13 SPLASH PAGES: An ERNIE CHAN Birthday Celebration

The late Bronze Age artist was born 81 years ago…

If there’s an artist who defines Batman in the mid-’70s — between the days of Adams, Novick and Giordano, and Rogers and Newton (and Novick again) — it’s the late Ernie Chan (aka Chua), who was born 81 years ago on July 27, 1940.

Picking up Batman and Detective in 1975 and ’76 meant you were likely to find Chan’s work both on covers and interiors. (Jim Aparo had a lock on The Brave and the Bold.) We’ve put the spotlight on Chan’s fine covers before but he was perhaps more adept at splash pages, where he seems to have enjoyed greater creative freedom.

So dig these 13 SPLASH PAGES, featuring some really groovy, unexpected designs:

Right on.

Very similar to Chan’s cover for the issue, though I like this layout better.

MORE

— 13 COVERS: An ERNIE CHAN Birthday Celebration: 2020 EDITION. Click here.

— 13 COVERS: An ERNIE CHAN Birthday Celebration — 2018 EDITION. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

Share This Post On

6 Comments

  1. I’ve been re-reading my old Batman/’Tec/B&B/Batman Family comics for the past year or so and am currently in the January ’78 issues. Chan’s work is/was very memorable and I was sad to see it end.

    Post a Reply
  2. Absolutely lov’d his rendition of our favorite Dark Detective. “The Underworld Olympics” was must read storytelling.

    Post a Reply
  3. ‘The Menace of the Firey Heads’ was my first Batman comic I bought on a spinner rack in a liquor store. It was creepy story for a little kid but I loved it. That splash page and the cover were the best !

    Post a Reply
  4. Omega Bomb Target : Gotham City was my first Batman comic (or comic of any kind) so thanks for including it in the tribute.

    Post a Reply
  5. Love that SPOOK splash page from BATMAN #276.
    Spook is my favorite villain that was created during the Bronze Age.

    Post a Reply

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: