City of Scars

City of Scars
City of Scars
	Promotional poster
Directed by	Aaron Schoenke
Written by	Aaron Schoenke
Based on	Characters; by Bob Kane; Bill Finger
Produced by	Aaron Schoenke; Sean Schoenke;
Starring	Kevin Porter; Paul Molnar; Christopher Parker; Guy Grundy;
Cinematography	Aaron Schoenke
Edited by	Aaron Schoenke
Music by	Sean Schoenke
Production; company	Bat in the Sun
Release date	June 17, 2010;
Running time	30 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

City of Scars, also known as Batman: City of Scars, is a 2010 superhero fan film produced by Aaron and Sean Schoenke, starring Kevin Porter as Batman, and based on the Batman franchise. The film had a budget of $27,000 and was shot in 21 days.^[1] The 30-minute short film is partly set in Arkham Asylum.^[2]

City of Scars was followed by the 2011 sequel Seeds of Arkham and the 2021 film Batman: Dying Is Easy.

Plot

The Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum, spraying Joker venom in a nurse's face as he runs and putting her in intensive care. Upon arriving in Gotham City, he kidnaps Councilman Johnson and his son shortly after brutally murdering the Councilman's wife. Determined not to let his archenemy kill anyone else, Batman hunts him through the city. After Councilman Johnson is found dead while his son remains in The Joker's captivity, Batman questions whether his crusade against evil does more bad than good. Batman tracks The Joker to a carnival, where he thwarts the villain's plot of bombing a ferris wheel. He then races to the location of The Joker and the councilman's son, but when the young boy kills The Joker with his own gun, Batman debates if his greatest nemesis' death is a step toward Gotham's peace, or rather a sign that things are getting worse.^[3]

Cast

Kevin Porter as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Paul Molnar as The Joker
Christopher Parker as Detective Crispus Allen
Guy Grundy as Victor Zsasz
Katie Joy Horwitch as Renee Montoya
Jay Caputo as Arnold Wesker/Scarface
Madelynn Rae as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn
Tess Kielhamer as Black Canary

Background

Filmmaker Aaron Schoenke is a long-time Batman fan, having earlier created two fan film shorts about the subject: Patient J in 2005^[4] and Batman Legends in 2006.^[5]

References

^ Boucher, Geoff (June 22, 2010). "Hero Complex". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
^ Frenette, Brad (June 29, 2010). "Batman fan film 'City of Scars' plays to its audience". National Post. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
^ Pantozzi, Jill (June 21, 2010). "Batman Fan Film 'City of Scars' Leaves Its Mark". MTV.com. New York City: Viacom. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
^ Anderson, Steve (August 2, 2006). "PATIENT J". Film Threat. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
^ Runzo, Noah (November 4, 2005). "Patient J". Cinema Crazed. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2012.