Batman comic book cover gallery

[John Mack]

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This always caught my eye as a kid as I thought is was a TV show tie-in.

I always wondered why the change back to the chest logo with no yellow oval (maybe our own Yellow Oval may know?) But isn't odd?? Anyone?

[Batman65]

The other Batman Pizza Hut comic Batman 123. The original was from April 1959. All the comics had a volume 1, so I guess there were plans for more reprints that didn't materialize.

Reminds me of the opening of the movie with the light on Bats against the wall.

[SprangFan]

I always wondered why the change back to the chest logo with no yellow oval (maybe our own Yellow Oval may know?) But isn't odd?? Anyone?

That's the "telltale clue" mentioned in the cover blurb. The man pictured is an imposter, wearing an outdated Batman costume.

[BATWINGED HORNET]

Here is another great Jim Aparo cover for Brave & Bold. Since Haney's Batman is so girl-crazy, I found it odd that this is one of the few times that he shows absolutely NO attraction to Catwoman at all. Haney being Haney, he presents a Catwoman with no qualms about killing, either.

Brave and the Bold #131--interesting cover. It always seemed odd for Wonder Woman and Catwoman to appear together, since their usual "worlds" were rarely connected. Still, the cover also reminded me of the TV 1st appearance of Catwoman, with her leading Batman to the tiger trap.

Below, we have Detective Comics #369 from November 1967. Cover by Gil Kane (who gave a memorable visual turn to Bat-characters in the then-near future) and Murphy Anderson. Anderson was THE perfect inker for Infantino, but his usually "softening" work does not necessarily compliment the exciting Kane pencils. That said, the cover still catches the eye, with Robin appearing genuinely distressed to be in that tug-of-war.



The cover's colors were altered and along with the story, reprinted as Batman Family #2 (November-December, 1975).



A couple of details: as readers, we were used to the vast differences between Golden Age comic art when reprinted in 1970s 100 pagers or annuals, but I think we forget that comic art had changed almost as much (for some artists) between 1967 and 1975. Kane's work was instantly familiar, but even he had changed his penciling to fit the "Marvel house style" when he was working there at the same time this BF issue hit the stands. You know its Kane, but he was in a very different artistic place by '75--like many of the 60s survivors.

[SprangFan]

I always prefered Kane with a strong inker who could soften and "glamorize" his faces. He was wonderful at coming up with dynamic poses and layouts, but his faces were way too sharp-edged and angular for my tastes. I liked him with Anderson and to a lesser extent Sid Greene.

The penciler Murphy was "perfect for," however, was Curt Swan. Together those guys were unbeatable.

BTW that coloring job on the Batman Family reprint totally drains the life out of the image. Was it Jack Adler who masterminded the colors on DC's Silver Age books? With all those subtle shades and washes? Whoever it was, he was a genius.

[gothosmansion]

I always liked Gil Kane's pencils with John Romita's inks. Spider-Man needs a penciller who can make him look fluid and Kane fit the bill. Romita's work was always pretty but kind of stiff. When the two teamed up, it magnified both of their strengths and eliminated their weaknesses.

Batwinghornet,

That Batman Family reprint cover just doesn't pop like the original.

Oh for the innocence of an age where we could have an "Ace the Bat-Hound."

Here is another Ace cover. Batman 143 from October 1961. Sorry this one is a little beat up but it is a scan of my actual comic. I'm surprised that this one had such a sad ending. The online database I checked credit the art to Dick Dillin.

[NJ_Batfan]

"BTW that coloring job on the Batman Family reprint totally drains the life out of the image. Was it Jack Adler who masterminded the colors on DC's Silver Age books? With all those subtle shades and washes? Whoever it was, he was a genius.

I love this thread. It's emphasis on Bronze and Silver are a walk through my childhood!

SprangFan, given that the weight of the paper used in the comics changed so dramatically in the 70s, I can't help but wonder if the colors were changed for the reprints because the paper couldn't handle the ink saturation. Take a look at the DC cover output during '75-76 and notice how many white covers were issued. I still have issues from the summer of 76 where the paper was so thin that the engraving from one page showed through the reverse side.

[SprangFan]

gothosmansion:

Based on the cover, that story sounds dreadful, but it would be fascinating to see Dick Dillin's work as a "Kane ghost."

NJ_Batfan:

You may be right about the limited color pallette on 70s comics being a budget issue. In addition to thinner paper in the interiors, they also pinched pennies by switching from metal printing plates to plastic ones , so often any art lines that were at all thin came out "wavy" because the plates bent when pressed. Pretty pathetic.

I work at a university that has one of the largest comic collections in the US, and last year a friend in the library invited me to come up and see first hand a newly acquired copy of Captain Marvel Adventures #1 (!). As I (gingerly) paged through it I was struck by how gorgeous it was; not so much the art -- Jack Kirby was an awkward fit for the Big Red Cheese -- but the intensity and vibrancy of the colors was breath-taking, and despite being 75 years old, even the paper was in terrific shape. I have comics from the 70s that are in MUCH worse condition even though I've taken good care of them, because the product was so darn chincy on Day One.

Also I have to say that as much as I enjoy Masterworks and Archives and other high-end repros of classic comics, they are in no way as beautiful as a well-preserved original comic from the Golden Age, or even the Silver Age. On the other hand, if you have a collected edition of Bronze Age material, you are probably seeing it better than it's ever looked before.

[gothosmansion]

On Batman 143, Dick Dillin was just credited as the cover artist. He didn't do any of the interior artwork. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

[BATWINGED HORNET]

I always liked Gil Kane's pencils with John Romita's inks. Spider-Man needs a penciller who can make him look fluid and Kane fit the bill. Romita's work was always pretty but kind of stiff. When the two teamed up, it magnified both of their strengths and eliminated their weaknesses.

Personally, Romita was stellar whether he inked himself, or was inked by anyone else; he was the artist--more than any other--who really cranked Spider-Man's dynamic look and athleticism up to a million, and no one has come close to keeping him there since his run ended.

If Kane had a weakness, it disappeared when he work alone on non-super-hero comics; I imagine the expectation of established heroes appearing a certain way was not a problem in his sci-fi or western work, so it could not be compared to _____________'s defining art on a hero title.

Batwinghornet,

That Batman Family reprint cover just doesn't pop like the original.

No, it does not. Comic cover coloring took a severe nosedive in the 70s...well, at least for most hero comics. The only consistent cover quality was maintained at Gold Key, where the company still produced endless (and often great) painted covers.

Here is another Ace cover. Batman 143 from October 1961. Sorry this one is a little beat up but it is a scan of my actual comic. I'm surprised that this one had such a sad ending. The online database I checked credit the art to Dick Dillin.

Ah..the giant aliens/insects. Not a favorite period of Batman, but I do love the general style of the Dynamic Duo.

[SprangFan]

On Batman 143, Dick Dillin was just credited as the cover artist. He didn't do any of the interior artwork. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

Ah. My bad; I don't know why I assumed you were talking about interiors when all you showed was the cover. Anyway, I can see a bit of Dillin here, with the long limbs and stiff poses. Maybe it's not such a stretch to imagine him as a Kane ghost after all.

Comic cover coloring took a severe nosedive in the 70s...well, at least for most hero comics. The only consistent cover quality was maintained at Gold Key, where the company still produced endless (and often great) painted covers.

There were also some gorgeous painted covers on the black and white comic magazines from Warren, Marvel and even Charlton. But yes, I was often tempted by a painted cover on, say, "Lost in Space" (aka "Space Family Robinson"), only to open the book and suffer an instant bout of narcolepsy from the interior art.

Here's another gem from Walt Simonson.



The story goes that Walt drew this one without planning it as a cover, otherwise the "title" wouldn't be so far down in the image, Eisner-style. Obviously it was considered a strong enough image that DC was willing to go ahead with it. Nick Cardy had done something similar in the 60s on Aquaman #42 (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/56 ... a8af6a.jpg) and Carmine Infantino on Flash #174 (http://static2.comicvine.com/uploads/sc ... -tn174.jpg) and Batman #194 (earlier in this thread), but in general it was considered a risky practice to move the title of the book away from the top edge of the cover. Of course in this case, they hedged their bets a bit by putting the Joker's logo up there.

It paid off for them, as this cover consistently shows up in "greatest Batman covers" retrospectives.

[AndyFish]

That Simonson cover is one of my favorites of all time.
I had heard that Walt did this as a commission for a fan and then DC asked to use it as a cover. Nick Cardy used to play with the logos back in the 60s as a definite homage to Will Eisner-- but with today's comic shops displaying the books full on (at least most of them do) the logo placement is no longer such an issue.

[SprangFan]

Thanks, Andy. I looked for that story to include in the post -- knew I'd seen it somewhere -- but I couldn't find it today.

It makes me wonder, though, about commissions. If a client asks an artist to create a work for them, the artist delivers and the client pays, does that piece of art become the legal property of the client? That is to say, would the artist retain the legal right to sell it a second time, in this particular case to DC Comics? Would the previously unique original be thought to have subsequently lost value by having been reproduced in the thousands on a comic cover, or would it have GAINED value?

Or is it possible the client actually declined the finished work? In which case somebody needs his head examined.

Understand, none of this is to suggest Walt did anything improper; from all I've heard and my one or two interactions with him, he's a fantastic person and a stand-up guy. I'm just always curious about the legal end of this stuff. For instance, I know an artist could make me a Batman image under commission and nobody at DC cares, but if he prints up 100 copies and sells them all, he can probably expect a visit from the lawyers. I have no doubt the lawyers have an opinion on every transaction possible, I'd just be curious to know what it is.

And I agree it's probably not as big a deal to keep the title at the top of the cover any more (in the old days it was because it might be all that peeked out from a newsstand or spinner rack), but it probably was still a concern in '83. Also, given that artists logically have more freedom these days, it's interesting that, if anything, they seem less adventurous to me, now.

[gothosmansion]

Guys,

Don't quote me on this, but sometime around 1989, when Batman was pretty much dominating the comics magazines, one of the black & white 'zines (either Amazing Heroes or Comics Interview) had an article on the original art collection of one of the major Bat-fans (Joe Desris maybe? again, don't quote me.) Anyway, the Simonson Batman/Joker picture used for that cover was part of his collection, and he was ok with it being used for a cover. The article did reproduce a lot of the original artwork he owned, but only in B&W. I have the magazine somewhere, but my magazines aren't organized like my comics, so I can't just go and put my hand on it. Sorry I wasn't more of a help, but its been a long time since I read that magazine.

I've never really been an Aquaman fan, but I love that Nick Cardy Black Manta cover. That Flash one is sharp, too.

[gothosmansion]

Here is my first cover for Father's Day, just in case I don't get to post much before Sunday. I don't have kids myself, but Happy Father's Day to those of you who do.