Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

YOur favorite Batman penciler?

0 views
Skip to first unread message

Batfan

unread,
Aug 28, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/28/98
to
Roadogg29 wrote:
>
> Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler. I'll through in my own vote for
> Dick Sprang.
NORM BREYFOGGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He rocks and draws the most awsome
Batman around... there is always energy and motion in every frame he
draws... and his "angry" Batman is the one that makes criminals wet
their pants!


Chris

unread,
Aug 28, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/28/98
to

Roadogg29 wrote:

> Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler. I'll through in my own vote for
> Dick Sprang.

I'm fond of Graham Nolan's work, but I guess I'll have to go with Brian Bolland,
who's phenominal work graces the pages of "The Killing Joke" There Brian was
able too put emotion into the faces of the charaters better then I've ever seen.
--
~Chris

"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right
to tell people what they do not want to hear."
-George Orwell

To reply toss out my %CanO'SpamAway%

Roadogg29

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to

Richard J. Collocola

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to
Mine is Jim Aparo, although not his later stuff. You Can't beat his Batman
from the early 80's (his Brave And the Bold work).


Rich


Batfan wrote in message <35E774...@gotham.cty>...

Aaron Severson

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to
In article <6s7v07$id5$1...@news2.i-2000.com>,

Richard J. Collocola <Rich...@i-2000.Com> wrote:
>Mine is Jim Aparo, although not his later stuff. You Can't beat his Batman
>from the early 80's (his Brave And the Bold work).
>

>
>Rich


Aparo's 70's stuff is great, although I couldn't stand his work in the
later 80's series (I have come to suspect that Mike DeCarlo, who inked
Aparo on BATMAN and who also lent his dubious skills to LEGION OF
SUPERHEROES and NEW TEEN TITANS, is partially responsible for why I don't
like Aparo's later work very much).

My personal favorite is Don Newton, however, who was a regular Bat-book
penciller from 1979 until his untimely death around 1985. It's a toss-up
whether I like his earlier work (with very clean, crisp inks by Dan
Adkins) or his later work, with lush shadows and a wonderful sense of
depth added by inker Alfredo Alcala. His work is less fussy than Neal
Adams' often was, sleeker than Aparo or Irv Novick, with a nice blend of
the romantic with a firm sense of anatomy and facial expression. Readers
who aren't familiar with Newton are encouraged to seek out his work.

For the best showcase of both his art and Doug Moench's Batman writing,
check out BATMAN #372 and DETECTIVE COMICS #539, a two-part story ("What
Price the Prize?" and "Boxing") that in my mind is one of the highest
points of Moench's work on the series, and the story where he and Newton
seemed most perfectly matched.


--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
argent __ __ ____ ___ ___ ____
arg...@primenet.com /__)/__) / / / / /_ /\ / /_ /
/ / \ / / / / /__ / \/ /___ /-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liana Chua

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to
Roadogg29 wrote in message
<199808290240...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...

>Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler. I'll through in my own vote
for
>Dick Sprang.

Would you settle for a couple of em??
Neal Adams
Jim Aparo (70s-80s)
Graham Nolan
Norm Breyfogle
Joe Staton

Lately there's been some pretty good work by Rodolfo (sp?)
Damaggio....where'd he pop up from?? Is he an old hand or a fresh face?

*liana*


Boneyard 0

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to
Got a few myself...

Dick Sprang ("Joker's Utility Belt" is pure ART!!)
Alan Grant (in his too short a run on Detective)
Bruce Timm (Batman Black and White as well as "Mad Love")
Lee Weeks
Don Newton
Tim Sale
Brian Bolland

Two-Face

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to
While Serving Our Sentence in Arkham, Liana Chua suggested:
2> Would you settle for a couple of em??
2> Neal Adams
2> Jim Aparo (70s-80s)
2> Graham Nolan
2> Norm Breyfogle
2> Joe Staton

here's mine:

1)Norm Breyfogle
2)Matt Wagner
3)Tom Lyle

--
"What could be fairer than a random toss of an honest coin?"

Two-Face at Arkham Asylum
E-mail: shih...@comp.nus.edu.sg, isc7...@leonis.nus.edu.sg
Virtual Domain at http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~shihhsia ICQ UIN:13145876

Jesse Hochstadt

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to
In article <199808290746...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
bone...@aol.com (Boneyard 0) wrote:

> Got a few myself...
>
> Dick Sprang ("Joker's Utility Belt" is pure ART!!)
> Alan Grant (in his too short a run on Detective)

????? Alan Grant's not an artist - do you mean Norm Breyfogle?

> Bruce Timm (Batman Black and White as well as "Mad Love")
> Lee Weeks
> Don Newton
> Tim Sale
> Brian Bolland

My overall faves would have to be Sprang, Newton, and Jim Aparo (in his
prime). I'm still waiting, like many others, for DC to get Sprang to draw
a new story (something that takes advantage of his strengths, not like
those covers he did several years ago showing an alternative "demon"
Batman). Judging from his pin-up work, he's still got what it takes.

- Jesse

W Lee or T Beatty

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to

Chris wrote:

> Liana Chua wrote, much to my surprise:


>
> > Would you settle for a couple of em??

> > Neal Adams
> > Jim Aparo (70s-80s)
> > Graham Nolan
> > Norm Breyfogle
> > Joe Staton
>

> Joe Stanton? really? The fellow who illistrated Penguin Triumphant? Wow....
> if anything he'd be on my list of worst bat-artists ever.... is all of his
> stuff like that in Penguin?--
> ~Chris

-------------------

Whoa there -- first of all, it's Joe Staton, not Stanton -- and nobody disses
Joe while I'm around. I've been a fan of Joe's work since his days on E-MAN,
and consider it one of the great thrills of my comics career to have been his
inker on several occasions -- the most recent of which, WORLD'S FINEST earned
Joe a long overdue and much deserved Eisner Award. I've learned more about
cartooning from inking Joe's pencils than from any other professional
experience. The guy is a great cartoonist -- and if you don't like his work,
that's your privilege, but like those comics fans who profess to dislike the
work of such other wonderful cartoonists as Frank Robbins, Jack Kamen, or Mike
Sekowsky, I'm afraid you're missing out on some wonderful stuff.

Terry Beatty
http://www.muscanet.com/~wlee/


BatHead207

unread,
Aug 29, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/29/98
to
If I may also mention more than one - (in No particular order)
Neal Adams, Dick Sprang, Mike Mignola, Curt Swan, Norm Breyfogle, Kelley Jones,
(So sue me!) The animated style artists (Hey Scary!) etc....thats all I can
think of for now. There's just too many artists over some thirty-odd years that
I've enjoyed to remember all their names, some I've never even known. There has
only been a very few that I didn't like at all, most have been good to
excellent in my view.

Grim Reaper Casting
Maker of "Nasteez"(tm) Fantasy gaming miniatures


jayembee

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
In article <199808290240...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,

road...@aol.com (Roadogg29) wrote:
> Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler. I'll through
> in my own vote for Dick Sprang.

Same here.

For favorite post-Silver Age penciller, I think I would vote
for Marshall Rogers (yes, even over Neal Adams or Frank Miller).


--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, jbo...@pcs.eds.com)

"Save Ferris!"

-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum

Matches Malone

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
Suddenly, on 29 Aug 1998 02:40:51 GMT, road...@aol.com (Roadogg29)
exclaimed:

>Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler. I'll through in my own vote for
>Dick Sprang.

All time: Neal Adams and/ or Jim Aparo. Of the '90's: Norm
Breyfogle.

--

*****************************************************
* "And so you see, Simon & Simon were not brothers *
* in real life - only on television" - Eric Cartman *
************************ mat...@mindspring.com *****

Matches Malone

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
Suddenly, on Sat, 29 Aug 1998 11:01:23 -0400, Chris
<cs_b...@hotmail.com> exclaimed:

>Liana Chua wrote, much to my surprise:

>> Joe Staton


>
>Joe Stanton? really? The fellow who illistrated Penguin Triumphant? Wow....
>if anything he'd be on my list of worst bat-artists ever.... is all of his
>stuff like that in Penguin?--

Check out "Going Sane" in LotDK #65-68. I'm not normally a fan of
Staton, either, but I thought his work on that series was great.
There's one page in particular in #66 where he draws a bunch of
different facial expressions for "Joe Kerr" that's downright creepy.

Liana Chua

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to

Chris wrote in message <35E817C2...@hotmail.com>...

>
>
>Liana Chua wrote, much to my surprise:
>
>> Would you settle for a couple of em??
>> Neal Adams
>> Jim Aparo (70s-80s)
>> Graham Nolan
>> Norm Breyfogle
>> Joe Staton
>
>Joe Stanton? really? The fellow who illistrated Penguin Triumphant?
Wow....
>if anything he'd be on my list of worst bat-artists ever.... is all of his
>stuff like that in Penguin?--
> ~Chris


Was he the guy who did Penguin Triumphant? Haven't picked that one up yet so
I'm in no position to comment. I'm pretty sure I've got the right guy
though...don't even recall which Batman story he pencilled, just my reaction
at the time : 'Hey, this fella's pretty good!' I think it might have been
Batman: Blackgate or something...

But on hindsight, although I really liked his version of Batman, I don't
think I'd include him in a top 5 list after all.....to each his own i guess!

*liana*

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
Roadogg29 (road...@aol.com) wrote:
: Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler.

Right-e-o...I'll vote for Kelley Jones, 'cause no-one else will. :)

Unique style, crazy look. That'd be my favorite modern look. Brian
Stelfreeze is a runner-up.

My favorite "classic" look would go to Graham Nolan, for sure.

...Loren

Chris

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to

Liana Chua wrote:

Oh wow...... I looked it up, he did do the Blackgate special. And I loved
his illistrations there. Funny.... Panguin Triumphant was so horrible, and
Blackgate was so wonderfull....

Boneyard 0

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
>> Alan Grant (in his too short a run on Detective)
>
>????? Alan Grant's not an artist - do you mean Norm Breyfogle?

D'Oh!!!! I meant Alan DAVIS!!! Alan DAVIS!!!!!

Boneyard

Boneyard 0

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
I've already voted on this one, but I'm gonna have to disagree with Joe Staton.

I never had the pleasure to ink his work as Mr. Beatty has, but his stuff just
doesn't do it IMHO. I prefered his work on Green Lantern Corps to his Batman,
particularly "Going Sane" which I thought was poor both in art and in story...

Speaking of Nexus, he's completely wrong for Batman, but Steve Rude would ROCK
on Batman... IMHO, he's the best layout artist in the industry next to
Eisner...

Boneyard
"Always an opinion"

Jeff Cope

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
W Lee or T Beatty wrote:

[snip]

> I've learned more about
> cartooning from inking Joe's pencils than from any other professional
> experience. The guy is a great cartoonist --

[snip]

Agreed! While I think Joe's more recent work is a shadow of his older
stuff, he is still (and always will be) one of the greats. I absoultely
adored his stuff on Green Lantern many moons ago! (oy, many, many moons
ago....)

--
Jeff Cope
Independent Toy Newswire @ RTM
http://www.toymania.com/news/indy


Roadogg29

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
I probably won't find anyone here who will agree with me but other than Dick
Sprang, one of my favorites is Jerry Robinson

Asheroth

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
Well, as people seem to be going for the Top Five approach... I'll take a
similar cut... although forgive me if I wander of the five point limit...
But stick with it.. You'll enjoy the ride.

(In no particular order...)

* Norm Breyfogle - Despite the characters faces looking a little "flat",
he certainly drew the coolest looking Dark Knight (and his
Batarang's are without equal..) Also, no-one got expression into Batman's
eyes like Norm. Dear god we miss you buddy!

* Lee Weeks - The Gauntlet. Need I say more?

* Matt Wagner and Mike Mazzucheli (? Sorry.. Can't find my issue of
Batman: Year One... to check the spelling, but you know who I mean) The
reason that I put these two greats into the one slot is that no-one draws
Batman as a "Man in a suit" like these two guys. Most artists make Bats
look like a "How to draw Male Musculature" figure with a coat of black paint
and a bat symbol on the chest But these two guys make him look like a
powerful man in a cloth costume - Which is great!

* Brain Stelfreeze - Besides a very scary looking Batman, I think that
NO-ONE draws a better looking Barbara Gordon. And Shadow of the Bat never
looked as good once he stopped painting those covers.

* Tim Sale - Those Hallowed Specials, Blades, Misfits and any others I've
missed are pure brilliance. If you want the definitive Scarecrow design, I
say use Tim's from The Long Halloween. This guy was spooky! And if you're
not all reading Superman for All Seasons, you should hang your heads in
shame...

* Graham Nolan - The modern `Classic' Batman. And his Joker in Devils
advocate was downright creepy!

* Scott McDaniel - Now that he's toned back a bit on the crazy shadows
(See Daredevil: Fall from Grace to get the idea..), Scott is the ONLY guy
that should pencil Nightwing.. He gives the book an amazing energy and
grace. The perfect choice for Dick. I'll stop at that, lest I rave and
foam at the mouth... Just tell me that he's never leaving!

Ok... There are many more... Miller, Bisley (yes, yes, I know he is the
latex muscle man style Batman, but he just looks so cool!) etc.. but for
now, I want to head off on a different track....

Who is you LEAST Favourite Batman Penciller....
And at the risk of getting flamed till I'm well done (I just had to get this
off my chest, it's been bugging me for years)... My all time LEAST favourite
Batman Penciller, who should not be allowed near the man with the ears ever,
ever again is.....

Jim Aparo.

Yes, sorry guys, but Jim's art has never moved me to say "Wow. That's really
neat!" So many great stories are ruined with this guys shoddy pencilling,
and DC have to cut the reins loose. Loyalty is great, but DC have to
realise that not all things improve with age, and Aparo's time to stop
drawing the bat is LOOOOONG overdue.

Sorry, but it had to be said. Anyhow, thanks for sticking in there...

Take care all...
Anthony.


Matches Malone

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
Suddenly, on Sun, 30 Aug 1998 21:39:27 +1000, "Asheroth"
<ju...@fast.net.au> exclaimed:

>Ok... There are many more... Miller, Bisley (yes, yes, I know he is the
>latex muscle man style Batman, but he just looks so cool!) etc.. but for
>now, I want to head off on a different track....
>
>Who is you LEAST Favourite Batman Penciller....

I think my least favorite penciller who stuck around for awhile was
Gene Colan. I've seen other work of Colan's that I enjoyed, but his
Batman stuff just didn't do it for me at all. He seemed to me to have
the same sorts of flaws as Kelley Jones re: anatomy and murky art, but
taken to the nth degree.

Least favorite of all time, though? Remember "Watchtower" in
LotDK?

--
Regards,
Matches.
mat...@mindspring.com

Jones

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
Jim Aparo and Kelley Jones. I know a lot of people were complaining about
Kelley, but look at how great he is when he is not rushed like in the graphic
novels. Plus you have to understand Kelley make Bats scary because most of
the citizens and criminals are afraid of him.

Kevin

Englebert Lau

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
On Sun, 30 Aug 1998 21:39:27 +1000, "Asheroth" <ju...@fast.net.au>
wrote:

>* Norm Breyfogle - Despite the characters faces looking a little "flat",
>he certainly drew the coolest looking Dark Knight (and his

I especially like his shadowy shots of Batman... and he draws a good
Bruce Wayne as well. Actually, all his faces are good.

>* Matt Wagner and Mike Mazzucheli (? Sorry.. Can't find my issue of
>Batman: Year One... to check the spelling, but you know who I mean) The
>reason that I put these two greats into the one slot is that no-one draws
>Batman as a "Man in a suit" like these two guys. Most artists make Bats

(checking Year One issue...) David Mazzucchelli's the name. I think
Matt Wagner did 'tec comics 647-649 covers... those covers weren't
bad.

>* Brain Stelfreeze - Besides a very scary looking Batman, I think that
>NO-ONE draws a better looking Barbara Gordon. And Shadow of the Bat never
>looked as good once he stopped painting those covers.

Greg Land draws a good Babs... speaking of Babs, in the Wizard Batman
Special, page 39 when Catwoman's opinion of Oracle is explained...
that's the best looking Babs I've seen. Who's the artist in that
picture?

>* Scott McDaniel - Now that he's toned back a bit on the crazy shadows
>(See Daredevil: Fall from Grace to get the idea..), Scott is the ONLY guy
>that should pencil Nightwing.. He gives the book an amazing energy and
>grace. The perfect choice for Dick. I'll stop at that, lest I rave and

He draws a great Nightwing... but his Robin looks funny.

>off my chest, it's been bugging me for years)... My all time LEAST favourite
>Batman Penciller, who should not be allowed near the man with the ears ever,
>ever again is.....
>Jim Aparo.
>

Hmm... you didn't like "death in the family?" I dunno, his faces are
as clean as anybody. I don't like Stenkiewicz inking Aparo, though.
Seems to ruin the clean faces and everything. Stenkiewicz's inking
reminds me of Klaus Janson... I'm not sure why, maybe the rough edges
or something (I can't describe it).

- Englebert


Jesse Hochstadt

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to
In article <6sbdam$8hn$1...@news.mel.aone.net.au>, "Asheroth"
<ju...@fast.net.au> wrote:

> Who is you LEAST Favourite Batman Penciller....

> And at the risk of getting flamed till I'm well done (I just had to get this

> off my chest, it's been bugging me for years)... My all time LEAST favourite
> Batman Penciller, who should not be allowed near the man with the ears ever,
> ever again is.....
>
> Jim Aparo.
>

> Yes, sorry guys, but Jim's art has never moved me to say "Wow. That's really
> neat!" So many great stories are ruined with this guys shoddy pencilling,
> and DC have to cut the reins loose. Loyalty is great, but DC have to
> realise that not all things improve with age, and Aparo's time to stop
> drawing the bat is LOOOOONG overdue.

Have you seen Aparo's work from the 1970s? If not, you're in no position
to evaluate him. I agree that he's past his prime, but that doesn't mean
he was _never_ one of the best.

For what it's worth, here's what I think is the "right" way to evaluate
Aparo (and for that matter, to look at almost any comics penciller): Look
at the page without reading the word balloons. Can you tell what's
happening from panel to panel? Does the story flow from the art alone? I
think Aparo (in his prime) is one of the unsung masters of panel-to-panel
continuity. And even if one dislikes the way he draws figures or faces,
one should be able to see his talent in this area.

- Jesse

Chris

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to

Englebert Lau wrote:

> Greg Land draws a good Babs...

You might be pleased to hear that Land is going to be the regular penciler on
'Birds of Prey' then.

> speaking of Babs, in the Wizard Batman
> Special, page 39 when Catwoman's opinion of Oracle is explained...
> that's the best looking Babs I've seen. Who's the artist in that
> picture?

Bruce, Tim, and James Gordon all look like Balent to me.... the others might be
also.... but I'm not sure.....

> >* Scott McDaniel - Now that he's toned back a bit on the crazy shadows
> >(See Daredevil: Fall from Grace to get the idea..), Scott is the ONLY guy
> >that should pencil Nightwing.. He gives the book an amazing energy and
> >grace. The perfect choice for Dick. I'll stop at that, lest I rave and
>
> He draws a great Nightwing... but his Robin looks funny.

Agreed that Robin looks funny. I love Scott's depiction of arcobatics and his
off-beat building sences, but when it comes to character's faces, and over all
build, I'll pass. (keep him on nightwing though!)

> Hmm... you didn't like "death in the family?" I dunno, his faces are
> as clean as anybody. I don't like Stenkiewicz inking Aparo, though.
> Seems to ruin the clean faces and everything. Stenkiewicz's inking
> reminds me of Klaus Janson... I'm not sure why, maybe the rough edges
> or something (I can't describe it).

Agreed. Stenkiewicz ruins his pencils. I don't care for Klaus Janson either.
He looks like a bad copy of one of the Hamptons.--
~Chris (eagerly avaiting November..... BoP!)

Chris

unread,
Aug 30, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/30/98
to

Loren Di Iorio wrote:

>: * Lee Weeks - The Gauntlet. Need I say more?

> No, you don't! Not another word. :) This guy should get regular work on
> the Bat-books after NML.

Alright I'll give. What's The Gauntlet?

> How 'bout last week's
> TEC issue -- *pure* Stelfreeze!

No, Scott McDaniel helped, as you mention later. Plus I think Chuck deserves
some credit for such a great story!

> : * Graham Nolan - The modern `Classic' Batman. And his Joker in Devils
> : advocate was downright creepy!
>
> My sentient sentiments exactly! :) A classic feel in the modern age.

Too bad he left.....

> I don't know about the raving and foaming thing (but I *do* go crazy
> whenever Babs appears :) ),

I've noticed.....

> but I think that McD had better stay on
> NIGHTWING longer than his now extended contract permits. He's got the look
> locked.
>
>
> Frank Miller is a one-shot wonder. ;) Sorry, I just have to keep
> downplaying the fact that he hasn't produced a whole lot of Bat-artwork,
> and that he's not the Bat-God. :) But since I said all that, if you really
> want, you can get on my case about how I like Scott Hampton's painted
> work with Batman.
>
> Here's a challenge for y'all: Who has done the art for more Bat-stories --
> Scott Hampton or Frank Miller? And no, I'm not asking for who's done more
> *pages*, I mean each story.

Well.... Miller's only done two..... and Hampton did a LotDK arc, and he did
some of the cards for Batman: Masterpeices, right? Or was that Bo? aw gee
there's two Hamptons aren't there? I thought I had another one... but now I'm
not so sure... well. If Miller only did two I'm pretty sure Hampton did
more.....
--
~Chris

Two-Face

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
While Serving Our Sentence in Arkham, Englebert Lau suggested:

2> (checking Year One issue...) David Mazzucchelli's the name. I think
2> Matt Wagner did 'tec comics 647-649 covers... those covers weren't
2> bad.

Matt Wagner also did the Faces arc in LOTDK. (IIRC, #28-#30)
One of my fave stories.

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
Asheroth (ju...@fast.net.au) wrote:
: Well, as people seem to be going for the Top Five approach... I'll take

: a similar cut... although forgive me if I wander of the five point
: limit... But stick with it.. You'll enjoy the ride.

I like it already! :)

: * Norm Breyfogle - Despite the characters faces looking a little


: "flat", he certainly drew the coolest looking Dark Knight (and his

: Batarang's are without equal..) Also, no-one got expression into


: Batman's eyes like Norm. Dear god we miss you buddy!

For the most part, all the people you've listed here have gotten decent
exposure to the Bat-books over the past couple of years, Breyfogle
included. Lately, I find that his art's been slipping -- for some reason,
the way he draws Batman's cowl springs to mind. But he's definitely a
staple Bat-artist.

: * Lee Weeks - The Gauntlet. Need I say more?

No, you don't! Not another word. :) This guy should get regular work on
the Bat-books after NML.

: * Matt Wagner and Mike Mazzucheli (? Sorry.. Can't find my issue of


: Batman: Year One... to check the spelling, but you know who I mean)

Englebert got here before I did, but it's David Mazzuchelli. And Matt
Wagner's work with Batman has been great! The stuff he did in LotDK, plus
the Grendel crossovers, as well as DARK ALLEGIANCES, if I'm not mistaken.

: * Brain Stelfreeze - Besides a very scary looking Batman, I think that


: NO-ONE draws a better looking Barbara Gordon. And Shadow of the Bat never
: looked as good once he stopped painting those covers.

Anthony, truly, you rock, especially on point number two!! :) Babs is a
voluptuous masterpiece when pencilled by Stelfreeze. How 'bout last week's
TEC issue -- *pure* Stelfreeze! Even though they didn't spell it out
completely, I could recognize a couple of pages where McD (as in Scott
McDaniel) did some ink assists.

Of course, one of the neat things about Brian's work is the classic
Stelfreeze Mantle (of the Bat).

: * Tim Sale - Those Hallowed Specials, Blades, Misfits and any others


: I've missed are pure brilliance. If you want the definitive Scarecrow
: design, I say use Tim's from The Long Halloween. This guy was spooky!
: And if you're not all reading Superman for All Seasons, you should hang
: your heads in shame...

Can't wait for the TLH sequel (in like, a year or two...)! Whoever missed
out on THE LONG HALLOWEEN, be glad that it's coming out in a collected
edition for around $30 U.S., sometime within the next few weeks. Sale's
Batman is bulky, brisk, and scary.

I gave SFAS a try, but after reading the first issue, I found that I just
didn't want to shell out the $7+ for the other three. While the art was
great, I wasn't into the story -- perhaps because I don't regularly read
the Superman books.

: * Graham Nolan - The modern `Classic' Batman. And his Joker in Devils
: advocate was downright creepy!

My sentient sentiments exactly! :) A classic feel in the modern age.

: * Scott McDaniel - Scott is the ONLY guy that should pencil


: Nightwing.. He gives the book an amazing energy and grace. The perfect

: choice for Dick. I'll stop at that, lest I rave and foam at the


: mouth... Just tell me that he's never leaving!

I don't know about the raving and foaming thing (but I *do* go crazy
whenever Babs appears :) ), but I think that McD had better stay on


NIGHTWING longer than his now extended contract permits. He's got the look
locked.

: Ok... There are many more... Miller, Bisley (yes, yes, I know he is the


: latex muscle man style Batman, but he just looks so cool!) etc.. but for
: now, I want to head off on a different track....

Frank Miller is a one-shot wonder. ;) Sorry, I just have to keep


downplaying the fact that he hasn't produced a whole lot of Bat-artwork,
and that he's not the Bat-God. :) But since I said all that, if you really
want, you can get on my case about how I like Scott Hampton's painted
work with Batman.

Here's a challenge for y'all: Who has done the art for more Bat-stories --
Scott Hampton or Frank Miller? And no, I'm not asking for who's done more
*pages*, I mean each story.

...Loren

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
Englebert wrote:
:
: Greg Land draws a good Babs...

I think Gary Frank also does a pretty good Babs. Frank's Barbara is more
mature, almost 30-ish, and beautiful as ever. ;)

: speaking of Babs,

A conversation I can never tire of! :)

: in the Wizard Batman Special, page 39 when Catwoman's opinion of Oracle


: is explained... that's the best looking Babs I've seen. Who's the
: artist in that picture?

Oh, would ya look at that! I just went and checked out the WBS, and I had
a pretty good idea of who drew Babs on page 39. But, to double-check, I
went and got the original BIRDS OF PREY one shot, and wouldn't ya know it,
but it was done by none other than Gary Frank, himself, the guy I just
mentioned! (With John Dell on inks. Chuck wrote it.) How do ya like that!
:)

You oughta check out the rest of that issue, 'cause Babs definitely looks
as good as she does there, sometimes better! And a while ago, when word of
the artists on the new BoP series hadn't yet arrived, I was wishing and
hoping that Gary Frank would've got the pencilling duty, but alas, alas.
:) Still, Greg Land is an excellent substitute.

: Stenkiewicz's inking reminds me of Klaus Janson... I'm not sure why,


: maybe the rough edges or something (I can't describe it).

I know what you're saying. Both Sienkiewicz and Klaus have a rough inking
style. It's quite sketchy, and is very far from the idea of fine-point
inking.

...Loren

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
Chris wrote:
: Loren wrote:
:
: Alright I'll give. What's The Gauntlet?

Okay, since I don't want to spoil it for myself when I go to read it
again, I'll just type up the back cover teaser for BATMAN CHRONICLES:
THE GAUNTLET (by Bruce Canwell and Lee Weeks, with Matt Hollingsworth)...


Batman and Robin: Day One

For Dick Grayson, training to be Batman's sidekick was tough, but the
final exam was *murder*.

The story of Robin's never-before-revealed final test -- an elaborate game
of hide-and-seek that would test all of Dick's skills and establish him as
the standard against which all of Batman's future partners would be judged
-- is told here for the first time.

From the meanest of Gotham City's streets to the heart of its theater
district to its seediest harborside docks, the young Dick Grayson must
elude Batman from sundown to sunrise.

<...snipped to avoid a possible spoiler...>

Suddenly, Dick must evade not only the Batman, but hired guns who plan to
keep the kid quiet -- permanently!

Will Batman be able to find his ward in time for a last-minute rescue, or
will Robin have to run this gauntlet on his own?


It's $4.95 U.S., $6.95 Cdn. Undeniably *worth the money*.

: No, Scott McDaniel helped, as you mention later. Plus I think Chuck


: deserves some credit for such a great story!

Chuck's just great! I don't know how that guy can put out so many quality
stories every month. Just finished reading ROBIN, and I loved the fact
that the supporting cast got so much panel space this month. Didn't like
the cover, though. Robin's face looked kinda pudgy. :)

: > I don't know about the raving and foaming thing (but I *do* go crazy


: > whenever Babs appears :) ),

:
: I've noticed.....

Jealous, Chris? ;)

: > Here's a challenge for y'all: Who has done the art for more


: > Bat-stories -- Scott Hampton or Frank Miller? And no, I'm not asking
: > for who's done more *pages*, I mean each story.

:
: Well.... Miller's only done two..... and Hampton did a LotDK arc,


: and he did some of the cards for Batman: Masterpeices, right? Or was
: that Bo? aw gee there's two Hamptons aren't there? I thought I had
: another one... but now I'm not so sure... well. If Miller only did
: two I'm pretty sure Hampton did more.....

Which two did Miller do? (I know the obvious one...)

Scott Hampton did The Sleeping arc in LotDK, the majority of the cards for
Doug Moench's story in the BATMAN: MASTER SERIES card set, the graphic
novel BATMAN: NIGHT CRIES, and the Dark Past story in BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT
DYNASTY. That's four that I'm aware of.

...Loren

Chris

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to

Loren Di Iorio wrote:

> Chris wrote:
> : Loren wrote:
> :
> : Alright I'll give. What's The Gauntlet?
>
> Okay, since I don't want to spoil it for myself when I go to read it
> again, I'll just type up the back cover teaser for BATMAN CHRONICLES:
> THE GAUNTLET (by Bruce Canwell and Lee Weeks, with Matt Hollingsworth)...

OH! THAT Gauntlet! I have read that one. And I did like it. Funny, it
got mailed to me directly by DC when it first came out, and I'm not sure why.
I think it might have been part of a subscription deal I used. (subscribe to
'Tec, Batman, and Shadow, and Chronicles, for the price of two subscriptions)
I made out well in the deal I guess.....

> Chuck's just great! I don't know how that guy can put out so many quality
> stories every month. Just finished reading ROBIN, and I loved the fact
> that the supporting cast got so much panel space this month. Didn't like
> the cover, though. Robin's face looked kinda pudgy. :)

Gotta love that guy, Robin, Detective, and Nightwing are my top comics right
now... funny I never made the connection that they're all by the same
guy..... (this only holds untill Birds of Pray Comes out, but then, he'll
leave 'Tec and be working on that, so he'll still be on my top 3!)

> : > I don't know about the raving and foaming thing (but I *do* go crazy
> : > whenever Babs appears :) ),
> :
> : I've noticed.....
>
> Jealous, Chris? ;)

No need. When the time arises she'll be with me. She's just trying to let
you down easy.....

> : > Here's a challenge for y'all: Who has done the art for more
> : > Bat-stories -- Scott Hampton or Frank Miller? And no, I'm not asking
> : > for who's done more *pages*, I mean each story.
> :
> : Well.... Miller's only done two..... and Hampton did a LotDK arc,
> : and he did some of the cards for Batman: Masterpeices, right? Or was
> : that Bo? aw gee there's two Hamptons aren't there? I thought I had
> : another one... but now I'm not so sure... well. If Miller only did
> : two I'm pretty sure Hampton did more.....
>
> Which two did Miller do? (I know the obvious one...)

Oh, so you know about that obscure story in a DC holliday special that I never
read? okay. So what would you like to know about Dark Knight Returns?

> Scott Hampton did The Sleeping arc in LotDK, the majority of the cards for
> Doug Moench's story in the BATMAN: MASTER SERIES card set, the graphic
> novel BATMAN: NIGHT CRIES, and the Dark Past story in BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT
> DYNASTY. That's four that I'm aware of.

Oh! Night Cries! that's what I was trying to remeber.... I never actualy
read it, so I guess that's why it sliped my mind. Is it work a look?

Asheroth

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
Hi all,

Well, I'm glad most of you agreed with my top picks :) Makes me feel all
warm and fuzzy!
For those of you that asked if I have seen Aparo's earlier work, the answer
is yes, and it still never did much for me. (Have you noticed that all his
men AND women are square jawed tough guys? Only the hairstyle changes...)
But what's done is done, and I do not withdraw my statement... But as
someone did mention, the worst three issues in Batman history must go to
that sorry excuse for an artist that drew the Watchtower arc in LOTDK.....
and I agree whole-heartedly!

But as I drove home tonight, I thought of someone that I missed in my top
picks and I feel terrible for doing so.
And so without further adieu....

* Mike Mignola - Gotham by Gaslight anyone? Cosmic Odyssey? Mikes use
of shadows and blacks make a truly eerie looking Gotham city, and a creepy
Dark Knight. More power to him! Hope that there's a Hellboy/Batman
crossover soon!

As for the bits and pieces about Sienkiewicz, for what it's worth, I love
his inking over Nolans pencils.... I know it's a bit of a clash of styles,
but I think it looks great. It worked in the Batman/Deathstroke three
parter didn't it? On the flip side.. I really don't like Klaus Jansons
inking or pencilling for that matter. His role in ROTDK was over rated I
think, and as a stand along, I really don't think he cuts it.. But that's
just me.

>> : > Here's a challenge for y'all: Who has done the art for more
>> : > Bat-stories -- Scott Hampton or Frank Miller? And no, I'm not asking
>> : > for who's done more *pages*, I mean each story.


As an aside, and a little off topic.... there was a Scott Hampton sixteen
page story in an isue of Heavy Metal a few years ago, about a giant haunted
pumpkin (Sounds hokey I know, but there was more to it than that.. that's
just to jog your memory :). This was THE BEST illustrated horror story I
have EVER seen. Sheer brilliance, and so spooky that you didn't want to
read it witht eh lights out. I mean it. Kill people to get a copy of this
if you have to. I mean it. It's brilliant!
Ahem.....

>Oh! Night Cries! that's what I was trying to remeber.... I never
actualy
>read it, so I guess that's why it sliped my mind. Is it work a look?


The art is great, although the story is a little to "preachy" for my liking.
That is not to say that the ending is not powerful, or that I didn't spout
praise when I met Archie Goodwin (we miss you!) at OzCon a few years ago....
(That's two graphic novels I have signed.. Archie on Night Cries, and Denny
on Birth of the Demon.. YAY!)

Anyhoo.... Take care all....

Anthony.

Roger Langridge

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
W Lee or T Beatty wrote:

::>[snip]

::>> I've learned more about
::>> cartooning from inking Joe's pencils than from any other professional
::>> experience. The guy is a great cartoonist --

Couldn't agree more. I've been lucky enough to ink him as well, and my
already not-inconsiderable appreciation of his work (he's the greatest
Plastic Man artist alive, for one thing) was only enhanced. He's a
cartoonist's cartoonist.

Roger Langridge, boy cartoonist
kiwi...@zoo.co.uk
"Never do down a brother brush" -- Willie Rushton


William Logan

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
>> Least favorite of all time, though? Remember "Watchtower" in
>> LotDK?
>>
LotDK 55 -57, art by Mike McMahon, one of the most influential artists
to come out of Britain.
Mikes work set a standard of storytelling and innovation that is
unparralled. Few artists have so boldly defined and redefined their
style to the extent that Mike has.
Once his art started to evolve fans started to go off his work, but
I've yet to meet an artist who has nothing but admiration for his
work.


W. R. Logan.

Rob

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
Neal Adams, Neal Adams, Neal Adams! His remake of Batman put him on the dark
path he is still travelling today! Also, I liked Benie Wrightson's take on
the Dark Knight when he crossed over into Swamp Thing.
Rob
jayembee wrote in message <6sbfl4$6a4$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
>In article <199808290240...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,

> road...@aol.com (Roadogg29) wrote:
>> Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler. I'll through
>> in my own vote for Dick Sprang.
>

Chris

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to

Asheroth wrote:

> * Mike Mignola - Gotham by Gaslight anyone? Cosmic Odyssey? Mikes use
> of shadows and blacks make a truly eerie looking Gotham city, and a creepy
> Dark Knight. More power to him! Hope that there's a Hellboy/Batman
> crossover soon!

Oh yah! GbG was great!

> As for the bits and pieces about Sienkiewicz, for what it's worth, I love
> his inking over Nolans pencils.... I know it's a bit of a clash of styles,
> but I think it looks great. It worked in the Batman/Deathstroke three
> parter didn't it?

No it didn't. I actualy had a hard time seeing the pictures, they were so
fuzzy and distorted.

> On the flip side.. I really don't like Klaus Jansons
> inking or pencilling for that matter. His role in ROTDK was over rated I
> think, and as a stand along, I really don't think he cuts it.. But that's
> just me.

ROTDK? I'm lost.....

>
>
> The art is great, although the story is a little to "preachy" for my liking.
> That is not to say that the ending is not powerful, or that I didn't spout
> praise when I met Archie Goodwin (we miss you!) at OzCon a few years ago....
> (That's two graphic novels I have signed.. Archie on Night Cries, and Denny
> on Birth of the Demon.. YAY!)

I do tend to get sick of 'preachy' stories. I've been thinking about picking
this one up though....

Matches Malone

unread,
Aug 31, 1998, 3:00:00 AM8/31/98
to
Suddenly, on 31 Aug 1998 02:17:32 GMT, yu21...@yorku.ca (Loren Di
Iorio) exclaimed:

>Here's a challenge for y'all: Who has done the art for more Bat-stories --
>Scott Hampton or Frank Miller? And no, I'm not asking for who's done more
>*pages*, I mean each story.

If I'm not mistaken, they are tied at two apiece. Of course,
Miller also wrote one that was drawn by Mazzuchelli.

--
Regards,
Matches.
mat...@mindspring.com

Two-Face

unread,
Sep 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/1/98
to
While Serving Our Sentence in Arkham, I suggested:
2> here's mine:

2> 1)Norm Breyfogle
2> 2)Matt Wagner
2> 3)Tom Lyle


Forgot to add one more....

Joe Quesada

now his rendition of the bat's real cool...

OmegaMan69

unread,
Sep 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/1/98
to
(Roadogg29) writes:

>Let's all name are favorite Batman penciler. I'll through in my own vote for
>Dick Sprang.
>
>

My favorite am Jim Balent. He mostly draws Catwoman, but
he also draws a kick-ass Batman.

OmegaMan69

unread,
Sep 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/1/98
to

Englebert Lau

unread,
Sep 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/1/98
to

Loren Di Iorio wrote:

:: speaking of Babs,


:A conversation I can never tire of! :)

(Robin #58 spoiler*)
What'd you think of her cameo in Robin? It was a neat appeareance...
did you notice the Batgirl head on her coffee mug? I didn't notice it
until I skimmed the issue a second time.

:Oh, would ya look at that! I just went and checked out the WBS, and I :had


:a pretty good idea of who drew Babs on page 39. But, to double-check, :I
:went and got the original BIRDS OF PREY one shot, and wouldn't ya know :it,
:but it was done by none other than Gary Frank, himself, the guy I just
:mentioned! (With John Dell on inks. Chuck wrote it.) How do ya like :that!
::)

Thank you!!! I saw the picture, I was like "damn, that's a good
artist (and a great Babs)!" I knew I hadn't seen that artist before,
and it was bugging me who drew that.

:You oughta check out the rest of that issue, 'cause Babs definitely :looks


:as good as she does there, sometimes better!

(!) Is that possible? Must read Birds of Prey... (great, more back
issue hunting...)

:the artists on the new BoP series hadn't yet arrived, I was wishing :and


:hoping that Gary Frank would've got the pencilling duty, but alas, :alas.
::) Still, Greg Land is an excellent substitute.

THe reason I mentioned Greg Land is that in the "Batman: Secret
Files", in the Birds of Prey page, I was like "that the second best
Babs drawing I've seen." (thus far...)

:I know what you're saying. Both Sienkiewicz and Klaus have a rough inking


:style. It's quite sketchy, and is very far from the idea of fine-point
:inking.
: ...Loren

Whoops... I kept writing Stenkiewicz. The rough inking style isn't
bad, but it depends when. It seemed to suit the mood of Batman: GCPD,
and worked great in Dark Knight Returns.

Still... when I saw Aparo inked by Sienkiewicz during Legacy, I didn't
like it. I guess the Legacy storyline had a grim, gritty mood, but I
didn't like the inking. ('cause the last time I saw Aparo in the
pages of Batman, he was inking himself, and it was so much nicer)
Buscema does all right inking Aparo... wonder how Steve Mitchell would
look inking Aparo?

(snipping another message...)
:Frank Miller is a one-shot wonder. ;) Sorry, I just have to keep


:downplaying the fact that he hasn't produced a whole lot of Bat-artwork,
:and that he's not the Bat-God. :) But since I said all that, if you really

Miller's not the Bat-God...? Who is? He's at least, a Bat-god. I
didn't realize till Spawn/Batman why Miller never wrote a Batman
monthly. His Batman is just too pissed off to be likeable (though it
was really funny how he treated Spawn).

- Englebert


Clancy

unread,
Sep 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/1/98
to
Chris <cs_b...@hotmail.com> wrote:


>
>> As for the bits and pieces about Sienkiewicz, for what it's worth, I love
>> his inking over Nolans pencils.... I know it's a bit of a clash of styles,
>> but I think it looks great. It worked in the Batman/Deathstroke three
>> parter didn't it?
>
>No it didn't. I actualy had a hard time seeing the pictures, they were so
>fuzzy and distorted.


I really liked the art on that arc (I assume you mean 'Tec 708-710)

C
Clancy

to reply by email delete the: overflow.
from my email address


Jesse Hochstadt

unread,
Sep 1, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/1/98
to
In article <6sf49c$2en$1...@supernews.com>, "Rob" <rob...@mnsi.net> wrote:

> Neal Adams, Neal Adams, Neal Adams! His remake of Batman put him on the dark
> path he is still travelling today!

Gee, I didn't realize Neal Adams was traveling the dark path. Must be why
he takes so long to finish anything. 8^)

- Jesse

Jim Elliott

unread,
Sep 2, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/2/98
to
Clancy wrote:
>
> Chris <cs_b...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >> As for the bits and pieces about Sienkiewicz, for what it's worth, I love
> >> his inking over Nolans pencils.... I know it's a bit of a clash of styles,
> >> but I think it looks great. It worked in the Batman/Deathstroke three
> >> parter didn't it?
> >
> >No it didn't. I actualy had a hard time seeing the pictures, they were so
> >fuzzy and distorted.
>
> I really liked the art on that arc (I assume you mean 'Tec 708-710)

I loved Sienkiewicz's inks in the 'Tex arc and in the Nightwing-Huntress
mini and when he saves Aparo's work. Sienkiewicz's inks turn any
average artist (like Nolan and Aparo) into something the has a lot of
atmosphere but doesn't sacrafice decent anatomy. K. Jones and N.
Bryefogle are all atmosphere and no anatomy.

Best Bat-artists:
Neal Adams
Alan Davis
Jim Aparo (in the 1970's)
Marshall Rogers
the guy from the early 1980's who did the first Jason series
Jose Garcia-Lopez
Brian Stillfreeze

Some good one shot guys:
Brian Bolland
Mike Zeck
Matt Wagner
Mike Mignola
Mazuchelli (from Year One)
Frank Miller
Damaggio (did the Batman-Arsenal teamup)
Greg Land

Lot's more. Just page through old copies of "Legends of the Dark Night"
or some of the "Batman - Black and White" series or some of the Batman
one shot deals. The "Stottish Connection" art was terrific.

Artist's not so much:
Jim Aparo since 1979
Norm Breyfogle
Kelly Jones
Graham Nolan
Joe Stanton
Klaus Janson

Lot's more. Just look through most Bat-books these days.

Chris

unread,
Sep 2, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/2/98
to

Jim Elliott wrote:

> in the Nightwing-Huntress
> mini and when he saves Aparo's work.

No way he could have done that. Greg Land illistrated Nightwing/Huntress, not Jim
Aparo

~Chris (who can't belive he just got the last word.... well, sorta.....)

Jim Elliott

unread,
Sep 3, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/3/98
to
Chris wrote:
>
> Jim Elliott wrote:
>
> > in the Nightwing-Huntress
> > mini and when he saves Aparo's work.
>
> No way he could have done that. Greg Land illistrated Nightwing/Huntress, not Jim
> Aparo


Ooops, yeah it does read like that's what I thought doesn't it. I know
Aparo didn't draw that mini-series, but Sienkiewicz did ink it and I
loved the inks. Without his inks the art would have been competent, but
nothing out of the ordinary. Just like when Sienkiewicz inks Aparo and
turns Aparo's usual competent but un-inspiring work into something
enjoyable. Aparo from the early 1970's and Sienkiewicz's inks would
really be something to see!

Jim (who got in a word after the last word)

Liana Chua

unread,
Sep 4, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/4/98
to
.... So when do we start talking about our fave Batman inkers....?

*liana*

TecRaccoon

unread,
Sep 4, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/4/98
to
My favorite Batman artists are 3 guys, Michael Golden, Jerry Bingham, and Brian
Bolland

Chris

unread,
Sep 4, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/4/98
to

TecRaccoon wrote:

> My favorite Batman artists are 3 guys, Michael Golden, Jerry Bingham, and Brian
> Bolland

Think we could persaide Denny O'Neil to let Brian do a few issues, or a mini-series
or some one shots? I cant' get enough of that guy.....

--
~Chris

Ty Templeton

unread,
Sep 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/6/98
to
Roadogg29 wrote:
>
> I probably won't find anyone here who will agree with me but other than Dick
> Sprang, one of my favorites is Jerry Robinson


Just for the hell of it, I'll agree with you. Dick Sprang is one of the
living Gods of comics, and Jerry is certainly a living Demi-god. Some
of my favorite reprints when I was a kid were the Jerry ones.

But find me a Batman comic from the forties and fifties that isn't
great. Can't be done.

Obviously, just my biased opinion.

Ty the Guy.

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Sep 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/6/98
to
Chris wrote:
: Think we could persaide Denny O'Neil to let Brian do a few issues, or

: a mini-series or some one shots? I cant' get enough of that guy.....

I think Brian did the cover to the Batman Villains SECRET FILES that came
out just a few days ago, with his classic Joker and the rest...not sure
about the inside yet...haven't checked it out.

...Loren

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Sep 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/6/98
to
Liana wrote:
: .... So when do we start talking about our fave Batman inkers....?

How 'bout right now? :)

I'd have to give Scott Hanna top billing for his oustanding clean inks on
TEC, a while back. I feel that nobody worked better with Nolan than Hanna
did.

Then, I'd pick Cam Smith. He did an issue of TEC, I think, and some BoP
stuff with Gary Frank on pencils. There's seldom been a more gorgeous Babs
than when Cam's inking her.

...Loren

Chris

unread,
Sep 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/6/98
to

Loren Di Iorio wrote:

Ohhh boy! can't wait! (just a cover, but, oh well, at least it's
something) My advance order shipment was delaied this month, so who knows
when I'll get it.......

W Lee or T Beatty

unread,
Sep 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/6/98
to
Charles Paris.

(For those who don't know, he inked the majority of Dick Sprang's Batman work)

Terry Beatty
http;//www.muscanet.com/~wlee/


Ty Templeton

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
Brian, the way I've heard it, has two things going against him to ever
pencil another interior story (anythint over three or four pages
anyway).

1) He's incredibly slow.

2) He's rather well off. (He inherited some money a few years
ago...around the time you saw him stopping his interior work.)

Worth some dough, awfully slow....that's a combination that's gonna stop
anyone. I love him too, but we have all that wonderful Judge Dredd,
Camelot, and other stuff to look at...

Ty the Guy. (Bolland fan #1)

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
Chris wrote:
: Loren wrote:
:
: > I think Brian did the cover to the Batman Villains SECRET FILES that

: > came out just a few days ago, with his classic Joker and the
: > rest...not sure about the inside yet...haven't checked it out.
:
: Ohhh boy! can't wait! (just a cover, but, oh well, at least it's
: something) My advance order shipment was delaied this month, so who
: knows when I'll get it.......

And as a (small) added bonus, Bolland also does an additional four panels
(yep, that's all) of the Joker, in frame-by-frame poses, which look ten
times better than the way the Joker looks on the cover.

Three things really stood out for me in the Batman Villains issue (don't
worry, I'm not giving anything big away):

Marz's take on the Joker was *excellent* -- it makes me wish he'd pen
another Joker tale; we get another gorgeous take on Pam (as in, her Royal
Ivyness) by Brian Apthorp -- he's gotta draw one of the best Ivys; and
finally, one of my favorite parts of the book was Stelfreeze's art on the
Ra's al Ghul page. It's stunning!! He makes Ra's look perfect, and the
way the smoke (or whatever it is...I can't remember) turns into Talia, and
how Batman, in his desert gear shadows them both overhead...it's awesome!!

...Loren

Loren Di Iorio

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
W Lee or T Beatty (wl...@muscanet.com) wrote:
: Charles Paris.

:
: (For those who don't know, he inked the majority of Dick Sprang's
: Batman work)

When did the bulk of Paris's and Sprang's Batman work take place?

...Loren

Aaron Severson

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
In article <6svmgj$t7h$1...@sunburst.ccs.yorku.ca>,


Dick Sprang's first work on the strip was actually done in 1941, but it
was inventoried instead of being published immediately so that there would
be a good stock of stories in the event Bob Kane was drafted. As a
result, the stories didn't start appearing in print until 1943. Sprang
inked much of his own work during this period.

Charles Paris initially did the inking on the newspaper strip starting in
1943. When the strip was discontinued in 1946, he became the regular
inker of the comic books, a position he retained until 1964.

Sprang pencilled Batman stories and covers until he left comics on his
retirement in 1963. He did a substantial percentage of the
Batman/Superman team-ups in WORLD'S FINEST COMICS from 1955 to 1963.

Sprang was not the only artist during this long period, of course -- Jerry
Robinson continued to contribute art until at least the middle fifties, as
did Sheldon Moldoff and Jim Mooney (who followed Sprang on WORLD'S
FINEST). Sprang's style is easy to spot, although all the stories bear
only Bob Kane's name until the mid-60's.


--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
argent __ __ ____ ___ ___ ____
arg...@primenet.com /__)/__) / / / / /_ /\ / /_ /
/ / \ / / / / /__ / \/ /___ /-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to

Aaron Severson wrote:

> Sprang was not the only artist during this long period, of course -- Jerry
> Robinson continued to contribute art until at least the middle fifties, as
> did Sheldon Moldoff and Jim Mooney (who followed Sprang on WORLD'S
> FINEST). Sprang's style is easy to spot, although all the stories bear
> only Bob Kane's name until the mid-60's.

WHAT? You mean Kane's name was givin where the REAL artists (and writers?) were not?
Lousy SoB.... (no, that's not Son of Batman)

Tobi Miley

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
To pick only one, I'd have to go with Don Newton. He was an incredible
artist. The comics world lost a true gem when he passed on. I would have
loved to have seen him draw the JLA.

Best,
Milo


Tobi Miley

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
I would also like to add Alan Davis to the best penciller list. His
Batman is graceful and lithe. He also shows the power of Batman.

While I haven't really enjoyed the Aparo stuff I've seen lately, it has
more to do with the choice of inkers. I think Jim still has what it
takes to do the Batman justice. Some of my favorite stories have been
penciled by Mr. Aparo.

For least favorite...I guess I'd have to go with Brett Blevins. Just not
my cup of tea.

Although neither worked on Batman consistently, Phil Jiminez rocks on
any character. Then there is the master...George Perez!!

Best,
Milo


Aaron Severson

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
In article <35F3EFF4...@hotmail.com>,

Chris <cs_Bwayne%CanO'SpamAway%@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>Aaron Severson wrote:
>
>> Sprang was not the only artist during this long period, of course -- Jerry
>> Robinson continued to contribute art until at least the middle fifties, as
>> did Sheldon Moldoff and Jim Mooney (who followed Sprang on WORLD'S
>> FINEST). Sprang's style is easy to spot, although all the stories bear
>> only Bob Kane's name until the mid-60's.
>
>WHAT? You mean Kane's name was givin where the REAL artists
>(and writers?) were not?
>Lousy SoB.... (no, that's not Son of Batman)
>
>--
> ~Chris

I'm assuming you're being facetious, but for those who are keeping score,
no, nobody other than Bob Kane (writer or artist) got a credit on a Batman
story until the mid-1960s. During the 30s and 40s, it was uncommon for
comic book stories to have _any_ credits. Bob Kane was a beneficiary of
National's settlement with Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegel in the late 40s;
to forestall any more lawsuits, National gave Kane a package including a
lump sum payment and a guarantee that his name would be on every Batman
story.

Even after the credits box came to Batman during the editorship of Julius
Schwartz, stories with art credited to Bob Kane were, by most accounts,
not drawn by Kane, but by his studio of ghost artists. It's hard to pin
down sometimes who did what (and evidently DC's records of the period
aren't much help), and it's complicated by the fact that Kane claims to
have done a lot, while others say he did almost nothing himself. Insofar
as there's any kind of consensus, it's that Kane's last significant body
of work on Batman was the newspaper dailies from 1943 to 1946.

Matches Malone

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
Suddenly, on Fri, 04 Sep 1998 15:14:57 -0400, Chris
<cs_b...@hotmail.com> exclaimed:

>TecRaccoon wrote:
>
>> My favorite Batman artists are 3 guys, Michael Golden, Jerry Bingham, and Brian
>> Bolland
>
>Think we could persaide Denny O'Neil to let Brian do a few issues, or a mini-series
>or some one shots? I cant' get enough of that guy.....

That'd be great, but it'll never happen. Bolland is notoriously
slow. It took him something like 2 years to draw KILLING JOKE. Nice
thought, though..

--
Regards,
Matches.
mat...@mindspring.com

Chris

unread,
Sep 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/7/98
to
Ty Templeton wrote:

> Brian, the way I've heard it, has two things going against him to ever
> pencil another interior story (anythint over three or four pages
> anyway).
>
> 1) He's incredibly slow.
>
> 2) He's rather well off. (He inherited some money a few years
> ago...around the time you saw him stopping his interior work.)

awwww.........

> Worth some dough, awfully slow....that's a combination that's gonna stop
> anyone. I love him too, but we have all that wonderful Judge Dredd,
> Camelot, and other stuff to look at...

I'm not sure I even know of anything else he's done, other then Killing Joke
and those Batman covers.... I don't read Judge Dread, and never bothered
with Camolot 3000.

> Ty the Guy. (Bolland fan #1)

~Chris (Bolland Fan #536)

Ty Templeton

unread,
Sep 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/8/98
to
Chris wrote:

> I'm not sure I even know of anything else [Brian Bolland's] done, other then Killing Joke


> and those Batman covers.... I don't read Judge Dread, and never bothered
> with Camolot 3000.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Run, don't walk...RUN to a comics store and
get the Bolland Judge Dredds. I cannot stress this enough. These are
without a doubt the seminal comics of the early eighties. There's
little room for improvement in these wonderful things. Terrific
writing, mind boggling art, fabulous character in his prime...These are
must have comics.

The Camelot 3000 comic is also very good, but (only slightly) less so
than the Dredds, cause the story is merely good, rather than fabulous.
(Mike Barr, who is certainly competent, but rarely exceptional, does a
good job here with the script, without creating a classic, he tells a
interesting story.) Still, with the Bolland artwork, you're getting a
comic that towers above damn near anything else. (Pity Terry Austin
inked it with his leaden hand in some places.)

There's a brief run of backups in places like JLA specials, Green
Lanterns (some with Dave Gibbons lead stories! Amazing comics in the
eighties sometimes!) Lots of 2000 ADs (but Americans have trouble
finding copies of those...sometimes it's nice to be a Canadian. Oh
hell, it's ALWAYS nice to be Canadian.)..tons of covers for Animal Man
(something like sixty in a row, all of them marvelous) Wonder Woman,
Tank Girl....

I am utterly batty for Brian's work. He's one of the three or four
artists working when I was a young man who inspired me to get into this
meshugina business....So I'm not sure whether to thank Mr. B or to curse
his name. I'll let you know.

Ty the Guy.

William Logan

unread,
Sep 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/8/98
to
On Tue, 08 Sep 1998 20:29:53 -0400, Ty Templeton
<"tybunny<unspam>"@idirect.com> wrote:

>Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Run, don't walk...RUN to a comics store and get the Bolland Judge Dredds. I cannot stress this enough. These are without a doubt the seminal comics of the early eighties. There's little room for improvement in these wonderful things. Terrific writing, mind boggling art, fabulous character in his prime...These are must have comics.<

If you want to seee classic Bolland Dredd artwork then look out for
Judge Death and Judge Death Lives, also Part Nine of Block Mania (this
was the Intro story to the Apocalypse War and is part of the Complete
Apocalypse War graphic novel) Within these stories you will see some
of the best comic book art not only by Bolland but by any artist.
Judge Death Lives contains a panel where Dredd says 'Stare Into The
Fist Of Dredd' this will mean nothing to anyone who has never seen it,
but it is one of the best single panels ever.
Dredd may not be a favourite over in the USA, but if you can ever get
hold of any Bolland Dredd you won't regret it.

>I am utterly batty for Brian's work. He's one of the three or four
artists working when I was a young man who inspired me to get into
this meshugina business....So I'm not sure whether to thank Mr. B or
to curse his name. I'll let you know<

Mr. Templeton, I'm interviewing Brian Bolland soon and will pass on
your complements,.... or your curses 8-)

.La Placa Rifa,
W. R. Logan
Editor: The Class Of '79 - Judge Dredd Fanzine.

Matches Malone

unread,
Sep 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/8/98
to
Suddenly, on Mon, 07 Sep 1998 18:43:31 -0400, Chris
<cs_b...@hotmail.com> exclaimed:
>Ty Templeton wrote:

>> Worth some dough, awfully slow....that's a combination that's gonna stop
>> anyone. I love him too, but we have all that wonderful Judge Dredd,
>> Camelot, and other stuff to look at...
>

>I'm not sure I even know of anything else he's done, other then Killing Joke


>and those Batman covers.... I don't read Judge Dread, and never bothered
>with Camolot 3000.

He did a story in BLACK & WHITE (I think #4, but it might've been
#3). And he was the regular cover artist for pretty long stretches on
WONDER WOMAN and ANIMAL MAN.

>> Ty the Guy. (Bolland fan #1)
>
> ~Chris (Bolland Fan #536)

- Matches (Bolland Fan # ©)

--
Regards,
Matches.
mat...@mindspring.com

Ty Templeton

unread,
Sep 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/9/98
to
There's supposed to be a way of telling how much Kane had to do with the
creation of a Batman story during his tenure as steward of the strip,
but it may be an urban legend of sorts.

Look at the "BOB KANE" signature...there is often a small underline
under the Kane inside the signature box, often there is not.
Supposedly, the ones where there is an underline are stories on which
Bob had some level of hands-on participation. Now, hands-on
participation past the forties probably amounted to little more than
listening to a story pitch, or overseeing the art as it went from the
penciller to the inker, but supposedly that underline is indicative of
something.

But then, the number of stars in the "P" in a Playboy cover were
supposed to have something to do with Hef's relationship with the
centerfold and it turned out they were a distribution marker, so who
knows what to believe? I pass along this rumour about the signature I
heard many times over the years, but never heard confirmed.

Ty the Guy. Proud to be the amongst the recent crop of BOB KANEs of the
world.

jayembee

unread,
Sep 10, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/10/98
to
In article <35F5CC...@idirect.com>,

Ty Templeton <"tybunny<unspam>"@idirect.com> wrote:
> Chris wrote:

>> I'm not sure I even know of anything else [Brian Bolland's] done,
>> other then Killing Joke and those Batman covers....I don't read


>> Judge Dread, and never bothered with Camolot 3000.

> Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Run, don't walk...RUN to a comics


> store and get the Bolland Judge Dredds. I cannot stress this
> enough. These are without a doubt the seminal comics of the early
> eighties.

And his Judge Anderson...sigh...(or should that be "psi"? :-))

> Lots of 2000 ADs (but Americans have trouble finding copies of
> those...sometimes it's nice to be a Canadian.

Back when Judge Dredd started making appearances on this side
of the pond (from Quality Comics), I made a point of trying to
collect them, and even managed to acquire a fairly good set of
them. After a while, some of the American distributors started
importing them, and once they became "easy" to get, my interest
in collecting waned (I'm one of those for whom "the thrill of
the hunt" is a large part of collecting).

I even have two issues of 2000 AD that Bolland did that have
never been (and will never be) reprinted. They took place
during the "Cursed Earth" arc, and had Dredd meeting up with
a bunch of mutants that resembled trademarked advertising
characters such as the Jolly Green Giant, Speedy Alka-Seltzer,
the Michelin Tire Man, etc. A few issues later, there was
another 2-issue story by another artist in which Dredd got
stuck in the middle of a war between "the Burger Barons"
(McDonald's and Burger King). Fleetway (or whoever it was
that owned 2000 AD at the time) got slammed by the trademark
owners and agreed never to reprint these four issues.


--- jayembee (Jerry.B...@eds.com)

"Save Ferris!"

-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum

Ty Templeton

unread,
Sep 11, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/11/98
to
that sounds cool. I haven't seen those particular issues...I would love
to.

Ty the Guy.

William Logan

unread,
Sep 12, 1998, 3:00:00 AM9/12/98
to
>that sounds cool. I haven't seen those particular issues...I would love
>to.
>
>Ty the Guy.

To see these stories that will never be reprinted for legal reasons
you'd have to get hold of 2000AD Progs 71 & 72 for the Burger Wars
story with art by Mike McMahon this story is a Classic and has Ronald
MacDonald shooting one of his workers for not cleaning a table, saying
that even the staff are disposable.

The Bolland issues are Progs 77 & 78, The Jolly Green Giant, with
likenesses of Colonel Sanders, the Jolly Green Giant, The Alka Selter
kid and Michelin Man to name the ones I remember appearing.

W. R. Logan.

0 new messages