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:
1969’s Batman #480
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:
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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.)
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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. I think I might prefer the lighter color.
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Batman #552, 1970. Batman and Los Beatles! I mean, Los Oliver Twists! What I appreciate here is that the EN editors chose to retain the logo colors of April 1970’s Batman #222. The looser logo gives it a slightly different effect, but I still dig it.
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Batman #569, 1971. EN didn’t always print its stories in order; Detective Comics #395 came out in November 1969, months before Batman #222. Anyway, the cover layout is basically the same, box and all. Which color scheme for the logo do you like better? I probably give the edge to DC because the red works especially well to sell the alarming image, and that Detective Comics logo is an all-time fave. Still, green and yellow on a black background works too.
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Batman #591, 1971. On the other hand, the fluorescent pink and yellow knocks this classic — Batman #227, released in October 1970 — down a few pegs. It’s tough to tell for sure because of this image’s quality, but it also looks like the Mexican printer didn’t translate the looming Batman that well. Side note: I’ve never loved the yellow and brown logo on the original. The one on the upcoming Batman Bronze Age Omnibus may have it beat.
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Batman #623, 1972. A much better version of April 1971’s Batman #232 than what the Australians came up with.
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Batman #627, 1972. Toss-up between this and the original, June 1971 Batman #234.
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Batman #646, 1972. Again a case where the logo colors are a downgrade from what DC did, here with October 1971’s Batman #237. Yellow and white on black really makes this terrifying image pop that much more. I can’t judge whether the lighter (and lesser) shade of red on the EN version is accurate or due to the picture quality.
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Batman #664, 1973. March 1972’s Batman #241, inked by Bernie Wrightson, is one of the most memorable Batman covers of the era, showing up today on T-shirts and drinking glasses and whatnot. Alex Ross did a marvelous version in 2023 that improved on the layout. As I’ve said many times, I’m not always a fan of the box design for a cover, so I like the use of the full image by EN. But the use of red on the DC version is so much more potent. I don’t think that mucus green works well as a full background.
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Batman #682, 1973. Since I can’t tell whether the background color is accurately depicted here, I’ll focus on the trade dress. It definitely works on the EN version, but July 1972’s Batman #244 is something else entirely. Adams once told me that the logo color scheme was chosen specifically because the pale blue plays off the bold red and yellow to create a 3D effect, which takes what was already a tremendous cover to another level.
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Batman #690, 1973. I’m totally down for the color scheme of the EN logo vs. Aug. 1972’s Batman #245. The latter is fine, but the yellow just works better. Interesting attempt at the new Batman banner too, seeming to retain the way the head was approached in the previous emblem.
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Batman #729, 1974. EN also would switch back and forth between Batman logos. Anyway, you can’t beat the American version of June 1973’s seminal Batman #251 but I do get a kick out of what EN did with their version. Best part though? “JA JA JA JA JA JA,” because of course!
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Batman #765, 1975. And once again we return to December 1973’s Batman #255, whose layout fans have long moaned did Adams’ main image no favors. The Australians killed it on their version, and I’d say EN is somewhere in the middle.
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MORE
— 13 TIMES Australian Publishers Did BATMAN COVERS Better Than DC COMICS. Click here.
— 13 WILD MEXICAN SPIDER-MAN COVERS: It’s Cinco de Mayo! Click here.
