New audiobook: Batgirl: To Dare the Darkness read by Drew Griffin

Drew Griffin has released a NEW audiobook reading for Doug Moench's novella "Batgirl: To Dare the Darkness."

For those that don't know, this is a fascinating little spin-off that came out in 1997. It's set after the events of Batman & Robin and sees Barbara Wilson having to use her computer skills to go up against Black Mask. 

Much like Alan Grant's Robin spin-off "Facing the Enemy", this one also has Barbara Wilson temporarily quit the crime fighting trio and go off to investigate Black Mask's crime spree in her civilian alter ego for much of the story.

Also, the book follows the template of the two Schumacher Batman films by having Black Mask (aka Roman Sionis) be a disgruntled Wayne Tech employee not unlike Edward Nygma and Pamela Isley.

There's a few tiny areas of continuity that don't quite line up (like how come Robin is back in his original red, green and gold costume) but nothing huge.

Once again, Drew has done a fantastic reading with top notch voice work. I particularly enjoy his voice for Robin, who pops up in the story a few times. For those of you wondering about his voice for Barbara Wilson - remember, she went to Oxbridge Academy so of course she's going to have an English accent!

The book was previously made into a very short 30 minute audio drama back in 1997 (link here) but Drew has done full unabridged version for the channel and I've got to thank him for making this. These things are not easy to record. This also means that we now have recordings of all the Schumacher films and their spin-offs.

Well, what are you waiting for. Press play.

A look back at the Batman Unmasked exhibition

Another different type of video this week - a look back at the temporary Batman Unmasked exhibition that was in Covent Garden in London from September to December 2024 (and also Manchester before that).

I meant to get this edited last year when I actually went to the exhibition as a way to show people what it was like before they went. Unfortunately I ended up not getting around to editing it until this year, after the exhibition had closed. Oops. Oh well I guess at least I didn't spoil all the surprises.

Anyway, hope this is of interest. It was really great to see all these old Schumacher Batman movie costumes and props up close - the actual things that the actors used and wore. You could see all the scuffs and marks on them and paint was visibly peeling off some bits. There was a little bit from all the Batman movies from the last 35 years but the Schumacher stuff was what stuck out. The costumes and props from those two films are so colourful and over the top. It's probably what got me so interested in making props recently. 

When you see this stuff up close you realise how important all the camera work and lighting and effects are - because the reality is that lots of this stuff looks kinda cheap when you're eyes are inches from it. It was never built to be poured over like this or last as long as it has.

The exhibition was a little pricey and short for what you got but I'm still glad I went. I appreciate the theatricality that went into it. It certain made it feel a little grander than it actually was. 

News: Hot Toys bringing out two versions of Mr Freeze

Prepare your wallets for a BITTER WINTER. 

Hot Toys are releasing not one but two versions of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr Freeze in 2026. One standard and one deluxe (that comes with a frozen steps stand and the iconic(?) wings). 

Very happy and surprised to see this figure, it looks incredible. Once again their faces look almost lifelike. I love that they have included the two vials of MacGregor's syndrome cure on his wrist. "Take two of these, and call me in the morning!" 

I nearly purchased the bootleg SooSooToys Mr Ice and Dragon Toys Dr Zero but am glad I held off. Who knows if I'll have the money to get this, hopefully they space the release out with the Batman and Robin figures otherwise that's a huge chunk of money in one go. 

Do you think Hot Toys will do any more Schumacher figures? Poison Ivy? Two Face? Riddler? Batgirl? Bane? That guy who yells "Batman, yeah!" when Batman crashes through the ceiling of the Nygmatech party?

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Deluxe Aerial Defender Robin figure from Kenner

This figure and it's Batman counterpart might be some of the strangest figures of the Batman & Robin toyline. Rather than have a figure and a backpack, this one fuses the figure permanently into a mini plane. In fact, on closer inspection, you only get a head and torso.

As a kid I probably would have hated this and tried to pull the vehicle apart but as an adult I find it kind of novel. Kenner were trying to find new ways to make their action figures stand out and I can't blame them for that. Particularly when your toy line has over 40 figures!

One interesting note is that the figures are actually pretty accurate to the look and colours of the ice suits in that are used at the end of the movie (the Guardians of Gotham 2 pack are also pretty close).

Batman & Robin Merchandise Review - Microverse Observatory Playset from Kenner

I've got a lot of nostalgia for these kind of micro playsets. I had 5-6 Mighty Max playsets back in the day (some of which are still intact) and definitely a few of the Star Wars ones. I don't know how much I played with them but they were always fun to set up and have on a shelf. There's something intrinsically fun about having a movie set rendered in miniature form. 

Took me a while to find a complete version of this Observatory playset. People tend to lose all the little accessories easily which is understandable so it means wading through tons of half complete sets on eBay. Glad to finally have it in my collection but it doesn't feel quite as fun or packed with features as the three Batman Forever ones.

The scale of the figures is very small and the playset feels a little bit... empty. It could have really done with a trapdoor or missile or something extra to bring the whole thing to life. 

There's two more Batman & Robin microverse sets out there - a Batcave one and a slightly larger Arctic Gotham set. I'll keep my eye out for them. I'd really like the set of micro figures too (shown in the video) but I can't find these anywhere.

New audiobook: Robin Facing the Enemy read by Drew Griffin

In the run up to the release of the Batman & Robin movie, two short books aimed at kids were released alongside Michael Jan Friedman's novelisation - "Batgirl To Dare the Darkness" by Doug Moench and "Robin Facing the Enemy" by Alan Grant. Both of whom were noted comic book writers at the time. 

While the Batgirl story is set after the 1997 movie and sees her going up against Black Mask, the Robin novel is set in between the two Schumacher films and sees him finding his feet as Batman sidekick (by going off on his own... again).

It's a short, fun read and I'll do a little video with more of my feelings on it at some point in the future. There's some references to the events of Batman Forever but they aren't huge. It's maybe a stretch to call it a full fledged interquel. More of a solo spin-off.

While the Batgirl novel received a short 30 minute "audio drama" in 1997, the Robin novel didn't receive anything. 

Thankfully that has now been corrected by our resident audiobook reader - Drew Griffin (so all thanks to him, not me!) - who has done another great job and brought this story to life. I hope you all enjoy it.

Have a listen to it in the link below. It's two hours of your time and it breezes by:-