1989 'Batman' Trading Cards Unwrapped!

While rummaging through the pockets of my suitcase this weekend, I came across a sealed pack of 1989 Batman Topps trading cards, commemorating a magical time in pop culture when Jack Nicholson’s mug was plastered everywhere and kids around the globe were doing the Batdance or some horrifying variation thereof.

I picked up the pack for $2.00 during my trip to San Diego for Comic-Con International this year, a purchase fueled by that unique combination of nostalgia and “Why not?” that inspires approximately 95 percent of all SDCC decisions.

Before we dig into the pack, let’s check out the wrapper.

Featuring the words “#1 hit movie!” on the front, the package boldly predicts that not only will Tim Burton’s film resonate with audiences, but will reach the top of an unnamed ranking system. If I throw the words “#1 must-read blog” at the top of this page, maybe The Wort Report will finally net me one of those steak dinners I hear so much about.

As an aside, I kinda love the fact that the image of The Joker on the front of this wrapper shows Ol’ Jack Napier during that “oop, oop”  scene in Carl Grissom’s office, which makes me laugh uncontrollably every time I see it because haven’t we all been there? Just me then? Moving on.

The cards are pretty standard given the time period, featuring movie stills coupled with captions that play fast and loose with punctuation marks. Here are my three favorites:

Two exclamation points! The card depicts a scene in which a dirty criminal preys upon a tourist family, showing us that Gotham City is a not-so-nice place to live. The description on the back says that the family “marches into the darkness” when they enter an alleyway, but I always thought is was more of a trot. I guess that’s why I don’t write trading cards.

I’ve never heard Batman referred to as “The Caped Fury,” and I doubt that moniker will ever catch on in the DC Comics offices. However, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to come out of “The New 52.”

Ah, yes. I actually collected a number of these Batman trading cards before seeing the movie, and I remember this card scaring the crud out of me when I was younger. This nightmare-inducing card shows The Joker tightening the necktie of poor Antoine Rotelli, a Gotham City crimelord who had the misfortune of falling victim to The Joker’s electrifying joy-buzzer. Why this image only warranted one exclamation point in its caption is still a mystery to me.

Along with a fairly bland sticker card featuring Michael Keaton’s Batman, the pack also includes a pink slab of gum, which has somehow maintained its original texture after 24 years. When I really want to slice up my teeth and gums, I know where to turn.

For more nerdiness from yours truly, follow me on Twitter! (@JamesWortman)

Over the Lines: Reflections on Comic-Con International 2013

Yet another San Diego Comic-Con is in the books, giving geeks a whole slew of new movie announcements to pontificate and argue about until the smaller-scale hysteria of NYCC hits the Big Apple in October. From huge Marvel Studios reveals to the announcement of a Batman/Superman team-up film to the surprising buzz swirling around Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla, many of us — especially those of us who attended the chaotic convention — are experiencing the kind of sensory overload that’s usually impossible to attain legally.

Is SDCC fun and exciting? Absolutely. However, as awesome as it might be to be crammed into a convention center with 135,000 like-minded weirdos, Comic-Con in San Diego can also be one of the most frustrating experiences for a fan … and this is coming from someone that’s been to three of them in a row.

Part of that frustration — if not all of it — stems from the fact that SDCC is just too damned crowded. Getting where you want to be is an arduous task even for the most seasoned of convention-goers, and formerly mild-mannered funnybook fanatics can become downright rude in a tightly-packed swarm, especially when exclusive goods are at stake (more on that later).

In a span of five days, I’d been pushed, shoved and otherwise displaced far more often than I would have liked by those who’d neglected to pack their common courtesy in order to fit those exclusive Star Wars Angry Birds in their carry-on bag. There were innumerable kind and courteous people sprinkled throughout San Diego last week, but it’s the rude geeks that threaten to ruin a good time for everyone else.

Perhaps, though, the reason so many of us are so pushy and/or shovey at Comic-Con is the fact that full enjoyment of everything the event has to offer requires the kind of line-waiting that would make Walt Disney blush. Want that SDCC-exclusive action figure set? Well, you’d better be prepared to sleep on a sidewalk so you can wait in a line for another line that earns you a wristband that grants you access to a third queue to obtain said product if supplies last. Phew.

Oh, and forget about witnessing those aforementioned big studio announcements … Hall H is as impenetrable as Wonder Woman’s corset. In other words, don’t even think about it, fanboy.

As SDCC grows and transforms into more of an entertainment juggernaut, it’s worth asking: Is Comic-Con getting too big for its own good? This is the question that I’m mulling over as I thumb through my new stack of comics: those paper things that brought us all together in the first place.

New Teaser Poster for 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' Released

It’s a simple visual, but stripping the red, white and blue from Captain America’s iconic shield is pretty damned poignant. With the first teaser poster for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Marvel Studios is hinting at dark times ahead for the star-spangled superhero in his next solo adventure, due to hit theaters April 4, 2014. 

The House of Ideas will no doubt have plenty of Winter Soldier surprises in store next week at Comic-Con International in San Diego. Check out Marvel.com for the latest on this anticipated sequel.