I can still remember skipping high school classes the day that Tim Burton’s first Batman film found its way into theatres. Wearing our favourite Dark Knight or Joker t-shirts, my buddies and I excitedly lined up outside the local shopping mall’s Famous Players Cinema, the smell of popcorn and teen musk wafting throughout the basement concourse.
Ah, those were the days!
Unspoiled by online leaks and social media hot takes on the film, all we had for intel on the release was a recent Tribute magazine highlight and a glowing The Toronto Star newspaper film column.
Keaton. Nicholson.
Batman. Joker.
And a cinematic experience unlike any others – full of communal claps and cheers, fist pumps and a chorus of constant approval. That was Batman in the summer of 1989.
A few years ago, DC Comics revived the Tim Burton film world in a monthly miniseries, penned by the original screenwriter of the blockbuster movie, Sam Hamm who was joined by fan-favourite artist, Joe Quinones. It was a hit – fueled by all the talk that Keaton would reprise his famous role in the upcoming Flash movie.
Now, that particular film, released earlier this year, may have fizzled at both the box office and in the minds of theatregoers, but Keaton’s return to the Batman character was a definite highlight. Maybe the only memorable one. It was a testament to the longevity of his portrayal – and the lasting mark the original Burton film made on fans and on pop culture.
Today sees the release of Batman ’89: Echoes, an eagerly anticipated and direct sequel to the comic book that was published two years ago.
Again written by screenwriter and occasional comic book scribe, Sam Hamm (Batman, Batman Returns, Never Cry Wolf, batman: Blind Justice) and illustrated by artist Joe Quinones (Harley Quinn: Black & White & Red, Dial H For Hero, Superman: Red & Blue, Wednesday Comics, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man), Batman ’89: Echoes is a six-issue monthly miniseries that picks up directly from the first, previously mentioned, Batman ’89 tale.
It’s been two years since Harvey Dent went after Batman and the Caped Crusader has disappeared without a trace. Now, the citizen of Gotham City have taken the battle against crime into their own hands, causing more heartache on the streets…and giving rise to even stranger, more menacing kinds of villains.
Batman ’89: Echoes highlights Harley Quinn for the first time, a pop culture TV psychiatrist that bears a striking resemblance to late 80’s Madonna – a perfectly cast visage! Here, in her pursuit of fame, Harley is fascinated by the deceased Joker’s girlfriend, the acid-disfigured Alicia Hunt. Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon is busy tracking down the missing Batman, all while psychiatrist Jonathan Crane – the villainous Scarecrow – makes his play. Batman ’89: Echoes is a return to the youthful glory and visuals that was the original 1989 Tim Burton vision – and an exciting story that takes fresh looks at villains and characters we’ve previously seen in the pages of other monthly Batman books.
Return to an amazing, if by-gone, time…and go nuts! Make the run to your local comic book shop today and pick up Batman ‘89: Echoes #1!
