Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2012 0:30:24 GMT -5
I recently saw The Dark Knight Rises picture, and Batman has been on my mind a lot lately, so I have looked over my Batman comics. Batman has had many artists over the years. Some have been great and some are just god-awful. I would like to share my personal list of the best Batman artists, and an explanation for each.
10. Todd McFarlane. Though he only briefly worked on Batman in Detective Comics and Spawn/ Batman cross-overs, his work has really left an impression on me. Particularly, The Spawn and Batman cross-over from 1994 written by Frank Miller. He has a beautifully dark interpretation of the character.
9. Dick Giordano. He was primarily an inker, but he has inked a vast majority of artists and was very consistent. If you look at a 70's Batman comic book, the odds are pretty good that he inked it.
8. Frank Miller. While, in my opinion his defining work was on Daredevil and Wolverine, he is forever apart of Batman comic history for his work on The Dark Knight Returns(would love to see a movie of this made). He drew a different, bigger, darker Batman than anyone had seen before. It was a different style that was cool and it worked for Batman. He would probably be higher on the list if he didn't do DK2, which featured some, let's say less than top 10 work.
7. Norm Breyfogle. He could draw a cool Batman. I'm a huge fan of the pointy ears and yellow bat-logo, and Norm made it look really cool in a way people hadn't seen before. His artwork, above all, was exciting.
6. Jim Lee. Now, he does not draw my preferred style of Batman, there is no denying that he is one of the best pure artists in comic book history. His attention to detail and anatomy are insane. I can dig anything he does.
5. John Byrne. He did not do a tremendous amount of work on Batman, but he drew a GREAT Batman. He was a bulkier Batman than many others drew at the time, and he created a very dark look for Batman. A good example was The Man of Steel mini series, book number 4.
4. Neal Adams. Many consider him the best pure artist to draw Batman along with Jim Lee. His work on Batman is masterful. He brought Batman from the campy 60's to a darker look to lay the ground work for today's Batman. His older work on Batman is the definitive work of his, but for a cheaper alternative, Batman Odyssey is also tremendous... Just try to ignore the story, it's quite ridiculous.
3. Jim Aparo. Jim took what Neal Adams had brought to the Batman comics and perfected the look and defined Batman of the 70's and early 80's. And his work on Batman even extended into the 90's on Detective Comics. Check out his work on Batman and the Outsiders for some of his best.
2. Don Newton. If you are like most people, you don't know who Don Newton is. His time in comics was brief due to his tragic passing, but he was a true artist. He did tremendous shading and anatomy that perfectly suited the Dark Knight. He was a wondrous artist in his brief career and any Batman or Detective Comic of his would be a good one to see exactly how miraculous he really was. If you don't know who he is, I highly, HIGHLY recommend checking his work.
1. Marshall Rogers. He drew my favorite Batman. The long, pointy ears, the dark shadows, and of course HUGE capes. He drew BY FAR the greatest Joker that I have ever seen, THE defining Joker. He drew Batman as a muscular man, but not a muscle-bound man, truly making his acrobatic stunts and stealth look more feasible. His work was detailed, fluid and exciting. Detective 475 was his best work, if just for The Joker. In my mind, he drew Batman and Joker as they were meant to be seen.
Feel free to weigh-in and give your thoughts or list of your own.
10. Todd McFarlane. Though he only briefly worked on Batman in Detective Comics and Spawn/ Batman cross-overs, his work has really left an impression on me. Particularly, The Spawn and Batman cross-over from 1994 written by Frank Miller. He has a beautifully dark interpretation of the character.
9. Dick Giordano. He was primarily an inker, but he has inked a vast majority of artists and was very consistent. If you look at a 70's Batman comic book, the odds are pretty good that he inked it.
8. Frank Miller. While, in my opinion his defining work was on Daredevil and Wolverine, he is forever apart of Batman comic history for his work on The Dark Knight Returns(would love to see a movie of this made). He drew a different, bigger, darker Batman than anyone had seen before. It was a different style that was cool and it worked for Batman. He would probably be higher on the list if he didn't do DK2, which featured some, let's say less than top 10 work.
7. Norm Breyfogle. He could draw a cool Batman. I'm a huge fan of the pointy ears and yellow bat-logo, and Norm made it look really cool in a way people hadn't seen before. His artwork, above all, was exciting.
6. Jim Lee. Now, he does not draw my preferred style of Batman, there is no denying that he is one of the best pure artists in comic book history. His attention to detail and anatomy are insane. I can dig anything he does.
5. John Byrne. He did not do a tremendous amount of work on Batman, but he drew a GREAT Batman. He was a bulkier Batman than many others drew at the time, and he created a very dark look for Batman. A good example was The Man of Steel mini series, book number 4.
4. Neal Adams. Many consider him the best pure artist to draw Batman along with Jim Lee. His work on Batman is masterful. He brought Batman from the campy 60's to a darker look to lay the ground work for today's Batman. His older work on Batman is the definitive work of his, but for a cheaper alternative, Batman Odyssey is also tremendous... Just try to ignore the story, it's quite ridiculous.
3. Jim Aparo. Jim took what Neal Adams had brought to the Batman comics and perfected the look and defined Batman of the 70's and early 80's. And his work on Batman even extended into the 90's on Detective Comics. Check out his work on Batman and the Outsiders for some of his best.
2. Don Newton. If you are like most people, you don't know who Don Newton is. His time in comics was brief due to his tragic passing, but he was a true artist. He did tremendous shading and anatomy that perfectly suited the Dark Knight. He was a wondrous artist in his brief career and any Batman or Detective Comic of his would be a good one to see exactly how miraculous he really was. If you don't know who he is, I highly, HIGHLY recommend checking his work.
1. Marshall Rogers. He drew my favorite Batman. The long, pointy ears, the dark shadows, and of course HUGE capes. He drew BY FAR the greatest Joker that I have ever seen, THE defining Joker. He drew Batman as a muscular man, but not a muscle-bound man, truly making his acrobatic stunts and stealth look more feasible. His work was detailed, fluid and exciting. Detective 475 was his best work, if just for The Joker. In my mind, he drew Batman and Joker as they were meant to be seen.
Feel free to weigh-in and give your thoughts or list of your own.
