Batman 186 (C) Clint Langley

Not the next piece here that i was expecting, that's still being finished, but picked up this stunner yesterday. I was at Demoncon 9 yesterday and picked this up from top bloke and brilliant artist, Clint Langley. He was at the last one in September and told him about this project and he was very interested and up for it but was of course busy, but said he'd have it done by yesterdays bash. As with my "Someone Old, Someone New" project, a massive thrill is when i don't get to see any thumbnails and get the surprise of seeing the finished piece. So yesterday, Clint goes "I've changed things a bit, hope you'll like it?" Like it? I LOVE it! Don't matter that its a recreation of the page, the whole point of the idea is an artist is given the idea and does their own take on it. Its my favourite cover as i was 4 when it came out and i was both fascinated and unsettled by the creepy lil' guy with the pointy nose and pudding basin haircut getting the better of my hero. Clint's come up with a modern version that the grown-up me is fascinated and unsettled by - its like if DC Comics existed in Twin Peaks, i can see Clint's take on the coffee table in the Red Room.

Incoming

Happy to say, a couple of new additions to this project are well underway and i thought today i'd tease you with a section of a prelim for one of them:

Inside 186 (1)

So, 186 is my favourite ever American comic cover. That can't be said for the inside though... Batman was my world when i was little (well, him, dinosaurs and Romans), the spin-off from the Adam West TV show was the first film i ever saw at the cinema, my collecting of the bubblegum cards was borderline obssesive and i lapped anything on him up. But, reading now, its complete tosh - the Joker decides if Batman can have a junior partner, why not him? And so recruits the comedy thug i still find so unsettling on the cover. Like i say, the story is rubbish, and the art not much better. But, looking at it now, there are some pages that still strike that weird chord in me. And this is a good example - the blow up Robin i especially remember studying over and over.

Batman 186 (B) Staz Johnson

VERY pleased to be posting this up! Back when i initially approached Staz with a view to having a go at this project, he came back to me with "do you mind if i do it in the style of the 60's ABC bubblegum cards?" Mind? Of course i don't mind - (A) One of the appeals of this undertaking is to see folk go their own way with the basic three elements of the image and what they do is up to them, (B)i was semi-obssesed by those cards back then. So i was very happy to receive this prelim for approval.

Loved it just at this stage, but was even more blown away when the finished piece arrived! Love how Staz has maintained the basic positioning of the figures, while changing the angles, love the teethwork on all three, love the creepiness of the lil' fella, love the grey giving everything weight, especially love the very authentic Bat-caption. Staz - you the (Bat) man!

Batman 186 (A) Dave Taylor

So, first to deliver the goods was Dave Taylor. Dave has been a top bloke to me, what with producing a piece for my old characters project and a lovely robot design for an ad i was producing. I follow his Blog anyway but, as soon as he started on his "Batman, Death By Design" project, and seeing from the teaser images he was putting what a fan of the character he was, i knew i had to contact him to see if he was up for this. He sure was, although i'd have to wait till his decks were cleared. Well, wasn't too long to clear them and here's what he's come up with! Dave did an interesting thing with Bats, a sort of halfway point between the Infantino 60's original and his "Death By Design" version. His Joker also seems to be a hybrid between the original and his take on the fella seen in that Arkham special a while back. He's really gone to town on the lil' guy though, which is great as he was the focal character for me as a nipper. But this one is far more menacing and downright strange than the original. Love it!