We’re quickly approaching the return of Batman to the big screen. The Dark Knight has had a long history at the movies, and he shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Though it has been a few years since the series concluded, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy is still a topic of discussion among fans with the middle entry cited by many as their favorite/the best superhero movie ever. So despite Ben Affleck taking over in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the love for those three films isn’t going anywhere.
Since before the movies were even released, the influence of DC comics on the films was being reported, in particular with Batman Begins. Countless posts and articles have been written about the narrative and character influences on the movies, but we wanted to look at them through a different prism – the visual influence. Every once in a while, when a comic book movie hits the big screen, people talk about the way that the visual language of the movie references that of a comic book. Sometimes the filmmakers take that to heart totally when they’re crafting the movie and frame their actors and sets so they’re bringing those panels to life. Maybe you know the comics that influenced Christopher Nolan in writing his Batman movies, but now, for the first in a series on the matter, we want to showcase and discuss the visual influences of the movies from comic to screen.
Check out the slideshow below and compare the comic book panels with excerpts from the movies, and let us know your thoughts below!
Visual References: The Dark Knight Trilogy
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Batman Begins
Secret Origins, "The Man Who Falls" - 1989
Written by Dennis O'Neil
Art by Dick Giordano -
Batman Begins
Secret Origins, "The Man Who Falls" - 1989
Written by Dennis O'Neil
Art by Dick Giordano -
Batman Begins
Secret Origins, "The Man Who Falls" - 1989
Written by Dennis O'Neil
Art by Dick Giordano -
Batman Begins
Secret Origins, "The Man Who Falls" - 1989
Written by Dennis O'Neil
Art by Dick Giordano -
Batman Begins
Batman #404 - "Year One Chapter One" - 1987
Written by Frank Miller
Art by David Mazzucchelli -
Batman Begins
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #1 - 1993
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale -
Batman Begins
Batman #406 - "Year One Chapter Three" - 1987
Written by Frank Miller
Art by David Mazzucchelli -
Batman Begins
Batman #404 - "Year One Chapter Three" - 1987
Written by Frank Miller
Art by David Mazzucchelli -
Batman Begins
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #2 "The Dark Knight Triumphant" - 1986
Written by Frank Miller
Art by Frank Miller -
Batman Begins
Batman #404 - "Year One Chapter One" - 1987
Written by Frank Miller
Art by David Mazzucchelli -
Batman Begins
Batman: The Long Halloween #8 - 1997
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale -
Batman Begins
Batman #407 - "Year One Chapter Four" 0 1987
Written by Frank Miller
Art by David Mazzucchelli -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Cult #1 - 1988
Written by Jim Starlin
Art by Bernie Wrightson -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Long Halloween #1 - 1996
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale -
The Dark Knight
Batman: Dark Victory #1 - 1999
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Man Who Laughs - 2005
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Doug Mahnke -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Man Who Laughs - 2005
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Doug Mahnke -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Long Halloween #5 - 1997
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Man Who Laughs - 2005
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Doug Mahnke -
The Dark Knight
Batman #1 - 1940
Written by Bill Finger
Art by Bob Kane -
The Dark Knight
Batman #496 - 1993
Written by Doug Moench
Art by Jim Aparo -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Long Halloween #13 - 1997
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Killing Joke - 1988
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Brian Bolland -
The Dark Knight
Gotham Central #15 - 2004
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Michael Lark -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Long Halloween #1 - 1996
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Man Who Laughs - 2005
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Doug Mahnke -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Man Who Laughs - 2005
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Doug Mahnke -
The Dark Knight
Batman: The Killing Joke - 1988
Written by Alan Moore
Art by Brian Bolland -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #118
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Jason Pearson & James Hodgkins -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: The Cult #4 - 1988
Written by Jim Starlin
Art by Bernie Wrightson -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #2 "The Dark Knight Triumphant" - 1986
Written by Frank Miller
Art by Frank Miller -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: Year 100 #3 - 2006
Written by Paul Pope
Art by Paul Pope -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: Year 100 #4 - 2006
Written by Paul Pope
Art by Paul Pope -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: Year 100 #4 - 2006
Written by Paul Pope
Art by Paul Pope -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: Year 100 #4 - 2006
Written by Paul Pope
Art by Paul Pope -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: The Cult #1 - 1988
Written by Jim Starlin
Art by Bernie Wrightson -
The Dark Knight Rises
Detective Comics #660
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Jim Balent -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman #497 - 1993
Written by Doug Moench
Art by Jim Aparo -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman #497 - 1993
Written by Doug Moench
Art by Jim Aparo -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: The Cult #3 - 1988
Written by Jim Starlin
Art by Bernie Wrightson -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: The Cult #2 - 1988
Written by Jim Starlin
Art by Bernie Wrightson -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman #491 - 1993
Written by Doug Moench
Art by Jim Aparo -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: The Cult #4 - 1988
Written by Jim Starlin
Art by Bernie Wrightson -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: Birth of the Demon - 1992
Written by Dennis O'Neil
Art by Norm Breyfogle -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman: No Man's Land #1 - 1999
Written by Bob Gale
Art by Alex Maleev -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman #563 - 1999
Written by Bob Gale
Art by Alex Maleev -
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman #500 - 1993
Written by Doug Moench
Art by Jim Aparo
