Baltimore 2022 — Back To The Future (Part 3 of 3)
October 28-30, 2022
Baltimore 2022 — Back To The Future (Part 2 Of 3)
October 28-30, 2022
More photos from a stellar event!
Baltimore 2022 — Back To The Future (Part 1 Of 3)
October 28-30, 2022
Big thanks and congrats to all the folks who made this past weekend’s Baltimore Comic Con just as perfect an event could be.
It’s easily one of my favorite conventions — an absolute delight to attend. I exhausted myself catching up with old friends and colleagues, making some new acquaintance, and trying (ultimately not quite succeeding) to see all the great comics-related material in the room.
I miss all of you already.
Dan Jurgens & Bill Sienkiewicz — Doomed, Again
Superman: Day of Doom #3, January 2003
Marking the 10th anniversary of the Death and Return of Superman, Dan Jurgens and Bill Sienkiewicz tackled a four-issue retrospective mini-series titled, appropriately, Day of Doom.
Bill’s unmistakable inks make the situation even more horrific this second time around. (This is one of the best pages in the series, as it features all four Superman characters who “returned.”)
Happy Halloween indeed — and welcome to the 30th anniversary of the Death of Superman.
How did that happen?
Cam Kennedy — The Wire
Batman / Judge Dredd: Vendetta in Gotham, January 1994
Earlier this week, we posted a beautiful page from one of two Batman / Punisher crossovers. Today we have a terrific Cam Kennedy action page from the second of four Batman / Judge Dredd prestige format comics by writers Alan Grant and John Wagner.
The complete list as follows, thanks to our friends at the Grand Comic Database — GCD. (This blog would be lost without them.)
Batman / Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham (DC, 1991 series);
Batman / Judge Dredd: Vendetta in Gotham (DC, 1993 series);
Batman / Judge Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle (DC, 1995 series);
Batman / Judge Dredd: Die Laughing 1,2 (DC, 1998 series).
Now all we need is Punisher / Judge Dredd crossover and we’d be all set. Unfortunately, Marvel doesn’t do crossovers anymore. Sigh.
John Romita Jr. — Deadly Knights
Punisher / Batman: Deadly Knights, October 1994
Batman. Punisher.
DC and Marvel crossovers.
Definitely a long time ago, in a galaxy that now indeed seems very far away.
Romita JR. Inks by Klaus Janson. Both characters on one page.
Nuff said.
Guillem March — Cats On Wheels
Catwoman #5, March 2012
I love this page: It was probably the hand-drawn “Broooom” that got my attention. But it was the design and composition that kept it.
That said, I would have personally gone with “Vroooom.”
Just sayin…
Pete Poplaski — A True Classic
Batman: The Silver Age Dailies and Sundays, Volume #1, March 2014
As noted a few years back, Pete Poplaski has been called an “artist’s artist” by many creators. His name might not be known as well as other artists, but his talent is unquestionable.
Pete, who broke into comics in the 70s underground community, ultimately became Kitchen Sink Press’ art director, and among many accomplishments helped give some of Robert Crumb’s projects just the right design touch.
Kitchen had the rights to reprint the DC Batman and Superman comic strips in the early 1990s, and Pete created brand new covers that evoked the classic style of those strips.
When we acquired those reprint rights at IDW in 2012, we went back to Pete to see if he would be interested in picking up where he left off, and fortunately he was.
Wayne Boring. Dick Sprang. Al Plastino. You name a classic artist, and Pete can replicate the style.
This, of course, is his amazing cover to Batman Silver Age Vol.1. It not only evokes the classic 60s Carmine Infantino revamp of the Dynamic Duo, but also the opening animation of the classic (beloved, and often hated) 60s Batman TV show. (Which is why these newspaperstrips exist in the first place, but, as always we digress.)
Tim Levins — Bringing Down The House
Batman Gotham Adventures #39, August 2001
Here’s a cool “Batman-animated” style page from Tim Levins that captures the fun and the flair of the 90s animated series.
The best art pages have no words — therefore, no word balloons needed. (And therefore, no missing word balloons on original modern art, 98% or more of word balloons are digitally added later.)
I realize its a bit of a cliche — but I always do get a kick out of Batgirl’s signature action move.
And, yes, I likely deserve one myself for employing that pun.
Don Heck — This Series Has Legs
Detective #412, June 1971
“Dandy” Don Heck was a pro at a glamorous situations and glamorous people — including Batgirl and pretty much all the women he tackled, as evidenced in the page above.
Don was best at inking his own pencils, also evidenced above, in this cool action page from Batgirl’s back-up feature in Detective Comics.
