Bob Kane. Greg Capullo. Frank Miller. David Mazzucchelli. Jerry Robinson. Jim Aparo. Frank Quitely. Gil Kane. Dave McKean. Neal Adams. Kelley Jones. Norm Breyfogle. Andy Kubert. Jim Lee. Carmine Infantino. Brian Bolland. Jose Garcia Lopez. George Perez. Darwyn Cooke. Tim Sale. Alex Ross. Bruce Timm.
That’s just a handful of the artists who’ve taken on the manatle of the Batman by putting pencil to paper or brush to canvas. When we hear the name Batman, it sparks a flurry of images in our minds. But where does the slideshow ultimately settle when the name comes up in conversation or your imagination takes off as you look out over a city skyline by dark of night?
Who is your Batman and what does he look like? Is he a living shadow or a figure in blue and gray? Are the ears of his cowl short little nubs or do they climb like spires?
You tell us.
Then we’ll tell you who was nominated the most.
No lists either. Just one pick per person. And make your case! If you just post a name, we won’t count it. Support your favorite Batman artist with an argument for their supremacy!
Later on, we’ll tabulate the results and let you know the iFanbase top 5!
UPDATE!
And the votes are in…
After tossing out all the votes from people who didn’t follow the rules (seen above in bold) we have tabulated the numbers and the top five vote getters are…
5. Jim Lee
4. Norm Breyfogle
3. Jim Aparo
2. Neal Adams
The Definitive Batman Artist According To the iFanbase
1. Bruce Timm
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I grew up to Batman: The Animated Series in the early 90’s and for years the Timm-verse was my entry to the wondrous world of Batman. So I’ll go with Bruce Timm! It made me hooked to the character and the main reason why I’m such a fan of the Bat 20 years from when I first set-up my eyes on it in 1992!
Yeah, Bruce Timm is the first name that comes to mind. Animated Batman was such a great incarnation of the character for so long for so many people.
Main argument: the simplicity of the look. It’s Batman to the core, square-jawed, muscled and imposing, the gritty and dark look of him under the shadows. He looked as much imposing drawn by Bruce Timm as Gotham City itself, with a goth/fifties look to it that’s still unique to this day.
Bruce Timm’s Batman is my Batman.
Although I watched every Timm-verse series and episode, I still watch some from time to time. It’s that awesome and it still looks great twenty years from when it first saw the light on TV!
Ditto, Film. Genius, takes the best of everything before it and distils a definitive version. That voice does not hurt either.
“Film” should be Timm,
*curses autocorrect, goes back to cooking dinner *
I agree with the OP. Bruce Timm’s Batman is my Batman. I was too young to buy comics for myself, and Saturday morning Batman the Animated Series is what really made me love the character. What a great show, and I really feel like it holds up well.
Timm is the king for me! Bruce Timm’s Batman is perfect and my favorite. As JCOGGS said, it still holds up well – I love Batman’s look all the way through the series, even into the Justice League Unlimited.
Honorable Mention for me: Darwyn Cooke and John Byrne!
Not only for Batman.
He’s also my definitive most of the bat-universe artist.
His Robin
His Bat-mobile
His joker
His Jim Gordon
His Captain cold
Etc, etc, etc…
The Batman Animated Series was my first exposure to Batman back in 1992, before I was even aware of the comics. Even if that wasn’t the case, Bruce Timm’s Batman is such a coherent distillation of both the darkness as well as the fun of Batman, taking all the essentials from everything that came before. My vote’s for Bruce Timm.
I was about to ask who animated The Batman Animated Series because that is what I think of when i think of Batman. Im sure most people in their 20s view this take as Batman.
Hopefully this counts as a vote. It’s Timm all the way for defining batman to kids everywhere in the 90s. Most of my friends don’t read comics but did watch the show as a kid. This show as well as the Spiderman and X-Men shows of the 90s are a large part of why I read comics now, and have defined the way I see multiple characters.
Happily surprised to see so many other people still hold the show in their hearts 🙂
Out of the variations seen throughout the different DCAU series id say my favorite variation of Bruce Timms batman was Justice Leagues.
The show set up the way i expect all DC characters in terms of looks, personality and voice (hear them every time i read a comic). Plus the plots to the episodes where great. Kinda makes me wish their where more shows like the old DCAU other than Young Justice, or a comic continuation for the DCAU itself (still have batman beyond unlimited though 😀 )
Neal Adams
Why Neal?
He freed the Dark Knight from the technicolor silliness of his first three decades. Everyone likes to say that Batman was a dark character as originally presented by Bob Kane. Well, I simply do not find this to be true. He may have been darker than the other heroes of the time, but he was still trapped in the a juvenile version of the funny-books aesthetic of the Golden Age that, frankly, is hard to take seriously.
Neal Adams was the first to take Batman seriously. He stretched him from the stocky physique of the past to the slender, acrobatic physique we’re so accustomed to now.
Oh. And he wiped that stupid grin from the Dark Knight’s face.
That alone should promote Adams to the top of any Bat-artist list.
His action scenes exploded with movement. His scenery was grimy and scary. His Wayne Manor was always stormy.
Neal Adams didn’t just understand Batman. I submit that Neal Adams invented the Batman we all pretend was created way back in 1939.
Bravo!
Neal Adams for the reasons listed above.
“Neal Adams didn’t just understand Batman. I submit that Neal Adams invented the Batman we all pretend was created way back in 1939.”
Seconded! -Neal Adams, for the reasons listed.
Definately Neal Adams. His Batman is the one I see in my head as soon as I hear the name. He’s also the first that looks like “THE” Batman.
Geeks got it right. Neal Adams. No contest.
Jim Aparo. With Neal Adams a very close second. Capullo’s redefining the character entirely, and he’s quickly jumping to the top of the list.
I agree with this completely…
Yes.
I concur.
Yeah Jim’s my choice too.
Jim Aparo is my choice too.
I didn’t see the part where we had to supply a reason, for me it’s no simpler than the fact that Aparo was drawing Batman when I first starting collecting and Death in the Family was one of the first storylines that really hit me hard when I was a kid. Whenever someone mentions Batman, it’s Aparo’s Batman that pops into my mind. That’s probably not the most analytical reason for liking someone’s art, but it’s the best reason I can think of.
Yeah, Jim Aparo’s work on the flagship is great and I fell in love with his stuff on Batman & The Outsiders when I was a kid. That’s the Batman I see. Oddly enough, with a black Superman armband, too.
Tim Sale for Comics. I just loved the way he was able to combine dark and gritty themes with a more stylized cartoonish style. It was a nice balance and those stories like Long Halloween are some of my all time favorites.
Bruce Timm for Animation He’s the reason why i love Batman and got into comics. A lighter take on the character for sure,it worked so well and defined an entire era.
to adhere to the rules and pick just one, i’ll go with Bruce Timm. I think his interpretation of Batman and that whole universe really defined an entire generation of Superhero Animation and created the gold standard. So much fun to watch, and the simplicity of the characters, with a classic noir aesthetic was really amazing…plus the work still holds up years later.
For me it has to be Bruce Timm. It was my first exposure to Batman as a kid and the iconography of the series has stuck with me since. Perhaps it’s because it was my first–but to me his depiction of not only Bats, but Gotham in general became instantly recognizable.
I would definitely go with Neal Adams. His rendition of Batman was just perfect. He looked like a finely toned athlete, but believably so. Not overly muscled but not too thin. He looked like he could exist in the real world. He was athletic, graceful, powerful, intimidating. Whenever I close my eyes and picture Batman, it is the Neal Adams version I see. The definitive Batman artist.
Taking Timm out of the equation, that image of Batman running on the beach from “The Joker’s Five Way Revenge”, that’s my image of Batman.
I agree!
Neal Adams’ version of Batman is the first one that comes to mind whenever anyone brings up the Dark Knight.
He brought Batman out of the abyss of the silly 1960’s versions and made the character scary and intense again.
Breyfogle and Mazzucchelli are tied for a close second with me.
I gotta say Jim Lee and Neil Adams as close second.
This is solely a personal choice, but I would go with the unconventional pick of Dale Eaglesham. Like other commenters their pick is defined by first experiences with Batman (ie the animated series). Well for me my first engrossing batman tale was No Mans Land. In which Eaglesham defined the look of a broken Gotham for me and the look of Batman, Huntress, Batgirl and other allies.
Norm Breyfogle, hands down. When I think about my definitive Batman, I think of dramatic poses and clever uses of shadow and light. No artist has had a solid run on this type of execution like Norm Breyfogle. He brings a sketchiness of line to Gotham that reflects the uneven moral foundation that Batman swings through each and every night. When I think of Batman artists, I think of Norm Breyfogle.
Ooo, Breyfogle was amazing in his run. I always forget about Breyfogle. Mandrake also did a good job, and was drawing Bats around this time too.
Norm Breyfogle is by far and away my favourite Batman artist. His run with Alan Grant in the late 80’s/early 90’s was great.
Breyfogle was great! Batman as a shadow with eyes. So ominous. Doesn’t he do Batman beyond now? I’ve been meaning to check that out.
shit yes, breyfogle. his batman as a big black shadow with eyes pretty much defined how i thought about and tried to draw batman during grade school. it was so damned simple but so damned true and simple.
I’m voting for Norm. I was late to join the DCU, but his Batman and Gotham were spooky and moody in a way that I had never seen in a comic.
Norm Breyfogle gets my vote. His rendition of Batman fit the mythos of the man versus the bat. By drawing Batman as a dark, fearless protector of Gotham City and Bruce Wayne as a wealthy, playboy-type businessman, he really made you think he could get away with the premise that these were two different people. The Alan Grant-Norm Breyfogle run was onw of my favorites…
Noooooorm! For me, he represents batman. And my childhood. Well norm and John Elway. But, Elway has nothing to do with Batman. Though, I bet Elway could take on Batman. And win.
Agree with Norm Breyfogle. Detective 619 was my first comic ever and part of the appeal was the cover – Batman doing detective work in his lab. It’s a surprisingly uncommon subject for a batman cover and he makes it look riveting. (Look it up, it’s great.) And then the length of his run was so long that it totally cemented that look for Batman (and Tim Drake Robin) for me.
Breyfogle! Easily. Loved his Batmobile, the way he drew Batman, and I always looked forward to seeing villains drawn in a Norm Breyfogle-drawn book for the first time, just to see what they would look like. His work had beautiful shapes–especially the things he could do with Batman’s cape.
Jim Aparo Death in the Family, that was my Batman it was the first book I read along with Dark Knight Returns. They were trades that I got from the library in the late 80’s. Pretty dark material for a kid, my mum didn’t look flick through them or even look at the titles she just thought that comic were for kids and associated Batman with the 60’s TV show.
Jim Aparo. The first Batman comic I ever read was ‘The Untold Legend of the Batman’, so Aparo’s work is seared into my brain. His work on that title and ‘Brave and the Bold’ is so dynamic and expressive. And, he drew the most impressive “Bat-hands”!
I second Jim Aparo for the Untold Legend of the Batman. I had that & the accompanying audio tape as a kid and listened to/read it so many times that is the classic image of Batman seared in my brain. I remember also reading a lot of back issues around that time that had that same look, whether it was Aparo on art or other artists using his model. I still think of Batman in those particular light blue and gray tones as opposed to the much darker tones used for the last 20-30 years.
Bruce TImm. When I think of Batman, I think of the dark outline with just the white eyes showing from the Animated Series. Echoing a few other comments, I trace that show as a major reason that I love comics and the character of Batman so much 20 years later.
Great question by the way.
It’s got to be Bruce Timm. It’s like the ultimate combination of Batman. All hard edges and square jaws, but distinctly human psyche. 50 years of Batman stories boiled down to their essence. His figures have this effortless simplicity, but with real weight and gravitas. I could look at his work all day. I wish he drew more comics.
I liked Mazzuchelli, but to be an artist for a character it would have to last longer than four issues. Tim Sale is great, but all he did was the miniseries. My favorite artist has to be someone that delivered month in and out. Alan Davis is the runner up with Norm Breyfogle being the winner.
Devil’s advocate, four issues is plenty to be definitive. A cover could do it. A panel. This isn’t about best storyteller or most important contribution to the legacy. This is just a question of that bolt of lightning. Who got in your brain and set down stakes for good?
For me it is Mazzuchelli, Batman Year One is my favourite Bat story and a lot of my favourite images of Batman since that time have been drawn by artists who have been heavily influenced by him.
David Mazzucchelli for me. Year One is the definitive Batman story in my eyes.
I’ve loved reading batman comics for almost forty years now…and I can say that Mazzucchelli is my favourite Batman artist, one of my favourite artists at all, and Year One is my favourite comic book story.
It was fantastically written, but for me the art was…it was beyond cinematic, I could swear sometimes the characters are actually moving. Also, rarely do art and written word sync this perfectly, which is a difficult thing to do, an accomplishment that should be recognized as a skill, not some magical “chemistry”…and it’s not like Miller’s easy to work with.
He also does that cool thing of conveying more with less…kinda like David Aja.
Shout outs to Adams (obviously), Marshall Rogers, Brian Bolland, Doug Mahnke and, actually, Greg Capullo. Not trying to flout the rules here, I think my vote is clear, just thanking these guys fer makin’ stuff I loved.
My absolute favorite Batman stories are the ones drawn by Dick Sprang. The stories with his art were larger than life and, most importantly, the most fun. Who wouldn’t want to see Batman fight thugs on top of a giant billiard table?
Great call! The very best of Bob Kane’s ghosts, Sprang brought such life to his panels. His clean lines and dynamic storytelling took the early “Kane” model and injected it with actual artistic ability and a sense of consistent style. Sheldon Moldoff and the others helped make Kane look good, but you can really tell when Sprang was wielding the pencil (and Charles Paris was holding the ink brush). I know that Sprang’s work represents an era of Batman stories that most of us would like to forget, but the fun and joy he put into those pages… beautiful. For a whole generation of comic book readers, his work was the pinnacle of Batman art — even if those kids never knew his name.
Bruce Timm, The Animated Series
For me, honestly I think it’s Jim Lee. Adams is fantastic and there are other artists I think that draw him better or that I would prefer. But when I think of Batman, I’m seeing Jim Lee’s Batman.
I’ll second Jim Lee. When I close my eyes and think of Batman (which I do so often during the day 🙂 ) I think of Lee’s version.
Like most people have said Bruce Timm.
Greg Capullo
Give a reason why you chose Greg Capullo so that your vote will count!
Bruce Timm. the simplicity of design evokes so much. Less is more.
Lots of people didn’t read the rules. Lots of people’s votes aren’t going to get counted.
You know people just jump to commenting without reading the entire article first. Hw many iaflashback columns have somebody asking “why not ten years go?” In the comments?
Good! God! people it’s Frank Miller…..
Why? Dark Knight…
I love Frank Miller, but I always felt a batman was too bulky in DKR. it’s great art and I like it a lot, but its not the top of my list.
I always picture Brian Dennehy as the perfect DKR Batman
LMAO Brian Dennehy HAHAHAHAHAHA Now that will be forever who I see and hear in Miller’s Batman.
dude. yes. dennehy as batman.
and since dennehy was mentioned, this song is now in my head (big up, chicago!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqrtoFWglMY
I too am on the BTAS bandwagon. Gotta go with the Bruce Timm.
Forgot the argument: Bruce Timm’s Batman had a simplicity of design, but still evoked the feel of something mysterious that came out of the shadows.
Dustin nguyen. While his “lil gotham” stuff is fun, his REAL batman stuff is the best out there. His watercolor style sets the mood of gotham better than any other artist has been able too(see detective comics #842 cover). Also Jock is coming up quickly behind him…
I could *easily* list half a dozen artists as my definitive Batman artist. So many images come to mind when I think of the character, however since lists aren’t the name of the game, I’ll narrow it down to one; Bruce Timm. I grew up during the Bronze Age, when iconic Batman artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo stalked Gotham. And while I enjoyed their work, I was too young to truly appreciate it. When Batman: The Animated Series, it bowled me over. Sure I’d really dug the Superfriends and the Filmation cartoon before that, but this was … different. The simplified lines were meant to make animation simpler, but they also gave the series a visual language all it’s own. I don’t know what the first episode I saw was. I’d like to think it was “On Leather Wings”, the debut episode.
Regardless of the episode, the design elements of the world and of Bruce Timm’s Batman have stuck with me for over twenty years. So much so that while I love what so many artists have brought to the character over the years, Bruce Timm’s Batman is my Batman.
In hindsight — I think the first episode I saw was one of the Red Claw episodes. It says a lot that one of the worst arcs in the DCAU didn’t stop me from appreciating Timm’s Batman.
Jim Aparo is the artist I most associate Batman with in my mind’s eye. He logged in so many pages in so many titles year after year for over three decades. Aparo did countless Brave & the Bold team ups, issues of Detective and the main title and was the artist on Batman & the Outsiders. Aparo also was the penciler for some great arcs like the KGBeast storyline and Death in the Family.
I’m a big fan of Neal Adams, Irv Novick and Don Newton but Jim Aparo was the definitive Batman artist for me growing up.
Wow, I can’t believe I will be the first to say Frank Miller. TDKR was the first graphic novel I ever read and the thing that got me hooked on comics.
First to say who? beat ya by a good 5 mins.
That’s why you are “Lord” and I am merely “Master”.
Missed that comment but I’m relieved to see someone else say Miller. I’m sure he’ll rack up many more votes before it’s over.
All the Bruce Timm votes are surprising me. Maybe it’s a generational thing.
Well I’m twenty-seven and that show was just unique back when it started. I was too young to read comics, but I could watch Batman every saturday morning and I watched it religiously! 😉 I guess a lot of people my age would say the same. Hence the Bruce Timm love!
thinking age does have something to do with it,
Not completely. I’m 38 and Timm is my go-to guy. That said I do think age has an element in directing people’s taste, you can’t discount who was responsible for the dominant take on the character at the time they were exposed to him and how they were exposed to the Batman.
I’d have to say Neal Adams. When I close my eyes it’s his Batman I see – such beautiful line work that captures the danger & mystery of the character & his world.
Frank Miller. First – DKR is my favorite comic book of all time, and possibly IMO THE greatest of all time, and it could not be if the art was not also amazing. And it is. Now – I know we know FM’s pencils on DKR were rough and a lot of work was done in inking – but even accepting that – when I think of Batman, I think of the DKR design. The design was topical and timely, revolutionary and enduring. It perfectly captures who Batman is (or who I want Batman to be).
I’m going to go off list. Howard Porter, Grant Morrison’s first artist on JLA. The way he drew Batman evoked both fear and power; I’m specifically thinking of the first arc with the White Martians.
Now, if that doesn’t count, I’m going with Neal Adams. I’m pretty sure the first Batman comic I ever owned was a Neal Adams, and the curve of his lines on the Batmobile and the sweep of Batman’s cape are iconic images.
I have to agree. I wasn’t thinking of Howard Porter but you nailed it! Well done, sir! The way Porter evoked the feel of Batman, his aloofness, his use of shadow, his smirk, his build, all of it. That is the Batman in my my mind. The way he conveyed both the power and the grace of Batman’s movements. Like you said with the white martians, he seemed like a living shadow at times but then when he punched out people, you could feel the impact. Howard Porter, my vote.
I was going to vote Breyfogle before I read this. But Howard Porter’s Batman is really scary and he made me believe that he’s the most dangerous man in the world. So dangerous that when Prometheus beat him, I really scared for the safety of the JLA. Thanks BC1!
Marshall Rogers. His seminal work on Batman, chiefly in Detective Comics from ’76 to ’79 was thrilling & groundbreaking.
His Batman was epic, with a sense of darkness or mystery as required, yet beautifully crafted in a contemporary reality.
Roger’s brought a hitherto unseen modern design sensibility to the Dark Knight & his influence on subsequent Batman artists is undeniable.
His run in Detective Comics was relatively brief, #466 – 468, #471 – 479 & #481, which makes his impact that bit more remarkable.
Good call!
Agreed. Marshall Rogers is my pick as well.
I’d like to add the sequel to their (Rogers and Englehart’s) Detective run, “Batman: Dark Detective” is an absolute masterpiece and it’s a shame we will never see the third part of their trilogy due to Rogers’ untimely death.
I wish all Batman was Marshall Rogers’ Batman
Beside Timm, it’s somewhere between Toth and Robbins.
Frank Miller.
I think the only argument necessary is The Dark Knight Returns.
“You don’t get it, boy… this isn’t a mudhole… it’s an operating table. And I’m the surgeon.”
The artwork that matches that quote features the Batman as I see him.
I have Detective Comics #27 and Batman #1 on my wall. When I close my eyes, Bob Kane’s Batman is what I see.
You should get those off your wall and into a safety deposit box!
Greg Capullo, who else has come out of the gate, from relative obscurity, swinging as hard as Capullo?? He had been rocking the shit out of Spawn for 10+ years and he was largely ignored. Yes there were fans out there like myself but I doubt most people really knew Capullo before he was announced on Batman. And has he disappointed at all? No, hes been kicking ass and taking names every single issue thus far, with no signs of slowing down.
Kelley Jones.
Ooops: Didn’t read the rules!
Kelley Jones takes the costume to its logical extreme. It’s terrifying, visceral and brutal. Criminals won’t be walking away intact from a beast like that; he’s the ultimate bat, the ultimate fighter. The character’s intelligence and detective skills are preserved as pure animal instinct.
Seconded!
I love Kelley Jones’ Batman!
Great use of shadow. Frightening. Scary.
That’s a Batman that I would be scared to meet in a dark alley.
Frank Miller.
I read DKR every New Year’s Day. Jt’s how i like to start my year. It’s the book that redefined the character for a generation. My generation. Miller tapped into something with both his writing and his art that will always be part of what Batman is to me. Someone mentioned above that Adams wiped that stupid smile off Bruce’s face. Well Miller put it back on, in a whole new way. Miller’s Batman is more than just cool, he unhinged. He takes great joy in what he does. The panel where Bruce leaps out of the Batmobile, ready to get back in the game and show these punks who’s boss, with that smile on his face that makes the reader just a little uncomfortable, is one of all time favorite panels in comics history. I’ve had it as my avatar since I joined this site.
The broad shoulders, the big hands, the chin, the grimace, the smile, and the bat of Miller’s Batman will always be my Batman.
Great analysis with the smile thing. Frank Miller would be my choice if I didn’t choose Jim Lee. The images of DKR obliterated my world as a child. I would just look through it over and over again before I was old enough to read it. The leather-bound complete Frank Miller Batman, passed down, sold, and traded between my older brothers until it was mine at age 10. Totally shaped my life. It’s probably the reason I love hardcore/metal and Scorsese.
Neil Adams
He along with Oneil made Batman the crime fighting world traveler with a dark side.
Kelley Jones illustrates my definitive Batman. Ridiculously long ears and massive cape=really creepy looking. You see that in a dimly lit back alley and tell me you don’t evacuate your bowels. Combine that with Batman becoming a vampire in a couple of elseworlds books and you’ve got my reasons why Kelley Jones illustrates my definitive Batman.
If Batman’s costume is designed to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham’s criminal fraternity, it’s Kelley Jones’ rendition that would really make you question your career choices.
Frank Miller. Who knew that by making Batman older and fatter that he was simply more badass. Plus, that Bat-tankmobile? Holy crap Batman! Love it!
Honorable mention – Mazzucchelli
Greg capullo. He was the first batman artist I’ve regularly read and he is awesome!!!
Kelley Jones
Kelley Jones does such a great job of drawing Batman as a man but also as a creature. I can understand his style turning people of because it is kind of unconventional but I think it is great.
Mine has to be Neal Adams. His covers leaped out from the spinner rack just like his foreshortened images of Batman racing towards the viewer (with his cape billowing like a kite behind). This was when Batman’s stories turned darker, some supernatural elements showed up, and R’as al Ghul & Talia made their debut. All of a sudden Batman was a man not campy or a cartoon. He was sexy, dangerous, and criminals were spooked by him again. Vintage Neal Adams defined Batman for every artist that has followed him.
Berni Wrightson.
Unless, I’m mistaken, Wrightson was the FIRST artist to present Batman with the long, pointy bat ears and make his cape wide and tent-like for full dramatic effect in the pages of the Swamp Thing. And then, came back years later with a story written by Jim Starlin called The Cult, where Berni renders Batman bandaged, bloodied, and before Bane even, he was broken by the Reverend. Good stuff.
Jim Aparo gets my vote. When I first started reading Batman in the late 80’s Aparo’s Batman just felt right. It had the blue/grey suit with the yellow oval that I grew up with on Superfriends but he drew a Batman that looked like a real person would look in that costume to me. I also loved Breyfogle’s Batman, but it was less realistic and more stylized. Felt more like ‘art’ to me, which isn’t a bad thing just a different take.
When it comes down to it though and you ask me what Batman looks like, Aparo’s version is what first pops into my head.
Bruce Timm’s Batman is the the Batman i see in my head when i think of Batman. This Batman is SImple yet Iconic.
Doug Mahnke : On of the first Batman stories I read was Under The Hood. He made Batman feel real when I saw him on the page, the details, the realistic approach… So when I think about Batman, that image of Batman in Under The Hood pops up, although I prefer Greg Capullo right now, Doug Mahnke cemented the Batman-image in my mind.
Bruce Timm. However, it’s not the original animated series style but the New Adventures/Justice League version. The animated series style always looked a bit too stocky for me so I thought the redesign was a fantastic, streamlined version of the original. The ears are long and pointy, the cape drapes beautifully over the shoulders, the silhouette looks more intimating, and those eyes! Also, I’ve never been a huge fan of the yellow oval. I prefer the black bat on grey.
My earliest memory of Batman comes in the form of a book on tape in the late 80’s. The audio cassette was blue and grey, and included a copy of the comic, without lettering. Inevitably I lost the comic book (being I was a young child), but would listen to the cassette every night before bed, and would imagine Batman jumping from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally stopping to halt a mugging. To make a long story short, the artist of accompanying book was Mr. Jim Aparo. Therefore; my definitive Batman would have to be his, because that was the first, and for the longest time, the only image of Batman I had to work with. To this day when I close my eyes and picture a Batman, I still see that grey and blue, long pointed ear, and large cape Batman. On a side note, I can’t remember who narrated the book, but I can still hear that voice in my head when I read any Batman comic now a days.
Alex Ross.
Ross captures the eyes, pain, and world weariness of the man behind the mask
Jim Aparo for me. His art portrayed the action behind being Batman, rather than drawing attention to itself. I dislike art that slaps you in the face and demands attention. The art should enhance the story. With Aparo, and Adams as well, the art flowed.
Greg Capullo – He is doing amazing work right now and will take Batman into the future!
Hey, can we e a cheat sheet for who all the artists are in the montage up top?
I’ll give it a shot. Hopefully someone will make corrections since I’m bound to miss a few.
From L to R.
Row 1: Adams, Jones, Kane (or Robinson with Kane credited), Portacio.
Row 2: Andy Kubert, Alex Toth (a very Superfriends Batman), Mignola, Robinson
Row 3: Lee, Ross, Bolland, Timm
Row 4:Perez, Lopez (or maybe Rogers?), Sprang, Bianchi
I think you’re mostly right, except for that being Bolland on the third row – looks more like Tony Daniel to me.
Good call. That one had (has) me stumped. I was thinking maybe Gotham Knights era Bolland, but that was a complete shot in the dark. Could be Daniel? The coloring makes me think it is from the past 5 years or so. But…I don’t know, I feel like I know Daniel’s Batman pretty well and I don’t recognize it as being Tony Daniel (I may well be wrong though). The other one I’m sort of guessing at is Lopez. That could be any of a myriad of late 70s-early 80s guys.
Now I’m really curious. Hopefully Paul will clue us in as to the source material for these.
The 3rd Batman on the 3rd row is not Bolland’s, I think it’s Ed Benes’ from his Justice League of America.
ajungtop: Thanks! I checked on DB and you are right, it is from the cover of Justice League of America (2006) #7.
Well done!
Norm breyfogle
Ah yes, gotta agree with Dustin Nguyen! His work struck me as the most sincere protrayal of Batman, his associates and Gotham as a whole. I’ve absolutely loved reading the Batman: Streets of Gotham series.
I for one would love to hear from the staff on this one. I’d be really interested to see their votes.
Whatdya say guys? Conor? Josh? Ron? Paul? Jim? Ryan? Mike? Ali? Step outta your dress shoes and put on your slippers for a minute.
If you feel a conflict of interest, don’t count your votes. Just for funsies.
Definitely Neal Adams! Batman would never be what he is today with out that dark grit and style added to the character after the campy TV show esthetic that came before.
Marshall Rogers.
José Luis García-López.
He helped define the DC house style in the ’80s, back when I was growing up. The blue & gray costume, yellow oval the chest, capsules on the utility belt, will always be my favorite look for Batman. It’s how my Super Powers figure looked. It’s how I was introduced to the character.
Yeah, García-López would be a very close second after Aparo in my book. His character designs are still being used almost all of the Batman merchandise out there. Kind of a shame he didn’t do more interiors, but his art has probably been seen by more people than most comic book artists.
Jim Aparo.
Bruce Timm. I was probably in kindergarden when I first caught the animated series, and it is what sparked my interested in Batman and, really, comics as a whole. It’s how I see Batman. That being said, Norm Breyfogle drew what is my favorite representation of Batman.
Jim Lee.
when i imagine Batman, it’s Jim Lee’s. Hush contains the best illustrations of Batman, Gotham and the rogues gallery that i’ve ever seen. i also loved his work with Frank Miller on All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder and more recently in Justice League with Geoff Johns, his Batman is still the best.
Bruce Timm. I would vote for him right now because of my love for the animated series and the look of the show. I have a son now and I’m looking forward to watching the show and seeing his love for Batman get started.
I’m joining the Neal Adams chorus, though it was a tough decision to come to. In the end, it’s not just the look of his Batman but how he moved. Adams is the master of making static images look dynamic.
I can’t think of any other character with more “definitive” artists. The amount of talent Batman has attracted over the years is unmatched.
This has to be Norm Breyfogle. There were many artist before him when I was younger that introduced me to Batman… But when all is said and done the Batman that is in my heart looks like Norm’s. His had energy, style, grace and the most perfect shadows.
Bruce Timm. I grew up on B:TAS and he defined Batman to me. The simplicity of the look is amazing when you consider the amount of people that think of his design when the think Batman.
Bruce Timm
Batman: The Animated Series is one of the main reasons I got into comics in the first place, everything about that series was just great for me and it still holds up today. I really liked how Timm drew everyone on the show but especially Batman….the scenes when it’s just the white eyes and the shadows are the best. Also he drew the version of the Batman costume that I like the best.
Norm Breyfogle!
Gene Colan. He wasn’t my first Batman artist, but he was by far my favorite. Everything was in motion; his people moved, they were real. Batman never seemed more as an actual man in a costume than when Mr. Colan drew him.
I’m going with David Mazzucchelli.
I was probably 10 or so when my mother bought me the Batman: Year One navel through her book club cause she thought I might like it. It was the first graphic novel I ever owned and probably the first Batman comic I’d read that I can remember. There was just something about that plain grey and black costume and non-muscular form that made his version come across as something real and different than what was being done on average within the genre during the 80’s. After all this time he’s is still one of my favorite artist. I think half the reason I’m enjoying David Aja’s art so much on Hawkeye right now (besides Aja being brilliant in his own right) is because it reminds me of Mazzucchelli’s style a bit.
Jim Lee.
Though he’s visually indebted to Frank Miller’s version of Batman, he draws a better Batman than everyone.
I’d go with Jim Aparo (with Norm Breyfogle a close second). His Batman is the iconic one to me. Obviously he was very much influenced by Neal Adams’ Batman, but seeing as how I grew up with late 80’s Batman comics, Aparo takes it. I still remember A Death in the Family being my real first Batman story that I read and that look has stuck with me since.
Jock, because the first Batman story I really loved was Snyder’s Detective run. Jock drew the more Batman’ish side of that run, with Francavilla handling the creepier Gordon side of the story.
That was a good run. And great art. I wonder if it still counts as it was Dick Grayson as Batman not Bruce Wayne? Either way it was great art.
Alan Davis.
Although his run was only for 7 issues on Detective Comics in the 1980’s (#569-575) it perfectly captured the the best of both worlds of Batman (Light and Dark).
Sure a lot of the credit for these issues being awesome goes to writer Mike W Barr and the way he elegantly squeezes in an epic, Sliver Age inspired story about the Scarecrow, Catwoman, the Mad Hatter, and The Joker in a sparse 7 issues. Each issue is a nice stand alone story but each one an important piece of a larger puzzle. These days such a event would span 12 issues and cross over to other titles. Not so here, this Detective run is brilliant and one of the finest examples of how to do a Batman story right.
Anyway, back to Alan Davis – that dude took Barr’s script and breathed a life into the words in a way that only happens once in awhile. Like a lightning strike, Barr and Davis struck in 1986, during a period of Miller’s Dark Knight dominance and showed us that Batman could be both Dark and Light. Davis’ work is dynamic and realistic enough for those Dark Batman fans but light, crisp and cartoony enough for those Light Batman fans. His figure work is exceptional and he doesn’t waste a panel in these 7 issues. It’s almost as if Alan Davis knew his time on Batman was short and that he needed to make the best of it.
This is a phenomenal run and one that any self respecting Batman fan needs to read (or any self respecting Comic Book fan needs to read). THIS is a run that made me a Batman fan for life.
Lightning in a bottle.
Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself…
http://www.nuestroscomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Detective-Comics-571-pg01.jpg
http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/6060/166983-18058-113028-1-detective-comics_super.jpg
http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/4541/6144361_1.jpg?v=8C8CFC27E83DA10
http://images.ha.com/lf?set=path%5B2%2F9%2F7%2F297413%5D%2Csizedata%5B450x2000%5D&call=url%5Bfile%3Aproduct.chain%5D
Yeah, I’m an old dude, I guess. But it’s got to be Dick Sprang for me. The Smiling Batman is the one I want to rescue me from a burning building. Not the cranky, scowling, emotionally unstable taskmaster that slinks around and makes his “friends” feel generally uncomfortable. Who wants to hang out with that guy? Sprang made him fun and bright and imaginative – it was Adventure TIme before Adventure Time. The panel to panel action is clear and forthright, exciting and compact story-telling. Cartooning at its best.
High five.
I grew up with Bruce Timm’s Batman from the Animated series, but I think Batman never looked better than when Jim Lee drew him during the Hush arc.
George Perez. My first comic book that had me looking at the credits for who wrote it and drew it was The New Teen Titans #14. From then on, Perez has been my favorite artist. Taking Dick from Robin to Nightwing just blew me away and then helping introduce Tim Drake was amazing too. The cross-over between Batman & The New Titans was a dream come true and seeing Perez draw Batman and those amazing covers for the “A Lonely Place of Dying” arch were just stunning!
They say you never forget your first. I don’t think they were referring to Batman artists, but the words still ring true. Norm Breyfogle is my first. Not only was the first Batman artist I vividly remember, he’s also the first one to draw MY Robin (Tim Drake). His runs on both Detective and Batman are still some incredible examples of how to layout action sequences. His sleek version of The Dark Knight and super creepy Joker are still some of my all time favorite representations of the characters. To my delight, he’s bask as the artist on Batman Beyond Unlimited and it looks like he hasn’t missed a beat.
BASK=BACK
My earliest Batmemories are of “The Untold Legend of the Batman,” so I have to vote for Jim Aparo. Also, Jim Aparo draws awesome hands.
Jim Aparo!!!!
I would have to go with Bruce Timm because I grew up on Batman the Animated Series and that is the version of Batman I think of when ever I think of Batman and also this was the first version of Batman I ever saw and I LOVED it.
Don Newton with Alcala on inks. Awesome use of shadow, good-looking women. Very edgy for the 80’s. Not overly dramatic. Just very solid. Might be the lone wolf on this one. Norm Breyfogle, Jock, and Jim Lee, Gibbons? are up there too, but there’s something about Newton and Alcala thats just right. Such a hard question.
Don Newton wasn’t my first choice (damned tough question), but I applaud your call. I loved his work on Batman & for me, his run is classic. His storytelling was masterful & there’s a physical energy that leaps off the page.
Greg Capullo because he draws a badass batman, occasionally with a little stuble on bruce’s chin and it’s the attention to these small details is what makes him my top choice.
My vote goes to Mazzucchelli. I just really like the simplicity of his version; I’m a fan of the black on gray costume, the stubby ears (although in the right story, I do appreciate the exaggerated ears), and the type of physique that can be obtained by an actual human. Also, I’m pretty sure Capullo’s Batman–which I think is awesome–is very much inspired by Mazzucchelli’s design.
Gil Kane? Not much career Batman from him IIRC.
Neal and Jim Aparo were my introductory Batman artists when I was first buying comics, along with 70’s Don Newton stuff.
But the 1950’s Dick Sprang stuff was all over the 100 page spectaculars too, so his Batman was an early fav of mine.
Sorry I didn’t realize this was a “contest”
Make my vote for Jim Aparo.
why? Because even Neal Adams who correctly said most of the Post “69 Neal peer Bat artists like Don Newton Marshal Rogers and others would start with his Batman, and put their own flourishes on top. The one guy he said still made his own Batman along side his, was Jim Aparo. Aparo was able to balance the nocturnal Batman with all the other heroes he’d draw Bats with in Brave and Bold, without losing the mythic quality, even in daytime action shots.
As much as I love so many of the artists mentioned, I’d have to say Norm Breyfogle is my definitive Batman artist. I discovered his work while I was in high school and it really made me think about comic book art in a different way. His Batman always seemed dark and powerful, even when standing still, and his action always seemed so fluid.
Jim Aparo. But also, whoever was coloring Jim Aparo’s work when I started reading it. The dynamism in Aparo’s action, the flowing cape, the narrow eyes and high brow, all of that defined the look of Batman for me when I started reading comics. But equally important was that blue and grey. Watching the JLA: Doom movie on Netflix the other day I noticed how much I missed the cobalt cowl and cape with the light grey tights. The dark suits the character’s concept, but there’s something really exciting about that color combination. And that’ll always be Batman for me.
Tony Harris. The way he did Batman in the Starman series (when Jack Knight and B. went into Grundy) is my favorite version.
Glad to see Breyfogle getting some love. My thought earlier about Mazzuchelli was that I would like to see an artist tell more than a story. He was there for Y1 and that’s it. I would’ve loved to see more but that wasn’t the case. I want to see the origin on one arc and then an arc about the Mad Hatter next. I’m just greedy like that. I can’t believe Davis’s run on Detective was only seven issues? It felt longer, in a good way. More impactful.
Frank Quitely.
Neal Adams. Because: old.
I don’t think I’ve seen him on this list, but how could we forget Marshall Rogers?!?!?!?!
When I first got into comics, one of the first things my mom bought me was the first Knightfall trade. In that, the artist that blew me away, even as a wee little lad, was Norm Breyfogle. The energy of his panels just leaped off the pages. His almost exagerrated lines and figures really stood out, and when placed beside other artists of the time, it really stood out. He also did an amazing job capturing the emotion of his characters, from horror, to happiness to all out rage. He could make Batman act under that mask, and especially in that series, as Batman is beaten physically and emotionally, it was expertly done.
One of my favorite panels from that trade is when he’s hunting the Ventriliqust and the big dumb guy (can’t remember his name). He stands on the sill of a broken window, draped in shadow with subtle blues and his white eyes blazing. On man, I stared and adored that panel as a kid.
Waaaaaay before my time but I absolutely love looking at Carmine Infantino’s Batman. He’s a master at drawing human anatomy and some of his cover designs were so unique for the time and still easily stand the test of time.
Surprised with the lack of his name here, he was around for a long time aswell.
I’ve got a feeling it’s because his work is so associated with the Flash that people forget he worked on plenty of other characters.
Probably Mazzucchelli, as Year One was one of the first Bat-books I ever read when I was first getting into comics. Also Bruce Timm, because I grew up loving the Justice League cartoon.
Jim Lee…So many great options its hard to narrow it to one, an argument can be made for all listed and many more. Marshall Rogers, Tony Daniels, Gene Coolan…not mentioned but should be. Jim Lee is my pick. His Batman was everything we want, Cool, Big, Intimadating, Scary, and always has the look of a man in control. While I love Neal Adams, and many others from the 70’s and 80’s their Batman always showed emotion while in costume. Batman should always keep us guessing and Lee’s does.
I prefer stories from other artists, but Jim Lee’s Batman looks like the picture in my mind.
I vote for Dave Mazzucchelli. The spare, isolated Batman and Gotham he created have most influenced my understanding of Batman as a loner who can never trust anyone, and who can never stop. I also feel that the aesthetic he established in Year One greatly influenced the Nolan movies, which will define Batman in many people’s eyes for years to come.
Neal Adams. I had been “seriously” collecting comics for about three years when “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” came out. Neal Adams’ depiction of Denny O’Neil’s story instantly defined for me who Batman was.
As an aside, I can’t think of any other character in comics that can be interpreted in so many widely different styles, yet still be instantly recognizable and “true” (at least in some aspect) to his character. I agree with so many of the above comments that I am finding it hard to resist making a list of all my runner-up favorites.
Graham Nolan. He was drawing Detective Comics around the time i was getting into comics so his version of Batman is what I always go back to.
Whenever I read the Knightfall cycle, I always look most forward to Nolan’s chapters
Dick Sprang. Neal Adams a close second. I devoured Batman from the 30s to the 70s when I was a kid, before I could even buy individual issues — I was too young for an allowance but I had a library card :)..
Butthead: “He said Dick-Sprang. Uh-huh-huh…”
Beavis: “Yeah yeah! Dick-Spranggggg…”
Dave Mazzucchelli. There’s a plethora of great Batman stories, as noted above, but the best and simplest for me will always be Year One. So many iconic scenes and images.
Norm Breyfogle
Jim Aparo
I enjoyed his lengthy run on The Brave and the Bold and Legends of the Dark Knight. His Batman was gritty and favored Neal Adams to an extent, but he definitely made Batman his own. He was also able to pencil, ink and letter many of stories which gave it that Aparo look and feel.
I’m a product of the Silver and Bronze Ages: Neal Adams. Dick Giordano. Carmine Infantino.
Although I’ve come to appreciate the work of Dick Sprang recently.
Oh, sorry, no lists. Neal Adams. Inked by Giordano is a plus.
Oh, sorry, supporting argument necessary. Neal Adams because that’s who drew the Batman covers and stories that got me to actually buy the comic books. His sense of pacing, his beautiful layouts, the brooding and gritty atmosphere, his lovely linework: all combined to save Batman from the campiness and silliness then surrounding the franchise and the character, and to revamp and repackage him in a serious tone for a new generation of readers.
And I can’t believe nobody else mentioned Dick Giordano. Or Frank Robbins, for that matter.
Does this count? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v826_6zaTw
four me its tony daniel i know most don’t like his writing but as art goes know one in the 6 to 8 years i have read batman can get be that excited maybe i just like that time but he is the only reason i will stay on action comics since i do not like the new writer because of shadowland.
David Mazzuchelli — his line work always captures the emotion of the scene.
Honorable mention: Neal Adams, Chris Burnham, Marshall Rogers, Greg Capullo, Don Newton, Dick Sprang
I’d read a few Batman comics before falling in love with The Animated Series, so I can get behind the votes for Neal Adams and Jim Aparo, but Bruce Timm really cemented the “look” of Batman (minus the over-underpants) for me.
Bruce Timm. His design is very simplistic, retro, and for a cartoon, has a very mature look.
I love BTAS, but personally I’m gonna go with Jim Lee. I came back into comics during the “Hush” storyline, and was really drawn in by Lee’s art on the arc. Whenever I picture Batman from a comic standpoint now, his rendition is the one that comes to mind. Haven’t seen Batman/B. Wayne presented better visually since.
My first Batman comic was drawn by Jim Aparo. His Batman was scary and gothic with the long ears and the big wrinkly cape. I could see why the criminals feared him.
Jim Lee – iconic, and the bar every other artist that draws Batman must be compared to IMHO
Aparo & Breyfogle defined Batman for me when I first began reading comics as a kid, yet I quickly grew to love Neal Adams as well. If I had to pick just one, I would go with Adams. His work is classic, both dynamic and without fuss. Plus, there is his historical importance in the evolution of the character during the Silver Age. For both of these reasons (and others I can’t find the words for at the moment), he’s my choice . . .
Neal Adams. He made Batman lean and athletic, not like a ballet dancer, more like a Safety in football. Athletic and fast and strong, always the best combination. The lean physique lent itself for cardio endurance, which meant a longer fight or extended chase. The Miller Batman to me is too heavy and bulky to do anything in a fight because he would run out of breath from carrying that extra weight. I t did allow for more power, but at a expense of speed. The ear are long and pointy, the cape long and flowing, his stature relaxed like Bruce Lee right before he would spring into action. Neal Adams defined the look of Batman for everyone that followed him with the exception of Frank Miller. The danger, the drama, the charisma, and the sexiness, all comes from Neal. Miller went a different direction, Bruce Timm went a different direction, everyone else took their template from Neal Adams.
Frank Quitely. Those first three issues of Batman & Robin pre-New 52 were what got me into Batman, being a relatively new comic book reader, Quitely’s Batman is the image that stands out the most to me.
As much as I love the Animated Series, I got to say Jim Lee. The first Batman comic I ever read was the Hush trade. That’s what got me into comics, especially Batman comics. Every time I think of the look of Batman, I think of Jim Lee’s interpretation of him.
If I’m picking just one, I’m going with Jim Lee. Maybe it’s a predictable choice, but I dare say there’s a reason for that. He captures the predatory nature of Batman. He gets both the raw muscular power and the lithe agility. His Batman can slip into the shadows like a wraith, leaving only the eyes and furious furrowed brow peering out, and come flying out ready to wreck anything in his path. And no one does the cape quite like him. It’s not just a hanging piece of cloth when Lee draws it. It’s twists and writhes like its alive, helping turn a man into a creature of the night. Many truly great artists have had marvelous takes on the Dark Knight, but the Batman in my head will always be Jim Lee’s.
My Favorite would be David Mazzucchelli. But the definitive artist for Batman would have to be Neal Adams
As much as you all make great arguments, for me nothing beats that mid-seventies Marshall Rogers look. The giant cape, the incredible detail, the classic characters… He even made short pants Robin look cool. How can you argue with that kind of talent?
I love the 70’s Marshall Rogers as well.
Neil Adams. It was his Batman that hooked me as a lil tyke. Grabbing Bat books off the pile next to the stack of newspapers at Sam & Roses’ Coffee Shop on Jamaica Avenue during the 1970s. Wow…I’m old…
I just remember the cape, ears and the athletic poses, the shadows and darkness. I was hooked man. It looked so cool. It sort of had a lil of the Batman TV show zing, but it was more dangerous and real. Everyone since has been trying to measure up in my mind. A lot of great artists since have been sort of copying Adams. I think Capullo is one of the few to do his own thing (someone mentioned Kelly Jones before, and man is that a great Batman too) and its the best Batman I’ve read in decades.
As much as I grew up on and adore Batman The Animated Series, when I think of Batman I think of a Neal Adams drawing. The way he could get across the character’s darker nature while not forgetting for a moment that these are superhero comics and should still have a sense of fun never fails to amaze me.
For Bruce, Eduardo Risso. Not just because his style is so noir, which matches the best type of Batman stories, but also because he can render all the most ridiculous parts of Batman lore and make them look like they could fit into Chris Nolan’s universe. All the psychos and gadgets don’t look out of place next to the dark, shadowed urban avenger. I just wish he did it more often.
For Dick, Frank Quitely. Tempted to say Jock, cause of Black Mirror, but Frank Quitely was the one who sold Dick as Batman and did it gloriously. All the subtleties made Dick a very different Batman, from his scrawnier physique to his non-scowling expression to his methods of intimidation and even some of the friendliness that could show through the otherwise intimidating image of Batman. Again though, I wish he did it more often.
Aparo circa 1974.
Bruce Timm and Greg Capullo.
I think most people who grew up in the 90’s will say Bruce Timm. He defined Batman for our generation, and clearly put his stamp on our collective psyches.
I have to go with Tim Sale mainly because of his work on the long halloween, dark victory and haunted knight. Neal Adams and Jim Lee very close behind.
Also how could i forget Darwyn Cooke
I began reading comics in the 1960s and continued in the 1970s. The artist who had the greatest impact on me with regard to Batman was Jim Aparo – hands down. I loved his art on Detective, Batman, and especially the Brave and the Bold. His Batman was slim and muscular, with bat ears that stood up straight and a cape that flowed and whipped around. His art was dynamic, filled with motion – and emotion. And he drew the best Joker ever – maniacal and truly scary.
I have bought all the Showcase volumes of Brave and Bold just so that I could enjoy Aparo’s art once again. Even without the aid of a colorist, his comics are pieces of beautiful art. Check out some of these covers:
http://media.dcentertainment.com/sites/default/files/book-covers/21088_900x1350.jpg
http://blog.newsok.com/nerdage/files/2011/08/braveandboldaparo.jpg
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20081223135904/marvel_dc/images/0/08/Brave_and_the_Bold_v.1_118.jpg
Greg Capullo.
I love the way he draws every aspect of batman. when in issue #14 we saw the suit coming apart and saw what was beneath the first cloth layer of the suit. and when we saw the bat armor in the night of owls. the way he draws the bat cave is amazing. Plus his joker is creepy as hell.
70’s Neal Adams. I compare everyone else’s Batman to his.
Jim Aparo…to be honest his and Neal Adams’ Batman are so close it’s hard not to love both. Can’t wait to see a Batman movie with that look but with some sort of bullet proof explanation tho.
Majority of artists draw a damn good Batman if you ask me.
Jim Aparo. His renderings of Batman just always had to right balance of athleticism and largeness to them. I never felt like Batman was an over abundant muscle head like Miller Jones’ depictions. He just looked very balanced and versatile as a character who was human and had to be in shape to do literally anything. And the Gotham rogues under Jim Aparo’s pen were a thing of magnificence. His Joker just looks utterly definitive with the inhuman jawline and those large, wild eyes. His look for Lady Shiva also sticks with me for some reason that is difficult for me to properly explain.
Jim Aparo. Because when his Batman punches guys it causes an explosion. Which is how it should be.
My context: grew up reading comics as a kind in the ’70’s. That said:
1.) Neal Adams
2.) Norm Breyfogle
3.) Jim Aparo
Jock. Because his Batman is for me the quintessential bat-like figure. Those little bats all around when he moves…killer. And his Joker is terrifying. (i have a Jock drawn and autographed bat tattoo behind my ear)
For most of the reasons above, I have to agree with Neal Adams. Jim Aparo would come in second. They were the guys that did most of the Batman stories I read when younger, so that’s the Batman that I grew up with. More serious than the previous years, really getting away from the TV show camp that infected the comics at that time. Not to mention, I met Neal Adams at a convention and he was a super nice guy!
In my minds eye I always see Neal Adams gray and blue, pointy eared, white eyebrowed Batman!
Tim Sale! I love how he draws his Batman moody and buff at the same time…
Neal motherfucking Adams.
If I think of a Batman not from a film, the image that pops into my head is the Jim Aparo Batman. Probably due to the fact that he was one of the main Batman artist when I was growing up. But when you look at how much Batman he did, not just the main title or the famous “Death in the Family.” But he was also a major contributor to Knightfall and was the starting artist on Batman and the Outsiders and did many issues of Batman: Brave and the Bold. Perhaps due to his death or being surrounded by more famous contemporaries who also worked on Batman (Neil Adams, Brian Bolland) that Aparo can often just be thought of as an artist that did “Family” but he did so much more, when I think of the comics Batman, it’s hands down Jim Aparo.
Kelley Jones! His thin, creepy Batman with the impossibly-long cape and cowl haunting a ghoulish, turn-of-the-century-looking Gotham scared the hell out of me as a kid, just like a good Batman should. Jones’ nightmarish Batman could take us to the darkest corners of the human heart, a place you wouldn’t want to be without a mask to hide behind. Go read the Batman Red Rain Elseworlds stories and tell me it doesn’t make you want to sleep with the lights on. As a 90’s kid, I love Breyfogle as much as the next guy, but nothing teases out the borderline psychotic world of the Dark Knight like some Jones pencils.
Kelley Jones.
I know there are a TON of bigger names that have drawn Batman and trust me I love them all. But for me I can’t think of anyone else that draws a more perfect Batman than Jones. The long ears, the endless cape, and the permanent hunch gives off the best visual look of the character in my opinion. He’s always brooding, always clenching his teeth, and has a look of not giving a flying shit about anyone he talks about. It doesn’t hurt that he always worked with a writer who did a lot of stories that fit his style.
I always try to bring up Kelley Jones as much as possible on this site when it comes with Batman. I hope he gets at least a mention in the top 5 since he has no shot being #1.
Also:
@dirtyrottenscoundrel, @ckl, @mantill11, and @AnotherBastich thank you! Finally nice to see some who love Jones as much as I do.
Im surprised by how little love there is for Kelley Jones. I have to admit that at times you would get an issue where his art was a little sloppy but when Jones is at the top of his game his Batman is like no other.
@Mantill11: I felt that way with ‘Gotham After Midnight’. The pencils were alright but the inking and coloring really dampened Jones art. Nothing will beat his 90s run with Doug Moench though.
The cover of Batman 516 is one of my all time favourite drawings of Batman. Kelley Jones at his best.
neal adams
David Mazzucchelli has to be the DEFINITIVE Batman artist, IMO. His single image of the Dark Knight in smoke after bursting into Carmine Falcone’s dinner party with all of the Gotham rich socialites who have ruled its underground crime till Batman arrived there with a threat & a promise through the smokey exterior in order to create the right tone of fear, seriousness & ominous presence that has come to be essential for Batman to appear, IMO.
Jock for me. His art, and Snyders story of course, on Detective got me back into buying Batman comics.
After a bit of research José Luis García-López gets my vote. Like many folks have said, I could make a case to myself for most of the suggested artists, so I spent a few minutes looking up samples of each artist’s rendition of Batman. While Bruce Timm and Neal Adams jumped out to me at first, I finally realized that García-López drew the Batman, Robin, Riddler, Penguin, and Joker that were indelibly planted in my mind before I was even close to able to read. As great as Brian Bolland is, García-López’s Joker is cemented in my mind as THE Joker, though that may be a different conversation. Images of his art for the Superpowers toy line seemed to be all over the place in the 80’s, which is when I was young and impressionable. I think I associate García-López’s depiction of the Batman characters the way I do Romita Sr.’s Spider-Man and John Byrne’s Superman, though García-López’s Superman is pretty darn definitive, too.
Looking through The Internet it seems that his art was the model for most characters that DC used in house, so there is that.
SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION:
I think I draw a pretty mean Batman. This is definitely inspired by Neal Adams Batman.
If I didnt already vote for Kelley Jones I’d vote for myself. (just kidding)
http://chrismantil.blogspot.ca/2012/07/rachel.html
VERY cool. I love the logo!
I would definitely read 70s-style comic adaptations of the Nolan movies.
Great stuff even if it WAS shameless. ;).
And much love to Kelley Jones Batman.
Neal Adams drew my batman. When I think of batman, it’s the sleek, tall eared, yellow chest symboled Batman. That was batman growing up for me. Which is funny, because to this day I’ve read only the few neal Adams stories i read in the 70s which were in some small batman digest. That digest, and my brother’s plastic drinking glass (I had superman), were my only childhood exposure to Adams, but somehow they overrode the omnipresent Batman tv show and the Superfriends version. Even Batman Odyssey cant ruin those images for me (sorry Ron). I might like other versions better now, but if I picture Batman, it’s certainly Adams
Norm Breyfogle. Best dark, inky, stylized rendition of Batman. Unique, stand-out. Perfect.
Talk about a 1,000 pound question!!!
My vote is Neal Adams
Reason=Neal Adams is the drawing counterpart to Bendis, most of the time you wish he’d just stop talking, but he is DAMN good at his craft. I was born a poor black child…….oh wait, wrong story. I was born in 82′ and didn’t even read a Neal Adams Batman comic til last year. I bought those 3 hardcover volumes of the Neal Adams Batman and was quickly taken to school by Neal Adams. I can’t even quantify with words, do yourself a favor and just pick up those volumes DC put out, they are worth full retail price.
Nice buccaneers logo!
They’re all classic and I don’t have a single favorite cause I thinks it’s pointless to,compare great things and in this case many exceptional versions of a comic icon, but I can narrow it down to a few :
Jim Lee (hard to beat his balance of earlier looks crossed w modern ones)
David Finch (the way he had him in Golden Dawn was excellent)
Chris Burnham (his works w Grant Morrison on Bats is unique)
Frank Quietly (his works w Grant Moreison on Bats is unique) lol
J.H.Williams III
Jock
Capullo (love how his art brought a whole new look to Batman while remaining classic)
Tony Daniels done some great stuff w Bats too
Neal Adams (for bringing the dark back to the dark knight)
Frank Miller (for originallity and inspiration infinite)
Bob Kane ( the original and still the most bat like,pulp,dark and classic is still probably the best )
Lee Bermejo (love the suit deign he used in Noel)
*suit design
Norm Breyfogle. This was my favorite era. Dark and cartoony. It’s the only unbroken batman run I own. Neal Adams is a very close second.
Bruce Timm is the best!
His “animated style” is not only widely recognizable by even the most casual fan but it also launched a whole new “Universe” in the DCAU.
I love Neal Adams art, and Jim Lee will be awesome no matter who he draws. But Bruce Timm even has McDonald’s toy Batman action figures. We’re talking wide scale recognition here folks.
Jim Aparo. Who by no means is my favorite, his art always looked stiff to me. But when I started reading comics around age 9-10, his art was in the first Bat-books I’d ever seen. That sort of thing sticks with you. Also, growing up, it seemed his version of Batman was on every SINGLE piece of Bat-merchandise I ever came across, from balloons to party favors to lunch boxes and everything inbetween. There are definity versions of Batman I would take any day over Aparo’s, but his is the version that instantly pops into my head when provoked.
I was going to say “Anybody But Jim Aparo.” I agree about his art being stiff, that’s what always turned me off about it. It was solid but made the Batman books seem really plain and uninspiring. He did a ton of Batman stuff in the 80s, though. So he was the first name that popped into my head as well, but not in a positive way.
Though I grew up on Batman TAS and the first drawings I ever did were of that batman, I’d have to say Jim Lee’s Batman from HUSH is my batman. Probably because it was my introduction to american comics when I was in college (2009). I’ve got a pair of 1 of 1 prints from that run by my art table, as well as the figure based on his batman that was included with the DCUO collectors edition.
In terms of Batman’s voice; I love Kevin, but I think James Konicek won me over when he did Batman for the audiobook of No Man’s Land for Graphic audio. It’s very similar to Kevin’s voice, but slightly deeper with more texture.
Sorry I got it wrong, Cody Coleman did the voice for batman in No Man’s Land. James did the voice of Gordon.
Dang it, nevermind, It’s hard to get credits lists for audiobooks. Ignore my corrections/comment and just go listen to the audiobook. It’s based on the novelization; I think it sets the bar for new audiobooks in terms of production.
There is no question. Neal Adams nailed Batman both in and out of costume. Also, Kelly Jones was a master, and few people remember his stints with Doug Moench. Adams and Jones.
Foe me it’s got to be Norm Breyfogle out front with Jim Aparo and Kelley Jones…
Can you tell when I started reading comic books again? Can you?!
Graham Nolan. I might be the only one to vote for him, but he was drawing batman when i started reading comics an he did it good and for a long time. his batman looked powerful and grimm but not to muscular and out of porpotion. He often did this thing where batman face was black an you sould only see the eyes and teeth, coolest look ever!
I love Nolan’s Batman. GRAHAM Nolan, that is.
His Hawkman is legendary, imo. He illustrates Rex Morgan now I think.
There are some truly great arists on this list. While I love Burnham and Quitely’s (first three issues of Batman and Robin – awesome!) style and grew up with Bruce Timm’s animated series, my Definitive artist is Dustin Nguyen. He has a variety of different styles from the Little Gotham to his Inks and Watercolous and all of them stand out as being my Batman, so much so that when I had finally saved up for a commission after four years of squirreling money, his was the first artist I went for.
Wow, so many good artists to choose from. But I am going with someone who hasn’t even been mentioned yet and is really underrated if you ask me.
DAVID FINCH
He is the current artist on Batman: The Dark Knight if you’ve never seen his art. This title always flies under the radar every month yet it’s one of my most anticipated. AWESOME artwork. I would buy it even without dialogue and just page through for the artwork. Every panel just has so much detail. I find myself spending extra time just looking at everything in the background. He is at the top of my book. But so many good artists it’s very hard to choose one as I like them all. They each have their own unique style. But I would say that David Finch still tops them all in my book.
My bad, Finch was mentioned once but it was in a list not as a favorite choice.
Very hard question! Haven’t been able to read all of these comments, but while I go along with the strong cases for Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, and Norm Breyfogle, I couldn’t find a mention of my favourites. Sorry this is not just one name, but Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin both worked closely on the art during Steve Englehart’s classic run of Detective Comics, and I thought they worked just perfectly, stylish, dramatic, atmospheric, serious even when a little “cartoony”. Even all these years later, theirs is one of the ways in which I prefer to visualise the Batman. (Well, without Christian Bale!)
While I didn’t grow up with him as the artist, I have to go with David Mazzucchelli. As a would-be comic artist myself, I was absolutely spellbound by how he captured so much energy and emotion with so few lines. It all started with the teasers that DC comics would put in the books leading up to Batman: Year One (“He’s strong, smart and relentless…”) and that one image that was so stark and [thrillingly] foreboding. Just amazing art.
That said, Jock and Francovilla blew me away recently with Snyder’s The Black Mirror.
I’ve come pretty late to the game and have gotten to read the cases for a lot of good artists. In my opinion, no one has named a bad Batman artist (and there were some clunkers in the past, especially when you consider all the people that have drawn him in books that weren’t his). While I’m completely in agreement with GeeksofChrist’s reasons for backing Neal Adams, Batam to me will always be Norm Breyfogle’s Batman. He coud draw an acrobatic Batman that didn’t seem at odds with the hard-ass punching and kicking Batman. And I love his version of Batman with his cap drawn in front of him so all you see is his face and this long triangular shadow. I haven’t seen many artist portray that, and I’m pretty sure if Timm was familiar with the comics, he got the idea from Breyfogle (and that’s not meant to take away from anything Timm did). Norm Breyfogle’s Batman had a presence, which too many artists portray as Batman standing around looking surly. Norm’s Batman conveyed strength, agility, power, and speed, and he knew when he had to look scary and mean. When I look at Batman art, I am forever chasing the dragon that was Norm Breyfogle’s Batman.
You’re right on. Norm’s Batman was a force of nature and a real person at the same time.
Norm Breyfogle
He bridged the departure from the camp of the 60s and the descent into shadows of the modern era.
Really liking people’s people’s reasoning for who they picked. This is the best thread on this sight in a long time. It’s great to see so much positivity and people talking about something they love instead of just omplaining. Bravo!
Also, do we get a separate thread on our definitive Batman WRITER?
I hope so!
I am voting for Jim Lee.
Just when I thought I’ve seen all the Batmen from these different artists out comes Bruce Timm’s version in Batman The Animated Series. I remember thinking to myself this is Batman but it felt that this was a Batman that’s unfamiliar to me. Bringing back a sense of mystery to the character that has been around for years. The look was so ambivalent with all clean and simple lines indicating that this is a kid’s show but the moment he narrowed his eyes in the intro, you know you’re in for something dangerous. It’s like a mix of pop rocks and gin tonic. Everything works with this design style. The way he slinks in the shadows or how he moves is so fluid. His jaw which is your only link to Batman’s humanity says “You don’t wanna mess with me.” . His style brings in something fresh with a mix of noir which is so hard to pull of making something new while at the same time paying homage to the classic and that is why Bruce Timm is the ultimate Batman artist for me.
I am going with bruce timm. His elegant slickness art deco gotham cityscape made the perfect prowling ground for batman to stalk the shadows. His character designs are beautiful. He really turned me on to that classic style of art that you see a lot nowadays with some of the more critically acclaimed books around like daredevil and fury max and what’s going on in capullos batman art.
With that being said, every time I hear batmans voice in my head, it sounds like kevin conroy. Same goes for pretty much the rest of the cast that was on the animated series. I didn’t want to base my argument on the show and not the books.
Greg Capullo. For many years, it was Frank Miller, because his art (in its various forms) was what conveyed my favorite Batman stories. But Capullo is now doing that with Snyder. Batman is gritty and real, just the way I like him portrayed. If I have any complaint it’s that Bruce is too young looking but I think that was probably a story choice.
Man, I do not envy the person who has to count all these votes. What is your process? Legal pad? Excel File? Really good memory? Are you able to tell if there are multiple votes from the same person (are we on the honor system here?) Great poll, looking forward to the results!
Well about a third of the people here have made it a little easier for them by not following the rules.
Show your work, people!
Lol yeah and a bunch of people named more than one artist. Nobody reads articles, they just jump right o commenting.
Norm Breyfogle. About the time I was in junior high, Grant and Breyfogle began their magnificent run. I still have most of those issues. He’s my definitive Batman artist.
Brian Bolland. Honestly don’t know if I’ve seen his Batman outside of The Killing Joke, but for me that book is exactly how all those characters look in my mind.
NORM BREYFOGLE. fantastic stuff on Detective & Shadow of the Bat back in the early 90s when i was in my teens, i know for some he’s sub-Aparo, but i always get the worm fuzzies when i see his Batman:)
I skipped all the comments so I could try to be honest about this. There are so many amazing interpretations of Batman so I just closed my eyes, thought Batman and went with the first image that came into my head. It was Frank Miller. The last panel in Dark Knight Returns chapter 3 with a bloodied Batman leaning against the wall next to the fresh corpse of the Joker. The second panel that I thought of was also from DKR of Batman on a horse. Again, no disrespect to all of the artists that have made an impact on the character.
The game changer artists, the guys that redefined the look for popular culture were Adams and Miller for me. The Adams Batman is the most consistent definition of the character for the past 40 years. The Miller Batman holds the bookends, the “birth” of the character in Year One and the Near end in DKR. Mazzucchelli was doing Milleresque work on Year One (and in Daredevil) as great as he is. DKR added a lot of personality depth to the character that wasn’t there before and visually created the feeling of a man so driven by his experience that you could feel the weight of it in the characters late years. THAT is why it’s Miller for me. He was able to give everyone a template to fill in the visual and story gap. In the end many creators are chasing DKR because it’s “what happens” as opposed to the O’Neil/Adams run that is part of “what happened”.
Your technique is pretty exactly what I think they were going for with this article. It’s pretty much what I did, too. I just closed my eyes and pictured Batman. The first image that came to mind looked like it was drawn by Neal Adams, so that was my vote. I never even read most of those old Batman comics. When I was a kid, I just read Marvel. I had exactly two Batman comics, and I am pretty sure Adams drew them both. Whether he did or he didn’t, it is his version of Batman I always see first. It’s not even necessarily my favorite Batman, but for me it is the “definitive” take on the character. Everything should start with Adams, and then the artist can make changes to suit their own vision.
The cowl is blue.
The ears are short.
The cape is long and winding, almost bigger than the man himself.
The symbol is black against a grey chest.
The utility belt is yellow.
The eyes are white.
My artist is Andy Kubert.
I’ve been a life long Batman fan, but I moved away from my local comic shop as a child so I relied on my local library to provide me with material. For most of these years I watched re-runs of the old Adam West Batman series and of course worshiped at the altar of Batman: The Animated Series. Then, in my late 20s…stress at work led me to seek out a new comic book shop and return to comics. The first Batman comic I had read in a while was Neil Gaiman’s Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? in hardback with art by Andy Kubert. It was such an emotional comic because Andy Kubert managed to capture all the incarnations of Batman that I had seen over the years as the character was eulogized. I went back to read how Batman had gotten to this point and picked up Batman and Son by Grant Morrison with art by Andy Kubert.
Words can not express how wonderful it felt to be back in the world of Batman and the artist to get me there was Andy Kubert.
His work is beautiful. His expressions are masterful. You could almost look at just the panels without text and at least feel the story that is happening.
While many fantastic artists have had the job of creating their own version of the Dark Knight, Andy Kubert will always hold a special place in my heart!
Graham Nolan for me. It’s kinda criminal that he’s only got a couple of votes. He had a fantastic run on Detective back in the day and he’s been tragically forgotten. His lines were smooth and his characters well proportioned and distinctive. His Batman was strong without being musclebound, his action had a fluidity and grace of motion and for want of a better term, his characters seemed youthful and vibrant. Compared to the rigidity and lack of imagination in Aparo’s work, Nolan was a breath of fresh air.
Jim Lee drew the first bat book i ever bought (Hush) and i’ve never seen another quite like his…. until capullo who is amazing and blowing me away with his take
Norm Breyfogle and Bruce timm
My vote has to be for Frank Miller. Lots of artists were able to draw Batman amazingly well, but a lot of them seemed to be doing a homage to the past. Frank’s art was the first time I felt someone was able to redefine Batman in a new direction. The fact that he didn’t resemble Bob Kane or Neil Adams’ Batman was wonderful and really allowed to me to get the most out of the story.
Jim Aparo. I’m a child of the 70’s, and that’s the image burned into my brain. I think they used his art for all the ads and merchandise copy back then. It was a little dark and had very unique line work. I remember a Brave & The Bold cover with the Phantom Stranger that I just loved.
It’s Neal Adams without question
His photo realistic style made batman cool again after his campy days
And his batman with his lean musculature and how dynamic he is is just the best!!
That’s one hell of a Top 5 list – good job, everyone! Now how about a series of articles highlighting those artists (please?).
Timm. WOW:)
Interesing to note that after him you have Adams (70s), aparo (80s), breyfogle (90s) & lee (2000s).
Thought so. I’m pretty sure Bruce Timm would be delighted about this.
Timm’s style pays homage to and draws influences from about five of my favorite artists: I see Kirby, Toth, De Carlo, Eisner and Kurtzman in there. Maybe some Wood and Colan as well.
Which is why I really dig it.
I can see that he has redefined the look of the character for an entire generation.
Kelley Jones will always be my favorite Batman artist!
That’s a pretty damn solid Top 5, I think. Covers a lot of eras, and have MY favorite at #1.
Good job, everybody!
Damn! i was hoping we were gonna have Kelley Jones sneak by for at least a fifth spot. Oh well. At least I found some more people who loved the guy’s work.
Apart from that though I am quite okay with the list. I can’t really argue with any of these men as they all have drawn some amazing Batman stories in my time. Hell, Bruce Timm is probably my second choice since ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ is so ingrained in my childhood.
I grew up watching Batman the animated series in the 90’s so my first picture of Batman is of Bruce Timm. However I love Tim Sale in the comics. He brought a noir style to Batman the I have not seen before or after.
Awwww! I just registered to place a vote and I missed it! Choosing the definitive Batman artist for me was trying to choose my favorite favorite potato chip from the whole bag but I can only eat the one! Between the cover work of Michael Golden or Dave Johnson, between the pinups of Sienkiewicz or Simonson, between the noir of Risso or Bermejo … you get the idea.
In any case, what a terrific question and even though it won’t count I want to throw my hat into the ring….
Paul Pope.
From the moment I first saw “Berlin Batman” to “Broken Nose”, “Teenage Sidekick” and “Batman: Year 100” Pope’s take captivated me for it’s unique aesthetic, iconoclastic vision both grim and optimistic presenting the character as a powerful force for balance. A singular vision that really struck a chord.
I had the same conundrum with my list and Paul Pope was the one I forgot to put on it and remembered right after I posted it. Too many good ones to but nice to show appreciation for them all..
Tell me about it!
I mean I bought the O’Neil/ Adams, Englehart/ Rogers runs and Aparo brave and bold at cover during my childhood and have seen every artist since and appreciate them all for their contributions. Even the ones who didn’t strike my fancy.
As someone who didn’t follow the rules cause I can’t just pick one have no complaints on Bruce Timm either, as I grew up watching the definitive Batman animated series as well as many others here, great choice. They’re all great artists and don’t see the point in comparing em if not just for fun.
Even though I voted Kelley Jones I saw Bruce Timm winning from a mile away. The masses have spoken. Can we get the bottom five, please?
I know the voting is over, and my vote would have gone for Neal Adams, but I’d like to give a special mention to Bernie Wrightson. I don’t know if he ever did Batman other than the Swamp Thing team-up, but his version has always stuck with me. The shadowy cape, the elongated ears, it’s hard not to think Wrightson’s Bats had some sort of influence on Breyfogle. I often go back and look at that issue along with the early O’Neil/Adams issues as the beginning of the Dark Knight we all know and love.
Awesome final list! So good to see I’m not the only one loving Bruce Timm so much. I guess for a lot of us in our twenties he forged and cemented our love for Batman and made us plunge into the marvelous world of comics! 🙂
Even though I voted Jones, I can’t argue with this list (though, because it’s a comics site, I MUST argue with this list– Lee’s Batman work always struck me as confusing and kind of ridiculous). Great top four, though.
That’s weak as f*ck. Animated Batman? I mean – I’m not shocked – I saw all the comments – but that’s pathetic. I’m starting a petition to have a new vote taken and Timm removed from the ballot.
Asterix instead of a u in your curse words? Now that’s “weak as fuck.”
So is spelling “asterisk” incorrectly. But point taken – you are correct, sir. It was pretty weak as poop.
I would add one caveat: Strunk and White states that you are in fact allowed to use the alternate “Asterix” spelling as long as you are a fan of Goscinny and Uderzo, and it is used in the context of a comic book website comments section. The English language is so complicated.
I like this one:
http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497/
I think the reason why Timm’s Batman resonates with so many people as an iconic figure is because its one of the only times in the character’s history that he was successfully reinvented in a fresh way that was accessible to a new audience and stayed true to the core of the character. It looked and felt new. Artistically, the design of the character and the world was a brand new approach that we’ve never really seen before in a new medium. It defined an era, reinvented a genre, influenced comic art and decades later, it still feels relevant. That’s something.
In the comics while we have an amazing list of all time greats doing substantial runs on the character, from a conceptual point of view, so much of it had roots in the same place. The art *style* was always changing and evolving with fresh artists, but the *concept* of the character was holding the same line.
New ideas always win. =)
You say new, I say derivative. Nothing against it, I like the design and I thought it was cool in 1989 or whenever it came out – but man, its certainly not revolutionary and its not icon…. ahhh forget it….
Derivative of what? It became the well that everyone else went to and its still influencing contemporary work. Seriously, a dark and serious, kid-safe rendition of the character in a postmodern deco style. We had never really seen that before in any form let alone animation.
Defined an era and influenced an entire generation. I think its an important milestone for the character and most definitely iconic.
I wouldn’t call it derivative, but it is certainly inspired by Tim Burton’s Batman aesthetic, and heavily incorporates Art Deco elements as well. I love BMTAS but view it as a separate universe (the Timmverse, right?) from the one that my comic book Batman inhabits. BMTAS is up there with the Nolan trilogy and the Adam West Batman, all of which I think are phenomenally good in their own separate ways. But the cartoons and the movies (and comics based on these) just inhabit a different mental compartment than “comic book” Batman, for me.
Can’t really argue with that list. Some great choices! How lose was th voting?
If the votes for Timm were X then the top five looks like this:
1. Bruce Timm – X
2. Neal Adams – X-2
3. Jim Aparo – X-7
4. Norm Breyfogle – X-8
5. Jim Lee – X-16
And if everyone had followed the rules and all the voes had been counted then the top five probably looks a bit different.
Still surprised how much love Mazzuchelli is getting. I think is just disappoints me more that he isn’t doing more work. Year One and Daredevil: Reborn were both milestone books for me.
Didn’t see this until today. Good choices. Personally, I would have gone for Dustin Nguyen, because it’s this perfect synthesis of a lot of different portrayals of the Dark Knight over the years into something modern, yet timeless.
Wish I had seen this in time to vote for Neal Adams. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that this Bruce Timm fellow did the animated series?
It would be interesting to see an age breakdown of the voting. I’m willing to bet most 40 somethings voted for Aparo and Adams, while guys in their 30’s voted for Tim, and young guys voted for Lee.
Since I’m 41 my definitive Batman artist is Jim Aparo. Just like Curt Swan is my definitive Superman artist and Peter Davison is my Doctor Who.. It’s who you grew up with.
And yes I’m aware there would be no way to get the demographic data of the vote…
I’m 33 years of age. I voted Kelley Jones. Didn’t he do the cover for the issue where Bane broke the Bat?
I think I mess up this breakdown, 47 years old and I voted for Paul Pope. But you have a valid point, most likely your favorite is the one you grew up with…
@dirtyrottenscoundrel
Yup. Kelly Jones was the artist for both that cover and many of the subsequent Knightfall related issues.
MARSHALL ROGERS!!! Prior, Neal Adams was the very best Batman artist, until Marshall Rogers came and not only did he do Batman justice, he exceeded his look and took it a step further, incorporating a little Bob Kane into it.
Glad with the results. TAS is great and it’s the Batman i think of when thinking of an art version.
This is probably a perfect artist list. I could put these 5 in any order. All 5 present classic, iconic, definitive aspects to Batman that people associate, gravitate, and replicate with the character throughout all the mediums that Batman is presented in. Absolutely fantastic list.