I mean, we’ve already had the (dearly missed) Batman ‘66. Why not homage another classic Batman adaptation with its own comic book series? Alas, somehow DC Comics said no to this fantastic pitch from Joe Quinones and Kate Leth based on the beloved 1989 Batman movie.




Quinones revealed the failed pitch on his blog yesterday, although he didn’t offer a reason as to why DC rejected the pitch. Inspired directly by Batman ‘66's continuation of the Adam West TV show, Batman ‘89 (which presumably also would’ve been a digital-first series) would have been set after the events of Batman Returns.


As well as planning a return for Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman, Quinones and Leth would’ve used the series to introduce “Burton-verse” takes on classic Batman characters like Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. You can check out a few concept sketches for those characters above, and mourn that they sadly won’t get to see the light of day. They look a bit crazy—especially Batgirl and her bat-poncho—and yet perfectly in tune with the aesthetic of Burton’s Batman films.



The craziest bit, though? They also wanted to imagine an alternate version of Two-Face—one where Tommy Lee Jones never replaced Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent for Batman Forever:

Yes. Lando Two-Face. No, I can’t believe they rejected this either.

But alas, a chance to wonder what might have been. DC’s digital-first roster has been the perfect place for the company to experiment with things like this, between the likes of Batman ‘66 and Wonder Woman ‘77. Let’s hope one day that it’s an idea they would consider returning to.


[Joe Quinones’ Inter-Web Blog]

Contact the author at james.whitbrook@io9.com .