There’s absolutely no words to describe how awesomed I was when Grant Morrison first announced that Bruce Wayne is going to start franchising Batman and is going to turn it into a brand in “Batman Inc.". Seriously, it doesn’t matter if you hate or love Morrison’s run on Batman, I think we can all agree that he did more for the character for the last 20 years over any other writer. And Batman as a brand is the logical (or illogical) next step.

In the new series, Batman will create a team of super-heroes who will be wearing his colors. The team will include Dick Grayson, Knight and Squire, El Gaucho and eight others. Again, Morrison says, “it’s all about the branding.”

Incidentally, this new era of Batman also means that we get a costume change:

I don’t need to explain how much I absolutely loathe the yellow oval on Batman’s chest. Although I grew up watching the Adam West TV show and reading Bronze Age Batman comics where he is always depicted with the yellow oval and symbol on his chest, I really prefer the oval-less symbol. It gives me the impression that Batman is a much more badass character that way.

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So, over on Ain’t it Cool, mockups of Chris Evans’s official Captain America: The First Avenger costume were posted. I’m honestly hot too hot about the suit because, well, it sort of evokes the Ultimates feel. I’d rather have them go for something like Bucky’s costume. And they have a helmet instead of the traditional cowl. And the small star on his chest is really bugging me. But whatever. The costume looks practical, and something that can really work in a real-world setting. Besides, I don’t think Cap’s chain-mail costume would work in World War II. People seem to be responding pretty positively to the mockups, so I guess that’s a win.

But since these are just mockups, I really can’t pass judgment on them until I see the first publicity photos. Chris Evans as Captain America pictures after the jump! Click on the images to embiggen! (continue reading…)