Batman - The 1940s Serials

[Christopher]

I think we're getting close to the point where retro may be the only way to go for superhero films. I mean, technology is getting to the point where maintaining a secret identity will soon be impossible, especially with innovations like this laser sensor that can detect trace amounts of any substance and even read through clothing from 50 meters away. Not to mention things like ubiquitous cameras that can track you just about anywhere, facial recognition sensors that can identify you from just a small part of your face, etc. Not to mention that the way journalism is changing makes it hard to tell stories about the Daily Planet or Daily Bugle anymore. And I've been saying for years that the Batsignal is an obsolete notion; by now Commissioner Gordon should be doing something like sending Batman a tweet.

 

[Dick Whitman]

At the very least I would like to see some of DC's animated films be retro. I would love to see Superman and Batman animated in their original character designs.

Also the vast majority of the animated films are based on very recents comic stories. I wish they would use older material once in a while.

 

[Warped9]

At the very least I would like to see some of DC's animated films be retro. I would love to see Superman and Batman animated in their original character designs.

Also the vast majority of the animated films are based on very recents comic stories. I wish they would use older material once in a while.

I could get into that too.

 

[Agent Richard07]

A "fixed" image of the Batman using Photoshop.

I think 1989 was the first time we got some decent live-action bat ears. They never seemed to be able to get them right in the serials or the 60s series.

In a way it whets my appetite to see a retro Batman film.

I'd love to see that for the reasons Christopher mentioned and because it's something fresher than just another modern take on Batman.

And I've been saying for years that the Batsignal is an obsolete notion; by now Commissioner Gordon should be doing something like sending Batman a tweet.

In the comics, the bad guys use an app that shows where Batman is. If someone sees him, they report his whereabouts and that info is available to all. I thought that was pretty funny.

Plus, think it would be fairly easy to put a small tracking device on the batmobile or even on Batman himself to find out where he goes. That's another problem right there.

 

[doubleohfive]

At the very least I would like to see some of DC's animated films be retro. I would love to see Superman and Batman animated in their original character designs.

Also the vast majority of the animated films are based on very recents comic stories. I wish they would use older material once in a while.

At the very least I would like to see some of DC's animated films be retro. I would love to see Superman and Batman animated in their original character designs.

Also the vast majority of the animated films are based on very recents comic stories. I wish they would use older material once in a while.

I could get into that too.

Have you guys watched "DC: The New Frontier" yet?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

And I've been saying for years that the Batsignal is an obsolete notion; by now Commissioner Gordon should be doing something like sending Batman a tweet.

No doubt this is so for the purpose of summoning Batman, but authors have claimed that the signal has additional psychological roles, from intimidating criminals to boosting the morale of the city population at large.

 

[Warped9]

As Christopher mentions the suspension of disbelief becomes easier for a period piece. Yeah, you can still incorporate some mild sci-fi elements like the comics always have, but you can avoid a lot of complications that contemporary technology brings to the genre.

Part of why I loved Captain America was because they were able to straddle that line. It was a straight approach with just the right touch of humour and what little camp there was never became denigrating. And Steve Rogers wasn't portrayed as a damaged person. He was a man doing what he really believed was right. He was portrayed very close to how I think a period Superman could be done set in the '40s or '50s. It also generally avoided a hero popping off cynical and smart-ass remarks all the time.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Of course I have seen New frontier and that was a rare exception. Even than it was based on a modern retro style comic.

Superman will have been in publication for 75 years in 2013. There is much more material to draw upon than they have. There are a lof of great "imaginary stories" from the 60s which would make great animated movies.

Curt Swan had the longest run of any artist in Superman's history. I would love to see animation in his style.

 

[Warped9]

Have you guys watched "DC: The New Frontier" yet?

Yep, part of my dvd library.

 

[Warped9]

A "fixed" image of the Batman using Photoshop.

I think 1989 was the first time we got some decent live-action bat ears. They never seemed to be able to get them right in the serials or the 60s series.

The problem has always been one of materiel. Fabric without any structure underneath simply isn't going to hold the right shape. Something like having cardboard or plastic within a dress shirt collar. Even so it will never really keep its shape like a more rubber like materiel or something like it.

But as period piece with some sci-fi elements you could have a good looking Batsuit and cowl even with a touch of retro design. Again Captain America's 1940's fighting suit isn't truly faithful to the comic's version, but it's unmistakably Captain America.

You'd also have to avoid Batman fighting just like another street fighter. It would add additional mystique to him if he was trained in diverse fighting skills that the average mobster or street crook would be totally unfamiliar with. It would also help seeing more of the Batman as detective to illustrate how much smarter he is in outthinking his opponents.

A retro Batmobile could be really cool. It could have unmistakable 1940's design cues yet I'd suggest not getting too outlandish like the '90's live-action films did.

As for the criminals and rogues gallery I like Nolan's approach best: make the villains distinctive in more psychological terms and with minimum of theatrical attire.

There are probably a number of ways you could do this and the trick would be to hit just the right note.

 

[Dick Whitman]

That's true. Also though Batman's ears in the 50s and 60s were much shorter than in the earliest days. So Adam West 's cowl was close to how it was in the comics of that time.

 

[Christopher]

If anything, the ears on Adam West's cowl actually bore more of a resemblance to real bat ears than those weird narrow points on Batman's more modern cowl designs.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Yeah the modern cowls look more like devil horns.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

And I've been saying for years that the Batsignal is an obsolete notion; by now Commissioner Gordon should be doing something like sending Batman a tweet.

The Batwave was the coolest thing to come out of The Batman cartoon from a few years back. Of course the imagery wasn't as iconic as the Batsignal, but it was a hell of a lot more practical.

 

[Christopher]

The Batwave was the coolest thing to come out of The Batman cartoon from a few years back. Of course the imagery wasn't as iconic as the Batsignal, but it was a hell of a lot more practical.

Yeah, the Batwave was a nice update, and it disappointed me when they ditched it and brought back the silly old Batsignal.

Except it did bug me that his Batwave "phone" displayed a big blinking Batman logo on its screen. We saw instances where Bruce was in a public place when he got an alert. It should've been designed with some more discreet indicator, like a distinctive ringtone or a seemingly innocuous text message, something that wouldn't scream "Batman" to anyone who happened to be looking over Bruce's shoulder. Although of course I understand that cartoons are a visual medium, and that trumped plausibility in this case.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

The Batwave was the coolest thing to come out of The Batman cartoon from a few years back. Of course the imagery wasn't as iconic as the Batsignal, but it was a hell of a lot more practical.

Yeah, the Batwave was a nice update, and it disappointed me when they ditched it and brought back the silly old Batsignal.

Except it did bug me that his Batwave "phone" displayed a big blinking Batman logo on its screen. We saw instances where Bruce was in a public place when he got an alert. It should've been designed with some more discreet indicator, like a distinctive ringtone or a seemingly innocuous text message, something that wouldn't scream "Batman" to anyone who happened to be looking over Bruce's shoulder.

Good point. To be fair, my cell phone has the Superman symbol on it's touchscreen and nobody has ever outed me as the Man of Steel.

 

[marillion]

While I bet going the Batman Beyond route is more likey to happen, I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a feature film play on a turn of the century Batman tale, ala the old Gotham by Gaslight story with Jack the Ripper or the Batman meets Harry Houdini comic.

Those are two of my favorite Batman storylines and done properly, would be awesome to watch.. Done properly, some steampunk elements could be woven in to add atmosphere (so to speak), but most movies seem to overdo steampunk weapons and technology (see Van Helsing)...

 

[Warped9]

While I bet going the Batman Beyond route is more likey to happen, I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a feature film play on a turn of the century Batman tale, ala the old Gotham by Gaslight story with Jack the Ripper or the Batman meets Harry Houdini comic.

Those are two of my favorite Batman storylines and done properly, would be awesome to watch.. Done properly, some steampunk elements could be woven in to add atmosphere (so to speak), but most movies seem to overdo steampunk weapons and technology (see Van Helsing)...

That could be fun. While I don't know about a live-action feature it would be fun to see the the animated films take a crack at some Elsworlds like stories.

But not likely to happen.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

While I bet going the Batman Beyond route is more likey to happen,

Batman Beyond is a win, win thing because there are so many opportunities for Warner's to make money and for the fans to get more Batman.

Just think, you can produce two ongoing Batman film series. A contemporary Batman and then the future Batman of beyond. You don't even really have to worry about market saturation because they're two different characters (Wayne and McGinnis) in two different genres (noir and cyberpunk). In two different time periods. It would give Warner Brothers a license to print money.

Shit, even if one of the series is unsuccessful they can keep producing the other and we still got an extra Batman movie out of it.

How is it that they aren't doing this right now?

 

[Dick Whitman]

Well it would be a lot more expensive. Also Batman Beyond is relatively new. Its probably going to wait until younger fans who grew up on it are in a position of power to get it made.