Movie outfits wear Batman's 75-year legacy well
SAN DIEGO — Still lookin' good, Batman.
The Dark Knight's movie costumes have always been subjects of worship and scorn during his 75 years in pop culture, and on Wednesday at the opening night of Comic-Con, the next iteration came in the form of the cape and cowl Ben Affleck's wearing in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie.
The unveiling took an unsuspecting Dan DiDio, a DC Entertainment co-publisher and nut for Batman ever since the 1960s TV series, by surprise.
"It just brought the reality of the fact that we're finally going to see a movie where Superman and Batman are going to be side-by-side," DiDio says. "That's a fanboy dream, and the fact that the costume's here just makes the movie even more real."
Bat-fans haven't seen the "Batfleck" cape and cowl on screen yet, but many of the other movie outfits and props are main attractions of a special Batman anniversary exhibit on the San Diego Convention Center floor.
On display: the duds worn by Michael Keaton (twice), Val Kilmer, George Clooney and most recently Christian Bale; Batarang weaponry; clown masks of Joker's henchmen and the villain himself (played by Heath Ledger) from The Dark Knight; and other items from the successful Batman film franchise.
"This being Batman's 75th anniversary, a great way to celebrate it is by seeing how Batman looked through the years because this is something people recognize," DiDio says. "Millions of people see these movies and it's great to be able to show these at the premier show for pop culture."
Lee, an artist who's drawn the Caped Crusader in Batman and All-Star Batman & Robin runs, takes a more critical look at the design of the Affleck costume and likes what he sees. The cape offers "a very low drag coefficient," he says matter-of-factly, and up close the masked cowl has a faux leather effect and is not rife with ridges and sharp edges like other movie costumes.
Plus, he adds, "it's got this boxer's physique to it, which suggests that Batman's more of a brawler than he's been before."
Bale's armored outfit from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films, though, is still the favorite for Lee, since it marries practicality and functionality.
Nolan chose to make the costume out of real-life materials for added authenticity, Lee says. "I saw him using some Kevlar and fiber elements. It looked like something that you can actually have. If you were a billionaire and had access to space-age materials like all of us, you could actually put this costume together and go out to fight crime."
Lee enjoys seeing how much Batman has become a lifestyle for fans who have a Dark Knight tattoo or wear a shirt with a Bat symbol. "In our mind," he says, "he's bigger than the world of comic books."
He's also a master detective, one of the primary aspects that makes Batman different from all others, says DiDio.
"The fact that he can outthink anybody, I think that's' the most relatable. Here's a guy without any powers, yet he has the great toys we talk about, but his mind is his greatest weapon."
Lee's into cars, so he has liked watching the various Batmobiles roll out. That evolution also exists in the character itself as he has reflected the times. Today's Dark Knight is born from the darker Batman of the '40, the sci-fi Batman in the '50s and the culturally relevant series of the '60s and '70s. Now, Batman is more counterculture but still fights for those who need him.
"It's a character who really invites creators to come in and do their essence of the character," Lee says. "That way, he keeps breathing and evolving and growing and staying fresh and contemporary. He very much is a superhero of our time."