Few characters have inspired as many entertaining and visually-inspired fan films as Batman. Over the years the Caped Crusader has starred in several labor of love short films financed and created by longtime admirers of the classic DC Comics superhero including Sandy Collora’s Dead End (which pitted Batman against the Joker – played by the late Andrew Koenig – as well as Aliens and Predators) and World’s Finest (Batman teams with Superman to battle Lex Luthor); Jeffery Scheetz’s CGI-animated New Times (featuring the voices of Adam West and Mark Hamill); and John Fiorella’s Robin-centric Grayson.

The latest, and one of the best, Batman fan film to hit the web is Batman: Death Wish, and like the best short features of the pack this one has an interesting hook. You can watch the 12-minute film here below.

Joker’s Asylum II: The Riddler
One-Shot
Written by: Peter Calloway
Art by: Clayton Henry
Cover by: Ethan Van Sciver
DC Comics
Price: $2.99
Release Date: June 3, 2010

As comic reader, a lot of times we get fed tons of these useless one-shots and we write them off as the big publishers trying to rake in more money. Well, every once in a while there is a gem mixed in amongst these one-shots that goes under the radar and that is what I’ve brought to the table now. Joker’s Asylum II: The Riddler is a story about the Riddler, obviously, as told by the Joker while he is seemingly incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. Of course, any story told by the Joker will be insanely interesting, no pun intended.

Peter Calloway seems to capture the essence of both the Joker, through his narration, and the Riddler, through his actions in the story. The Joker has just enough crazy to pull off the story making his own riddles along the way, leaving you guessing throughout the entire story. Can the Riddler actually love? That’s the crux of the story and it is definitely interesting to explore the riddle of love. My favorite part is the open-ended completion of the story by the Joker.

Summer time can typically be responsible for one big flaw in movie news: the heat makes people rumor-happy-wacky-insane. Some of them may end up holding some truth; most of them — like the recent reports of what we could expect from Indiana Jones 5 — will end up being denied to the end as completely false.

These rumors are usually an aggravation to all, but when one has any kind of reasonable source or backing to it, it has the ability to catch some eyes. With that said, here’s one to feast your eyes and thoughts on.

Hollywood Life has word from a source close to the action that Joseph Gordon-Levitt could just be a favorite for director Christopher Nolan to cast as The Riddler in the untitled follow-up to 2008’s The Dark Knight, currently known as Batman 3.