A BIRTHDAY SALUTE… By CHRIS FRANKLIN It has been said that Richard W. (Dick) Sprang (July 28, 1915 – May 10, 2000) was to Batman what Carl Barks was to Donald Duck and co. — the “Good Batman Artist” of the Golden Age. This is no slight on the other Golden Age greats who illustrated for decades, uncredited, as ghost artists for Batman’s co-creator and initial artist, Bob Kane. But savvy kids knew the difference between the art of Kane, Jerry Robinson, Sheldon Moldoff, Win Mortimer, and especially Dick Sprang. Sprang stood out from the others with stylized figures, grotesque villains, barrel-chested heroes, unique and dynamic panel layouts and dizzying perspective shots. There was a sense of energy and high adventure in every Sprang story that few could replicate. Sprang worked on the Batman titles and other DC comics from 1941 to 1963, bridging the Golden and Silver Ages, and creating an impressive body of work. The stories he illustrated ranged from the early noirish crime stories to the strange fascination with aliens and science fiction that dominated the late-’50s and early-’60s comics. But Sprang’s consistent handle on the characters made it all work and feel like Batman. Reprints finally gave the artist the credit he deserved, and he became beloved among fans, returning to DC for special projects and creating collector prints. To celebrate the date of his birth 110 years ago, let’s take a look at 13 lasting contributions Sprang made to the Batman and DC mythos, still resonating in the canon today. — 13. Firefly. Sprang and writer France E. Herron created Firefly for Detective Comics #184 (June 1952), initially conceived as a stage-lighting technician who turned to crime. He had relatively few appearances but was reimagined by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan for Detective Comics #661 as a pyrotechnic expert turned arsonist. This version has stuck, and the character has made it into various other Batmedia. But the initial inspiration remains. — 12. Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. An obscure footnote in Batman’s history until resurrected by Grant Morrison during his “Batman: RIP” story arc, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh teleported our Caped Crusader to his world in Batman #113 (Feb. 1958). Herron handled the scripting chores and Paris the inks, but Sprang designed this alternate Batman, who observed Bruce Wayne from afar, and based his advanced crimefighting...