Behold The Batfleck!

By now I think we've all kind of vaguely grown somewhat almost comfortable with the idea of Ben Affleck taking over the cape and cowl as Batman in Zack Snyder's rapidly expanding cinematic take on the DC universe.  But the question remained as to what exactly that cape and cowl would look like.  Now we have our answer and it's...actually pretty damn great.

First off, I love that it's a black and white photo, even though that obscures some of the details and makes it difficult to discern precise color values.  Is the suit all black?  Is there some grey in there?  Hard to tell.  There does seem to be some distinction between the body of the suit and the gloves/cowl, but that could be more a matter of texture than color.  Personally I'd love to see a classic grey and black suit (I was never really a fan of the blue) but that might just be too much to hope for.  The cape appears to be more leather than fabric and I'm a big fan of the shorter points atop the cowl.

That textured look seems to largely fall in line with Henry Cavill's suit from Man Of Steel, as does the logo on the chest.  Just the other day I was mulling over the distinct differences between the Burton and Nolan bat symbols and thought, "I wonder which way Snyder will decide to go?"  Affleck is sporting the "fat bat" insignia best known from Frank Miller's excellent Dark Knight Returns.  That's hardly a surprise, considering that Snyder introduced the project at ComicCon by having Harry Lennix read a passage from Miller's novel, so I expect that version of the character will play a very significant influence on this latest incarnation, even if the story bears little to no resemblance.  But this new logo, which I totally love, is a smart and simple way to instantly differentiate Batfleck from all who've come before him.  I just hope it pops from the suit a little more than it does here.  My wife didn't even notice it the first time she looked at the picture.

And let's not overlook that Batmobile!  The giant wheels are a clear holdover from the Tumbler, but I'm very happy to see something that looks more like a car than a tank.  It's utilitarian AND sporty!  But will it shoot flames out the back?  Only time will tell.

This is how you introduce a character.  It's different enough from previous Batmen to feel exciting without doing something completely bonkers like the supposed mechanical exo-skeleton that George Miller wanted to feature in his ill-fated Justice League movie.  I have a sneaking suspicion that this Batman is going to be far less concerned with "real-world practicality" than he is with "having cool shit that looks awesome on screen."  But that's Zack Snyder for you.