As Will Arnetts Batman reminded us in The Lego Movie earlier this year, I only work in black, and sometimes very, very dark grey. The classic costume, despite some minor variations with each new incarnation, always looks pretty similar: cowl, cape, gauntlets and boots as standard, utility belt always fastened in case of emergency, bat emblem displayed proudly across the chest, the whole get-up informed by a black, grey and blue palette with a little yellow/gold thrown in to make the outfit pop. How different things could have been. When editors in the comic book division of National Publications (which would become DC Comics) saw how popular the recently-launched Superman had become by 1939, more superheroes were required to cash in on the growing trend (sound familiar?). A young comic book artist called Bob Kane set to work, and the fruits of his labour can be seen in the image above. Having more in common with a Tim Drake-era Robin than anything resembling the character weve come to know and love, this blonde-haired, barely-disguised version of Batman may have struggled to maintain his anonymity and blend into the shadows. And he probably wouldnt have become anything like as ridiculously popular were it not for the input of others.
I watch movies and I watch sport. I also watch movies about sport, and if there were a sport about movies I'd watch that too. The internet was the closest thing I could find.
