A fresh coat of paint for one of our oldest features, on the 85th ANNIVERSARY of Batman #1…
Way back in the primordial days of 13th Dimension, I had this notion of having a weekly Batman column, where I could indulge in writing about my favorite comics character on a regular basis. I called it GOTHAM TRIBUNE, after the first newspaper ever mentioned in a Bat-comic.
But it was a crap name, too obscure, too meaningless. I considered changing it to GOTHAM GAZETTE but that’s so identified with Batman’s universe, it felt too obvious. So I compromised: In June 2014, we launched BATMAN’S HOT-LINE, named after the long-gone Silver and Bronze Age letter column. I grabbed an old lettercol logo from the web, slapped it atop my Batman stories and off we went.
Except, little did I realize — with a severe lack of self-knowledge — that Batman would dominate so much of what we do here. I never expected to be so Bat-prolific, whether writing or publishing, but what can I tell you: The heart wants what the heart wants and you folks always respond really well, so it’s a win-win.
Anyway, even though the idea of BATMAN’S HOT-LINE has long been unnecessary, it feels silly to just dispense with the label. (And I just plain don’t want to. I like it.) The logo, though, does feel a little musty — it’s muddy, washed out and low-res — so, for the occasion of the 85th anniversary of Batman #1, I called on our crack banner-maker Walt Grogan to come up with a hip, new and now BATMAN’S HOT-LINE flag.
Dig this!
I’ll pay 13 imaginary dollars to anyone who can identify all the Bat-artists without looking it up. Plus, Walt has made… wait for it… 13 of these Bat-boys in different colors that we’ll rotate through just for kicks.
So bid the original logo a fond adieu and look for these fancy-schmancy banners starting now.
—
MORE
— The Innovations From 1940’s BATMAN #1 That Are With Us to This Very Day. Click here.
— UNMASKED! 13 Times BATMAN Flipped His Lid. Click here.
April 24, 2025
RE: Batman portraits by artist.
Okay. I’ll try it.
The upper corners I will guess are Bob Kane (left) and Dick Sprang (right). And I’ll guess the center portrait is another Bob Kane (60s style–cause you have to . . . ).
To the immediate left of the center portrait is Neal Adams, followed by Carmine Infantino but I’m clueless on the very far left image (hard to make out from the size, even after copying the image in Paint and blowing it up 250%)
To the right of the center portrait is Marshall Rogers, and the very far right corner looks much like a Curt Swan. But I’m not sure about the middle-right Bats. It looks sort of Adams-ish (Irv Novick, Rich Buckler, Michael Gold, etc?). Maybe Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez?
No Jerry Robinson? (Unless my Sprang ID is that–but, I could be wrong, that image looks more Sprang-y to me)
There are no Jim Aparo Batmans that I recognize–esp, that fabulous stern medallion portrait from the mid-1970s that often graced the tops of 100-Page Super Spectacular Batman titles–esp. Detective Comics.
What I have for now.
April 24, 2025
Maybe that middle right portrait between Rogers and Swan is Aparo–maybe. But from his more minimalist post-1971 – 1976 illustrative realism heyday. Unsure. The arched eyebrows on the cowl look very Aparo-ish. Unsure about that grimace, though–not sure it looks right for Aparo (I could be too besotted over those 70s years noted above).
April 24, 2025
Hmm. Can’t quite geth them all, but here’s my guesses:
Top left: Bob Kane Top right: Jerry Robinson
Bottom L – R: Frank Robbins; Mike Sekowsky; Neal Adams; Carmine Infantino; ?; ?; Curt Swan
April 24, 2025
Top: Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson
Bottom: Frank Robbins, Mike Sekowsky, Neal Adams, Marshall Rogers, Jim Aparo, Curt Swan
April 24, 2025
Close.
April 24, 2025
Here’s my try: at top are Kane and Sprang and bottom from left (including the center image): ?, Infantino, Adams, Sheldon Moldoff, Rogers, Aparo and someone who drew Batman for a Superman comic, possibly Swan or Kurt Schaffenberger.
April 24, 2025
Some right, some wrong.
April 24, 2025
From left to right
top row:
Bob Kane
Jerry Robinson
center:
Infantino
bottom:
Robbins/Springer
Brown/Giella
Neal Adams
Marshall Rogers
Jim Aparo
Curt Swan
April 24, 2025
All your pencillers are correct! Except one.
April 24, 2025
Robbins and no Springer?
Bob Brown can look wildly diff w diff inkers and that one looks very Giella-esque so i’ll stand by that…
April 24, 2025
…and Murphy Anderson on the Infantino and Stan Kaye on the Curt Swan… i don’t recall either of those artists ever doing pen and inks on a Batman.
April 24, 2025
Okay. Mike Sekowsky on the mid-left. Hmmmm. But he really wasn’t a Batman artist, was he? (If that’s a criterion) Justice League and Wonder Woman, to be sure. It is something to ponder, though.
And Frank Robbins on the far lower left. Never would have guessed, as I think of him more as a writer (Man-Bat creator with Mr. Adams!), if but maybe more true for the Bronze Age.
Still very bedeviled by the upper right corner image: Sprang vs. Robinson (I would have assumed both might feature here–esp,. as with other artists here like Infantino, Adams, Aparo and Rogers, they are both very identified with the character).
And I am now questioning the center portrait. Kane’s 60s Batman had a much shorter and wider nose on the cowl. It could be Infantino esp. the bottom facial features–but where are the eyebrows on the cowl? And the black front is usually more solid and contoured (as I remember) than with the fuzzy shading look here.
Okay then: current revised judgements:
Top corners: Kane and Sprang
Center: Infantino
Lower left (L to R): Robbins, Sekowsky, Adams
Lower right (L to R): Rogers, Aparo, Swan.
April 24, 2025
Off by a couple.
April 24, 2025
>> Frank Robbins on the far lower left. Never would have guessed, as I think of him more as a writer
>>
Funny. I’m the 180 opposite. I grew up loving his run on Marvel’s Invaders. I was so surprised to learn he was a writer too! Then to learn about his long career in the newspaper comic strips.
April 24, 2025
Fair enough! I will admit to some bias as I’m more an avid DC reader than I was a Marvel reader. Growing up during the Bronze Age, Robbins was always a writer to me.
April 24, 2025
Top: Bob Kane and Dick Sprang
Bottom: Frank Robbins, Shelley Moldoff, Neal Adams, Marshall Rogers, Jim Aparo, Curt Swan
April 24, 2025
Off by a couple.
April 24, 2025
Hi Dan.
Well, darn. Okay. Trying again:
Top corners: Kane and Robinson
Center: Infantino
Lower left (L to R): Robbins, Brown (Bob Brown–totally forgot!), Adams
Lower right (L to R): Rogers, Aparo, Swan.
Per lilbaggie’s helpful post and Dan’s very helpful feedback I will assume that Robbins inked himself (from a long-ago comment by Dan of Robbins’ “inky talents”).
If Brown wasn’t inked by Joe Giella then he may have been inked by Dick Giordano (I now wonder if that might be true of Adams too, even if Adams could ink himself).
And maybe Terry Austin inking Rogers.
And maybe Murphy Anderson inking Infantino?
Do we need to distinguish pencillers vs inkers? I was only originally thinking of the former.
April 26, 2025
Hey Dan,
When are we going to know our multiple Batman artists? Thanks!
April 28, 2025
Walt is cooking up something fun!
April 28, 2025
Well, okay then! Looking forward to the fun!
Thank you, Dan