Batman's Costume: Ever be Blue & Grey Again?

[DiFabio]

Oh and as far as BTAS goes, I always preferred the BTAS classic look to the revamped TNBA look. I hated TNBA designs for the most part, especially the Joker's.

 

[wofford29]

Frank Miller used it, he even created a reason for the yellow oval being there.

I could see Nolan using it too but it would probably be smaller (like the TDK chest logo) and gold, not yellow. In fact, I remember thinking back in June of 2007 when we got the first teaser pic of the TDK suit of Batman on the police car that it was a small, edgy bat symbol trimmed in gold due to the angle and lighting. That was speculated for months before we got a clear shot of what we all know now.

It's a known fact that the yellow around the symbol was added so that DC could trademark the Bat symbol like they did with Superman's 'S'. Miller's use of the yellow and creation of the reason behind it is completely satirical keeping in theme with the story it's in, as a send up to not only society at the time but the state of the industry as well. There is a reason it wasn't included in Year One and there is a reason why it was only in a few panels of TDKR.

 

[Batty]

I think the whole yellow symbol argument is nerd-dom at it's best. Good job, guys.

 

[wofford29]

Damn straight. This ____ is serious business!

 

[DiFabio]

It's a known fact that the yellow around the symbol was added so that DC could trademark the Bat symbol like they did with Superman's 'S'.

Yeah, I know. I believe it originated in the 50s/60s. In doing so the image has become iconography for Batman. It's pop art. One of the best and most iconic graphic images in history.

Miller gave it a practical purpose for being there, not that it needed one.

Miller's use of the yellow and creation of the reason behind it is completely satirical keeping in theme with the story it's in, as a send up to not only society at the time but the state of the industry as well.

I don't see it as being satirical. I thought it was just a reason for it being on his chest. It was never explained before.

There is a reason it wasn't included in Year One.

Yeah, because it's Year One, the first year Batman starts fighting crime. The character has never started out with the yellow oval, not even the Adam West version.


[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk0LkkpRL0o[/ame]



The cool regular bat logo evolves and progresses to the yellow bat emblem in nearly every incarnation.



For the record, I don't have a preference. I pretty much like them all. The only Batman I don't really like is the smiling, deputized Sprang version, but even that one has it's merits.

 

[Batty]

Damn straight. This ____ is serious business!

Apparently.

 

[wofford29]

You started it slut!

 

[Batty]

I'm not the one putting all this thought into it like Batman is a real person.







Sorry to those of you who didn't know that.

 

[DiFabio]

I'm not the one putting all this thought into it like Batman is a real person.







Sorry to those of you who didn't know that.

WHAT!?!?! Batman isn't real?





____ you, Batty. ____ you.

Roy Batty isn't real either, he's played by some actor named Rutger Hauer. Replicants aren't real!

 

[Batty]

WHAT!?!?! Batman isn't real?





____ you, Batty. ____ you.

Roy Batty isn't real either, he's played by some actor named Rutger Hauer. Replicants aren't real!

That's what you think.

 

[DiFabio]

Gonna take this oppurtunity to connect Blade Runner and Batman with useless trivia. William Sanderson (J. F. Sebastian) voices a similar character in "Heart of Steel" and "His Silicon Soul" named Rossum. He designs replicants. Oh, and there's a replicant/cyborg/terminator Batman as well.



[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De4HwBh41iw[/ame]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jMHWkmPL1U[/ame]

 

[wax murderer]

Girls! You're both pretty.
According to publishing legend, Bob Kane originally intended the costume to be all black.Unfortunately, printing technology in the 40's wouldn't support that, much as it wouldn't allow the Hulk to be grey as originally intended.So the blue "highlights" became solid blue.Kane also intended the bat emblem to be a badge(with diamonds on it!).The test footage is interesting;would that have been the imfamous"long eared cowl"that ABC thought looked"too much like the devil"?Fascinating...PS

 

[DiFabio]

I thought before Bill Finger helped him Bob Kane originally intended a red Batman suit with a domino mask?

 

[batfan08]

I'm of the opinion that Bill Finger created what we know as Batman, while Bob Kane inadvertently created Robin, while trying to create Batman.

 

[SnakeDoctor]

Arkham Asylum and Arkham City -- which I would consider among the most definitive Batman universes -- both used dark blue and grey ...

I don't mind blue and grey ... though I think dark blue works better than light. Black and grey works fine ... I actually like the DCnU redesign quite a lot. Solid black works better for live action. I like the animated series in execution -- great stories, great voice acting -- but the character designs themselves aren't my favorite (particularly Killer Croc, for instance). I actually like the character designs for "The Batman" better than BTAS in many cases. Arkham is quite a bit better than BTAS for character designs in almost every case.

I'm also not a huge fan of the yellow oval ... partially because the blue/grey with the bright oval harkens more to the West/Ward TV show than to better incarnations.

SnakeDoc

 

[haytil]

The symbol doesn't and shouldn't be seen. By anyone. The whole argument that its to attract the eye of the criminal so they aim at his chest is retarded and not Batman. Batman shouldn't be seen, he should be hidden in the shadows.

So then why does he bother having the symbol (even without the oval) on his chest in the first place, if it's not meant to be seen? Isn't that the whole POINT of a symbol?

Oh and as far as BTAS goes, I always preferred the BTAS classic look to the revamped TNBA look. I hated TNBA designs for the most part, especially the Joker's.

I'm with you on BTAS design being FAR better than TNBA design, though for me it has nothing to do with the oval.

TNBA's body proportions were less realistic/more exaggerated, the lighting and surface detail was minimalized, and the lines and curves were simplified and streamlined far too much. The final result made the design and artwork look lazy and cheap, and not up to the quality standards set by BTAS - reducing TNBA to a mere cartoon, at least visually.

Arkham Asylum and Arkham City -- which I would consider among the most definitive Batman universes -- both used dark blue and grey ...

I'm not sure, but I think that's just the blue lighting effect. I think the Arkham Asylum suit is actually black and grey, but the blue lighting gives it a blue-ish tint.

 

[SnakeDoctor]

I'm not sure, but I think that's just the blue lighting effect. I think the Arkham Asylum suit is actually black and grey, but the blue lighting gives it a blue-ish tint.

The Arkham Asylum figure has a blue cowl, boots, trunks, gloves and gauntlets. Black cape, black bat symbol on the chest.

In person, all but the cape are clearly blue, though.

SnakeDoc

 

[ChunkyZergling]

Batman does not wear blue in any of the movies, right?

 

[DiFabio]

The Batman and Robin Clooney suit is all blue. The cowl, the cape, the suit.

 

[blue_rogue]

The blue and gray costume is not out of style yet: