Is…is Orange Batman a thing? I know I’ve occasionally passed through the toy aisle (on my way to the ammo section) and I’ve seen various colorful toy Batmen (Ski Attack Batman! Scuba Stealth Batman!) and some of them have been a bit on the loud side, but then those are toys, brightly colored to attract children and provide an excuse (you know, so Mom can’t say, “But Tom, you already have so many Batmen!” “But M0-om, look, he’s or-ange!”).
But I really am curious, is Orange Batman an actual comic book thing? A character that a Comic Con attendee would dress as–or is this one of the many variants of Robin? Or Bizarro Batman? Is he one of the Aquabats? Or is he a cos-player who exhibits the same attention to detail that some cartoonists do? The only reason I ask is because nothing else in this strip is interesting.
I mean, I would have thought that Holly’s credit card company would call her about an airline ticket before calling about buying some comic book. Unless, of course, this loose comic book, stuffed into a box to be rifled through by endless grimy thumbs, somehow has a price in the hundreds of dollars.
How much would it cost if it was slabbed and graded and all that? A cool million? Would it be so costly that Bruce Wayne himself couldn’t afford it?
Son of Stuck Funky 
It looks like Batom couldn’t decide between sticking with the story line or doing a riff on the zaniness of SDCC. So he chose both, with horribly stupid results. Once again we see his love for comic books tempered by a weird affectionate sort of disdain for the weirdos who take them too seriously, along with a side order of “modern technology” screwing over poor, poor Holly. What a mess.
Given the exorbitant prices she must have paid for a last-minute scalped floor pass, flight, and hotel reservation…yeah, I’m not surprised the credit card company flagged her account for suspicious activity.
Of course, the standard procedure is to give you a call and confirm the charges are your own, but since when has logic and realism been a concern in this arc?
Really have to wonder just how expensive these comics are if they’re getting flagged as suspicious purchases. Almost makes one wonder if someone relying on the money made by a small town pizzeria should save her money for better things.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, as he disembarked Air Force One on November 11, 1918 with Bing Crosby, Joe Montana and the Olsen twins, “Ask not what you can do for your country, because it takes a lot of chutzpah to deliver what the cast of “Survivor: Beneath the Delaware Memorial Bridge” spews forth every year”
Makes more sense than this crap!
TFH – first thing I thought of was this–
The whole idea of Holly having enough money to finance this is just another example of TB going over every panel with a fine felt tip and removing anything that might make even a slight bit of sense from the strip. The rare and expensive comic book being tossed around like an old dishrag, the cost involved with a last-second trip to SDCC, the issue #1 paradox, the sudden popularity of SJ…I could go on and on and it’s every arc, not just this one. It’s quite remarkable, really. Having it not make sense is the one thing he’s most meticulous about and he gets it wrong right down to the tiniest little detail.
Given the positioning of Holly and “Batman” in Panel 2, I’d say it’s a safe bet he’s already memorized her credit card number.
Once again, we have to consider the fact that Batiuk is showing us how he’d like the world to be. He might actually know that the credit card company would call her first but likes it this way because it makes more sense from his perspective.
The suspense is…
Even if they do hack the credit card, what are they going to get?
Are we going to get an arc about the new Romanian pizza place in Westview, Ahia, Montonescu’s?
Orange Batman is not only a comic book thing, it’s a thing thing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-Universe-Justice-League-Unlimited-JLU-Batman-Orange-Suit-Loose-Action-Figure-/390676051765
At least it’s not Jaden Smith’s white Batman costume: http://www.lovebscott.com/news/kris-jenner-speaks-jaden-smiths-batman-costume-hes-like-one-just-thought-genius
How can an author brag about how realistic his “writing” consistently churn out such out-of-touch stuff?
Keen-eyed readers will notice the back of Snickers commercial Batman’s head in panels 2 and 3. A much more trustworthy Batman than the privacy-invading Nolan film Batman that is talking to Holly.
Because I have a slow wit, it took a while to occour to me – why on earth would someone try to snag the number of a credit card that had had a charge declined?
These aren’t the Batmen Holly needs, but they sure as hell are the one’s she deserves!!!
Professor Fate: that’s a good one. Yet another tiny detail, lovingly crafted in a way that ensures it makes no sense whatsoever.
Just another continuity screwup: Holly’s first panel line implies that the person she is talking to already knows her credit card number, otherwise that person would not have been able to tell her why the charge was declined. Therefore she does not need to give her card number.
Also, I’m not sure why someone dressed as Joel Shumacher’s Batman (check out the white logo! That’s the Clooney costume!) would be trustworthy. I am amused with the idea of him checking her out, however.