Sunday, May 16, 2010

Batman and Ka-Zar



Ka-Zar was basically a Tarzan Knock of at first glance, but the twist of his locale, the Savage Land - set in the present day with Dinosaurs alongside the usual jungle denizens - was enough to make him stand out. I liked that he could appear alongside all of the more traditional Marvel heroes one minute, and have a lone jungle story in the next. His guest appearances were my main exposure to his adventures, I loved his tales with the X-Men and Spider-Man.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Batman and Jonny Quest



Jonny Quest was a pretty cool cartoon for me as a kid. Despite the presence of a cute animal sidekick, they played it pretty straight, which set it apart from most animated programs of the time. I haven't seen an episode in years, I wonder how well they hold up. I am surprised that we haven't seen a big screen adaptation of this property yet. I have read of rumors here and there over the years, so I assume it is only a matter of time.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Batman and Jonah Hex



Jonah Hex was always my favorite of the various western stars. I was looking forward to the upcoming film adaptation, but after watching the trailer I am not filled with confidence. They only went half way with the make-up (perhaps trying to avoid comparisons with Two-Face) and Hex seems to have the ability to speak with the dead.

I think a better bet will be the Jonah Hex short feature included as an extra on the forthcoming Batman: Under the Red Hood DVD. The Spectre short on the last JLA DVD was awesome so I have high hopes for this one.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Batman and Jimmy Olsen



Ah, the Silver Age - when even supporting characters could hold their own series. I have to admit that most of the reason I identified with Superman's Pal was that I too was a goofy freckled redheaded kid. I did like that he was an amateur master of disguises and his stories were usually more about humorous situations than any real peril.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Batman and James Bond



This one was a request, and one that I wasn't sure I would be able to fulfill. Then I saw this picture of Sean Connery as Bond by none other than B&B master, Jim Aparo! So even though this is a pretty simple "posing for the camera" cover, I like it because I had never known such an Aparo image existed.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Batman and J. Jonah Jameson



You guessed it, I was in a goofy mood again and came up with this one. You have to admit though, if you saw this issue on the stands, you would have to pick it up and leaf through it!

J. Jonah Jameson is one of the greatest supporting characters ever in comics. While being a constant thorn in Spider-Man's side, Stan Lee also gave him an underlying decency and strong journalistic code beneath all his bombast and bluster. You never know if you are going to be rooting for him or against him when a story starts, and that makes for a great character.

J.K. Simmons portrayal of the Daily Bugle Publisher remains one of the most faithful comic characters ever brought to screen. Whoever takes on the role in the rebooted film franchise has big shoes to fill!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Batman and Iron Man



Here's a timely cover with the big sequel opening up this past weekend. I featured Iron Man wearing my all time favorite armor here, the classic red & gold with the widow's peak helmet. As much as I love the cool armor that Jon Favreau has been using for his films, I was really hoping that we would get a suit closer to this classic look for a scene or two.

I liked Iron Man 2 a lot - maybe not as much as the first one, but that was a nearly perfect superhero film so that doesn't surprise me. The acting across the board was well done and the action scenes were great. I did feel that the villains could have posed a bit more of a threat, they seemed to get dispatched relatively easily. Anyway, I can't wait for the next few Marvel movies and then the eventual ensemble piece, The Avengers!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Batman and Iceman



Iceman was a no brainer with all the Mr. Freeze related covers to work from. As it happens, I am a big fan of the character so I was happy to work on this one. He has such a pure and simple look and concept, it was easy for me as a kid to get into his stories and imagine myself in his adventures during some of those cold New England winter weekends.

Iceman gained a little more notoriety with his inclusion in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends cartoon back the early 80's. There's another reason that I was a fan of the character - that show was appointment television for me. As cheesy as it was, it was still the best you could get for animated superheroes at the time.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Batman and Dick Tracy



I always thought that Batman and Dick Tracy had very similar rogues galleries, mostly made up of non-powered guys in suits who had some strange disfigurement or obsession. For that reason, I think they could make for an interesting pairing.

I am still annoyed at the Warren Beatty Dick Tracy film. Not only did Beatty's vanity keep him from looking anything like the main character, but they wasted the villains by using almost all of the main ones in the first film. What could have been a cool franchise was squandered away.

Maybe enough time has passed for another try. I would take a different approach, to distince itself from the earlier version. Maybe a TV series with a darker edge, slowly introducing his adversaries, one episode at a time.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Batman and Doll Man



Sometimes these come out of the blue, even for me. I was looking for images of a completely different character and stumbled on a cover of Doll Man holding a key. I knew instantly of a picture it could work with, because I always thought that this Batman in cuffs cover by Brian Bolland was very eye catching.

I remember reading tales of Doll Man in a few 100-Page Spectaculars that DC used to publish. I liked his solo adventures more than his time with The Freedom Fighters, as the art on the stories was always well done.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Batman and Beta Ray Bill



Beta Ray Bill has one of the coolest character designs ever. It doesn't seem like it would work, but it does. Walt Simonson did a great job with him and gave him a great introduction - literally smashing on to the scene in that Iconic cover from his first appearance in Thor. I was happy as a reader that despite initial appearances he turned out to be a god guy, and that he stayed on as a supporting character for a while.

One of the nice surprises in the Planet Hulk Direct to DVD Animated flick was that due to rights issues, the Silver Surfer was replaced with Beta Ray Bill. It was very cool to finally see him animated, and his scenes are my favorite part of the movie.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Batman and Howard The Duck



This was the first cover I made featuring a non DC character. I figured if I was going to try for a team up nobody would expect to see in B&B, that I might as well go for broke. Besides, a good friend made the request and I didn't want to disappoint him. Howard started as Steve Gerber's commentary on, well whatever he felt like tackling from month to month and was definitely a product of his times. What I liked was the the series was set firmly in the Marvel Universe, it was interesting to see this funny animal character hobnob with the likes of Spider-Man, Man-Thing and the Defenders.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Batman and Hourman



Here's a little change of pace with and old school look cover. Hourman is another one of those great Earth-2 characters that did not have a counterpart on Earth-1, making him even more intriguing to me as a young reader. Plus he had a great hook - powers for only an hour at a time, never knowing the optimum moment to begin the power boost and always running the risk of losing it at a critical moment. Unfortunately, the hour of power was originally administered through taking a drug - a Miraclo Tablet... that and the loose fitting mask that many artists struggle with have I think held him back from breaking through to the big leagues. Those are relatively easy problems to overcome so I hope to see this character grow in popularity in the years to come. Hey, sometimes it takes half a century or so...

Monday, May 3, 2010

Batman and Hercules



Hercules has always been a fun character and I am happy to see that he has gotten a higher profile over the past couple of years. He is appealing in that he is one of the few superheroes that seems to truly enjoy his line of work, and that is refreshing as a reader. I think it was a good idea to give him a sidekick in Amadeus Cho, as he is the most effective when he has a straight man to work off of.

There are certain characters in which I hear a particular voice in my mind when I read their dialogue. With Hercules, the voice of John Rhys-Davies (Gimli in The Lord of the Rings and Sallah in Raiders of the Lost Ark) seems to fit perfectly.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Batman and Hawkgirl



This is one of the very first covers that I created. I have always felt that the silver age Hawkgirl had the coolest designed helmet in all of comics, just a great look. I was glad to see this character return to life in her Shayera Hall persona in the conclusion to the Darkest Night mini series, it will be great to see her and Hawkman operating as a true team once again after so many years where she had no memory of their lives together.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Batman and Hawkeye



Hawkeye has always been a great character, but he has had a rough go of it for the past several years. Killed off, brought back to life but in another identity, then watching a villain take over his persona... It's been a frustrating time to be a Hawkeye fan. This looks to be changing as he is about to begin a new self titled series, finally back in costume and alongside Mockingbird. I am not that familiar with the artist or writer, but I do like the character, so I will give it a try and hope for the best.

I heard a rumor that actor Jeremy Renner may be playing the role of Hawkeye in the upcoming Avengers film. I don't know how true that is, but after seeing him in The Hurt Locker, I think it is a pretty solid choice for the role.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Batman and Catwoman



OK, this one is admittedly very goofy but I just couldn't resist when I saw how well the images worked together. I always liked that Batman and Catwoman married on Earth-Two and had a crime fighting daughter, the Huntress. Unfortunately very little was written about that time in their careers before Crisis on Infinite Earths came along and wiped them out of continuity. Maybe now that the multiverse is back, we'll get a chance to see the Bat couple back in action in their prime.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Batman and Hawk & Dove



Yes, I know Hawk and Dove actually appeared in B&B - but that was before the original Dove was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths and later replaced with Dawn Granger so technically this is a new team. I loved that B&B issue, written by Alan Brennert - it was my first introduction the Hawk & Dove and made me want to seek out more of their appearances. They were victims of the violent age of comics and were eventually corrupted and killed, to my dismay. Fortunately they have both been recently revived and hopefully will be redeemed as well. I am optimistic as they will be appearing as a part of the new Birds of Prey team as written by Gail Simone. She is one of the most dependable writers around these days in my opinion and I look forward to her take on these heroes.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Batman and Aqualad



I am always happy when I can make a cover that utilizes 100% Jim Aparo images, like this one. Poor Aqualad - he has fallen prey to the curse of the Teen Titans, having had tragedy repeatedly visited upon him. First his long time girlfriend, Tula, was killed in Crisis on Infinite Earths, then years later his wife Dolphin and their baby were killed in the sequel, Infinite Crisis (off panel, adding insult to injury). Now in the latest crossover, Blackest Night, he has been murdered by the Black Lantern Aquaman and was not among the heroes revived at the end of the story. The guy just can't get a break.

Batman and Animal Man



Animal Man # 1-26 by Grant Morrison and Charles Truog is one of those perfect comic book runs. I encourage anybody who has not read these issues to go and check them out. Morrison took a forgotten d-list character and told and incredibly complex tale, deconstructing comic book tropes and providing the reader with laughs, excitement and tons of thought provoking ideas.

Unfortunately Morrison did such a good job writing Animal Man that no writer has seemed to really know what to do with him since. The recently finished Last Days of Animal Man was pretty good though, so that is an encouraging step in the right direction. I don't think it sold very well, hopefully more people will check it out in TPB form.

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