| The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 13-02-2007 17:25 |
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batmania
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Growing up reading comics in the late 80's up to the mid 90's I always liked the classical look of batman. As you can tell by my avator I prefer that look. I also like the yellow oval with the black bat inside for all depictions. But I know that now the oval has been dropped. My question is what do you like better? When I started seeing Batman depicted with just the black bat I thought it looked like he was going back in time, but that's my opinion. What do you all think?
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 13-02-2007 17:33 |
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Catfan
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I may have grown up with the 1966 series, but I much prefer a costume without the oval. That was an innovation that was part of the "New Look" the comics introduced in 1964. I much prefer not having one myself.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 13-02-2007 17:49 |
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Razhwurz
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I'm strange, when it comes to Batman's costume, I prefer that there is no oval; infact I prefer it when there is no colour on the costume, just black and grey.
But I do like the oval logo as an unofficial logo, like the 89 Batman when the classic emblem used in advertising, but the costume had a slight variation of the logo.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 09:46 |
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Darknight
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I am an oval guy. that is how Batman was when I got heavily into comics. I also like there to be blue in the cape and cowl. Not because I think that they are blue, but it looks better on a comic page. The blue is just to highlight and add detail. Look at Superman or Bruce Wayne's hair. It is sometimes blue with black highlights. It is a technique that has been used since comics started
Just black is too plain looking. Manga comics can get away with all black without highlighting because they are typically on cheap paper and have no color. Batman comics need to have bright vibrant colors to take advantage of the high quality paper used.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 13:19 |
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Caleson
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I could swear we had a thread like this way long ago, but this is a good discussion anyhoo.  I actually wrote an essay about the evolution of Batman's chest emblem in spring '06, but I haven't decided what images to accompany it.
I grew up with the Burton films and 1980s-'90s comic book style, all featuring the yellow oval and capsule Utility Belt. The first time I saw the emblem without the yellow was probably either some Golden/Silver Age work or Frank Miller's DKR version and I wasn't too fond of the "change." I almost resented it when they changed Batman's chest emblem to the oval-less logo on TNBA.
But during the mid-late '90s, the oval-less verson and pocket Utility Belt started making sense to me and I now like them about equally as the style I first knew. I usually draw Batman without the yellow oval now and often with pockets. So I suppose in terms of dark realism, I favor the oval-less one while I still enjoy the yellow oval as an icon in itself and for the simple benefit of color.
The same could be said for the blue-grey/black grey color schemes; while the black & grey are flatter and perhaps slightly more realistic, I'll probably always favor the blue highlights in terms of comic illustrations and animation.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 14:06 |
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batboy99
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i love the oval but at the same time i dont,its a great look,but its a big target especially if hes only wearing the spandex suit
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 15:15 |
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Bat-Man
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Well I say no oval
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 15:20 |
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Caleson
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batboy99 wrote:
i love the oval but at the same time i dont,its a great look,but its a big target especially if hes only wearing the spandex suit That's the point actually. The contrasting black & yellow oval emblem is a natural shooting target, which Batman heavily plates with that very theory in mind. I'm not sure whether or not this explanation was actually developed until the '80s even '90s though, but I like it.
Edited by Caleson on 14-02-2007 15:21 |
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 15:38 |
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batboy99
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i know it is but i think the costume w/o it makes him look darker
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 16:54 |
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Darknight
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Caleson wrote: The contrasting black & yellow oval emblem is a natural shooting target, which Batman heavily plates with that very theory in mind. I'm not sure whether or not this explanation was actually developed until the '80s even '90s though, but I like it.
I think that that first came out in Dark Knight Returns. In the first issue he is shot in the chest, and the inner dialogue mentions that the "target" is there to keep people from shooting at his head. As far as I know before then it was just accepted that Batman could just dodge the bullets.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 18:14 |
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Razhwurz
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Oddly enough, the modern emblem is a better target than the oval one; it covers a larger area, thus lowering the posibility of being shot in the same place twice. Not to mention the lack of yellow causes it to contrast more from the grey.
Never start with the head; the victim gets all fuzzy!
R.I.P. Heath |
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 14-02-2007 23:33 |
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Caleson
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batboy99 wrote:
i know it is but i think the costume w/o it makes him look darker Didn't sound like you did in your last statement, but I'll take your word for it, friend. 
Razhwurz wrote:
Not to mention the lack of yellow causes it to contrast more from the grey. Actually, in the graphic design realm, black & yellow are considered the strongest and most eye-catching color contrast, even more than black & white. But I see your point, especially how it covers a larger area. I, too, like the wider versions of the oval-less emblem particularly over smaller ones that don't take advatage of Batman's wide chest.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 15-02-2007 09:54 |
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Phil
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i dont prefer one over the other, i think theyre both cool. and i dont think the yellow oval makes him less dark. it just depends on how he looks. he was really dark in no man's land. u hardly ever see batman with black and grey and the yellow oval.
i actually think this is the darkest batman i've ever seen.
http://batmanytb.com/pictures/thumbnails.php?album=4
Edited by Phil on 15-02-2007 09:55 |
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 18-02-2007 03:40 |
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Drunken Fist
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I prefer no oval. The only reason it was added was so that DC would be able to have a distinctive symbol they could trademark. I wouldn't mind the oval if it was just a different color, so it wouldn't clash with the rest of the costume. I get the reasoning behind it being an obvious target-- this has been pointed out numerous times in comics, most notably in DKR-- but it still clashes too much with the overall look in my mind.
For me, the ideal is black and gray costume-- no blue highlights, medium-long bat ears, oval-less bat symbol, and the belt with the big pouches.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 18-02-2007 10:45 |
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craigomoteo
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From a realism standpoint, it would make sense to not have a yellow emblem or utility belt. The intention of the costume is to be frightening and blend in with the night. From a nostalgia standpoint, I grew up with the 70's Batman. That includes reruns of the 60's tv series, Super-Friends and Neil Adams artwork. So although I enjoy the darkness of an all black or black and gray costume, I still get a warm fuzzy when I find toys/figures/collectables with the classic blue, gray and yellow costume. Fortunately, there's enough of a cross-section of merchandise to include all of Batman's costume variations to please everyboby without alienating anybody. You don't get that kind of variety in Superman merchandising. |
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 22-02-2007 11:35 |
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kpangilinan
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When did the comics revert back to the no oval logo? |
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 22-02-2007 12:46 |
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Caleson
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kpangilinan wrote:
When did the comics revert back to the no oval logo? I'm not 100%, but I'd have to say Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One reintroduced it in the mid-late '80s. But the yellow oval was still prominent all throughout the '80s and continued largely during the '90s. Legends of the Dark Knight, which premiered in December 1989, started featuring the oval-less logo regularly - possibly because of its retro or "legendary" connotations at the time. But its mainstream popularity in regular titles like Batman and Detective Comics didn't quite arrive until 2000.
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 22-02-2007 14:13 |
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kpangilinan
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I'll admit, in the 90s, I was not a fan of the oval-less logo. I preferred the yellow and black because that's who Batman was. But after Jim Lee did Hush, I changed my mind and I thought wow, it looks so much better.
So I'm a no oval supporter. :p |
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| RE: The Bat-oval...Yes or No -
Posted on 23-02-2007 11:53 |
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batmania
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I tried to get into the no-oval at one point but I just can't. Can't get past his costume looking the same from the first issues of his creation. Plus the big bulky utility belt really bugs me. He looked much more progressive and with the times in the 80's than he does now.
80's = great
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