It’s the fourth entry in our series on the contributors’ of SWO Productions’ favorite artists for certain characters, and can you believe we are at number FOUR in the series before we get to The Bat?

Arguably the mot popular comic book character of all time–he’s had NINE solo starring movies, another movie in which his name was in the title, two versions of one where he was a member of the titular team, and ANOTHER in which he was the biggest draw of someone else’s flick–we just couldn’t wait any longer to give our favorite Batman artists of all time.

With no further ado, let’s see who we picked!

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STEW

1) Norm Breyfogle

It’s hard to beat your first, and Detective Comics #602 was the first comic book I ever owned. And ever since then, to this very day, when I picture Comic Book Batman, I picture Norm’s version of it. He made Bats both expressive (he was great at showing Batman feeling fear) and mythical (that cape!).

2) Tim Sale

I just love Tim Sale in general. One of my favorite artist ever, and he drew my favorite Batman story in any medium. I would argue he drew Batman’s villains even better than he drew the Bat, but Batman is always best when he has a great supporting cast, so I feel like Sale understood that about him.

3) Sheldon Moldoff

They still make Funko Pop Vinyls based solely on Moldoff’s old school interpretation of the Bat. Somewhat goofy, but still iconic, this was The Bat that the Adam West TV show was… ahem… Mold[off]ed after! Also, he was a great artist in general; look at his detail, which you didn’t see this much of back in those days.

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AP

Neal Adams – It’s honestly hard to just pick three but I think Adams’ knack for realism and dark shadows while also creating fluid action scenes really set the stage for Bruce’s look for the next several decades.

Kelley Jones – I understand if he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the guy is great at dark, gothic settings and flowing capes. His version of Batman looked like a shadowy phantom. It made sense that criminals were terrified.

Frank Miller – Much has been said about Miller’s writing influence in Batman but people overlook his artistic influences. The bulky frame, short ears and gray/black costume is a common look these days that Miller popularized. And besides, how often do we see the “silhouette against lightning” imagery from Dark Knight Returns get homaged?

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WYNTYR

1. Neal Adams. His thin, athletic cruiserweight version of Batman is what I grew up with, and still probably my favorite body type for Bats. Even though Neal was a dick when I met him at Comic Con.

2/3. Jim Lee and Michael Turner. These two will probably show up on any list of my favorite artists for any character they’ve drawn. Lee for the action and Turner for the incredible static pencil work

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