Sketch Lottery Presents: Bane

The guys over at Sketch Lottery are still going strong, and their latest subject is a good ole fashion baddie: Bane!!! For those of you who don't know what Sketch Lottery is, it works like this. A bunch of talented artists (of varying degrees in ability) each submitted a character that would be a topic of the Sketch Lottery. That formed the original character pool. A subject is chosen at random and drawn for one week. The works can be drawn in any medium or type of art, and all submitted works are published (no judgement on their merit, all the art is given props!). If an artists submits a pic on any subject, they then get to enter a subject in the lottery pool... so the more sketches a subject gets, the more possible subjects get entered in the pool for next time! Great idea, right? Most subjects get at least 10 entries, but a popular one like Bane got over 20 in the past week! Not only does that mean 20 innovative & creative interpretations of the man who broke the Bat, but it also means 20 more subjects get tossed into the pot! God I wish I could drawn... maybe one day I will submit a piece and get to enter Inspector Clouseau!!! You can also get involved by following the submission rules that are listed here... tell 'em CCD sent ya! Check out all the great work over at Sketch Lottery's main page (Leoric from Visionaries is the current subject, the Bane pieces are just a short trip down the page clicking here), and you can catch some of my faves after the jump...

Fatality... Bane Wins!!!!

Bane was definitely one of the best parts of The Dark Knight Rises. But one of the most amazing things that Nolan pulled off was hiding Tom Hardy's famous face behind that breathing apparatus. You can tell it's Hardy, but you can't see his mouth move. So of course this is a perfect opportunity for an editor to step in and have some fun with the dialouge in the form of supposed outtakes. The Auralnauts have the Bane outake game on lock, and this extended cut is sure to bring a smile to your face. Strawberries have never been funnier... Click after the jump for the video.

'It's Not The First Time One Of Us Stuck 9 Hard Inches Inside of Someone's Ribs'

Batman is a cultural icon, and clearly he is going to be a hot commodity when it comes to parody videos. Nobody does Batman pardoy like College Humor, and this time they are taking on the soon to be iconic scene from The Dark Knight Rises which reveals Thalia Al Ghul to be the real villain. But Batman has a few concerns about his new foe... most notably, how the hell could she sexify him so good if she just wanted to kill him. This video is just hilarious. Check it out after the jump...

How Did I Ever Not Know About Gangnam Style?

I love when a blog about one thing give you content on something completely different and it is gold. I read It's A Dan World because it is one of the best comic book blogs out there. Dan keeps me abreast of all that is going on in the comic book world and does it in a fantastically original way. But when I saw his post about a Korean dance sensation known as Gangnam Style. How the fuck did I not know about this shit? While the original video by artist PSY is fucking fantastic (you can see it after the jump), you have to love the version that Dan posted featuring Deadpoool & Bane. This is fucking amazing, but you must watch the first original video to get the full impact of the Deadpool one. Check em both out after the jump...

How 'The Dark Knight Rises' Really Ended... The Unseen Final Battle Between Bane & Batman!!!

Funny or Die is known for creating humorous parody videos and funny clips starring celebrities of various fame & stature. But in this one instance it seems they are taking the role of expose news, as they have apparently unearthed the 1st footage of an alternate ending of The Dark Knight Rises. In this version the final results between the Bane/Batman showdown are quite different from both the finished movie & the original comic books the movie is based on. It is quite shocking that this is the direction Nolan originally wanted to take, but those who have seen the actual film know that he scrapped this and went in a different direction. Click after the jump and see the awesome video that only Funny or Die has found. Great work guys....

'Remember Bane' by Over Think It

I love me some Bane... he has always been one of my faves in the comics (the Broken Bat storyline was one of the highlights of my teenage years) and is catching a bit of flack for being Christopher Nolan's choice for The Dark Knight Rises. Over Think It seems to love the character as well and wanted to defend him a bit, so they decided to make a tribute video entitles 'Remember Bane' set to the tune of Guns & Roses classic tune 'November Rain'. This one is great... very well done. Leave Bane alone... lol. Check out the full video after the jump...

'The Dark Knight Rises' Characters Painted In The Style Of The New Yorker Cartoons by Julian Birchman

Batman is dominating the Net after the launch of The Dark Knight Rises and there are some really cool things floating around out there based on the character. In my perusing of various webpages I came across these awesome drawings by artist Julian Birchman on his blog Sitting Too Close. Julian uses a painting style very similar to the classic New Yorker Magazine cartoons look in his work, and he has two excellent ones featuring memorable scenes from Nolan's recently released third Batman opus. The first one is from the part where Bane unmasks the Bat, and the second comes from their awesome rematch fight set among the police officer/people's army rebellion at the end of the film. Check out more of his awesome here and check out the Bat photos after the jump...

5 Reasons Why 'The Dark Knight Rises' Was The Greatest Comic Book Movie I Have Ever Seen: A Rant by Mike CCD

Everyone knew that Christopher Nolan was gonna bring the funk when he unleashed his 3rd Batman movie. The dude has never really disappointed with any of his films, and his last 3 (Batman Begins, Inception, and The Dark Knight) are freaking epic... so naturally I wasn't surprised that it was wonderful. But after leaving the film Thursday night/Friday morning after the midnight show and contemplating it over the weekend, I feel like this movie is by far the best comic book movie I have ever seen. Now before you geek maniacs start throwing your ergonomic keyboards at the screen and scream to your mom for more meatloaf to eat alone in your basement domain, relax for a second. I said that it was the greatest comic book movie that "I HAVE EVER SEEN"... which means it is MY OPINION. But since I am not a troll I won't just make a comment like that and then let you guys argue whether or not I am correct... I plan on giving you guys 5 reasons to back up my assertion. After reading it, some of you guys might see it my way, others may not. Even if you don't think it is the greatest comic book film ever, I'm sure anybody who sees it will love it. Enjoy the rant after the jump...

A Month Of Batman by Jeb Kennedy

Jeb Kennedy seems to be a pretty good graphic artist. No matter how great his work could ever be, it will take a ton just to equal up to his latest idea. He is doing a full months worth of posts over at his blog dedicated to Batman, leading up to the release of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20th! That means 25+ pieces featuring cool ass Batman related characters and the like to build up the hype for the latest (and probably greatest) Batman flick to hit the screen. You can keep up with the posts daily by clicking here and see my favorites of the bunch so far after the jump....

Silhouette Super Kids by Andy Fairhurst

Lots of artists  draw superheroes... nothing new there at all. But a good artist finds a niche way to make those famous heroes their own, whether it be a certain look that they give them or a certain medium that they draw them in. Andy Fairhurst's subjects may be familiar to you, but the way he chooses to convey them are quite unique. He uses a silhouette style to bring out the characteristics of the subjects, and he also chooses to portray them as kids. He has a series of 12 of these, which I included after the jump. But he also has lots of other great artwork, so click here to check it out...

Gotham Lucha Libre by Timothy Lim

Given the fact that Bane is of Mexican descent and that Batman is always in a mask, it only seems logical that they should meet in a Luche Libre styled wrestling match somewhere in Mexico City. I know I would love to see this one with a Spanish speaking announcer in the background and Nacho Libre fighting on the undercard. Timothy Lim (aka Ninja Ink) really brought the wood on this one, so click here to see more of his stuff. See the full poster after the jump...

So We Got Catwoman & Bane... Here Are My 5 Reasons Why This Can Be Great

Very Catwoman-esque.... no?

This is Hardy before and after Bronson... dude can get jacked for a role!

So Ann Hathaway is going to be Catwoman & Tom Hardy is gong to be Bane in Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Rises'... and the Internet has been all a buzz about this. But this is CCD, and we are not just going to give you the same old story you are seeing on every other site. Instead of the typical "good or not good casting" bullshit, I am going tell you my 5 reasons why this is truly a good thing. Here we go:

1. Both of these guys are great actors - This should not be a throw in, it should be the most important requirement. Yeah, their are a ton of hot chicks who could wear the cat costume or muscle bound steroid freaks to be Bane 'the Bat Breaker'... but isn't better to get two actors who can pull the part off "physically" and also be able to give a great performance? It's not like Hathaway isn't smoking hot... and Hardy bulked up big time for Bronson (see the picture of him). This is the right move. I expect nothing less from Nolan.
2. Both stars are bankable and on the rise - Hathaway is on fire with the critics raving about her latest flick 'Love and Other Drugs' and was an Oscar darling a few years back with 'Rachel Getting Married'. She has been associated with tons of big budget flicks and arthouse indies... and she always seems to come out right side up. Hardy has been better and better in every successive movie he has made. 'Layer Cake', 'Rock n Rolla', 'Bronson'.... and then he completely stole 'Inception' from Leo DeCaprio & Joseph Gordon Levitt when he got onto the screen in the second half of the film. The dude is on fire... with the impeccable reps and media love these guys got, you couldn't ask for a better one two punch.
3. Catwoman and Bane work well in the Nolan-verse - Nolan has made it his business to make the Batman universe that he creates real... as real as you can make a movie about a guy who dresses like a bat. Ra's Al Ghul was not the constantly regenerating comic character in Nolan's world... he made him practical. Scarecrow was a psychologist that wore a potato sack mask... Ledger's Joker had the painted face and the purple suit, but that's all the goofiness Nolan would allow. Nolan's Joker was much more brutal (like Alan Moore's Joker) and cold blooded. Hathaway's Catwoman needs to be much more hi-tech burglar and gymnast instead of the Cat-Lady that Halle Berry portrayed. Hardy's Bane needs to be less goofy and muscles & more sinister and brooding the way his character is in the comics. This is the guy who hatched the plan that almost killed the Batman and left Bruce Wayne with a broken back... he is not a mental slouch. Hardy should kill this part.
4. These two are not so hard to look at - Hardy is a dreamboat of an actor (at least that what my chick friends tell me) and Hathaway is beautiful. These two are not hard to look at... not by a long shot. They are both pretty faces that can back it up with good chops, but at the end of the day no matter how good they can act you can't portray looks. These two got that... and that's important for these characters especially Catwoman. She needs to be seductive and appealing, sexy and confident.... it can't be any other way.
5. There is no real reason why these two villains should be together - This can not be an adaption of 'Hush', nor 'The Long Halloween', nor 'Knightfall', nor any of the other Batman stories that were rumored to be the source material of Nolan's third flick. Catwoman and Bane never really had a storyline together... at least not that I could remember. Could it be that Nolan will take small pieces of each of these wonderful Bat stories and give it his own unique spin? Yup, probably... and these two total opposite types of villains will play out wonderfully.... bet that.

So what do you think? Are Hathaway and Hardy a good fit for the roles of Catwoman and Bane? tell us in the comment section below.