The Dark Knight is currently poised to destroy every major box office record in the history of cinema. Having already smashed opening day and weekend records, the trends indicate it may overtake 1997’s Titanic as the high-grossing film of all time. This is an impressive feat for any movie, but my interest is held by the fact that it’s a Batman movie.

The concept of Batman has always had a place in pop culture, constantly reinventing and adapting itself. In the early comics, it was the darker approach of a regular guy righting wrongs from the shadows that caught the attention of a country already growing weary of the boy scout image portrayed by Superman and the characters he inspired. In the 1960s, there was the camp TV series that brought Batman and Robin to the public forefront with a take on the characters that would forever stain any serious discussion with “POW”s and “WHAM”s and “Holy this and that, Batman!” Counter to how the Dark Knight was portrayed in the original comics, this version provided a new lexicon for reporters to use when talking about anything related to comics (even now, as the public gets used to the darker, grimier version brought to us by Christopher Nolan). Tim Burton blended the dark and the camp in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns. The other pre-Nolan Batfilms don’t warrant mention (aside from their resaturation of the stains on the character’s image). The various Batman cartoons have all had their whack at the legend, most notably Batman: The Animated Series, a show that was kid- and fanboy-approved.

Batman, it seems, has always been around, forever adapting and changing. So why is it that The Dark Knight has risen to such mind-boggling heights? While ever-present, Batman has never been as popular or admired as the superheroes in brighter tights like Superman and Spider-Man. More than likely, The Dark Knight has set the world on fire based simply on the fact that it never lets itself act like a superhero movie. Unlike its predecessor Batman Begins, which only started acting like a comic book film when the big microwave bomb was headed into the heart of Gotham, The Dark Knight is a thriller, an action film, and a sociopolitical allegory wrapped into a tightly-weaved (yet needlessly long) film.

Batman Begins wasn’t without its own allegorical moments. A terrorist group (one that literally caused terror with a fear gas) using a public transportation method to crash down everything in mid-town Gotham? That story has been lived through, although admittedly with less Gary Oldman. But The Dark Knight sets itself up from the get-go. Batman is America (vascillating between its citizens and its government), the Joker is terror, the Underworld is the rest of the world. The Joker is wild, unpredictable, and impossible to reason with. Batman goes to extreme lengths (such as essentially wire-tapping the entirety of Gotham City) as way to restore order. At the same time, the ultimate symbol of hopeful justice, Harvey Dent, is corrupted along the way. Even the Joker’s creation, which we assume is a direct result of Batman’s presence in Gotham, rings of the true reasons behind the terror attacks we’ve faced in this country. In the end, we’re watching our world on screen for two and a half hours, played out with puppets in armor and purple suits.

The resolution, however, is ideal. And it’s the build to that resolution is what keeps people in their seats. Batman (America) catches the terrorist leader (The Joker) using his own means. He becomes reviled in the name of How It Should Be Done, but it’s for a good reason. As the credits roll, we see Batman in the perfect position. Safer yet still living by his own terms. He lost some things that were important to him, like his girl and the shining, scarred version of Justice represented by Harvey Dent. Are these losses acceptable? That’s to be determined in the final film of Nolan’s planned trilogy. One that will, no doubt, make another outlandish payday for those involved and hopefully frighten, entertain, and empathize with the American public. As long as it doesn’t suffocate itself in convoluted plots like Pirates 3 or Spider-Man 3, I think we’re in for another treat.

It’s still amazing to think that Batman will likely sit perched atop the list of film records, cape billowing in the wind. To a point it helps legitamize the industry of comic books, but it transcends that “genre” with such facility that it’s hard to even apply its success to its source. It would be great to see a reversal, in fact, and see some comics coming out that match The Dark Knight in its twisting plot-lines and solid, real-world characterization of unreal characters but using those elements unique to graphic storytelling to take it even farther. There are a few out there, but they are few and far between. The immediate thought is Watchmen, but even that is so grounded in the fantastic that it’s hard to compare.

What The Dark Knight teaches us is that source material and flash are irrelevant when you have a solid interpretation, a masterful storyteller, and the right amount of social resonance. I’m not saying I want to see a Superman movie fitting the same template, but The Dark Knight makes me crave more intensity in my moviegoing, not just in the action sense, but in the emotional and psychological. Tell me a story I already know, but do it in a format and a way I never knew could work so well. Teach me about myself and the world around me. Make me think and cringe and cheer all at once. The Dark Knight did it. And it’s going to be as much of a legend as Batman himself ever was.

Hi there. I’m Brandon J. Carr, artist and writer for Weird Adventures in Unemployment. The strip hasn’t updated in a couple of months and I should have been more communicative about exactly why.

As regular readers know, I was sick and then my computer went kablooie. Then a couple trips out of town without the ability to update pushed things even further behind. However, this whole situation has painted me as more of a slacker than I really am.

For most of this break, I’ve been waiting for some things to be sorted out behind the scenes. Business stuff, not personal stuff this time. Without getting into details, what I’ve been waiting for hasn’t been sorted. And until things are taken care of, I’m making the business decision to suspend my work here.

It sucks because I love Weird Adventures and all the readers. I’ll keep you guys updated via my blog as to if or when Weird Adventures will be coming back. Miss you guys already.

And there you have it. I’ve got other stuff I’m working on while I wait to see what course everything will take. I have two projects in particular with awesome collaborators, one with me as co-writer and the other with me as artist. Both are really exciting and the writing gig is a little similar in tone to Weird Adventures. The artwork lets me get back to some fun fantasy sci-fi stuff in the vein of what I used to do on Quantum.

I spent a few minutes trimming my ear hair earlier. Again. Getting old is getting old.

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No, it’s not Weird Adventures. But it’s something, right? Right?

Thanks to everyone who hooked me up with birthday happiness. I had a really nice weekend and getting e-mails and Facebook posts and text messages was certainly a big part of that. Thanks!

Today is Mike Rouse-Deane’s birthday, so do him a solid and check out his ambitious Guest Strip Project. The concept is really neat and it seems to be going very well. Happy birthday, Mike!

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As far as MacBeth (my computer) is concerned, he’s currently still at the hospital having a hard drive transplant. I actually sort of miss him as his cousin Old PowerBook tries desperately to do the things MacBeth used to do. The Cintiq just doesn’t seem as magical without the MacBook Pro’s processing power. But just a little less magical. The awesome keeps the magic alive.

I’m going to be at Wizard World LA in a couple of weeks. That’s such an odd sentence. I’ve never been to LA, nor have I really been inclined to go there (unless it involves a lucrative writing contract), so looking at my itinerary is bizarre and kind of daunting. The good news is that I’ll get to see my Platinum bros and my DrunkDuck hos while I’m there, so I’ll be in good company. I intend to take lots of pictures since I don’t have official table space of my own. I won’t post any until I get back because MacBeth will still likely be in recovery.

My son turns five tomorrow. How did that happen?

Anyway, go enjoy the Weird Adventures return and tell me if you think I still have brush skillz.

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It’s been a huge week for Weird Adventures in Unemployment with the start of Chapter Two: Green Beans and a substantial upswing in traffic. The rating above means that out of all of the comics on DrunkDuck, where Weird Adventures is hosted, my comic is ranked number 10. I know it’s not like celebrating a first-place victory or anything, but there are something like five billion comics on DrunkDuck, so breaking into the top ten is a feat.

This means that, as you can see on the left there, Weird Adventures can be found on the DrunkDuck home page under “Most Read” stories. Now, because I’m an employee of Platinum, who owns DrunkDuck, Weird Adventures is at the top of EVERY page in a pull-down menu, but that never really seems to affect things.

True, you do need to click “see more” before it gets down to my strip, but it’s still there, hiding…waiting for adventurous and/or click-happy users to discover it. It’s a coy ranking, to be sure, but it still sits there on top of my Stats page, waving and blowing me kisses. “People seem to like what you’re doing,” it says, “so keep doing that.”

I didn’t announce the beginning of Chapter Two here, but it started. And it’s awesome.

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Also, a drawing of the squirrel inside that big hole in the zombies head would look really cool.

I thought it a grand idea and ran with it in my own way. Here it is:

I hope you liked that. Now back to your regularly-scheduled Internet.

b

WARNING: Some of the songs have naughty language in them!

In the video I’m using Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop CS2, and Macromedia Flash 8.

Here’s the music list:

• Satan Is My Master – Ben Folds Five – Naked Baby Photos
• The Big Jump – The Chemical Brothers – Push The Button
• Mein Teil – Rammstein – Reise Reise
• Bounce – System of a Down – Toxicity
• New York City – They Might Be Giants – Factory Showroom
• King Murdock – King Missile – Happy Hour
• Fit But You Know It – The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free
• Suck My Kiss – Richard Cheese – Lounge Against The Machine
• Remedy – Hot Water Music – Caution
• Dallas – They Might Be Giants – Venue Songs

That’s about all the info I can think to add. If you have any questions, leave a comment. I’m considering doing a version of this with commentary to explain the process, but that would depend on if people can even sit still through this version.

b

http://www.weirdadventures.com
At long last, the new comic has arrived! Don’t be too hard on me…this is the first page in a long-overdue return to regular comic strip creation and I have some ground to cover before I feel comfortable. Especially now that I’m doing everything on the Cintiq.

Head on over to the comic, sign up to be a DrunkDuck member, and post some comments about how awesome I am/am not! Enjoy!

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Secondly, this is the unofficial announcement of the NEW COMIC I’m working on that starts Monday (10/1/07)! I’ll post the URL for it on Monday when it launches. It’s a Platinum Studios Comic that will run through the DrunkDuck collective and will update three times a week. Running along with great comics like DJ Coffman’s Hero By Night and Adam Black’s Kiss 4K is a treat for me.

I’m very excited about it and will post some items throughout the weekend as I get ready for the big launch. Working with Platinum has been a great experience from easy-to-read contracts to easy-to-work-with people. I hope everyone else digs it as much as I have been.

The comic is called “Weird Adventures In Unemployment” and was created by Mike Strang. Once Strang was no longer on the project, I was recommended to the top dogs at Platinum and the rest is history. A quick Google search of the property will show that the project has had a bit of a rocky past, but for me it’s all about the future. And the future looks great.

Hooray!

b

I’ve taken over Jon Scrivens’s Little Terrors for the next few weeks as he wanted to do something a little different for Chapter Five. It will be an entertaining read both for the LT fanbase and new readers, so check it out. I’m having fun with it and it will include my first official use of the Fold & Staple font. I should add that Jon wrote the story, I’m just scrawling it.

As you can see from the image sample above, I’m trying out some new style tricks and really simplifying the black-and-white/color relationships. Jon uses a very simple, nearly monochromatic system for Little Terrors usually, so I’m giving it a shot along those lines. I’ve done a couple guest strips for Little Terrors in the past (see here and here), so it will be interesting to see how the characters look with me doing them in a third style.

Go check it out! http://www.littleterrorscomic.com

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