Happy 74th Birthday Neal Adams!

Neal Adams

born June 6, 1941

is Mr. 70's. He was the most significant creator of the 70's

 virtually representing the whole of that Bronze Age of comics.

Neal Adams with some of the most popular characters that he worked on like Batman, the Spectre, Green Arrow, and Deadman. 

Kent Williams' expressionistic Batman Black and White

Kent Williams is not a common name in comics but he is no stranger to art. In Batman Black and White he brings a vibrant, new aesthetic to comics with his scratchy, edgy line work. It's raw and it's dynamite. 

the Joker in Gotham Central

The Joker is a touchy subject because no one seems to understand this character. 

One person who understood him is Ed Brubaker in his 

Gotham Central. 

I think that Bill Finger nailed it when he first created the Joker but it seems that he has been misunderstood since. Ed Brubaker has managed to to capture the essence of Finger's Joker in his Gotham Central and made it his own.

Get well soon Frank Miller! A tribute.

It appears that Frank has become very sick in recent years. I haven’t found any news about it on line but there are pictures going around of him using canes to walk and even a wheel chair. He is only 57 but he looks old beyond his years.

 

 

Frank, You have brought so much joy to my life and so many others lives that I just want to let you know how much your work has meant to me and wish you all the best, and to...

Get well soon Frank Miller!

Tony Salmons Batman

Tony Salmons is one of my all time favorite comic artists. He has this loose, kinetic style that is super exciting. Though he has been making comics for 30 or so years, no one has approached what he's been doing all these years. He is a true original in the comics world.



Batman commission by Tony Salmons showing off some of his skills at depicting buildings, cars and crazy kinetic action as well as his unusual inking techniques.

Happy Birthday David Mazzucchelli!

David Mazzucchelli (born September 21, 1960) has been one of the most exciting artists of the last 30 years. Though he hasn't been one of the most prolific artists, he has created some of the most amazing work the comic book medium has ever seen.

Liberatore's Batman

"Once you confront the unpleasant reality, I'm sure the nightmares will cease."

"Then they'll never end... because I can't remember!"

 

Batman

'In Dreams'



From Batman Black and White vol. 1 #3 (Aug 1996)

by Andrew Helfer and Gaetano (Tanino) Liberatore

 

The Joker's first appearance in Batman #1, 1940

The Joker has been Batman’s number one nemisis ever since his debut in Batman #1 spring of 1940, the dawn of the Golden Age of comics. 

One thing about the Joker that made him so eternal is that he came out fully developed. From the beginning he was a seditious killer with a theatrical flair. If anything they tamed his character down over the years.

José Muñoz' Batman

Argentina born 

José Muñoz 

creates stunning kaleidoscopes 

breathlessly walking the line between abstract an realism.

In case you haven't read my previous post on José Muñoz, I'm a huge fan of his work.

Kevin Nowlan's Batman vs. Man-Bat!

While Christopher Nolan was still in high school dreaming about making movies, Kevin Nowlan was busy revitalizing the Batman image and mythos. Kevin being something of a perfectionist produced stuff that looks so polished that it seems somewhat unreal. And add to this the fact that he does everything on the comic, pencils, inks, and colors, and does them better than almost anyone in the comic business. 

The Great Comic Book Heroes, Golden Age goodness! Edited by Jules Feiffer

When I was an impressionable kid, I would spend hours pouring over the books at my local library. One book in particular I would come back to again and again and again. It was The Great Comic Book Heroes edited by Jules Feiffer.

The Great Comic Book Heroes was a distillation of the dawn of the superhero comics in the early 1940’s.

Tomar and Asaf Hanuka's Joker In DC's Bizarro World!

Tomar and Asaf Hanuka's Joker from their Bizarro World submission.

The differences between Alex Toth and David Mazzucchelli's Batman

Miller and Mazzucchelli 

nail it out of the park with their

Batman: Year One

They have created one of the most realistic depictions of what a superheroes first outings might be like, mistakes and all.

Move over men of Marvel! Make way for The women of the DCU!

When I think of strong male characters, I think of Marvel, but when I think of strong female characters I think DCU. I know this is subjective as much has been made of the X-Women, but personally speaking, I love the women of the DCU!

CATWOMAN!

Catwoman fast became my favorite superheroine after Brubaker and Cooke started the new series in 2002.

I just love her attitude and confidence. She's no longer the sex kitten, dressed in slinky costumes showing off her insecurities, now she is the fun loving cat who doesn't play it up for no man!

The Great Comic Book Heroes

This blog is about just what it says, the great comic book heroes, all of them.