Special Feature: The Batman 1989 Production Still Gallery Part 1- Artwork Reference & Storyboards

Fellow fan Thorsten Lehmann and I recently acquired a rather large collection of fantastic imagery created during the filming of Batman '89. Much of this imagery consists of still photography created for publicizing the film. These images appeared in trade articles, merchandise like the Topps card set & movie souvenir magazine, and in video packages like the Warner Preview video. Some images from the collection you may have seen before (perhaps not with such clarity), while others appear to be unpublished up to this point. :)

Since there are a LARGE number of images, I thought it best to break them down into related sections. Today's post covers reference artwork and storyboard images included in the lot. The storyboards and logo reference have obvious ties to the film production... but it is interesting to note that the film's producers included key shots from the graphic novel "Batman: The Killing Joke" in these reference photos. Burton has gone on record MANY times as being heavily inspired by this book. The fact that "The Killing Joke" was specifically targeted for inclusion is yet another piece supporting the idea that Burton truly was striving for a comic feel in this film.

















































































































Also included in this collection were a small portion of images from Batman Returns. Presented here are the artwork reference shots from that grouping, which consist entirely of set & background designs: