What would a comic book based on the Tim Burton Batman movies look like?
Thanks to comic book artist Joe Quinones, we now know, because at one point, such a comic book series almost existed. Unfortunately, DC Comics decided not to run with the series, but Quinones recently posted concept artwork from the Batman '89 comic book series that never was.
Batman' 89 was a pitch made by Quinones and artist Kate Leth to DC Comics last year. The artwork is more a proof of concept that anything actually made real, but it gives a pretty good idea of what a comic book based on Michael Keaton's portrayal of Batman would look like.
"Inspired by DC's recent Batman '66 series, our story would have picked up the threads left by Tim Burton's Batman Returns," wrote Quinones on his blog. "We would have seen the return of Selina Kyle/ Catwoman as well as introductions to 'Burton-verse' versions of Robin, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. It also would have showcased the turn of Billy Dee Williams' Harvey Dent into Two-Face."
The idea was a good one, especially given that DC Comics recently published a series based on the 1960s Adam West Batman series, as well as a book revolving around Linda Carter's 1970s Wonder Woman. So, why not have a series based on Tim Burton's version of that world?
The concept drawings for Batman '89 show more than just ideas for Batman, though: Quinones also drew up concepts for Harley Quinn, Batgirl and Poison Ivy, who ended up looking a lot different from what we eventually got on film after both Tim Burton and Michael Keaton left the franchise.
It looks like Batman '89 is DC's loss, and instead of getting a chance to relive the world from the Tim Burton Batman movies through a new comic book series, we'll just have to enjoy this concept art instead.
"We had a lot of fun ideas for the series overall, but in the end it was turned down," wrote Quinones. "Regardless, these were fun a lot of fun to draw and Kate and I got to bond over our love of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman."
