Moved. And a new site.

Hey folks. If any of you still come in here and wonder why no new news just lately, its because i've moved onto FB: https://www.facebook.com/outofthebatcave?ref=hl Still on the Blogs though as i've just started a new one for my Batman 186 project, in readiness for some new additions: http://batman186.blogspot.co.uk/ Please come and join me there!

Batman Chess Set - Azrael & Killer Croc

Azreal - very nice, although a tad small. Leaving colours as is, seeing as he looked to be mainly metallics anyway. Killer Croc - oh dear. Not a bad sculpt, though i prefer the proper crocodile incarnation meself, but those colours???? Gold prison clothes? Metallic green and gold skin? What were they thinking? Total repaint needed here.

This Month in... 1978

Oh dear, oh dear, of dear. One of those truly dire tales that make me wonder why i've still got the blummin' issue - the Mad Hatter decides he's going to go straight and be a crimefighter, but then he decides not to. And that's it. And its as entertaining as what i've just typed. VERY duff, with rather poor art, only point of interest being these chapter headings. Bat-Rating: 2/10

Batman Chess Set - Black Mask & Manbat

Two new one's to show you today. Black Mask is really good, let down by the silver tie and eye holes in the mask too big. But both will be easy to sort out. A bigger job though for Manbat. All the colours are hideous, so he'll be needing a complete repaint. But even then, he'll still be duff. That head is far, far too big for the rest of his body. And the face isn't exactly my favourite version (that'd be the snout-face almost ape-like take from The Animated Series). So even after painting i'm guessing he'll be put at the rear of all the pieces

Batman Chess Set - Red Robin, Huntress & the Bat-Signal

Big, big box arrived and in it these three beauties. I'm not doing anything to any of them - Red Robin's red is metallic but not very noticible, Huntress' is a tad garish but it works at this scale, and the bonus Batman on Bat-Signal hasn't any metallic to it at all. And a very nice sculpt it is too.

This week in 1980 - Batman 330

Let's have a look what was going on 32 years ago shall we?

EXCELLENT cover by Lopez, looking like a nod back to the late 60's issues, what with the poses, positioning and speech (chum indeed). Although Talia from the back looks like an awful lit Black Widow from the Avengers here. The cover promises a "special 25-page shocker!" and they're not wrong - shockingly awful. A load of tripe involving a villain putting out a bounty on Batmans head to anyone who can kill him before he's sent to Death Row, its a long drawn out mess, with rubbish bad guys:

and some pretty poor art. Irv Novick could do a decent Bat-tale, but not here - telephoning it in, with a downright odd looking Batmobile amongst the mess:

Talia pops up for all of two panels and then exits again:

Which makes the cover a nonsense as that scene, nor anything like it actually appears here, leaving the suspicion things are being set up for a larger, more important development to come. Not read any of these around this time for 32 years and i sure don't remember it. Poor. Bat-rating - 2/10

Modern Master Vol 5 J.L. Garcia-Lopez

If you're a fan of the artsist - and why wouldn't you be? - i urge you to track dwon a copy of this brilliant book on the brilliant artist:

Soft cover A4-sized, its a very indepth interview covering the artists long career, lavishily illustrated and, for Bat-fans, some excelltn and real intertesting examples, be them pencil layouts:

Prelims:

Character style sheets:

and, something i didn't know he did, concept art for Batman Returns:

Highly recommended. Bat-Rating - 8/10.