Chris’ Top 15 DC Movies (So Far!)

These days there are hardly any human beings on the planet who don’t know about Marvel and their characters thanks to the insane success of the MCU. Characters that hardly anyone knew when I was growing up- Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Shang Chi, Black Widow, etc are practically household names across the globe. But what about Marvel’s ‘competition’, DC? They’ve been at this since before Marvel, and for decades had bragging rights over Marvel on both the small and big screens. What the hell happened?

It’s not like DC has been churning out crap for years and years (…actually…), and they have three of the biggest names in all of fiction, forget comic books, in Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. And that’s the real head scratcher here; I was going to make this a top 25 list but to be honest I could BARELY make it to 15. I know Warner Bros is a garbage studio in a lot of areas, but damn…

Maybe it’s because forever they only thought to make Superman or Batman movies, but you would think that a studio like WB that has been making movies of these characters to some degree or another since the late 1970’s would have a large, glorious back catalog of films to select from, but I would say Marvel has far, FAR more good-to-great films in their library and they’ve only been at this since 2008!! (Obviously I’m discounting third party studios leasing out the IP of Marvel characters, although between Blade, the X-Men films and the Spider-Man films there are some great ones).

The good news is that there seem to be a lot of films coming up for DC that cover a lot more of their universe besides just three characters. We’ve got Black Adam, Aquaman 2, Shazam 2, Batgirl, Blue Beetle, and… hmm. Is that it? Well, crawl before you walk, I suppose. Each of these has the potential to supplant one of the entries on today’s list; hopefully in a few years I’ll laugh at this list the way I do this one!

 

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Comic Zombie Podcast #20: THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY

Issue #20: THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY (w/ Justin Ache)

“You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” – Harvey Dent 

This week, with the upcoming release of Matt Reeves’s “The Batman”, Chris and Erik are teaming up with graphic designer Justin Ache (from Podcasters Assemble and Significant Otter Co), to revisit and discuss Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne! 

The Dark Knight Trilogy:

  • BATMAN BEGINS (2005)
  • THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
  • THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)

Be sure to listen to our previous episodes on the MCU Phase One w/ Zack Derby as well as our very first episode on the Burton / Schumacher Batman movies! Check out our blog at ComicZombie.net for more – including Erik’s recent articles on his Top 15 DC Movies, Every Batmobile Ever, and Zack Snyder’s DC Trilogy! 

And join in on the upcoming season of Podcasters Assemble where we’re talking about all things Batman! #BatcastersAssemble

(Episode edited by Erik Slader)

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Every Batmobile Ever?

With the upcoming release of Matt Reeves’s “THE BATMAN” (starring Robert Pattinson), I thought it would be fun to revisit the most iconic Batmobiles in Batman history – from the movies, comics, animated series, and video games! (Listen to Comic Zombie #12 for our personal favorites)

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Comic Zombie Podcast #12

Comic Zombie – Issue #12: The Not-So-Great Debate: BATMAN Edition!

On the latest (and greatest?) episode – Erik and Chris argue over the questions that really matter… to comic fans.

  1. Who’s the best Robin?
  2. Should Batman even have a Robin?
  3. Should Batman be in the Justice League?
  4. If DC were to kill off the Joker, who should do it?
  5. Which Batmobile is the coolest?
  6. Who is the best on-screen Batman?
  7. Best movie villain, besides the Joker?
  8. What’s the best bat-comics event storyline?
  9. Best Joker actor?
  10. Most underrated Batman villain?

Do you agree with our picks? Who won? Let us know and feel free to debate us on social media! (@ComicZombie2 on Twitter!)

For more random shenanigans, check out our blog at ComicZombie.net – Including our “Not-So-Great Debates”!

*Also listen to us on Podcasters Assemble!

Network Info

This podcast is a production of the We Can Make This Work (Probably) Network. Follow us below to keep up with this show and discover our many other podcasts! The place for those with questionable taste! Twitter FacebookInstagram: @probablyworkwww.probablywork.com Email: ProbablyWorkPod@gmail.com—This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Holy Bat-movies! – Part 3

We did it! We made it! I was worried for a second…

In Part One – we covered Batman ’66, Batman ’89, and Tim Burton’s Batman Returns

Then in Part Two – we tore apart Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and the god awful Batman and Robin

Now it’s time to review Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy!

Batman Begins

Batman Begins (2005)

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale (Batman), Liam Neeson (Ra’s Al Ghul), Cillian Murphy (Scarecrow), Ken Watanabe (fake Ra’s), Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes), Michael Caine (Alfred), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), Gary Oldman (Jim Gordon), Tom Wilkinson (Carmine Falcone), Rutger Hauer (Mr. Earle)

Batmobile:

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Plot: A true origin story following Bruce’s life periodically from the murder of his parents to his travels around the world making himself into Batman, one step at a time. He becomes a member of, and eventually turns against, the League of Shadows, who come to Gotham to get their revenge and destroy the city. As Batman, he must face the Falcone mafia, the Scarecrow, and Ra’s Al Ghul, while trying to rekindle his relationship with childhood friend turned assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes, establishing a relationship with Jim Gordon (one of the only honest cops in Gotham), and working to get his company back from Mr. Earle.

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Holy Bat-movies! – Part 2

Last time, in Part One: we covered Batman ’66, Batman ’89, and Batman Returns, now for our descent into Hell…

BATMAN FOREVER poster

Batman Forever (1995)

Directed By: Joel Schumacher

Starring: Val Kilmer (Batman), Chris O’Donnell (Robin), Jim Carrey (Riddler), Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face), Nicole Kidman (Dr. Chase Meridian), Michael Gough (Alfred)

Batmobile:

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Plot: Batman and his new sidekick Robin must face the combined forces of Two-Face (former district attorney Harvey Dent, who blames Batman for the courtroom incident that scarred his face) and the Riddler (Edward Nygma, a former employee of Bruce Wayne seeking revenge for being justifiably fired), and their device that is going to steal all of the information from all of the brains in Gotham. Or some stupid crap.

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Holy Bat-movies!

All the Batmen

Batman has had a number of incarnations over the 75 years he’s been around, and many of them have been captured on film in the last 50 years. Depending on which movie you watch, he can be either part of the campy, ridiculous dynamic duo to the dark, brooding, badass dark knight. Depending on which version you prefer you can find at least one film that is to your tastes and is a totally valid interpretation of the character. Unless you like Batman and Robin, in which case go fuck yourself.

Erik and I will break down each of the Batman’s feature films, beginning with the 1966 adaptation of the television show and ending with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises, and will attempt to convey what is good and bad about each, and which ones we liked (Batman), loved (Dark Knight) and straight up went into murderous hatred over (Batman & Robin).

Animated features were left out this time, as there are so many we feel like they deserve their own article.

Batman '66

Batman: The Movie (1966)

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