The Dark Knight
July 18

Advance buzz has understandably focused on Heath Ledger’s Joker—eerily based, in part, on Malcolm McDowell’s performance in A Clockwork Orange—and from the trailer, it looks like Ledger’s final role will be a memorable one. But it also will be interesting to see how director Christopher Nolan expands his version of the Batman universe. If Tim Burton’s dark, angular Gotham City aimed for the modern equivalent of German Expressionism, Nolan’s brighter Batman Begins (2005) brought Batman a step closer to the real world. Accordingly, it featured a superb use of Chicago locations, often shot in the glow of street lamps. The Dark Knight also takes advantage of our hometown: The trailer includes what may be the best use of the LaSalle Street canyon since The Untouchables. Christian Bale dons the cape again, but Maggie Gyllenhaal steps into the Katie Holmes role as Rachel Dawes, which is sort of like Laura Linney filling in for Paris Hilton.

GEEK SPEAK
Caitlin McKay, sales associate at Chicago Comics (3244 N Clark St, 773-528-1983)

Working in the comic-book industry for the past eight years, McKay has amassed an impressive collection of Batstuff. Between the 500-plus caped crusader comic books on her shelves, as well as a couple figurines, McKay estimates the market value of her collection hovers somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000.

Reasons to be hopeful “I think I’m going to like the Heath Ledger Joker better [than Jack Nicholson]. They’re basing his costume off of late ’70s punk and goth.”

Possible pitfalls “I’m a little worried that they’re not going to hit the Joker on the mark. The Joker is a cold-blooded killer, and I’m hoping that they get his blood-thirstiness down.”

Fascinating Batman fact? “Batman doesn’t have personal relationships. He has the ‘Batman family,’ which is Nightwing, Robin, Alfred and Oracle, but he keeps those people at arm’s length.”

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