One of the most acclaimed Batbooks of the Modern Age launched in 1996…
Batman: Black and White — the brainchild of the innovative and influential editor Mark Chiarello — launched 30 years ago. To be precise, Issue #1 hit April 3, 1996, and the finale, Issue #4, was released a few months later, on July 10.
The concept has been repeated a number of times since, and you never know if it will pop up again. (It’s also been adapted many times over, for heroes like Superman, Wonder Woman — and even Wolverine, for the Other Guys).
So to celebrate the artistry of the landmark series, here are 13 COVERS. Not just that, we’re putting a special 13th Dimension spin on it with this week’s DESPOP TUESDAYS. Check that out here.
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Jim Lee (the first issue)
Barry Windsor-Smith
J.H. Williams III
Amanda Conner
Lee Weeks
Kamome Shirahama
Joshua Middleton
Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
Gary Frank
Sana Takeda
Jenny Frison
Jason Fabok
Alex Toth
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MORE
— DESPOP TUESDAYS: Dig This Retro Take on BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE — a Groovy Gallery of 13 IMAGES. Click here.
— The Golden Age in Black and White: Dig MATT WAGNER’s Noirish Takes on Classic SUPERMAN and BATMAN Covers. Click here.
July 7, 2026
Batman Black and White volumes 1 through 3 were my favorites. Volume 4 had a few notable stories. One being Neal Adams written and drawn Zombie Batman.