Murphy Anderson has died at the age of 89. Some of my favorite covers were Infantino/Anderson collaborations. Here’s a selection.
Murphy Anderson may have been as well known as an inker as he was a penciller, if not more so.
And when I think of Anderson the inker, I think of him teamed with Carmine Infantino on some of my favorite Batman covers of all time. Hell, they teamed up on some of the most famous Batman images of all time, like this pin-up …
… and this one:
I know I’m biased in focusing on Batman. If I were as fanatical about Superman as I am about Batman, for example, I could easily choose 13 Curt Swan/Anderson covers.
But Batman it is, especially since I spent many, many a childhood hour reading and re-reading back issues from the ’60s.
So here’s a 13 COVERS tribute to a tandem that helped distinguish the Dynamic Duo in the eyes of Young Dan: Infantino and Anderson.
(And to see our 13 COVERS tribute to Anderson’s Hawkman work, click here.)
Here’s the usual caveat: This is a subjective list and not a ranking of any kind. This is pretty much what I dig and you may feel very differently. So, rather than beef about a cover you don’t see, instead join in the fun and share your own choices in the comments section or in whatever social-media thread you saw this.
—
Now for the 13th cover, I’m going to cheat. This is actually Anderson on pencils and inks. But it is one of my all-time favorite covers — and you can click here to find out why.
As usual, all images from the awesome Grand Comics Database.
—
NOTE: I originally had Batman #169 (below) listed in here but two people — the great Dave Gibbons and historian Arlen Schumer — both suggested that it was Joe Giella on inks. GCD says Anderson. Other sources say Giella. Either way, to be certain, I replaced it with Batman #191.)
October 23, 2015
Dan–the Batman #169 cover (with the Penguin) is inked by Joe Giella, not Anderson. Otherwise–great selection!
October 24, 2015
GCD lists Anderson, so …
October 24, 2015
I’d say Giella, too.
October 24, 2015
Hmmm. I typically rely on the Grand Comics Database as the arbiter — but if Arlen Schumer AND Dave Gibbons say Giella, then this bears serious investigation!