The diamonds you find…
Hey, here’s a quick one for ya:
The other night, I picked up 1978’s Batman Family #18 as part of an epic Silver/Bronze Age Batman re-read and cracked it open to find this lovely, wordless splash page by Joe Staton:
My. My, my, my.
I’ve read the issue a number of times over the years but it’s been awhile and, for whatever reason, I didn’t remember this.
Which of course begs the question: How could I not remember?! It rocks!
Anyway, here’s a digitized version from DC’s app:
Boy, I tell you, one of the greatest joys of reading old issues is rediscovering gems like this.
Ain’t comics grand?
—
MORE
— BATMAN FAMILY: The Coolest Batbook of the Bronze Age. Click here.
— 13 COVERS: A JOE STATON Birthday Celebration. Click here.
March 4, 2021
Joe Staton’s the man!
March 4, 2021
Thanks for this great post. Staton was great at Charlton, and became a real workhorse at DC — though he has been underrated over the years. I don’t recall this great splash page, but enjoyed seeing it. One further thought: The “pages” blowing in the wind in this splash is charmingly reminiscent of Gill/Staton’s use of blowing pages for humorous effect in E-Man.
March 4, 2021
Like Jim Aparo, Joe Staton is not only a great artist, but a fantastic STORYTELLER. You will never ever be confused by anything going on in a Joe Staton story.
March 4, 2021
My run of Batman Family is spotty, so this is new on me. But it’s a gorgeous piece! Lots of great splashes in DC 100 page giants, and anthology books like this in the 70s. It’s always fun to find them!
March 4, 2021
You should see the work he’s doing on the Dick Tracy comic strip these days, especially the current story!
March 4, 2021
I always loved Joe Staton’s inks on The Incredible Hulk (they looked great on both Trimpe AND Sal Buscema’s pencils). But he was a really solid pencil artist, too. I’d love to see more of his works collected. He’s one of those overlooked talents. He did great work.