DICK SPRANG: These 13 Magnificent BATMAN COVER RECREATIONS Actually Improve Upon the Originals

Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jul 28, 2026 | 0 comments

A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE to one of the all-time greats…

Somebody posted online recently, asking why anyone would want a cover recreation. The answers are pretty simple, actually: The original art is typically prohibitively expensive, if available at all, and the comics themselves may similarly cost too much.

Plus, if you really love a cover and want it enlarged, framed, and hung on your wall, while also having it produced by the artist who originally illustrated it, how could you resist (assuming you’ve got the means). Hell, even other artists do a bang-up job of emulating the styles of the greats, and that’s a terrific option too.

Anyway, all this inspired me to go gather 13 COVERS recreated by the late, great Dick Sprang — born 111 years ago, on July 28, 1915 — who made it something of a cottage industry in the ’80s and ’90s.

To compare, I’ve also included the originals. Take special care to look at Sprang’s fine pencil and especially delicate ink work. When you study his recreations, you really see what an exquisite line he actually drew; I’d even call it sublime and, in large measure, an improvement on the originals.

All of these sold at Heritage Auctions, at one time or another. Enjoy.

In no particular order:

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