June 10, 1992.
Batman was one of the first DC heroes I really liked. I was a die-hard Marvelite (or Marvel Zombie, if you like) from my earliest days; it wasn't until I got back into reading comics in the late '80's that I found the DC heroes. I can't remember which issue of Batman or Detective I first picked up, but I remember well the craziness of "A Death in the Family", the famous story-arc/publicity stunt whereby readers were given a 900-number to vote on the fate of Robin. They killed him. I gravitated to Batman because, like a lot of kids, I thought Batman was cooler because he was 'dark and grim'- it would take a number of years for me to first realize a) 'dark and grim' can kind of wear on a person and b) a good writer can make ANY character cooler than any other character- there have been a number of comics showcasing Superman (often the less-favored of the two characters- too much a boy scout), showing just how fantastic a character he can be.
But that's now, this was then- Batman ruled.
Nothing fancy about this one, either- just a picture of Batman leaping through the air. Possibly from a great height. Note that, for one thing, I didn't muck around with the costume, as I (and many, many other comic fans) would in the future... Chris Nolan's armored Dark Knight, and even the more armored-looking Keaton Batman, are a few years away. I'm not too sure about the mechanics of the muscles here, either- I'd not really spent any time looking at anatomy or reference books, other than comic books. And, as I recall, overly-musclebound heroes were the rage back then. I do still like how the hands were drawn, though. Hands and feet, tougher than anything else to draw.
So there's ze Batman; he'll turn up here again before too long, I'm sure.
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Obviously, not a new picture. This weekend turned into one mildly productive, so I set aside plans to work on the new picture. I think I should get it fixed and posted this week, though... but you know me, don't you? Something will show up again soon, either something new, or something... not.
Music: "The End is the Beginning is the End" - Smashing Pumpkins
