The Dark Knight isn't making the Oscar impression many thought it would by this point in the year, which may be why Warner Bros. reportedly confirmed today that it spiked its planned IMAX re-release for next month. And in any case, it's definitely why the mouthbreathing legions of Bat-supporters have gone guerrilla for their hero's awards-season sake.

The comics site Superhero Hype noted this morning that Warners had backed out of its tentative plan to push TDK back in to theaters in January 2009 — something about not wanting to go up against Fox's rumored X-Files 2 re-release, we think, though no official reason was given. A more realistic suspicion is that if TDK isn't getting the awards love that many critics and industry observers once foresaw for it, then Warners will let the DVD ride this month and save its theatrical resources for Watchmen (and/or fighting Fox in court for the film's rights).

But one devotee is carrying its Oscar water either way at the site The Dark Campaign, featuring a fan-made TV spot rich with easy-to-read blurbs and a mission statement urging Academy revolution:

There are so many comic books done badly by studios that don’t understand. They all made plenty of money for their studios, but what makes Dark Knight different and special? What about all those qualities that make it a great film? The studios should understand the power of a great comic book storytelling translation and the pointlessness of a bad one. I’m hoping an effort to get a Best Picture nomination makes that clear to them. It’s rewarding the studio and filmmakers that did it right.

Not to mention that profound Obama boost they'd forsake by diverting The Dark Knight solely to video. Please, Warners — listen to reason.