From Metropolis to Gotham…
The late Curt Swan, the definitive Superman artist to a generation (or two) of fans, was born 100 years ago!
How best to celebrate? With a 13 COVERS birthday salute starring… Batman!
Heh. Sometimes you just have to switch it up.
A lot of fans sometimes forget that Swan — who was born Feb. 17, 1920 — turned in a lot of Bat-covers in the late ’50s, including some of the most emblematic of the period.
So dig these 13 COVERS — all inked by Stan Kaye — but don’t worry, there are links below celebrating Swan’s historic work on the Man of Steel.
Dig it:
One of the very first Batman back issues I ever got.
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MORE
— A Salute to CURT SWAN: The Definitive SUPERMAN Artist. Click here.
— 13 COVERS: A CURT SWAN Birthday Celebration — 2018 Edition: Superman. Click here.
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— Cover images and credits from the Grand Comics Database.
February 17, 2020
Curt Swan’s “Batman” artwork is a true rarity.
February 17, 2020
Swan was also the principal interior artist for World’s Finest issues 141-173 (May ’64 thru Feb ’68) which was basically the beginning of Batman’s “new look” in the comics through the end of the TV show. Bobby Reed of Dial B for Blog identifies WF #149 as one of three key issues William Dozier likely used for inspiration as he fleshed out the look of the show, along with Batman #171 and Detective #329.
February 17, 2020
“Robby” Reed of course.
February 17, 2020
It was Carmine Infantino who designed the New Look Batman. All the other artists followed that style.
February 17, 2020
Yes, I was trying to point out that Swan drew a lot of interior Batman too during the run of the show. Swan probably drew more interior Batman in WF than Infantino did on his every other month schedule in Detective .
February 17, 2020
Swan is one of the all-time greats. I feel like he goes unmentioned all too frequently when history’s top comic book artists are discussed.
April 12, 2020
My favorite artist of all time, he’s basically the Norman Rockwell of American Comics, such iconic images and probably the greatest artist when it comes to body language, facial expressions and realistic human anatomy. And a true workhorse of the industry for 30+ years. If Alan Moore calls you definitive, you sure are.