A piece of fan art has adapted Batman's opening fight scene into a series of comic book pages, reflecting the character's origins.
A fan art piece for The Batman adapted the film's opening fight scene into a series of comic book panels. Matt Reeves' reimagining of the Batman legend, which recently arrived on HBO Max, has been accepted as a smash hit. The film was acclaimed by fans and critics alike and became one of the most financially successful films at the box office since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fans, in particular, considered the film the most accurate Batman version of the film to date in a long line of cinematic incarnations. The film's lead man, Robert Pattinson, has been praised for his grumpy and emotionally wracked portrayal of Bruce Wayne which puts him at the forefront of the drama, unlike other films where the character has faded compared to his colorful rogue show. The film also positioned itself firmly in the context of the detective thriller, which reflects an aspect of the character that is often lost in films and truly earns Batman the title of "The World's Greatest Detective".
Now, comedian Santa Fong has turned one of the oldest and most famous moments of The Batman into comic book form. The plot is 4 full pages long and adapts to Batman's first appearance in the film where he faces a group of thugs attacking a man and brutalizing their leader, declaring himself as "Vengeance". The scenery is achieved in fantastic comic panels in a style that reflects the dark red palette of the film and the changing size and shape of the panels to emphasize movement in the frame. Check it out below:
"What the hell are you supposed to be? "
— Santa Fung (@FungKinChew) April 13, 2022
"I'm vengeance"#TheBatman pic.twitter.com/ZXHlbFaHyV
The art is an exceptional piece and testifies to the creativity that inspired The Batman's powerful production work. Compared to most of his contemporaries, Batman chose not to overuse the green screen instead of practical effects and hard work as a car chase in the middle of a movie that was practically filmed in deserted airspace. To bring Gotham to life, the film also used the volume, the same digital projection stage used in The Mandalorian, to create stunning images of the city skyline. While Marvel's use of CGI has helped create some of the static pieces in their ongoing saga, the touch to practical effects and presentation technology the volume uses can create a more realistic and fun aesthetic that certainly benefited from Batman's bolder tone and made it feel like a resurrected comic book.
It seems likely that The Batman series will move forward, with several HBO Max TV series being developed as well. Based on Reeves' work with the first film, it seems likely that any follow-ups will be eager to adopt the comic books, although it is uncertain to what degree. Reeves himself appears to be focusing more on creating an extended "poetry" that focuses on the central character in mythology, so fans are unlikely to see Pattinson join the Justice League anytime soon. Fans have also speculated about how long the series will continue with their desire to see more low-level villains like Court of Owls to more exotic villains like Mr. Freeze and Bunny. Regardless, this comic book based on Batman's opening moments reflects how well Reeves and his team capture the spirit of the comics and that the Dark Knight is in good hands.