Posted By Dan Greenfield on Apr 15, 2024 | 6 comments

MORRISON MONDAYS!

This week’s MORRISON MONDAYS is a salute to the late Shelly Moldoff, one of Bob Kane’s best-known ghost artists. Moldoff’s birthday was Sunday — here’s a groovy 13 COVERS salute — so this week Bill Morrison provided us with this twist on 1963 classic’s Batman #156, which, coincidentally, came out 61 years ago this week (on April 18, 1963):

But hold on! You can call this a 13th Dimension team-up because our pal and colorist Walt Grogan — a guy who has a particular affinity for Earth-Two’s Grown-Up Boy Wonder — put his skills at work on this fab homage:

Daaaaammmn. Bill and Walt — the new Dynamic Duo.

Here’s the original — and Bill’s own tale of meeting Moldoff many years ago:

“In the early days of Bongo Comics, I was fortunate enough to be a guest at a comic book convention where the show promoters placed me right next to Sheldon Moldoff!” Bill sez. “At that time, I had only been a comics professional for a year or two, so I was unknown and unrecognizable. And yet, there I was sitting elbow-to-elbow with one of my heroes, the guy who drew the first Batman comics I’d ever read! I regret not bending his ear with a million questions about his career ghosting Bob Kane on my favorite comic books, but I’m sure he was glad I didn’t.

“Pictured above is the drawing that Shelly did for me while he graciously greeted fans and I twiddled my thumbs.”

By the way, Moldoff did his own recreation back in 1995:

But before you go, here are three more versions of Bill’s cover, colored by Walt — including a fab surprise:

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