Just Look at This Unsung BATMAN Splash Page by JOE STATON

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.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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6 Comments

  1. 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.

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  2. 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.

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  3. 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!

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  4. You should see the work he’s doing on the Dick Tracy comic strip these days, especially the current story!

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  5. 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.

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