A BIRTHDAY SALUTE: The late fan-favorite artist was born 61 years ago… The late, great Norm Breyfogle — born 61 years ago on Feb. 27, 1960 — left us too early in 2018, but his colorful and kinetic artistic legacy remains and seems to grow with every passing year. Batman Knightcast podcaster Chris Franklin, a 13th Dimension regular, put together this outstanding tribute to one of the great Batman artists of the last 40 years. Enjoy. By CHRIS FRANKLIN Norm Breyfogle (Feb. 27, 1960–Sept. 24, 2018) came onto the Batman titles like a bolt of lightning in 1987 with a unique interpretation of a Dark Knight who seemed to be able to shape-shift from hard, coiled muscles to ethereal shadow at will. For a 12-year-old Batman fan like myself, it was a breath of fresh air, and his nearly month-to-month presence finally gave editor Denny O’Neil’s run some visual stability, after numerous creative fill-ins and short runs. With Batman stalwart Jim Aparo initially on Batman and Breyfogle on Detective Comics, fans of the Masked Manhunter had the best of both worlds: the familiar and tried-and-true, and the new and exciting, every month. Breyfogle and his primary collaborator, writer Alan Grant, took Batman to places rarely explored in his previous 50 years, tackling social issues of the day in stories that were far more psychologically driven than standard mainstream fare. All this while battling new and exciting rogues, some of whom joined the upper echelon of Bat-villains primarily created in the 1940s. Although he had a significant body of Bat-work under his utility belt, Breyfogle’s Batman would have become iconic just by its pure visual power alone. For a character with no shortage of great artists, Breyfogle stands tall on the Mt. Rushmore of Batman greats, owning the late ’80s and early ’90s, one of the character’s most popular eras. To celebrate the date of his birth, let’s take a look at the TOP 13 NORM BREYFOGLE BATMAN STORIES – RANKED: — 13. “Love Bird” (Batman Annual #11, 1987). Breyfogle’s debut in Gotham, and consequently, beleaguered Batman writer Max Allan Collins’ best Bat-tale, “Love Bird” finds the Penguin once again attempting to go straight, but this time he has a reason: the love of a good woman. Breyfogle’s art is a bit more grounded and less experimental than it will...