Does it come in black? Part 2

"And then, quite separately, we place another order to a Chinese company for these."
"Put it together ourselves."
"Precisely."  – Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce Wayne

 

Recently I have lamented quite a little bit about my attention being split from side projects, and some of them having caused significant delays in creating the batsuit, but these things are not altogether without their own merits.



Things being what they are, and crazy being crazy, they are still moments in my impossible schedule where I manage to derive great pleasure from my somewhat less-than-philanthropic efforts.  Besides working on my very first commissioned costume piece, which was already featured in the previous posts, I've also found some time to help build a Halloween party location in Campbellville, as well as a haunted Halloween maze at the PhatBoys Halloween Bootique in Mississauga (pictures forthwith).



Secret Wishes Thigh-High Boot Tops



The flipside of course, is that the clock is still ticking, and I have only 15 days left to finish all the work necessary.  That is an extremely uncomfortable timeline, and I am immensely grateful for anything that would help speed up for simplify the work at this point.



So naturally when I saw that PhatBoys carries boot tops, I couldn't resist picking a pair up for myself. Afterall as great as my boots are, they are only 10 inches tall, and by no means do they cover my calf to the knee (as would be accurate to the Nolan costume).  So, these Secret Wishes "Thigh-High Boot Tops" seemed like a great idea at the time.

Comparision - Stock boot top vs. bare 10" boot

Little did I remember in my excitement at the time, that Secret Wishes is in fact a Rubie's Costumes brand, and well, I've already had to repair one item of theirs (namely the cowl) stemming from faulty manufacturing.

First of all, credit where credit is due:  PhatBoys carries a lot of amazing products, and, had I purchased these boot tops to be used for their original purpose (which is to turn a pair of ladies shoes into thigh-high boots for a day), I'm sure they would look great.  Not so much, when I'm trying to hack a single-purpose product for unintended use.



Modified boot tops - side view

Put side-by-side with the original boot, the general sentiment was, that "it looked like an old man's booties from the hospital".  I'm sure even Bruce in his old age would find this wholly unacceptable, not to mention the hordes of Batman fantatics out there that would run screaming like little girls.

So the wheels of deliberation, enginuity, and reverse engineering spins.  I present modification plans to my mother, and we spend a couple of hours hacking the piece to specifications, chopping off the top and bottom, and seaming the trunk back together, all the while complaining about the bad workmanship of "Made in China".

And voila.  No more old man's booties, the full glory of the 10 inch combat boots (or at least the shoe part of it), and the now- knee-high boot tops blend in exactly the way they should, looking like they could even pass for part of the shoe itself.  All I have to do is replace those scrapped inner gauntlet pieces for a stock sheet of 6mm EVA.

Hack win.



Modified boot tops - front view

Dark Knight Rises at the 5 Drive-In!

"Don't you wanna know who he was?"

"I know exactly who he was... he was the Batman." — John Blake and Jim Gordon

5 Drive-In at Oakville

The Dark Knight Rises at the 5 Drive-In! The epic conclusion of the Nolan Dark Knight franchise shines in spectactular blockbuster glory.

Dark Knight Rises

The expectations were set unrealistically high both by Nolan's amazing cinematography and by the fans, and the gates were flooded with movie-goers for the event way before doors opened.

The evening was filled with the buzz and excitement of the fans, the flurry of the staff and artist panel, the anticipation of the raffle and prizes, and of course, the Dark Knight himself.

Suiting up in front of the Batmobile

This entire past month of preparation finally came together in the one event, and I must say that I am truly impressed by it all.  The set up crew got there around 6pm, and from there it was touch and go.

Everything came together as quickly and seamlessly as possible, the Drive-In staff were extremely helpful and accomodating for all of us, and everybody pitched in to make it all happen.

Even had me some face-time with Batman Glen from Orangeville, not to mention his gear (*silly grin*).

Adonis and Brittany

Caroline, Jill, and Adonis

The artists panel featured some amazing talent, headlining Adonis Howard, Brittany Marr, Caroline Austin Smith, Jill Dhakura, amongst others, all drawing free sketches after free sketches for Batman fans and movie-goers alike until the cows came home.

I have to give it up for these guys, because after the sun came down, and while everybody else were enjoying the movie, they were still drawing like nobody's business.

Batman Glen and fans

And Batman Glen.  Wow, I can't see any kid to have ever met this guy and then grow up to not like Batman.  What a public face and personality.  Kids were climbing up all over the Batmobile, and the guy just grinned and beared it.  He even gave me a couple of pointers as to building the suit and the batmobile during a short break.


Fans pay tribute to Batman and Batgirl

But of course we can't forget the fans.  The turn out for the event was absolutely amazing.  People were lining up to get pictures with Batman and the Batmobile, to get free sketches from the artists, and all in all the fans made such a wonderful day of it all, it was really incredible.

Movie-goers crowd the event

We did some special things for the fans as a special thank-you.  On top of the free sketches that were given away, seven prizes were raffled off at the event, including graphic novels and a Batman card game (courtesy of Todd from Image Collections), as well as an Arkham Asylum styled batarang.

Aside from a few minor hiccups here and there, all in all the event was, in my opinion, a huge success.  The whole cast and crew worked seamlessly to bring the whole thing together, the staff at the 5 were awesome, and the fans made us feel like it was all worth it in the end.

Adonis and Batman Glen

5 Owner Brian and Adonis

5 Manager Mike and Adonis

Don draws for 5 Drive-In staff

R I S E

Dark Knight Rises... And Shines!

"We were in this together, and then you were gone. Now this evil... rises. The Batman has to come back."
"What if he doesn't exist any more?"
"He must... he must..." – Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne

Some days, it seems like the work of a masked vigilante leading a double life just doesn't seem to end.  While multiple things have been happening in the workshop lately, suturing the mask, doctoring tools and holsters for the utility belt, my "other mask" (that of Bruce Wayne) has been busy.

Wayne and the Batsuit

What possibly can a billionaire-playboy not push off to his butler/employees?  Well, a promise made and an opportunity of a lifetime.  Through a group of my good friends, specifically my comic book artist friend Adonis Howard and comic book store owner Todd Mara, I've come to be involved in a promotional crew for the new Dark Knight Rises movie (in theatres today!)

The 5 Drive-In at Oakville invited us to make a big event of this Saturday's showing of the Dark Knight Rises, the third and last installment of Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy.  So for the past month or so we've been rather busy creating signs, banners, and artwork, and pulling the whole thing together.

Bruce Wayne dances with Selina Kyle

For our work we've been rewarded with admission to the advanced screening of this spectacular show last night, before the rest of North America even gets a chance to see the opening title.  Something that others would spend anywhere between $70-$150 per seat for in theatres.

But all the money in the world couldn't have prepared me for this.  This magnificient end to the Batman legend shines through all those that came before it, leaving all of us gripping at the edge of our seats right from the very beginning, all the way past the very end.  Every angle, every movement, every detail was true to the iconic mood and theme of the Dark Knight.

Catwoman, defiant

The care in putting detail into plot development is unbelievable.  What's more, as the plot develops, those of the audience who are initiated into the plot of the past two movies slowly come to realize, that Nolan's quite carefully and quite deliberately weaved these two prequel blockbusters in a way that seems like he was planning and building up to this climactic finale all along.

Now, I will admit, that I'm a sucker for certain parts, and I really do wish there was a bit more focus on Bruce Wayne (Batman), and on Selina Kyle (Catwoman).  But with this many layers to unfold in so short a time, and so many things to blow up...  Nolan quite successfully floored even a lifetime Batman fanatic like me.

In the grime and the wreckage of Gotham city under siege, the Dark Knight truly shines.

I can't wait until we all get to see it again on Saturday.