Covers of The Week, Entry 5 - Great Batman Covers

Obviously, a site could feature great Batman covers for weeks, months or years, depending on how many were run in each post. I mean, the character is 70 years old, and one of the most recognizable icons in the world. He has also been drawn by the best in the comics biz, as we will see in the next few entries, which will, indeed, concern covers featuring the caped crusader (in no particular order).

Onward and upward!

Batman #393
Mood, mood, mood. Paul Gulacy is a master of it.

Batman #306
This one is here because it's one of the first Batman comics I owned. I thought the Black Spider was a very cool villain.

Batman #296
Italian artist Sal Amendola created a cover with an authentic element of terror.

Batman #253
Besides a great Michael Kaluta cover, it's the meeting of two icons.

Batman #251
Just about every Neal Adams cover is a classic, but this one also has an appeal similar to that of issue #296, with Bats at the mercy of a "giant" villain.

Batman #241
Neal Adams inked by Bernie Wrightson. This is, to me, one of the most iconic Batman images in the history of the character.

Batman #81
This Win Mortimer HAD to send chills down the spine's of 1954 readers. It still does for me.

Batman #11
Fred Ray and Jerry Robinson managed to give this cover a great 3-D look.

Batman #227
Another classic (with a brooding, near-supernatural Batman) by Neal Adams.

Batman #180
Creepy, dramatic, and classic Batman. By Murphy Anderson and Gil Kane.


These last four covers have something in common; they get creative with the logo, which hasn't been done much through the years.

Batman #598
The logo doubling as the Caped Crusader's shadow. Not bad, but not as creative as the next three. By Patrick Martin and Scott McDaniel.

Batman #366
What's great about the logo usage here is that it obscures none of Walter Simonson's usage of action or drama. Simonson also creates great mood, with Batman and the Joker both having powerful presence. A beautiful cover.

Batman #528
I have to admit to being partial to Kelly Jones' run on Batman. His rendition was extremely dark and forbidding, and had a singular characteristic that was neither realistic nor "cartoony". It was, however, extremely powerful. This cover elicits great sympathy for the hero, while presenting Two-Face as quite formidable. The logo doubling as the circus-like banner is the icing, making this cover appear as one uninterrupted piece.

Batman 194
I've never been a big fan of Carmine Infantino, but this is a great cover. Lots of energy, with the Batman "swooping" down upon the villain. More creative logo use, as the artist uses it to demonstrate Blockbuster's raw power. Similarly, the power of this cover seems barely contained.

Well, that's it for now. Got any nominations for great Batman covers? Let me know what they are, and I'll put them on the site.

Mark

"Put Out That Cigarette, Or You'll Burn The Red Stockings!"

Confused? Well, I don't blame you. But what awaits you is one of those stories in which someone has the dumbest luck imaginable, finds an unbelievable collector's item, and..., well, just read it here and see what I mean.

Mark