of Batman #189 (Feb 1967) and has since become a staple Batman villain.^[2]

The character of Scarecrow has featured in other DC Comics-endorsed products such as feature films; video games; animated television series and merchandise such as action figures."

Source: Wikipedia

This Week in Bat-Books

Every Monday, we will be bringing you the new releases in Gotham City Books. This week, we haev some really exciting books on the roster with the first issue of "Azrael" and the continuation of the always superb, "Batman: Streets of Gotham". But don't take my word for it, see for yourself!

Azrael #1

Batman Confidential #35

Batman: Streets of Gotham #5

Batman: Unseen #2 (of 5)

The Ousiders #23

Superman/Batman #65

Source: DC Comics

Contributor Profile: Hunter Camp

Name: Hunter Camp

Bat-Book: The Dark Knight Returns

Favorite TV Series: Batman (1960's)

Favorite Live Action Movie: Batman Begins

Favorite Animated Movie: Mask of the Phantasm

Favorite Theme: Mask of the Phantasm

Favorite Gotham Hero, other than Batman: Red Robin (Tim Drake/Wayne, not Jason Todd. Hate Jason Todd)

Favorite Villain: Two-Face

What got you in to Batman?: 1960's TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward starring Batman and Robin, respectively. The series aired on The Family Channel in the 1980's when I was a kid, and I pretty much stayed with Batman until the mid 1990's. In the early 2000's I started picking up trades and graphic novels in part due to Jamie Madrox of Twiztid's obsession with Batman. I was a big fan of Twiztid's from about 1999 to the mid 2000's, so that definitely brought me back in to the fold of Gotham City. I bought The Long Halloween and there was no turning back.

Personal Website: 2 Geeks 1 Podcast

Twitter: MK2Fac3

Holy Podcast, Batman!

Hi everybody, this is the official page/blog of the Gotham Central Podcast.

On this site, you will find all sorts of things like "trade of the month," "villain of the month," reviews of Gotham books, as well as some news about the Caped Crusader and the Gotham family. We also will be doing reviews of movies and tv shows.

And if you don't already, follow us on Twitter, and we will let you know about updates to the site.

Thanks for checking it out and stay tuned for the podcast.

-Hunter