Continuing on from my round up of the Top 10 Best BatmanWriters, I pulled together my personal favorite Bat artists and did my best to
rank them based on skill, influence, with my own personal taste mixed in. Some
of them had long extended stays in Gotham while others dropped by a handful of
times but managed to leave a lasting impression. Having very limited drawing
skills myself, I am in awe of these masters at their craft and would gladly
pick up any book with their credit attached, no matter how poor the writing.
Anyway, enough with this intro, on to the list:
10) Marshall Rogers
Together with frequent collaborator Steve Englehart, Rogers contributed
to one of the best Joker stories of all time, The Laughing Fish. Under his pencil, the Joker never seemed more
menacing. Rogers hits the perfect balance of scary and humorous. This story has
stood the test of time and it’s in part due to the captivating imagery. One
thing that sticks out to me is when Rogers drew Batman, his cape seemingly had
a life of its own, very much emphasizing his bigger-than-life persona and
adding a sense of movement that you rarely see in comics. In addition, Rogers
teamed with comics legend Len Wein to reinterpret Batman’s foe Clayface.
Rogers’ run on Detective Comics is still looked back on as one of the all time
best and it’s easy to see why.
Notable Works: Strange Apparitions, Dark Detective
9) Dustin Nguyen
I initially discovered Dustin
Nguyen (like I discovered most artists on this list) through his Batman work
when he first collaborated with Paul Dini on their acclaimed Detective run. Nguyen's take on the
character was unlike any art I've ever seen in connection with Batman. The
closest comparison I could make is that of Mike Magnolia, but Dustin has a
style all his own. I especially loved Nguyen’s version of Hush, even better
than his character designer, Jim Lee’s take which is saying something. Nguyen
currently still resides in Gotham working on the Li’l Gotham series, and while those are fun, I like to think of chibi
versions of superheroes as being Scottie Young's area and I'd love to see
Dustin back on a regular Batman book soon. Bonus points for his awesome Batman Beyond covers.
Notable works: Heart of Hush, Hush Money, Lil’ Gotham
8) Tim Sale
Sale’s Batman truly embodies ‘creature of the night’ in
every way, as his version thrives on shadows and mood. You know how with iconic
movie characters it’s hard to imagine any other actor filling that role?
Similarly, it’s impossible to imagine any other artist working on such
masterpieces as The Long Halloween
and Dark Victory. Certainly, Sale’s
partner in crime, Jeph Loeb, deserves some of the credit, but it’s Sale’s
contributions that elevate these essential Bat stories to the top of the pack.
Not only do they showcase many of Batman’s colorful rogues gallery in
unforgettable renderings, but they also add great depth and humanity to the
characters of Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent and Dick Grayson. By
illustrating their pain and suffering with subtlety and grace, oftentimes in
just a single image, Sale proves to be a master at his craft. He is the artist
Batman deserves. Let’s hope they reunite soon.
Notable Works: The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Haunted Knight
7) Norm Breyfogle
Breyfogle’s take on Batman manages to stradle the line of
being both classic yet also his own style all at once. His run with Alan Grant
is a classic one that holds a special place for me since it introduced us to
the underrated Scarface and the Ventriloquist (I know I’m in the minority here).
Breyfogle also got in on the Knightfall saga, ensuring that the quality would
be up to snuff for such an earthshattering event. More recently, Breyfogle has returned
to Batman’s world in the Batman Beyond series, bringing his unique talents to
the Gotham of the future.
Notable Works: Detective
Comics #583-594 , Knightfall, Batman Beyond Unlimited
6) Jim Aparo
Following the lead of Neal Adams, Aparo’s style strived for
realistic interpretations of the Dark
Knight with a great attention to detail.
Although drawing inspiration from Adams, Aparo’s Batman was not a carbon copy and
soon branched out with a style all his own, often inking and even lettering his
own work. Aparo got his start on Batman with the classic Brave and the Bold series which he worked on for over a decade.
Once that series ended, it was replaced with another landmark series in
Batman’s history, Batman and the
Outsiders which he co-created. Aparo’s most notable contributions to Batman
would come later though as he contributed to some of the most impactful stories
in Batman’s history including Death in
the Family as well as Knightfall
creating such iconic imagery as Batman cradling Jason Todd’s limp body and Bane
breaking Batman’s back, respectively. Aparo certainly made his mark in Gotham
and Batman rarely looked better under anyone else’s pencil.
Notable Works: The Brave and the Bold, Death in the Family, Knightfall
5) David Mazzuchelli
Mazzuchelli doesn’t have a ton of Bat credits to his name,
but the one he does is enough to rank him on this list. His clean, crisp style
was a perfect fit for the retelling of Batman’s origin, spotlighting the Caped
Crusader’s shadowy persona while balancing emotional beats with cinematic
flair. Mazzuchelli reteams with his Daredevil collaborator, Frank Miller, who
sticks to writing duties on this one, giving his collaborator a chance to
shine. I can’t imagine if Miller had taken this one on as an artist. I think it
would have been good, but the art here is what elevates it to the status it has
attained in the years since. This story is worth picking up for the art alone
and there’s not much more praise you can lavish on an artist than that.
Notable Works: Year One
4) Greg Capullo
Prior to Capullo’s pairing with Snyder, I had yet to read a
comic featuring his art so my only
awareness of his style was his album cover
art. As good as that was, I could never have anticipated that he would rise so
quickly in the ranks to become one of my all time favorite Batman artists. Under
his skilled pencil, Batman looks as badass as, well, Capullo! Seriously, the
guy is a beast. What these guys have created together is an all-star run that
makes up some of the best comics on the shelves today and will no doubt be
pointed to for years to come as essential reading for any Bat fan. Snyder loves
to beat up Batman throughout and Capullo makes us feel his pain, reminding us
again and again there’s a human being under the cape and cowl. Batman is a stand
out series since the dawn of the New 52 and it’s in part thanks to the stellar
artwork from this guy. I’m now a fan for life and will happily seek out his
next project after Batman but hopefully that won’t be for a good, long while.
Notable Works: Court of Owls, Death in the Family, Zero
Year
3) Jim Lee
If this were a list of the top 10 X-Men artists, Lee would probably be
number one. He redefined the X-Men in the ’90s and then when he got his shot to
interpret Batman and his foes, it was like he'd been waiting to draw them his
whole life with so many iconic images coming out of his yearlong stint on the Hush arc. Writer Jeph Loeb, known for
writing epic ensemble pieces, managed to work numerous villains into the plot,
unleashing Lee's pencils on all the major villains. Lee would later team with
Frank Miller on All-Star Batman and Robin.
Miller at his most unfiltered combined with Lee’s mainstream style makes for
such a bizzare dichotomy that I’m still kind of amazed that this even happened.
This one has to be read to be believed is all I can say.
Notable Works: Hush, All-Star Batman and Robin
2) Frank Miller
Didn't we just cover this guy in
the writer's section? Well, in addition to altering Batman’s
personality,
Miller also slapped a new coat of paint on the look of DC's most popular superhero.
Miller's take on the suit has been so popular it's appeared in animation, video
games and even serves as the inspiration for Ben Affleck's version of that
character in the latest cinematic iteration. I mean this iteration has even
been spoofed on Tiny Toons, which
obviously is the measure for when you know you’ve made it. I’d go as far as to
say that Miller’s Batman is just as widely recognized today as the Adam West
version. Various panels and splash pages from his Dark Knight series have
become so iconic and widely circulated that they are now seared into my brain.
I’ve lost count of how many times Miller’s covers for the series have been paid
homage to year after year. Not only is Miller now a filmmaker and practically a
household name in his own right (thanks to his Sin City fame) he’s also got the ear and respect of one of the most
influential directors working today in Zach Snyder, who has ripped several
pages right out of Miller’s book for Batman’s upcoming trip to the big screen. How
much more influential can you get than that?
Notable Works: The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again
1) Neal Adams
Often times when I picture Batman in my head, it’s the Neal
Adams version that comes to mind. It is so classic and timeless that another 75
years from now, I still think it will feel fresh and exciting. Adams’
contributions to the look of Batman are an important landmark in that his
unique take ushered in a new house style for Batman at that time, not only
revitalizing the character but also creating a new blueprint for the uniform
look of an iconic superhero. His Batman leapt from the page, crackling with
life and creating a new, dynamic energy rarely seen in comics at that time. In
addition, Adams was responsible for giving readers their first look at Ra’s Al
Ghul and Man-Bat, two very distinct and innovative character designs which were
conceived during the artist’s prime. Between his pencils and O’Neil’s writing,
they formed a dream team rarely seen in comics and set a high standard for
those following in their footsteps. His most recent stint on the character, Odyssey, proves that Adams has not lost
his touch and is still one of the best living artists today.
Notable Works: Daughter of the Demon, The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge, Odyssey
Honorable mentions - Bruce Timm and Alex Ross. While Timm defined the look of Batman for my
generation, simplifying his look for animation while still remaining iconic and
recognizable. Countless fans were introduced to the Dark Knight with this
iteration and the design has aged well over two decades later (has it been that
long?) Whereas Timm simplified Batman’s look, Ross took it in the complete
opposite direction, depicting Batman and his world as being photo-realistic on
countless covers and most notably in War
on Crime, his oversized comic one-shot with Paul Dini. His depiction of
Bruce Wayne in Kingdom Come
undoubtedly had an impact on both Batman
Beyond and The Dark Knight Rises.
Special shout out to cartoonists Matt Wagner and Darwyn Cooke who prove that Frank Miller isn’t the only one capable
of writing and drawing captivating Batman stories. Wagner helped redefine
Batman’s early days of crime fighting with the one two punch of Monster Men and Mad Monk plus his Two-Face story, Faces, shows early signs of brilliance. Cooke not only captured the
spirit of Batman in Ego, he left his
mark on Catwoman as well, flashing out one of Bats’ most notorious supporting
characters. Your Batman collection will not be complete without their
contributions lining your shelf.
That wraps it up. Did I miss your favorite Batman artist? Are
my rankings way off? Leave a comment and let me know!
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