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FRANCO’S FREE-FOR-ALL-FRIDAYS!
So when reflecting on Batman, whose 86th anniversary was this week, I had a few thoughts on the subject of writing and drawing him. It happens when dreaming up these FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAY columns.
And since I write and draw stuff, I figured I would talk about what makes things work for me in both of those categories. When asked who my favorite superhero is, I will almost always without hesitation say Spider-Man. But Batman is a pretty close second. Now, if you ask who my favorite superhero to draw is, well, that’s a toss-up. Depending on the place and time and mood, it changes but I would have to say that Batman just barely edges out Spider-Man.
First, I have to say as an artist, they both are fun to play with and change visually with colors and shapes and stuff. But Batman strikes me as the more visually dynamic chameleon of the two without much change to his costume. I make art with both constantly. Paintings, drawings, even just doodles, but Batman can be changed so drastically and look so different from medium to medium and paper or canvas without a huge overhaul of his costume. Ears long, ears short, large bat, small bat. He can look so different, yet always easily recognizable.
When creating Batman art, or art of any kind in general, the rule is, there are no rules. Without those broken rules we wouldn’t have had so many versions of him. From the first Bob Kane/Bill Finger Batman to the Dark Knight by Frank Miller… but yet, always recognizable if you show any version to any person.
When I think of the written Batman I tend to think, is Batman more relatable because he’s human? He’s got no powers. His mind is far superior. He’s an analogy for humanity. Arguably he’s the best superhero in comics. The best in cinema. Writing Batman is unique, because the no-powers thing allows for the most interesting and grounded ideas to happen.
Let me tell you a little story. One that illustrates my point about Batman being the best superhero out there.
One night during a convention, a group of us gathered for dinner. We were somewhere… things tend to blend together for me, so I wanna say it was Chicago. There was a good mix of comics pros and the subject turned to favorite stories. (I know — shocker, right?) When my turn came up I started talking about one of my favorites. A 2000 Justice League story called Tower of Babel. If you haven’t read it, you should. I’ll get just a little bit spoilery here so if you’re squeamish, please look away.
The story revolves around a villain taking down the entire Justice League, one by one, in very specific ways. Yadda, yadda, skip ahead and you find out the villain has stolen files that Batman himself has put together on how to defeat each of his teammates. You wanna know the rest, you gotta go read it yourself.
So, there I was with this big, enthusiastic display of nerdiness explaining this story to the person to my left when I see the biggest smile on their face. And then it hit me: I was explaining the plot to Mark Waid… who wrote it.
The realization on my face must have been apparent because I stopped. (See, and here you thought I never do anything embarrassing.) Mark was pretty pleased that I liked this story so much. It’s a good anecdote that makes me a bit sheepish, but Tower of Babel to me is the best Batman story. Because Batman = Badass Superhero.
Happy anniversary to Batman!
Happy Friday.
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MORE
— VAL KILMER: A Really Good BATMAN — and an Even Better BRUCE WAYNE. Click here.
— JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ Proves That You Should Always Meet Your Heroes. Click here.
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Franco and his forehead have traveled the world and he writes and draws stuff. Franco is the creator, artist and writer of Patrick the Wolf Boy and Aw Yeah Comics! Franco has worked on books/comics, including Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures. Franco was also a high-school teacher and is one of the principal owners of Aw Yeah Comics retail stores. Dan made Franco add that he has won three Eisners.
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