Batman '89: DC's Joe Quinones Offers New Look At Upcoming Series
Tim Burton's Batman universe is about to return in a big way, making the jump from the screen to comic books in DC Comics' upcoming Batman '89. The series will follow the adventures of Michael Keaton's Batman in a world set after the events of 1992's Batman Returns, exploring unused concepts, rounding out unfinished character storylines, and allowing fans to pick up where they left off.
The new digital-first series will be written by screenwriter Sam Hamm with art by Joe Quinones. It's currently being worked on and Quinones has been regularly teasing excited fans with what he has cooking up. Naturally, people are ecstatic to be able to step back into Tim Burton's Gotham. Traditionally, comic books have formed the basis for most film and TV adaptations, however, sometimes it goes the other way. Sometimes it's the movies and shows that form the basis for new comic adaptations. For instance, 2013's Batman '66 was a continuation of Adam West's Batman, and, similarly, the exploits of Kevin Conroy's Dark Knight from Batman: The Animated Series live on in Batman: The Adventures Continue. This new series will carry on that tradition.
Batman '89 artist Joe Quinones has teased some new images on Twitter of his iteration of the Burtonverse Caped Crusader. As expected, his drawings reflect the look of the Burton films and follow along the lines of the concept art he shared when the project was announced. The teases are snapshots of multiple pages he's been working on. Along with Quinones' tweets, which can be seen below, artist Mitch Gerads has also joined in with more Batman '89 teases. It looks like the two are collaborating on the project, with Gerads presumably drawing the cover art.
Looking at Quinones' drawing for Bruce Wayne, it's clear that at least a little time has passed since the end of Batman Returns. It'll be interesting to see if Keaton's Bruce will be the same character fans know and love from the movies or if he's changed over time. Bruce is seen sporting glasses once again and his hair is graying. Time will tell what other changes Quinones and the Batman '89 team may have made when recreating and continuing this Batman's story. However, the Bat-suit is pretty much identical to the live-action one known by fans.
Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman makes her return in the sneak peeks, sporting her iconic costume. The Catwoman suit, like Batman's, looks very much like the original version seen in Burton's Batman films. She has the iconic claws, however, it looks like Quinones has ditched the extreme amount of pronounced stitching seen in the films, opting for a less is more approach. However, it's likely that the teaser he posted is unfinished and may exactly mirror Pfeiffer's original costume once finished. Either way, it's exciting to see Quionenes working on Batman '89, especially considering he once pitched a similar concept that was rejected. Batman '89 is a digital-first DC Comics series that will debut on participating digital platforms on July 27.