BATMAN & BATGIRL Desktop Background Wallpapers

It's always "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" here at the Bat-Blog & this week I thought I would go totally RETRO 70's! The 1st Batman Wallpaper uses a hi-res graphic I found of vintage 1970's artwork by Neal Adams. This was a popular image used on a lot of toy packaging, like Corgi Toys Diecast Cars. Of course I am a huge Neal Adams fan so I had to use that! The next background is just as classic. It's Batgirl as drawn by Carmine Infantino. Another great comic book artist from the Silver Age. I think older readers will like these because they bring back nostalgic feelings & younger people will enjoy them just because the artwork is so good. Please let me know what YOU think about them. If you ever want a certain wallpaper design or a character that's kind of obscure just let me know & I'll see what I can do.

Dean Trippe's DOCTOR WHO & SILVER-AGE BATMAN Parody Comic Book Cover

I know this guy named Dean Trippe who is a Graphic Artist / Illustrator & he is extremely talented. The cool thing is that he is also a serious Batman Fan. Well, recently he became inspired by his appreciation of the British DOCTOR WHO TV Show & decided to meld it with his love of the Silver-Age Batman & Robin stories. So, he created this parody comic book cover as sort of an homage ( click on it for a larger, sharper, version ). The art is really great & I totally love the vintage-style Batmobile car! If you would like to purchase this Fine Art Print then be sure to visit his etsy website by clicking HERE!

New BATMAN T-SHIRTS Over At SUPERHERO STUFF

The other night I was kinda bored & decided to check out what kind of new Batman Merchandise there was out there. My main focus was some kind of cool T-Shirt or other clothing. One website that I totally love to buy from is called SUPERHERO STUFF. They have great service & an awesome variety. While there I saw they had a bunch of brand-new T-Shirts & here's the one I think I'm going to buy. It has a graphic on the front of a Silver-Age Comic Book Cover that features artwork by Carmine Infantino. Actually, it's Detective Comics # 380. I don't know, I think it's pretty cool. What do you think? Oh, if you're wondering where their website is I placed a link down below, check it out sometime.

Custom DC Superhero Action Figures - Batman, Superman, Hawkman, Red Tornado, & The Joker!

A new friend to the Bat-Blog, named John, sent us some very cool photos of some amazing action figures he has customized. They all have a cool retro silver-age look about them & he did a great custom job! Check out the pics of the toys he made. You'll see Superman, Batman, Red Tornado, Hawkman, & The Joker too! The detailing in the costumes is very accurate & these figures look AWESOME! Thank you John for sharing these, you did a great job on them.

Pop Artist Stephen Jones Gets Inspiration From Vintage Batman!

A friend at MySpace sent me a link to an artist who gets a lot of inspiration from Batman, especially the golden & silver age era. His name is Stephen Jones & his stuff is pretty cool. His most recent painting is an image taken from the famous Adam West LIFE Magazine cover from 1966. Another piece of art is a Circle Painting ( I think that's called "Tondo" in the art galleries ) with a graphic that looks a lot like Batman & Robin artwork by the Golden Age Comic Book Artist Dick Sprang. The last one, is easy to guess, was totally inspired by the 1966 TV Show ( That one is my favorite! ). Down below is a link where you can check out more of his art. If there are ANY readers who have Batman-related art to share then please send us some links or photos. Also, please leave some comments down below & let us know what you think of his pop art...thanks!

Vintage 1960's Batman & Robin Artwork By Carmine Infantino Inspires Comic Book Covers!

The first image shown in this post is an icon in comic book history. This graphic of Batman & Robin posing on the edge of a Gotham City rooftop is super-famous. It was created by the Silver-Age comic book artist Carmine Infantino. It has been made into a Poster, a Vinyl Placemat, a Jigsaw Puzzle, graphics for a Batman Board Game, and it has even been a source of inspiration to many later comic book artists while doing a comic book cover, sort of an homage. The next few photos are just some examples. I have always thought this is a really great image & thought you might like these random covers, they're both cool & kinda funny. If you know of some others then please submit them by e-mail. Also, leave a comment & let us know which one you like the best.

Cool Batman Comic Book Cover, Issue #168

Here's a Classic Silver Age Batman Comic Book Cover of Batman #168. Just looking at the photo I think it was done by Carmine Infantino, a favorite artist here at the BAT-BLOG!

FRED HEMBECK Does Another Batman Comic Book Cover Recreation

Fred Hembeck is one of our National Treasures! Lately he's been selling his artwork on eBay ( Just search for "Hembeck" ). Here's an example of one of his Classic Comic Book Re-Creations. On the right is the original cover to Detective Comics #398. On the left is his cartoon version...Pure Art!

DC Direct THE NEW FRONTIER Series 2 Action Figures

DC DIRECT has finally released the current THE NEW FRONTIER Action Figures Series 2 designed by Darwyn Cooke. Each figure stands about 6 1/2" tall & features multiple points of articulation with a base. In this set there are Batman, Martian Manhunter, Dr. Fate, & The Flash. Of course these figures are from the new Animated Movie & the previous Graphic Novel. I seriously love the Vintage "Retro Look" of these characters. What I have seen on this cartoon, mainly the trailers ( see earlier Bat-Blog posts ), is that this is gonna be a very exciting event for Silver-Age Comic Book Fans. Darwyn Cooke is a really great artist but the nice thing is you can tell that he really loves all these old DC Characters & it shows. If ya wanna see the other figures just click on the "Batman Action Figure" picture or the button below. You can purchase them thru TFAW who has super-excellent service. I've been dealing with them for years now.

Matt Allison's SILVER AGE BATMAN Comic Book Cover Parody!

I just found out about an artist named Matt Allison who's work I really like a lot. He contacted me the other day to share some graphics he made that he thought Bat-Blog Readers would enjoy. Well, they're really great! What he did was his own interpretation of an actual silver-age Batman comic book cover that is drawn in his special graphic style. I mean, it looks just like the original but is kinda strange & unusual ( I mean that in a good way ). He also made a parody of one of those wonderful Hostess Twinkies Ads too & it totally cracks me up! The last picture is one that I found while searching his blog ( Be sure to click on them for larger, more detailed, versions ). He writes a personal blog where he shares his artwork & there's a lot of great stuff there as well. If you think you might like to check it out, then here's a link, please CLICK HERE!

BATMAN BAT-SYMBOL Chrome Emblem For Your Car or Truck!

The other day, on the Internet, I came across a most excellent find that I knew I had to share with my readers. I found a company that makes high-end "Chrome-Plated BATMAN Emblems" for your car, truck, or auto!! Well, they also make Superman ones too but who cares, ha ha! There are 2 different Batman-themed auto emblems: The "Modern Bat-Logo" that you see on the chest of the Bat-Suit in the current comic books and an older silver-age version that is the classic "oval-shape". Oh man, I really love both of them, but I'm leaning more towards the oval-shaped one just because it's more recognizable. Now, these are not made out of cheap plastic, like some companies make, but they're actual chromed metal, very high quality. The retail price ( including Free Shipping ) is $25.00. When you get them they are presented inside a special Jewel Case box. I was actually thinking that if you have a Display Case ( piece of furniture ) in your house then this would be cool to stick on there to make it look like an "Official Batman Display Case", ha ha! For more information please be sure to visit their website by clicking HERE!

COMIC BOOK COVER : The JOKER # 1, Classic!

Personally, in different stages, I collected comic books hardcore when I was young. 1st it was in my very early teens, back in the 70's. One day, at a drug store, I bought an issue of SPIDERMAN : PETER PARKER off one of those metal comic book spinning racks. I was instantly hooked! Even to this day I seriously love the "sqeeking sound" those old racks make when you turn them around. I collected a few titles for a few years, mainly Batman issues. But then I discovered something more important ( Girls & Cars ). I quit collecting until the 1980's. Then I was in my early 20's at that time & I had a way better job so I could afford to collect more. At that time I collected many different titles. Mainly Batman, Detective Comics, Superman, Action Comics, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Amazing Spiderman, X-Men, Wolverine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, etc...many many more! But, one of my favorite comics from those early years was The Joker. He got his own comic book but it didn't last long ( I think he only had about 9 issues ). The Joker #1 ( shown up above ) was my all-time favorite Joker cover. It was also the ONLY comic book I ever had destroyed. I had it sitting on the kitchen table & for some reason my cat went nuts! She totally shreaded the entire comic! Someday soon I am gonna get this comic again & frame it as a reminder of the good old days. Yes, I'm becoming an old man, ha ha!

Vintage Silver Age BATMAN COMIC BOOK Cover # 222

I have a friend who is a HUGE Beatles Fan & I mean, who isn't! Great band, classic music. The funny thing is everybody teases him & calls him Mr. McCartney because his actual name is Paul & he's so goo-goo for The Beatles. Anyway, he sent me this photo of a vintage Silver-Age comic book he has in his personal collection. It's BATMAN issue #222 that features a mock "Beatles" cover.The story is all about a "rock band" who looks exactly like the Beatles & one of the members is dead. Just like the propaganda the real band used to have with the famous ABBEY ROAD album cover where there were supposedly a lot of clues saying, "Paul Was Dead" ( One clue was Paul was the only one bare-footed ). Thanks for sending in the photo "Mr. McCartney", it's a beauty!

Batman # 171 - First Silver-Age Appearance of The Riddler

OK, every now & then we post a classic Batman Comic Book Cover because the art work is cool but here's one where it marks a very historical moment in Bat-History! This comic book, Batman # 171, was the very FIRST SILVER-AGE APPEARANCE of THE RIDDLER as a character! Plus, the silver-age artwork by Carmine Infantino is pretty great too! Be sure to click on the picture above for a larger, more detailed, photo. Plus, remember to check the BAT-BLOG ARCHIVES for many many more classic Batman comic book covers & art!

DC Direct - DETECTIVE COMICS CLASSICS: Batman Action Figures Box Set

I usually don't post new Batman Toy information this early ( these won't be out until the middle of next year ) but when I saw these "new" Batman Action Figures I thought they were really great so here they are! I love the "Silver Age" look of them. It looks like DC Direct is going to re-release a set of 5 figures that they have done before, but now they have a slightly different paint job, & will also come with a special graphic novel book of collected stories. Here's what DC Direct actually says about them:

Five of Gotham City's most colorful figures are collected in this special action figure box set, in both 3D and comics form! A 64-page original collection of classic stories featuring Batman, Robin, Batgirl, The Riddler and Bat-Mite is packaged along with an action figure of each character. The stories included in the special DETECTIVE COMICS CLASSICS book are "The Riddler's Prison-Puzzle Problem!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #377, "Tall, Dark, Handsome – and Missing!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #384, "Hunt for the Helpless Hostage!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #385, "The Invader from Hell!" from BATMAN FAMILY #1, and "Bat-Mite" from WHO'S WHO: THE DEFINITE DIRECTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #2. On Sale: June 23rd, 2010

New 2011 BATMAN HALLMARK Christmas Ornament Sneak Peek - 1966 Batmobile Car & More!!

Over at the awesome CAPTAIN TOY website they have some wonderful photos of all the 2011 Christmas Keepsake Ornaments that Hallmark Cards plan to release next year. The main one that most Batman Fans are going to be really excited about is the 1966 TV Show Batmobile Car designed by George Barris!! They will also be making ones of Catwoman ( modern version ), Harley Quinn with Hammer, & a Silver-Age Batman! If you visit the site they also show all the others & there are some really great ones! My personal favorites include: The Peanuts, Toy Story, Tom & Jerry, the new TRON movie light-cycle, Green Lantern, Superman, Indiana Jones in the Snake Pit, Rosie The Robot from The Jetsons Cartoon, a cool Star Wars one with Han & Greedo ( Han shot first, ha! ), & many many more. Just click here to check them out, LINK!

LADERLAPPEN OCH ROBIN - Vintage 1950's BATMAN Comic Book Covers

Boys and Girls, it's time again for the Adventures of LADERLAPPEN OCH ROBIN! Here are some old Vintage 1950's Batman and Robin "Reprint" Comic Books from Sweden! Yes, these classic stories were retold in Swedish for the foreign market. Even though there is NO way I could ever read one of these books they would still be extremely cool to own. I mean, the artwork on the cover alone is truly beautiful!

Photos: Some Very Cool BATMAN & THE JOKER Belt Buckles

I'll admit that I don't really wear belts, never have. I don't like them. I don't know if it's fashion or if I have just never had a problem with my pants falling down, ha ha! One job I had one time I had to wear a belt, I hated it. But, while surfing the net the other day, I came across some extremely cool Batman & Joker Belt Buckles that are so awesome, I just might have to start sporting a belt! The 1st two shown are, of course, are the Classic Bat-Symbol Logo. One is the traditional "Yellow Oval" & the other is a chrome-plated bat shape. It looks pretty cool in simple elegant shiny silver! The next two are just as great. They feature THE JOKER villain! the 1st one is a close-up of his evil face. The 2nd one is the Silver-Age Style JOKER LOGO...Sweet! I don't know, between the two Jokers, I really like the comic book logo. Maybe it just reminds me of my childhood or something. If you would like to see some more Bat-Belts then be sure to click on the link below.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD "Fall of The Blue Beetle" Background Wallpapers

The latest episode of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is on tonight, Friday, January 23rd at 8:00pm, 7:00 Central on the Cartoon Network. To help remind you here are 2 Desktop Wallpapers of the event. This weeks guest will be the Silver Age Blue Beetle ( voiced by Wil Wheaton )...I can't wait!

Video Preview: BATMAN, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD New Episode "Fall of the Blue Beetle!”

This weeks episode is called "THE FALL OF THE BLUE BEETLE" & will star Wil Wheaton ( Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation ) as Ted Kord / Silver Age Blue Beetle. It airs on Friday, January 23rd, at 8:00 pm, 7:00 Central on the Cartoon Network.
The Basic Story: Blue Beetle traces his legacy back to the original Blue Beetle, to learn why the Scarab has chosen him to share in it’s powers and become a super hero. The journey leads him to the dangerous Science Island where he battles legions of robots alongside Batman and learns the truth behind Ted Kord’s disappearance.