Hey folks, Harry here - which is 85mph somewhere between Hickory & Morganton, North Carolina heading into DELIVERANCE country... so this could be nigh the last thing I ever post before doing the piggy scream... but enough of Yoko and mine's private bedroom habits. -- As I'm on this trip - there's plenty I miss... all the current DVDs, HD-DVDs and TV events. Then I speed across this map missing the key geek events like San Diego and Wizard World in Chicago.... why... last night in Baltimore - as I was enjoying the hell out of the John Waters fest - I learned about a Horror Convention in town and was invited by The Great And Powerful Wizard of Oz to attend... Alas - I stayed true to the Roadshow and had a blast! Meanwhile - like many of you, I hate missing not being everywhere at everything... so let's give it up to The Goddamned Batman for reporting on this... sounds awesome!

Hey, I've just come from Wizard World Chicago, one of the biggest comic cons in America, something I try and go to every year, but this year was by far the best con experience I've ever had.

Yesterday at a DC comics panel, Editor Dan Didio stepped aside at the end for a special presentation, and Bob Wayne ( I know he has something to do with sales, I don't remember his official title) got up to address some rumors. There was a secret panel the next day, and for the first people to attend the con and get wrist bands, there would be something about a movie, "They may or may not be working on, and they may or may not be filming currently in the city." This went up to crazy cheers.

I got back to the con this morning at 7:00 AM which is two hours before they let weekend pass owners enter, without a weekend pass you don't get in until ten. Longest two hours of my life, and when they let us in, we all lined up inside the main show room. It took us another hour before we were given wrist bands, and a batman t-shirt, with the date of the con, and the bat symbol on the front, with THE DARK KNIGHT IN THEATERS JULY 2008.

At about 3:00 pm, I got BACK in line and waited until six. We had been warned the day before when the panel was announced, that there would be no cameras, cell phones, ipods, or anything else that could be used as a recording device.

Paul Levitz president and publisher of DC comics took the stage to thunderous applause, and introduced David Goyer, Jona Nolan, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, and Christian Bale, and then Chris Nolan himself! Oldman through Nolan all got standing ovations.

They did Q&A for about 45 mins, which was incredible, but having just left, I haven't let my mind sort it all out yet. Then, they showed the footage. Chris Nolan seemed really nervous about showing footage. He said it was rough and incomplete and uthat he had a hard time showing anyone unfinished product.

Honest to God, I don't know what he was worried about. Any apprehension I had about the Joker's apperance disappeared. He doesn't look like the classic Joker in any way shape or form, and from what I can tell he has visable makeup lines, so I am guessing whatever causes his "Transformation" in this one will be nothing like any other telling of the joker.

It was short, and didn't give away to much, so I'll try and just bring up the highlights.

-- The Joker looks terrifying. There is footage of him in interrogation with a voice over from Gordon, they can't find whatever it is they are looking for on him, "All he had in his pockets was lint, and a knife."

--There are explosions, shots of the batmobile, and what looks like a tube holding the bat costume rising from the floor.

-- There is a shot of the Joker walking down and apparently enflamed city street, laughing and firing what looked like a tommy gun, but really could have been another automatic rifle.

-- Bruce Wayne meets Harvey Dent for the first time,
Dent: "The famous Bruce Wayne, Rachel has told me all about you!"
Wayne: "I hope not."

A lot of quick cuts, the batmobile exploding through a wall of flame, the joker holding Maggie Gyllenhal at knife point, and Batman kicking through the door in the interrogation room from the beginning of the clip, he lifts the Joker over his head and slams him on the table... HARD.

AND THEN...

A coin flips onto a counter next to a glass on a bar, the bartender starts to pour the shot before looking up, his response, "Jesus, Harvey, I thought you were dead!"
A hand picks up the shot, and it is slammed off screen before Aaron Eckhart's voice answers, "Half."

That was it, the crowd went nuts, before con volunteers started running up and down the isles of the pannel with blacklights, and the shirts had in I guess blacklight reactive ink HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA printed all over them. I was in one line or another for about 11 hours today, and it was completely worth it. The trailer and footage were incredibly badass, and I am now looking forward to this movie even more than I was.

Anyway, no pictures or recording devices were allowed in the panel, but I do have some cool pictures of the free shirt below.

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Anyway, if you use this, call me, THE GODDAMMED BATMAN