Batman Dead?

Yeah, right.

Besides the obviousness of this as a PR stunt, there's no doubt in our mind that the cash cow that is the Bruce Wayne Batman will not be eliminated by cash-strapped DC Comics. A few weeks ago DC "cancelled" Robin, Nightwing, and Birds of Prey (particularly offensive to Mister Fanboy, in addition to jettisoning Manhunter) while at the same time teasing about a new non-Bruce Wayne Batman coming from within the ranks of the Bat-family. Whatever. Lazarus Pit anyone?

But wait, if we may be all MPD about it, isn't that exactly what happened when the Steve Rogers Captain America died and Bucky Barnes took his place as Cap? It worked there, why not here?

We suggest the reason that the Captain America identity switched worked was because Steve Rogers, although an important part of the Captain America mythos, never transcended the actual hero as an individual. The intertwining of Batman and Bruce Wayne on the other hand is so integral to the whole motivation of the character. To take away one, how can the other survive a healthy, long time (in the publishing world, that is)?

But then again, there are many who know, swear and scream that Steve Rogers is not dead. Perhaps he's hanging out with Jean Grey.

Found on the Net - Great Art

Today we were trolling around and visited Project Rooftop, a site we don't visit enough these days. The site presents re-imaginings of characters in comics (and other genres) from mostly amateur artists/fans. The current feature is that of the late Stephanie Brown/Spoiler/Robin from the Batman comics. These images are by Ming Doyle (or here), who I could easily see breaking into comics big time- you should check out her work. Enjoy.

Breaking News: Shirley Walker, Animated Batman Composer Dies

Typically, the music in a given television show isn't given a second thought by viewers. Just moments ago, our local public radio station announced the death today of Shirley Walker, who worked on Batman (the movie, directed by Tim Burton), as the conductor. As a composer, she worked on the scores for Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond (our favorite animated Bat-show, all things considered), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and Superman: The Animated Series, among others. She was 61 and the rare successful woman in an industry dominated by men. What made us take note was her moody and moving score to Batman: The Animated Series. Visit here for some interesting facts about Shirley.