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

Feb27

13 Reasons NORM BREYFOGLE Wasn’t Just a Great Artist, but a True BATMAN Legend

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Feb 27, 2026

13 Reasons NORM BREYFOGLE Wasn’t Just a Great Artist, but a True BATMAN Legend

A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE… By JASON CZERNICH The late Norm Breyfogle was born Feb. 27, 1960, and there has never been another Batman artist quite like him, before or since. I remember Breyfogle as the first classic Batman artist to debut as I was reading comics growing up. From 1987 through 1993, he was a constant presence in the Bat-books and is considered by many to be the premier Bat-artist from that period. Here are 13 reasons Breyfogle wasn’t just a great artist, but a true Batman legend: — 1. His Debut and Early Fill-Ins. Norm Breyfogle’s first published Batman work was a Penguin story in 1987’s Batman Annual #11, followed by two Detective Comics fill-ins later that year. Right off the bat (no pun intended), Breyfogle showed a knack for dynamic action and superb visual storytelling — as well as an expressive style that fit well with DC’s late ’80s period of experimentation and reinvention. — 2. His Detective Comics Run. Detective Comics #583 from late 1987 started Breyfogle’s run on the Batman books in earnest. For most of his tenure on the Dark Knight, he was teamed with writer Alan Grant and inker Steve Mitchell, but he was also joined early on by scripter John Wagner. It was often said back then that Detective Comics was supposed to be Caped Crusader’s nights off from the monthly Batman book. Robin wasn’t even in sight! The first story arc wasted no time establishing a weirder tone than the Jim Starlin/Jim Aparo creative team on the flagship, by introducing the bizarre Scarface and the Ventriloquist. — 3. Grant and Breyfogle Developed Their Own Rogues Gallery. Speaking of oddball villains, Grant and Breyfogle wasted no time creating their very own colorful bad guys, as the established Batman rogues were supposedly off-limits to them early on. Within a year of starting their run, they introduced Scarface and the Ventriloquist, the Ratcatcher, Mortimer Kadaver, the Corrosive Man, Cornelius Stirk, and other deadly threats — some of which would go on to appear in media outside of comic books. — 4. He Was on a Batman Title in 1989. One of the best times to be a creative on a book starring the Caped Crusader was 1989: The Year of the Bat. Batman’s 50th anniversary and a blockbuster movie directed even more eyes toward the...

Feb26

A Bronze Age BATMAN Series You Never Knew Existed — Because It Didn’t

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Feb 26, 2026

A Bronze Age BATMAN Series You Never Knew Existed — Because It Didn’t

HOPE YOU LIKE IT: The Art of DAKOTA ALEXANDER By DAKOTA ALEXANDER Continuing with my series of faux comics covers, I thought this week, instead of Marvel, I’d share something I made for the Distinguished Competition. Which, more often than not, means Batman. There are so many iterations of Batman to enjoy– from fun and campy to the grimmest of grimdark. As a child, I was introduced to Batman via the Neal Adams stories (actually I had a View-Master set of Batman #251’s The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge!) and as such, this particular look for Bats has always had a special place in my heart. Another fun element was that in the early ’70s Bronze Age Batman stories were often focused on the spooky and mysterious. Beyond his appearance on Scooby-Doo, Batman would regularly have his adventures in some haunted setting filled with dark shadows and danger lurking behind every corner. Sometimes the supposed specters were a clever ruse by the villain of the month, and sometimes Batman was left wondering if there might be such a thing as ghosts. Also at this time, DC had its various horror comics, such as House of Mystery and House of Secrets (hosted by Cain and Abel, respectively), Ghosts, The Witching Hour, and Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion. These books all featured dark, gothic tales of horror meant to both chill the reader to the bone and dazzle them with wonderful artwork from the likes of Bernie Wrightson, Mike Kaluta, and Adams. So, for this cover I decided to combine the Batman and the horror, and came up with “The House of the Batman” — complete with an homage to the Disneyland Haunted Mansion. Hope you like it. (NOTE From Dan: If you dig Batman/horror comics crossovers, check out Bill Morrison’s What if DC Decided to Make BATMAN a Horror Comic in the 1950s? from 2025! Right on.) — Want more of THE ART OF DAKOTA ALEXANDER? Come back next week! — MORE — A SPIDER-MAN COVER You Never Knew Existed — Because It Didn’t. Click here. — A CAPTAIN AMERICA COVER You Never Knew Existed — Because It Didn’t. Click here. — DAKOTA ALEXANDER is an American artist living in Japan. He’s worked on many projects, such as The Liberty Brigade, The Masters, Charon 13, and G.H.O.S.T. Agents. His latest is his love letter to Bronze Age superhero-horror comics, The Hunter,...

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