We sat down with Scott Samson, Manager of the Fantasy Shop here in St. Louis, a local comic shop with several locations.
We encourage you to engage with your local comic shops, as they are fantastic resources for recomendations, as well as having wonderful and engaging programming (such as gaming, book clubs, etc).
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders!
There's a new Batman movie on the horizon!
It's set to release digitally on Oct. 11th, and full DVD/Bluray release on November 1st. Following the trend set by The Killing Joke, DC will have a one-night limited theatrical release on Monday, October 10th.
It officially premieres at New York City comic con, going on this weekend, and a sequel has already been announced.
The voices for this movie may sound familiar for you, that's because they brought back the cast from the 60s Batman. Here's what Adam West had to say about reprising his role.
"'It's amazing when you say 'be back,' because it's like it never really went away,' West told the Daily News. 'Wherever I go they love Batman, and, you know, consequently, I learned to love 'Batman' because it gives people happy times. I guess I'm the funny Batman, which is okay to deliver the laughs.'
The Return of the Caped Crusaders that premieres at New York Comic Con, appears to follow the same satirical formula that delivered the laughs in the original show."
You can find the the trailer for this upcoming DC Animated Film on DC's website.
It's set to release digitally on Oct. 11th, and full DVD/Bluray release on November 1st. Following the trend set by The Killing Joke, DC will have a one-night limited theatrical release on Monday, October 10th.
It officially premieres at New York City comic con, going on this weekend, and a sequel has already been announced.
The voices for this movie may sound familiar for you, that's because they brought back the cast from the 60s Batman. Here's what Adam West had to say about reprising his role.
"'It's amazing when you say 'be back,' because it's like it never really went away,' West told the Daily News. 'Wherever I go they love Batman, and, you know, consequently, I learned to love 'Batman' because it gives people happy times. I guess I'm the funny Batman, which is okay to deliver the laughs.'
The Return of the Caped Crusaders that premieres at New York Comic Con, appears to follow the same satirical formula that delivered the laughs in the original show."
You can find the the trailer for this upcoming DC Animated Film on DC's website.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Getting to know your hosts - Scott
Hello!
This is Scott.
I'm 29, and I have been married to my beautiful wife for a little over 2 years now. I've always been into movies, music, video games, and comics. I am a longtime fan of all things Batman. As a kid, I would rush home from school to catch the batman animated series on WB. I consider the Batman Animated Series the best interpretation of Batman to ever grace the big or small screen. Not only does the show have an amazing art direction, but it is complimented so well by the magnificent voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin just to name a few. Exploring The Batcave is a great opportunity for me to share something I love with my wife, and also share our thoughts with everyone who listens. I can't believe we didn't do this sooner.
This is Scott.
I'm 29, and I have been married to my beautiful wife for a little over 2 years now. I've always been into movies, music, video games, and comics. I am a longtime fan of all things Batman. As a kid, I would rush home from school to catch the batman animated series on WB. I consider the Batman Animated Series the best interpretation of Batman to ever grace the big or small screen. Not only does the show have an amazing art direction, but it is complimented so well by the magnificent voice talents of Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin just to name a few. Exploring The Batcave is a great opportunity for me to share something I love with my wife, and also share our thoughts with everyone who listens. I can't believe we didn't do this sooner.
Getting to know your hosts-Sarah
Hey! I'm Sarah!
I'm one of the voices you hear in the podcast! Specifically, I'm the one who has never seen Batman: the animated series before. So I thought I'd talk a little about who I am, what my background is, and what my relationship with Batman is.
So, firstly, I should let you guys know that Scott and I are married. We got married in 2014, and we've been together for 5 years now. We are both fairly nerdy in our own ways, but in knowing each other we've brought each other into our interests.
I am 27, and I currently work part time as a pharmacy tech while going to school to complete my Master's degree. I took a break from school between my BA and my MA, so going back to school has been a bit of an adjustment for me. My concentration has been in Digital and New Media. In my undergrad I helped to establish and went on to run the college radio station. So being behind the microphone is a comfortable place for me. On top of running the station, I also had a weekly show with my dear friend for a school year.
I have always been a casual Batman fan, even prior to Scott getting me fully immersed in Batman culture. I had seen most of the movies, and was a fan of the Christopher Nolan run. I thought the other Batman movies were entertaining, but silly and campy. I certainly wasn't going out of my way for Batman, but I was familiar enough with all the major players.
A few years ago I helped a friend of mine make a Batman themed cake for her sister's birthday. Here are a few photos of that.
And at our wedding, we had some props and a photo booth. One of the pros we had was a Batman Mask. Here are a few photos from that.
So, I've gotten much more Batman exposure since then. I've read a few comics, seen a little more and of course talked about Batman A TON with Scott. So watching the animated series is one more step on my way of becoming a little more devout in my Batman Fandom.
I'm one of the voices you hear in the podcast! Specifically, I'm the one who has never seen Batman: the animated series before. So I thought I'd talk a little about who I am, what my background is, and what my relationship with Batman is.
So, firstly, I should let you guys know that Scott and I are married. We got married in 2014, and we've been together for 5 years now. We are both fairly nerdy in our own ways, but in knowing each other we've brought each other into our interests.
I am 27, and I currently work part time as a pharmacy tech while going to school to complete my Master's degree. I took a break from school between my BA and my MA, so going back to school has been a bit of an adjustment for me. My concentration has been in Digital and New Media. In my undergrad I helped to establish and went on to run the college radio station. So being behind the microphone is a comfortable place for me. On top of running the station, I also had a weekly show with my dear friend for a school year.
I have always been a casual Batman fan, even prior to Scott getting me fully immersed in Batman culture. I had seen most of the movies, and was a fan of the Christopher Nolan run. I thought the other Batman movies were entertaining, but silly and campy. I certainly wasn't going out of my way for Batman, but I was familiar enough with all the major players.
A few years ago I helped a friend of mine make a Batman themed cake for her sister's birthday. Here are a few photos of that.
And at our wedding, we had some props and a photo booth. One of the pros we had was a Batman Mask. Here are a few photos from that.
So, I've gotten much more Batman exposure since then. I've read a few comics, seen a little more and of course talked about Batman A TON with Scott. So watching the animated series is one more step on my way of becoming a little more devout in my Batman Fandom.
Monday, October 3, 2016
More review, and some of the not-so-great parts
I found another project, similar to ours where someone went back and watched every episode of Batman: the Animated Series. This project made a vlog for every episode, every day until completed. He then published a short review of the series as a whole. Here is the article with the series review that also has links to playlists with all the review videos.
"I remember getting goosebumps the first time I saw the opening sequence. The opening is clearly an homage to the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940s. There’s no dialogue or lyrics, just music and action. Even though it’s 60 seconds long, it works the same way a movie would."
Not all reviews are all favorable. This article is "10 Flaws From the Otherwise Perfect Batman the Animated Series" naming some character redesigns and specific episodes.
Nerdist also reviewed several of the series episodes, including this review of "The Underdwellers" which they call The worst of the best.
"I don’t like episodes like “Night of the Ninja” or its sequel “Day of the Samurai” at all; I think they’re boring and completely pointless. But, I’d gladly watch both of them than “The Underdwellers,” an episode so hokey and so pedestrian and so, weirdly, pandering, that it kind of devalues the work the series was so good at doing, which was to present grown-up stories to a kid-friendly audience. This one is just so, so… stupid. It’s like it came right out of the 1960s camp-tastic live action series but was just transposed on the darker-tinged Animated Series. I mean, the villain’s name is “Sewer King” for crying out soft."
"I remember getting goosebumps the first time I saw the opening sequence. The opening is clearly an homage to the Max Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940s. There’s no dialogue or lyrics, just music and action. Even though it’s 60 seconds long, it works the same way a movie would."
Not all reviews are all favorable. This article is "10 Flaws From the Otherwise Perfect Batman the Animated Series" naming some character redesigns and specific episodes.
Nerdist also reviewed several of the series episodes, including this review of "The Underdwellers" which they call The worst of the best.
"I don’t like episodes like “Night of the Ninja” or its sequel “Day of the Samurai” at all; I think they’re boring and completely pointless. But, I’d gladly watch both of them than “The Underdwellers,” an episode so hokey and so pedestrian and so, weirdly, pandering, that it kind of devalues the work the series was so good at doing, which was to present grown-up stories to a kid-friendly audience. This one is just so, so… stupid. It’s like it came right out of the 1960s camp-tastic live action series but was just transposed on the darker-tinged Animated Series. I mean, the villain’s name is “Sewer King” for crying out soft."
Friday, September 30, 2016
Creators
I thought we'd take a look at our creators a little today. Arguably, we wouldn't have the incredible show we do if the right people weren't fighting to make some amazing content.
First, let's take a look at Bruce Timm. DC Comics has a great resource that shows everything he has worked on, recent work, etc.
Here is a rather long podcast interview conducted by Kevin Smith from July 2012. This whole podcast talks all things Batman and is a great listen for duel Batman/Kevin Smith fans.
Paul Dini, also has his own DC Comic page. The list of titles he's written for is impressive, to say the least.
He was recently (July of this year) on a the Nerdist podcast with Chris Hardwick. It's a great listen, they talk about Paul Dini's brush with crime in his own life, and also on his work on Batman: The Animated Series.
Here is a panel from the 2013 Comic con celebrating 21 years since Batman: The Animated Series with Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, as well as Eric Rodomski, Alan Burnett, and Loren Lester
First, let's take a look at Bruce Timm. DC Comics has a great resource that shows everything he has worked on, recent work, etc.
Here is a rather long podcast interview conducted by Kevin Smith from July 2012. This whole podcast talks all things Batman and is a great listen for duel Batman/Kevin Smith fans.
Paul Dini, also has his own DC Comic page. The list of titles he's written for is impressive, to say the least.
He was recently (July of this year) on a the Nerdist podcast with Chris Hardwick. It's a great listen, they talk about Paul Dini's brush with crime in his own life, and also on his work on Batman: The Animated Series.
Here is a panel from the 2013 Comic con celebrating 21 years since Batman: The Animated Series with Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, as well as Eric Rodomski, Alan Burnett, and Loren Lester
Friday, September 23, 2016
Villians
Some of the most celebrated villains in history come from the Batman universe. Who isn't familiar with Two-Face, The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy... the list goes on and on! And what makes these villains so memorable is not how evil they are (although, some are pretty evil) but how human they are. Our next episode, Heart of Ice, is famous for being one of the first times that Mr. Freeze was given a more human side. It's a deeply heart wrenching episode. It does what makes this show great. It makes you sympathetic for the villain.
In light of that, I thought we should take a look at some of the best villains from BTAS, and movie pilot has put together this wonderful top ten.
Also, did you know that Batman the Animated Series is the first appearance of Harley Quinn? She was written originally just to be a one-off character, but she was so beloved they made her a regular, and the rest is history. Now it's hard to imagine a batman universe that doesn't include a little "pudding" and "mista Jay" from Harley.
Consider the recent release of Suicide Squad where she is easily one of the most featured characters in the film, and easily had the most merchandising released to accompany the film. It's already being predicted that Harley Quinn costumes will dominate this year's Halloween parties everywhere. Now, many fans argue that this new film isn't the best representation of the character, so lets look back at some of her greatest moments from Batman the Animated Series as complied by CBR.com.
In light of that, I thought we should take a look at some of the best villains from BTAS, and movie pilot has put together this wonderful top ten.
Also, did you know that Batman the Animated Series is the first appearance of Harley Quinn? She was written originally just to be a one-off character, but she was so beloved they made her a regular, and the rest is history. Now it's hard to imagine a batman universe that doesn't include a little "pudding" and "mista Jay" from Harley.
Consider the recent release of Suicide Squad where she is easily one of the most featured characters in the film, and easily had the most merchandising released to accompany the film. It's already being predicted that Harley Quinn costumes will dominate this year's Halloween parties everywhere. Now, many fans argue that this new film isn't the best representation of the character, so lets look back at some of her greatest moments from Batman the Animated Series as complied by CBR.com.
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