BATMAN Golden Age Comic Book Artist JERRY ROBINSON Launches Website!

The BAT-BLOG is extremely proud to announce that the Legendary Comic Book Artist Jerry Robinson has just launched a brand-new personal website! There's a Biography, a Store, & many different galleries that each focus on his Original Comic Book Art, Drawings, Photography, Fine Art, Comic Strip Work, etc... it's extremely well done. Now of course all Super-Serious BATMAN Fans know about Mr. Robinson's major contributions to the Batman Universe. He created the greatest Villain ever, The Joker! He co-created Robin, The Boy Wonder! He was right there in the beginning and he drew a lot of the famous BATMAN and DETECTIVE COMICS Golden Age Covers ( see up above )! Seriously, this guy is an ICON! In fact, Jerry is known in the comic book world as "The Ambassador of Comics". Here's the link where you can visit his website, just click HERE!

Steve's Cool Artwork Inspired by Batman's Carmine Infantino & 1966 TV Series

A few days ago we did a post here at the Bat-Blog that featured some artwork by 2 Graphic Artists who were recently inspired by Carmine Infantino's iconic drawing of Batman and Robin. Well, a few days later we received this art from a friend named Steve, who likes to draw, & he too was inspired by this same artwork. But his twist on it was he drew the characters to look like the 1966 TV Show. Plus, he also did a piece that is an homage to the Golden Age Comic Book, DETECTIVE COMICS # 27. But the thing that's cool about it is that he also made it look like some characters in the 1966 BATMAN TV Show, Adam West's Batman & Cesar Romero's Joker. Both pictures are pretty cool, check them out!! Oh yeah, just to refresh some Reader's memories I posted the classic cover to Det. Comics # 27. ( Thanks Steve )

BATMAN AUCTION NEWS - Bob Kane's Original 1939 Page Proofs for Detective Comics 27 at Heritage

The big news in both the auction world & comic book fandom is that Heritage Auctions ( Dallas, Texas ) is offering the Original Production Proofs for Detective Comics # 27 ( 1939 ) that were once owned by Batman Co-Creator Bob Kane. Of course we're talking about the first appearance of the character here! A "Proof Page" in comics was a test printing of an uncolored page used by artists and writers to see how their work would look on the printed page. Now, while this is not the actual original art, this is probably the closest anybody will ever come to owning some production material from this landmark issue. They're estimated to sell for at least $1000 each & they have 5 of them for sale, which are pages 2-6. The image up above shows page 3 & if you click on it, it's extremely sharp, you can see the amazing details of this item. The "Batman Page Proofs" will be part of Heritage Auctions' Signature Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction held on February 24th, 2011. For more details, click HERE!

BATMAN Desktop Backgrounds - Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday!

For this week's "Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday" I thought I would give you some good close-up images of Batman's face. That sounds kind of fun, right? Well the thing is, the 1st one uses some vintage comic book artwork where the Dark Knight is being a good detective & the 2nd one is a color photo of Adam West from the 1966 TV Show. I hope you enjoy these, but if not, be sure to check out the Bat-Blog Archives. It's located about the middle of the page, on the left-hand side. This is also a great way to see all the posts we have done over the last 4 or 5 years...enjoy!

BATMAN SKATEBOARDS - DC Comics 75th Anniversary

Here's some news that has been shared by the Bat-Blog in the past but we're updating it because they have added a ton of new products. Basically, to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of DC Comics, Warner Bros & Zazzle have teamed-up to bring you a source of amazing merchandise using amazing graphics from their comic book history. Of course there are things like T-Shirts, Coffee Mugs, Mouse Pads... stuff like that. But they have also gone crazy with a few new products which I knew I had to list. At their website you'll find Keds Hi-Top Canvas Shoes, iPhone Covers, iPad Skins, 3-ring Binders, a few other items & these awesome Batman Skateboards! I have only pictured 4 of them here but there are a ton of different designs. Here's a link to their sales page, just click HERE!

Auction News - Golden Age BATMAN Original Comic Book Cover Art

There's a HUGE BUZZ in Auction News right now with the Artist Jerry Robinson putting up an extremely famous piece of Original Comic Book Art on the market. We're talking about the cover art for a Golden Age classic, Detective Comics #69 ( Nov 1942 ). This "Joker Double Guns" cover is beautiful, showing Batman, Joker, and Robin, the Boy Wonder! It's important to note that Jerry Robinson created "The Joker" character so it makes this piece even more wonderful. Be sure to click on the image up above for a nice large sharp picture...it's beautiful! The art is being auctioned by a company called Comic Connect and, at the same time, they will also be offering another classic cover, Superman #14 with artwork by Fred Ray. To bid, or for more information, be sure to click HERE!

New BATMAN and JOKER T-SHIRTS From Superhero Stuff

Oh yeah! Over at the Superhero Stuff website they just released a few brand-new Batman T-Shirts that I thought were pretty cool. The 1st one shown here is a special "DC Comics 75th Anniversary" shirt with artwork by Walt Simonson. It's the artwork for the recent Detective Comics cover he did that was an homage to an older Golden Age book cover ( also on the shirt ). The next one is a beautiful CATWOMAN image. This pin-up art was done by none other than Adam Hughes, the master! The last example is one of my favorites. It's a scene from a vintage 1970's Batman Comic Book Cover showing the Joker. The original artist back then was Neal Adams so you know the graphics are sweet! Now, they have many more brand-new Batman T-Shirts & other merchandise in right now so if you wanna check them out just click the button down below, thanks.

Fred Hembeck's DAREDEVIL-BATMAN-AQUAMAN Mash-Up Parody Comic Book Cover Art

OK, if you're a Hembeck Fan ( and who isn't? ) then you're gonna totally love this comic book cover parody artwork! Fred Hembeck, famous cartoonist & artist, has been making fun of Marvel & DC Comics characters for years. A few years ago he started to create "Cover Re-Creations", which are basically a perfect copy of a classic comic book cover, but done in the Hembeck-style. Here's one right here. But this one is pretty interesting because it's a mock-up of a non-existent DETECTIVE COMICS cover that looks just like the iconic cover to Daredevil #7. This book was originally drawn by Wally Wood & was the 1st appearance of the, now famous, "red costume". Hembeck's drawing is a total copy of that but instead of drawing Daredevil & the Sub-Mariner he made it a Batman comic book with Aquaman as the villain...very cool! It's sort of ironic that Sub-Mariner & Aquaman are both "underwater guys", ha!

NEW Batman DETECTIVE COMICS Variant Comic Book Cover - DC 75th Anniversary

Comic Book Fans might be noticing all the variant covers for recent DC Comics titles. It's apart of their "75th Anniversary" event. Well, be sure to look out for Detective Comics # 866 because it's variant cover will be drawn by Artist Walt Simonson & it's an homage to the Golden Age Batman. The inspiration is the iconic cover of Detective Comics # 69, which was originally drawn by the legendary Jerry Robinson. It features a sinister-looking Joker looming over the Dynamic Duo ( Click on it for a larger version, it's so very pretty! ).

BATMAN WALLPAPER - Comic Book Art - Issue # 700 Variant Cover

DC Comics just announced yesterday that there will be a special variant cover to BATMAN # 700 and the artwork will be created by Mike Mignola of Hellboy fame. I took the beautiful graphics & made a wallpaper background out of it, that's what you see up above. But it's important to note that Mignola's inspiration for his cover came from a Golden Age story of Batman that appeared in Detective Comics #168. He sort of re-created the cover to that old comic book...very cool, can't wait to see it.

NEAL ADAMS & DICK GIORDANO ORIGINAL ART - Batman's DETECTIVE COMICS # 415

While surfing through the Heritage Auction Galleries website last night I saw the most amazing piece of Batman Comic Book Art that I have seen in a long time. This is an original penciled & inked drawing for the cover to Detective Comics # 415. This was drawn by Neal Adams ( pencils ) with inks by Dick Giordano. It's going to be auctioned off on May 21st, 2010. With this being an incredible piece of Batman art from the Classic Silver Age period, plus - with the recent passing of Dick Giordano, it's going to be interesting to see what this item goes for.

• Estimate $16,000 - $24,000
• Starting Bid $5500

Yes, it's wayyyy outta MY price range, ha!

BATWOMAN WALLPAPER BACKGROUNDS ( Batman's Detective Comics )

The idea for this post actually came from a Female Bat-Blog Reader. She said something to the effect of, "I love your Batman Wallpapers but you hardly represent the woman characters". Ouch! It really hurt my feelings & I cried for a long time. Then, after wiping away my tears, I decided to create a few Kate Kane BATWOMAN Desktop Backgrounds, just for her. The 1st one is a graphic image right out of Detective Comics. I think the artwork was done by J. H. Williams III. All the others were drawn by Cameron Stewart. The "head shot" is from a comic book convention sketch.

Brand-New BATMAN T-Shirts For Sale!

OK, The Bat-Blog has some expenses so I'm gonna ask that if you're in the market for a new piece of Batman Clothing to please use one of our links at this website. We don't make much at all but it can add up after a very long time. Plus, I personally check out all the companies I deal with ( or actually buy from them & know they have good service / great prices ). One such company is Superhero Stuff. While most online stores stay pretty stale they're very dynamic with bringing in new material. Like, here's a bunch of brand new Batman-themed T-Shirts they recently added. Well, they added a lot more but these are some of my favorites. The 1st one is a replica to the cover of a 1940's Golden Age Comic Book, Detective Comics! Speaking of "Golden Age", the next one has a very old graphic of Batman from 1939! In fact, that was the very very 1st image of the Dark Knight himself! The next one is more "modern day" & it shows the evil grin of Two-Face, a Classic Villain. The last one is a replica of a very recent Batman comic book cover. If you would like to see more products this company carries then please be sure to click on the link button down below, thanks!

New BATMAN T-SHIRTS Over At SUPERHERO STUFF

The other night I was kinda bored & decided to check out what kind of new Batman Merchandise there was out there. My main focus was some kind of cool T-Shirt or other clothing. One website that I totally love to buy from is called SUPERHERO STUFF. They have great service & an awesome variety. While there I saw they had a bunch of brand-new T-Shirts & here's the one I think I'm going to buy. It has a graphic on the front of a Silver-Age Comic Book Cover that features artwork by Carmine Infantino. Actually, it's Detective Comics # 380. I don't know, I think it's pretty cool. What do you think? Oh, if you're wondering where their website is I placed a link down below, check it out sometime.

New NEAL ADAMS MAN-BAT Batman Black and White Statue By DC Direct

For the Art Collectors who collect the BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE Statues here's a brand-new addition just announced by DC Direct. It's the Neal Adams version of The MAN-BAT! This statue will be sculpted by Jason "Spyda" Adams so you know it's gonna be ultra-cool! The pose that Kirk Langstrom ( character's name ) is in is taken from the cover to the classic Detective Comics #400 comic book ( shown down below ). Which, by the way, was the character's very first appearance. Plus it's interesting to note that Neal Adams had actually created this character so that's cool they're making a statue & having him design it. The Retail Price for the B&W Statue will be $ 80.00 & it goes on sale October 13th, 2010. So, towards the end of the year, be sure to keep an eye out for this awesome piece of art!

BATMAN Comic Book DETECTIVE COMICS # 27 Makes Record Price at Heritage Auction

Well, it looks like the DETECTIVE COMICS #27 recently auctioned off by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, TX is now totally famous as being the world's most expensive auction price for a Golden Age Comic Book! Of course all Batman Fans know this issue to be the very 1st appearance of the Dark Knight in 1939. It sold for $1,075,000. Yes, you read that right, One Million Seventy Five Thousand Dollars!! Just 3 days prior to the Batman comic book selling so well a company called Comic Connect auctioned off a vintage issue of Superman ( Action Comics # 1 ) for 1 million. Then, Batman beat that record price by 75 thousand!!

BATMAN, BATGIRL, & CATWOMAN Wallpaper Backgrounds

It's time again for Wacky Wallpaper Wednesday! OK, these Bat-Backgrounds are a lot of fun this week. The 1st one is a close-up shot of the iconic Golden Age graphics that appear on the issue of Detective Comics #27. Which, of course, is the very First Appearance of the character. I've always loved this pic of Batman swooping down on some criminals. Speaking of criminals, the next one is more Modern Day & shows our friends THE BATSQUAD having some fun! These lovely costumed-ladies are from New Jersey. So, if you're even thinking about committing a crime there, don't! They are it's protectors! ( yeah, I know Catwoman is really a Villain, but this one is good & fights crime ).

FIRST BATMAN COMIC Expected to Set World Record Price at Heritage Auctions

Attention Batman Fans: On February 25th, 2010 Heritage Auction Galleries ( Dallas, TX ) will be offering a truly exceptional copy of Detective Comics #27, the very first appearance of the Caped Crusader! The auction is expected to set two important marks:

It will, more than likely, become the single most valuable comic ever offered at public auction. Though it's being sold with no reserve and no minimum bid, it's expected to bring at least $300,000. The current record for a comic sold at auction stands at $317,000, for a copy of Action Comics #1, sold last year at another auction house.

The other question the auction will settle, at least for the time being, is one of the great debates of Pop Culture: Who is worth more today, Batman or Superman?

“Since Heritage began auctioning vintage comics, we have heard more client requests for Detective #27 than for Superman’s first comic, Action #1, and that’s both from hard-core comic collectors and from clients in other fields who are interested in this issue as a pop culture milestone,” said Lon Allen, Director of Sales for the Comics Division of Heritage. “Superman came first, but I think in certain quarters Batman is the more popular character. This is probably the most desirable comic Heritage has ever auctioned.”

The third-party certification service CGC has graded the comic Very Fine 8.0, a grade that only one other copy of this issue has reached and none has surpassed. To visit HERITAGE AUCTIONS just click HERE!

Bloomingdale's DC COMICS 75th Anniversary T-Shirts ( Batman & Joker )

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of DC Comics Bloomingdale's Department Store is selling some cool Batman & Joker themed T-Shirts. The Vintage Style "Japanese Batman" ( in the 1st photo ) is my personal favorite & I really like the one that looks like a cover to an old Golden Age "Detective Comics" Comic Book. The prices range from $39.00 to around $60, OUCH!

DC Direct - DETECTIVE COMICS CLASSICS: Batman Action Figures Box Set

I usually don't post new Batman Toy information this early ( these won't be out until the middle of next year ) but when I saw these "new" Batman Action Figures I thought they were really great so here they are! I love the "Silver Age" look of them. It looks like DC Direct is going to re-release a set of 5 figures that they have done before, but now they have a slightly different paint job, & will also come with a special graphic novel book of collected stories. Here's what DC Direct actually says about them:

Five of Gotham City's most colorful figures are collected in this special action figure box set, in both 3D and comics form! A 64-page original collection of classic stories featuring Batman, Robin, Batgirl, The Riddler and Bat-Mite is packaged along with an action figure of each character. The stories included in the special DETECTIVE COMICS CLASSICS book are "The Riddler's Prison-Puzzle Problem!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #377, "Tall, Dark, Handsome – and Missing!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #384, "Hunt for the Helpless Hostage!" from DETECTIVE COMICS #385, "The Invader from Hell!" from BATMAN FAMILY #1, and "Bat-Mite" from WHO'S WHO: THE DEFINITE DIRECTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #2. On Sale: June 23rd, 2010