Although I am quite possibly the oldest person to ever stroll into a Hot Topic store, I've become quite fond of the place. Chock full of t-shirts featuring science fiction films, death metal bands, classic rock bands, superheroes, and just about any other pop culture reference, Hot Topic is actually the kind of place I don't mind shopping in, despite the influx of emo and goth kids.
On a recent trip to Hot Topic, I purchased a t-shirt featuring a photo of Batman from "The Dark Knight Rises." Two other shirts, both with similar graphics, were also available for sale with Catwoman and Bane on them. I grabbed the Batman tee without even blinking. I had to have it. Having seen the film now, I'm tempted to go back and nab the Catwoman tee as well.
Of course, anyone who has ever cast a shadow over the entrance of a Hot Topic store knows that they always have some sort of sale or freebie to convince you to purchase more items. Luckily for me, if I bought $25 worth of Dark Knight merchandise, I was going to get a free Batman poster. So in order to get said poster, I bought the film's soundtrack as well.
The shirt is cool. It features Batman in a snow-cluttered stance with the word "RISE" behind him and the film title at the bottom. It's athletic-fit, so you might want to go a size or two bigger if you're not the type of person who likes a clingy tee.
If you're a fan of Batman or of the film, get one of these bad boys. Not only will you look cooler for having purchased it, you'll become a sage-like hero to the kids at Hot Topic. When I was handed my free poster, one of the sales associates asked me if I was going to get it autographed. I snickered and said, "If I meet Christian Bale I will. Of course, I've already met Batman once before." He looked at me mysteriously and said, "Which one?" "Adam West." He, and both of the other HT employees there harmonized when they uttered, "Cool!"