HOLY COW! BATMAN MANIA RETURNS WITH MARKETING BLITZ

The Dark Knight made his return to the big screen this week.

When a villain by the name of the Penguin starts terrorizing Gotham City, Bruce Wayne dons his famous caped-crusader's costume and "Batman Returns."

"Batman Returns," a two-hour-and-five-minute super-hero movie started showing on two screens at West Park 4 Cine Thursday night, and is expected to once again spark the "Batmania" that hit the country in 1989 when "Batman" made its appearance on the big screen.

When the first movie film version of Bob Kane's classic comic book hero first appeared on the big screens, it shattered all existing box-office records, grossing more than $42 million during its first four days. Many of the moviegoers were in their 20s and 30s.

"We're also expecting heavy attendance for `Batman Returns,'" said Jeff Greaser, assistant manager at West Park 4 Cine in West Park Mall. "We're running it on two screens, which will give us more than 500 seats available for the movie."

Meanwhile, many retailers are looking forward to big sales of merchandising products, which surround super heroes ... Batman in particular.

Shoppers who venture into the local Venture store at West Park Mall may be amazed at the displays of Batman paraphernalia, which includes a Batman Command Center complete with a Batcave secret entrance and breakaway skylights.

"Venture stores have stocked numerous Batman-related items," said Kim Phillips of Venture Stores, headquartered at O'Fallon, Mo. "That includes an array of caps, T-shirts, toys, Batman and Catwoman LCD watches, pajamas, tents, and the Bat Blaster raft with a built-in water pistol."

Venture will also offer two exclusive holographic pins of Batman and Catwoman.

"Starting Sunday (today) the pins will be sold for 99 cents with the purchase of any Batman-related merchandise," said Phillips.

McDonald's restaurant in Cape Girardeau has already experienced big success with Batman memorabilia. A spokesman for the restaurants said the current Batman Happy Meal and a plastic-cup promotion were going great.

"We sold out of our allocation of special Batman cups in a few days," said a McDonald's spokesman. "And the Batman Happy Meals are going great."

Orders to go at McDonald's are being bagged in "Batman Returns" brown bags.

Steve Halter of Wal-Mart in Cape Girardeau said of the Batman merchandise, "You name it, we probably have it."

One of the big items in the food category this year is Batman Potato Chips, said Halter, assistant manager at the store. "They're shaped like a Batman."

Other Batman items at Wal-Mart include balloons, caps, hats, T-shirts and other clothing.

JCPenney also offers Batman clothing, but not nearly as much as in 1989.

"We have clothing for men and boys, and some sleepwear," said Jerry Cady, JCPenney general merchandise manager.

"We have Batman hats and children's clothing," said Graham Wilson of Sears. "We also have Batman comforters for children."

The new movie is also expected to have an impact on the collectibles market, from comics to whatever.

The price tag on a pristine copy of the May 1939 Detective comic, which sold new for 10 cents, is now around $80,000. That's enough to buy more than a few cases of Batman breakfast cereal and bubble bath.

Batman was introduced in 1939 in Detective comics issue number 27. Only one mint-condition copy of the comic is known to exist. It brought $35,000 during a sale in 1988, and is now valued at more than $80,000.

Another highly collectible item is the Batman Lunch Box introduced in 1966. The litho-metal box, which includes a thermos with black plastic cap, features a colorful Batman action scene. It commands prices over $50.

Adding to the plot of the new movie will be the appearance of Catwoman.

Michelle Pfeiffer, who plays the role of a mousy secretary to a villainous tycoon, learns too much and is pushed off a penthouse. The shock turns her into the avenging Catwoman.

Bruce Wayne, portrayed once again by Michael Keaton, romances the secretary, but they battle like Titans as Batman and Catwoman.

Danny DeVito is the Penguin and Christopher Walken is the shadowy tycoon who uses the Penguin to help promote his power plant, which would actually suck power out of Gotham City.

The movie is directed by Tim Burton, who also directed "Batman."