the theme carries over to Batman the Animated Series, where it seems to be set in the 1930s-1940s, but there are also things like retrofuturistic computers and laser guns. i’ve made the argument it and the Burton Batmans are dieselpunk!
I’llnever forget opening day/night.
My whole family went to the mall at about ten AM and I sat in the ticket line for two hours waiting for the box office to open up. I was in the first hundred or so people on line and I used my Dad’s credit card (he loaned it to me for the occasion) to buy the tickets for us.
After I had the tickets I went around the mall for a half hour or so until my Dad found me and told me that I had to get on the ticket holders line so that we could get our seats together. I went over and sure enough there were about two hundred folks already ahead of me. I sat down a reread (for the 70th time) my copy of Batman Year one
My folks were nice enough to hit Sam Goody for me and get me the Batman soundtrack album. However I found out with a more than slight level of disappointment. that it was the Prince album and not the Film score*. (which as memory serves… came out a month or two after!)
Still I could barely keep myself in my seat as we got closer to midnight. (I can’t imagine how my parents and my sister managed to keep themselves entertained for the fourteen hours we spent at that mall waiting to see MY silly little superhero movie)
Anyway, the film got underway and I was too excited to care at that point.
After the film was over I was absolutely re-affirmed in my Bat fandom. (I had been reading Batman comics for the last few months (since the death in the family storyline) However, I really went all out from that point on. Prior to Batman coming out, Star Trek had been my primary focus. From this point on, Star Trek took the passenger seat (not quite the Back seat yet) as batman took the wheel!
(*I’ll admit Prince was never to my taste as far as music went. However, when his credit came up in the theater there was a resounding chorus of boos! I guess I wasn’t the only one who was disappointed by the initial soundtrack release)
Michael Jackson could’ve done a music for Batman in his movie scene, thankfully that never happened.
The Prince was pretty much represented the Joker.
Glad you’ve got to see the movie when it first came out.
In my opinion both 1989 & 1993 are the best movie years, cause so many great films came out in those years.
Jose Luis Garcia Lopez style guides for Batman Returns Batman and Penguin
from this REALLY cool twitter account. their bio:
Daily Posts on the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman Anthology, Related Media (OnStar Ads, Batman '89 Comics, the Flash movie, etc), Merch, Making Of, Art, Etc.
You didn’t tag me on this one! For shame.
SN: The above Batman was the Kenner Super Powers Batman painted black. Got to love simple, made in a crunch, prototypes!
Since @Lincolnfan78 brought up the Batman Returns cereal (which was good, but paled in comparison to the headbanging, Breakfast of Champions™ ass-kicker that was the Batman cereal), I was always captivated by this box (one of many variants the Batman Returns cereal had, depending on the given promotion of the moment):
Why did it mesmerize 9-year-old me in 1992?
Because the back of that box featured all of this Kenner joy :
Staring at all of those snazzy toys every morning before school, as you eat your cereal, was a great way to start the day.
I have that box (not the one pictured, however) and I still stare at it in joy just as much today as I did in 1992.
Speaking of rad cereal boxes:
I don’t own that box yet, but its mail-in promotion served as my gateway to comics, so it forever has a special place in the Burton Batman section of my DC heart.
Date: Saturday June 24th 1989, the morning after watching Batman at the theater
Time: middle of the AM
Place: 89Family kitchen table, Mama89 is reading the Chicago Tribune, DC89 and LittleSis89 are eating bfast
This is a true story.
LittleSis: “So, was the Batman movie good last night?”
DC:
“OMGitwasamazing!”
LittleSis: “Yeah- I heard on the news that a lot of people across the country went to see it last night. Hey- where’s your skating bag? Don’t you have practice today?”
DC: “I’m not going to practice today.”
cue record scratch sound effect
both Mama and LittleSis look at DC with their eyes slightly agape
Mama (in her deeply rich and beautiful Russian accent): “You’re not? Don’t you have a tournament coming up?”
DC: “Yep, but I wanna’ go into downtown Chicago to a comics store I found in the phone book. I wanna’ learn more about Batman and stuff. Can we ride the train into the city today Mama?”
Mama: “Mmm, I suppose we could do that.”
cue LittleSis immediately begging to go to Water Tower Place, her then fave city spot because of it’s super cool mall
DC: “Oh, and I need to pick up Prince’s new Batman movie CD. It’s supposed be super awesome.”
Annnddd scene!
Yep, that’s how it happened y’all. My first steps into the world of the B’Man and DC Comics.
M’kay- cuuueee the music!
there’s that total recall again! are you a rogue super soldier in hiding? you can tell me
Just something I kinda’ have in common with my mostest favoritest super duperest hero of all time
BG BG BG!
I love this story, and used to live in the Chicagoland area too.
Yay!
where were all you Chicagoans when i was defending the honor of Bozo the Clown in Important Wisdom!
There’s a biography of Bozo that I’ve really been wanting to read for years. I remember watching him as a kid in South Carolina and really liking him.
I was at home, waasshhing my tights!
Thank you, that’s a cute candle!