BATMAN’S HOT-LINE | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

May05

CINCO DE MAYO: Dig These 13 Muy Bueno NEAL ADAMS MEXICAN BATMAN COVERS

Posted by Dan Greenfield on May 5, 2026

CINCO DE MAYO: Dig These 13 Muy Bueno NEAL ADAMS MEXICAN BATMAN COVERS

Editorial Novaro’s take on the Bronze Age Darknight Detective… When I got back from Down Under, I posted 13 TIMES Australian Publishers Did BATMAN COVERS Better Than DC COMICS in the Bronze Age, and a reader asked, “Any chance for a similar article about Editorial Novaro?” My response? “Yes. Sooner than you think.” But what I didn’t say is that I was planning something for Cinco de Mayo, in this case 13 COVERS by Neal Adams that were reprinted by the Mexican publisher in the 1970s. I chose Adams because he’s Adams and because it’s interesting to see how EN’s approach differed from DC’s. Most of the time the difference was in the trade dress, sometimes the color choices. Sometimes the differences are obvious, other times subtle. On the whole, the American versions are superior because of their production values. But that doesn’t mean the Mexican versions aren’t fun! Here are 13 I picked that I found particularly interesting, paired with their American versions. Adams penciled and inked all of them, except where noted. Also, forgive the low resolution of the Mexican covers. High-res versions are not readily available on the web. You’ll notice the crazy difference in the issue numbers. For example, the American Batman #200 was #470 in Mexico. That’s because the latter version was published with greater frequency, featuring an array of alternating DC characters or teams, like so: EN’s series — subtitled El Hombre Murcielago — ran for 1,301 issues, from 1954 to 1985. (I myself picked one up when I visited Mexico in 1981.) Oh, and before we get started, you should check out this piece about the oddball world of Mexican Spider-Man. Now, let’s go. Exact release dates can be difficult to come by, but these are in chronological order: — Batman #470, 1969. This cover is probably the most different from the original (Batman #200, which came out in January 1968). Aside from the big, green bat the Caped Crusaders are holding, notice that the editors replaced the background covers with a selection including other characters featured in the series. (They don’t exactly fit cleanly, either. Weird.) — Batman #516, 1970. Based on Batman #210 (released January 1969), this is Adams working from a Carmine Infantino layout. The main difference is the shade of green in the background and the trade dress....

May04

The 1960s CATWOMAN Pinup That Should Have Been

Posted by Dan Greenfield on May 4, 2026

The 1960s CATWOMAN Pinup That Should Have Been

A MORRISON MONDAYS epilogue to BATMAN PINUPALOOZA… — Last week, we published the seven-day BATMAN PINUPALOOZA, a 60th anniversary celebration of the seven seminal 1966 Batman pinups by penciller Carmine Infantino and inker Murphy Anderson that in large measure became the definitive versions of the Dynamic Duo and their venal villains for years to come. It was a 13th Dimension theme week unlike any we’d done before: Each of our artists — Kerry Callen, Bill Morrison, Des Taylor, Walt Grogan (who did that fab banner), Chris Franklin, Dakota Alexander and Franco — reimagined at least one of the pinups every day, with equal parts reverence, whimsy and humor. But here’s a special EPILOGUE that addresses a historic comics wrong! For more on BATMAN PINUPALOOZA and the history of the pinups, click here. — Dan — By BILL MORRISON OK, listen, I know we’ve concluded BATMAN PINUPALOOZA, the weeklong celebration of seven Batman pinups that were created in 1966 by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson, but I want to keep the party going long enough to correct what I feel was a grave error. Individually, the seven images are all brilliant and stand on their own. But, when viewed as a group, as we’ve just done, there’s a glaring omission. Of course, I’m talking about Catwoman! I’ve always wondered why DC never did a pinup of Batman’s feline femme fatale, especially given the popularity of the character on the 1966 TV series and her inclusion as one of the four villains in the ’66 movie. So, I’ve created my estimation of what such a pinup might have looked like, complete with purrr-fect colors by the great Walt Grogan! I chose to depict the Princess of Plunder in the green scaled costume that was introduced by Infantino and Mike Esposito on the cover of Batman #197 in 1967: That outfit was obviously inspired by Julie Newmar’s catsuit from the TV show, and since pretty much everyone agrees that a green Catwoman costume makes zero sense, Walt decided to do a version with coloring based on her television ensemble, too: Plus, here they are, “aged” for your approval: — Want more BATMAN PINUPALOOZA? Click here! Want more MORRISON MONDAYS? Come back next week! Want a commission? See below! — MORE — The Complete BATMAN PINUPALOOZA Index. Click here. — ‘To the BATMO… I Mean the RADIOACTIVE-MOBILE!’ by...

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