The Stories That Informed ‘Batman R.I.P.’
“Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot. So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible …a…a…”
As if in answer, a huge image of a Caped Crusader flashed across a movie screen. Across monitors throughout space and time and other dimensions.
“It’s an omen!” each man, alien and other-dimensional imp declared. “I shall become a Batman!”
One of the attractions of Batman was, it’s often been said, the fact that a kid could actually imagine growing up to be the Caped Crusader. No one was ever going to grow up to be Superman but with an extensive training regimen (and a hefty bank account) …well, anything’s possible. Overlay that with the spirit of mainstreaming and conformity of the 1950s and you end up with a universe where there seemed to be a Batman knock-off on every corner and planet.
In 1964, editor Julius Schwartz found his arm twisted into taking over the flagging Batman titles. He immediately ditched the extended Batman family and the increasingly prevalent space alien stories for a more contemporary angle grounded in the real world. And as the years rolled on, Schwartz and company refined their approach and gradually, permanently put the Dark back in their Knight.
ICv2
The 
Archie Comics has declared that February will see a freshening of the sonic the Hedghog brand as they introduce a new title and reboot the others.
Warner Premiere is known to ComicMix readers as the source for the cool direct-to-DVD movies featuring the DC heroes but they also produce original fare as well. This morning, they 
Bill "Hopalong" Cassidy is getting the big screen treatment from Mark Canton (300) and Pterodactyl Prods. according to
The eagerly anticipated [[[Batman: Cacophony]]] #1 finally hit shelves this month, and, on many levels, it did not disappoint. The three-issue series is authored by famous screenwriter/director Kevin Smith, and his signature style is evident. Smith, as always, manages to weave in a healthy dose of crude, sexual humor, and it is surprisingly successful coming out of The Joker’s mouth. The tone of the book, however, is not as dark as one would think. The atmosphere created by the creative minds at work is more a cartoonish, brightly colored Pulp Fiction than the noir-esque Batman of years past. A color palette of burnt oranges, yellows, and primary colors adorn the pages in the book, and this tone nicely compliments Kevin Smith’s clever, quick witted humor. 
Good thing you have a little time off this week, there are plenty of things to enjoy coming from the comics & DVD shelves, plus:
or 
To handle international properties for worldwide distribution, Sony has created the Intl. Product Expansion Group according to 
Ardden Entertainment announced The Stand-In, a new title to be written by Jim Krueger (Avengers/Invaders). Described as a four-issue spy thriller mini-series, the project twill be illustrated by Alex Cal (The Amazing Spider-Man Family).
