‘Batman’ Returns: Veteran investigator and retired Manchester cop is back for sequel with Queen City police

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MANCHESTER, NH – Robert “Bob” Freitas Jr., a longtime criminal investigator for the city of Manchester and the state, returned Monday to the city where he started his law enforcement career, officially sworn in as a Reserve Officer at the Manchester Police Department.

Chief Allen Aldenberg personally conducted the oath of office and handed Freitas his badge. Freitas’s wife, Christine, attended the intimate ceremony in the station conference room near the chief’s office.

“Thanks for having me back. Thank you,” Freitas told Aldenberg immediately after the swearing-in. “Feels good, man, to be home.”

For Freitas, a lifelong fan of Batman comics, Batman memorabilia and the old 1960s TV show starring Adam West, Manchester is his Gotham City.

I first met Freitas in 2012 when he was working in the Cold Case Unit at New Hampshire State Police, already about two or three years into his retirement from Manchester Police. I was just starting as a green reporter for public radio.

He had a framed page of Batman comic book art hung on the wall next to his desk. Batman is, among comic book superheroes and vigilantes, first and foremost a detective, he explained. It’s often forgotten that his title first launched when publisher DC was known by its full name: Detective Comics.

Freitas isn’t shy about his fandom. He has a cabinet in his home with Batman items on display, including a 16-inch statue that his kids gifted him for his birthday one year.

“I’m not even embarrassed anymore,” he said.

Around 2007, while a Manchester detective, he and fellow Det. Stacey Howe went to see Adam West at the Palace Theater. They had their picture taken by Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on Gilligan’s Island.

Now that Freitas, 58, is returning to Manchester, it echoes a seminal work of Batman lore called The Dark Knight Returns (1986), written by Frank Miller. In the story, Bruce Wayne is 55 and long retired from crime-fighting. But as things worsen in the city and chaos and madness run rampant, he dons the cape and cowl again to shake up the criminal underworld.

Of course, there aren’t many other parallels between Frank Miller’s hard-boiled caped crusader and Freitas. Freitas isn’t (as far as we know) taking the law into his own hands by moonlighting as a vigilante ninja, nor is he the haunted, grizzled personality the book portrays.

If anything, Freitas brings a jovial and positive attitude to the police station. Assistant Chief Steve Mangone said having Freitas back will not only be an asset to the Investigative Division but will likely boost officer morale.

“Bob could always cheer you up if you’re having a rough day,” Mangone said.

When Mangone started in the department about 24 years ago, he said he worked the midnight shift in patrol and would occasionally work alongside Freitas, who joined the force in 1985.

“Bob was one of the reasons I realized this was the place to be,” Mangone said.

He said Freitas is generally well-liked on the force. When Freitas retired, Mangone said he had the most well-attended retirement party he’d ever been to before or since.

Aldenberg said Freitas still wants to serve after decades of experience as an investigator and inviting him to return as a reserve officer was a “no-brainer.”

“Glad to have him back,” Aldenberg said.

These past few weeks have weighed heavily on the Manchester police department as they search for 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery. Despite hundreds of tips, a sizable reward and thorough property searches, they have so far been unable to locate her.

If there’s ever a time when the department needs a morale boost, this would be it. And Mangone said when a major case takes priority, like a missing child, a lot of other cases go on hold. So, having Freitas will ease the burden of sifting through the backlog.

Freitas said he feels like a professional athlete in the twilight of his career signing on with his original team.

“I’m looking forward to this opportunity,” Freitas said.

He was first inspired to become a cop (after getting his associate’s degree in culinary arts and hotel restaurant management at New Hampshire College) by his neighborhood friend Billy Burke, who served as a Manchester cop before finishing his career as Chief of Police in Chester.

“I owe a lot of this inspiration to him,” Freitas said.

His great-great-grandfather, Walter Scannell, also served as a Manchester cop from 1911 to 1936.

Freitas started his investigative work for the juvenile crimes unit in 1990 until about 1997. While at juvenile, he was part of the first Child Abuse and Sexual Exploitation (CHASE) Unit.

In 1999, Freitas was off the job for 14 months due to an injury when a pick-up truck hit him during an arrest. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to rejoin the force. It was a scary time, but he remembers the kindness of his fellow detective Carlo Capano, who would come to his house and hang out. Capano would later become chief.

In 2002, he joined detectives and then retired at the age of 46 in November 2009 to take a job at the newly formed Cold Case Unit in Concord.

While there, he enjoyed investigating and solving cases that had long gone unsolved. There was less immediacy and he could contemplate and tackle a case from a new angle alongside then Sgt. Scott Gilbert, then Det. John Encarnacao, both of NHSP, and prosecutor Will Delker.

“That was probably the most fun I had in my law enforcement career, was Cold Case. I enjoyed that the most,” Freitas said.

Still, he developed a newfound appreciation for the emotional turmoil unsolved cases can wreak on victims and family members. The years of uncertainty and a lack of resolution can feel hopeless. Freitas said they wanted to give those families hope.

Often, they had a solid suspect but insufficient evidence for a case to go to trial. And the thing that sometimes helped solve a case was a stroke of luck; a new DNA technology or a witness speaking up after years of silence.

After he left Cold Case in 2014, he began work as an investigator for the state’s federally-funded Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which was one of only half a dozen grandfathered jobs in the state that still allowed a state pensioner to work up to about 32 hours a week in an agency that pays into the pension system.

“It’s an important job,” Freitas said. “There’s a lot of documentation. … It’s not sexy by any stretch of the imagination.”

Now, Freitas said, he’s looking to dial back a bit and put in fewer hours while continuing to put his years of investigative experience to work.

“I started my law enforcement career here at Manchester PD, and it would be nice to end it here, too,” he said.

Why Michael Keaton Walked Away From Batman Forever but Returned for Flash

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Michael Keaton walked away from Batman Forever, but the actor wasn’t walking away from Batman forever. In an interview on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Podcast With Julia Cunningham, Keaton explains why he walked away from the Batman franchise of the ’90s after starring in director Tim Burton’s 1989 blockbuster and its 1992 sequel Batman Returns. After the darkness of Burton’s Batman — and the especially Burtonesque sequel that sparked outrage among parents and advertisers — studio Warner Bros. and new director Joel Schumacher wanted to lighten up Batman. Val Kilmer donned the cape and cowl in 1995’s Batman Forever, which spawned the campier 1997 sequel Batman & Robin with George Clooney.

“[Batman] was a job. And then the next one was a job, and I enjoyed it. But then over time — and then the third one, I just couldn’t do,” Keaton said on The Jess Cagle Podcast With Julia Cunningham. “I just thought, ‘Well, this is not good. This is not good. I just can’t do it. I’ll blow my brains out. Just can’t live with myself.’ And so I walked away.”

As the comic book genre exploded again in later years in the worlds of DC and Marvel, Keaton said, “I was really out of it, to be honest. At some point, you’re a jerk if you don’t go, ‘Well, this is a legitimate world. You’re no better or worse than this.’”

Because much has changed in the 30 years since Keaton played the Dark Knight in Batman Returns, he grew curious about revisiting the role in a modern superhero setting. When there was an opportunity for Keaton’s Batman to return opposite Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) in The Flash, Keaton knew it was time to come back to the role he once walked away from — seemingly forever.

“When it came around again, I was getting curious about it. I thought, ‘Boy, what would that be like?’ And then, coincidentally, there were murmurs, I got a call from Warner Bros. They wanted to talk to me about something, and there were hints of Batman,” he said. “I think it was about some other thing regarding Batman … I got a call later saying, ‘We want you to read something.’ I just thought, ‘Of course you have to do this.’”

For him to reprise Batman in Flash, Keaton said, “It has to be good. There’s no reason to do it if it’s not good. It’s not gonna really change anything. And I just jumped in and had fun. And why would you not? You know, I mean, director Andy Muschietti is fantastic, and it’s really creative. I don’t know. It’s fun.”

In October, Muschietti said Keaton “was honored to come to do this character again.”

On convincing him to play Batman a third time, the director revealed at DC FanDome China, “We sent him a great script, and that is probably the thing that got him interested. It’s more complex than this…we gave him a great script and I promised him great direction. And that was about it.”

Michael Keaton’s Batman returns in The Flash, out November 4 in theaters, and Batgirl, premiering later this year on HBO Max.

Flashpoint Batman Returns in New Series From Geoff Johns

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Writer Geoff Johns is returning to the world of Flashpoint with a new miniseries starring Thomas Wayne, the Batman of the Flashpoint universe. In the series, which launches in the spring, the Flashpoint Batman will be tasked with figuring out a mystery worthy of a Dark Knight Detective: how did his universe survive the end of Flashpoint, and why is he still alive? Aiding him in this mystery is a setting that looks familiar to readers of 52 and the 2007-2001 volume of Booster Gold: a chalkboard, loaded with cryptic hints, and surrounded by clocks. Could it be that part of Thomas Wayne’s research has taken him either to Vanishing Point, or to one of Rip Hunter’s time labs in Arizona and Pittsburgh?

Not necessarily: it seems instead as though the clocks are tied to the story’s villain, someone known as the Clockwork Killer. The story, titled Flashpoint Beyond, will kick off with the 48-page Flashpoint Beyond #0, featuring artwork by Eduardo Risso.

“Everyone working on these books is giving it their all to deliver something that is worth the readers’ time in this competitive landscape of entertainment,” said Johns in a statement provided by DC. “This is for fans of big DC events and the great history of DC when it comes to comic books. And even though this is an event, it’s focused on character over concept – it’s the story of Thomas Wayne Batman, a Barry Allen that could’ve been, the crimes of Bruce Wayne – it’s a murder mystery, a secret mission and a look into the past, present and future of the continuum of DC. And as dark as it can get in this upside down world of Flashpoint, it’s fun.”

Here’s how DC describes the one-shot: After sacrificing everything to help The Flash put the universe back together and save Bruce Wayne’s life, Thomas Wayne wakes up in a world he thought was no more. Forced to don the cowl once again, Batman prowls the streets of Gotham City searching for answers to how this world still exists, but what he starts to uncover will send him hurtling around the globe. The hunt for the Clockwork Killer starts here!

Starting with issue #1, Johns will share writing duties with Jeremy Adams and Tim Sheridan, and artwork from XERMÁNICO, with a new issue coming out every two weeks.

In Flashpoint Beyond #1, Batman’s hunt for the Clockwork Killer brings him to Europe and face to face with the mad king, Aquaman. On the eve of Aquaman’s sinking of London, Batman infiltrates his stronghold and goes on the warpath for answers. Nothing matters to Batman, whose world is already dead, but if he can track down the Clockwork Killer, Thomas can save his son’s world and put everything back together again.

“This is something that, as a fan, I’ve been waiting for a long time – a return to the world of Flashpoint,” said Sheridan. “The fact that I’ve gotten to be a small part of that return is just about the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me and getting to be associated with Geoff, Jeremy, Eduardo, Xermánico and a team that’s put their whole hearts into this, has made it no less than surreal. I can’t wait for people to see these pages!”

“It’s been a privilege, and incredible learning experience, to work with these talented writers, artists, inkers, letterers, colorists and editors for this series,” said Adams. “Talking story and character has been eye-opening, and the lessons will undoubtedly color everything I do from now on. I’m beyond excited that DC fans will get to go back to the Flashpoint Universe and experience a grounded mystery that will evoke serious philosophical questions while tugging at your heartstrings.”

You can see the solicitation information below.

FLASHPOINT BEYOND #0

Written by GEOFF JOHNS

Art by EDUARDO RISSO

Cover by DEXTER SOY

Variant cover by EDUARDO RISSO

1:25 variant cover by MAX DUNBAR

1:50 variant cover by TODD NAUCK

$5.99 US | 48 pages

ON SALE 4/5/22

FLASHPOINT BEYOND #1

Written by GEOFF JOHNS, JEREMY ADAMS, and TIM SHERIDAN

Art by XERMÁNICO

Cover by MITCH GERADS

Variant cover by XERMÁNICO

1:25 variant cover by GARY FRANK

1:50 variant cover by TODD NAUCK

$4.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $5.99 US

ON SALE 4/19/22

FLASHPOINT BEYOND #0 will be available at local comic book stores and digital retailers on April 5, 2022. A new issue in the mini-series will come out every two weeks, starting with Flashpoint Beyond #1 on April 19.

DC “The Dark Knight Returns” Superman vs. Batman 7-Inch Scale Action Figure 2-Pack

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Entertainment Earth are now taking pre-orders for the DC “The Dark Knight Returns” Superman vs. Batman 7-Inch Scale Action Figure 2-Pack.

From the pages of the classic comic book series “The Dark Knight Returns,” this Superman vs. Batman 2-pack pits the 2 former allies in a standoff. Both 7-inch scale action figures come packaged in a window display box. Each action figure is designed with ultra articulation with up to 22 points of articulation for full range of posing and display. The 2-pack comes with a specialized rubble display base along with 2 display bases to recreate an epic fight scene.

Batman: As a child, Bruce Wayne watched as his parents were brutally killed in Gotham City’s Crime Alley. Traumatized by their deaths, he devoted his life to becoming the world’s greatest weapon against crime—the Batman! He’s a master detective and an expert martial artist, but his greatest weapon is his mind. Batman has a plan for every occasion, as well as high-tech weapons, gadgets, and vehicles to assist him in his relentless pursuit of justice! Now, after 10 years in retirement, Batman returns in an armored suit and ready for an epic battle to determine the fate of the Earth.

Superman: Sent to Earth from the dying planet of Krypton as a baby, Kal-El was found by farmers Martha and Jonathan Kent and raised as their son, Clark. As Clark grew, the radiation from Earth’s yellow sun gave him enhanced senses and extraordinary powers, including super-strength, super-speed, and flight. Now fully grown, he uses his powers to protect his adopted world as Superman. In the near future, after the Dark Knight comes out of retirement to fight crime once again, Superman is called in by the President to reason with Batman and quell the “ruckus” in Gotham City. Batman, however, has no plans to stop his war on crime. What results is an epic showdown between the two Super Heroes to determine the fate of the Earth.

Expected to arrive in March, and priced at US$39.99, you can pre-order your DC “The Dark Knight Returns” Superman vs. Batman 7-Inch Scale Action Figure 2-Pack from EntertainmentEarth.com.

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Sideshow taking orders for Dark Knight Returns Premium Format Figure

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Sideshow is back with a new premium format figure of Batman from Dark Knight Returns, and preorders are open now.

The latest addition to the Sideshow Premium Format Figure line is Batman. The new figure sells for $675 and is due for release between June 2022 and Aug. 2022. It features a mixture of fabric and polyresin, and stands 31.5-inches tall.