INSIDE LOOK: Finally, a mask that looks like it could have been drawn by Adams, Rogers, Aparo…
Batman’s cowl is so iconic — an overused term but fitting here — that you’d think it’d be relatively easy to get your hands on a decent one.
But it never has been. Over the decades, manufacturers and promoters have given us paper masks, plastic masks, rubber masks with floppy ears and nylon masks that snare on pretty much everything — whether we’re talking Batman ’66, comics Batman, animated Batman, movie Batman, and so on.
Now take a look at this beauty by customizers extraordinaire Chuck and Lynne Williams of the fan-fave Williams Studio:
This is, in a word, extraordinary — and pretty much what I imagine Bronze Age Batman wearing, whether he’s drawn by Neal Adams, Marshall Rogers, Jim Aparo, Irv Novick and on and on. The natural shadowing even makes it work without having to paint the front section black.
The cowl, naturally enough, has its roots in Williams’ Batman ’66 cowl, which has become the go-to choice for hardcore cosplayers and collectors:
“After replicating the 1966 TV cowl and a freelance job to create a custom black leather version of a cowl using our original shell and some new ears, I decided to interpret the ’70s comic cowl myself,” Chuck Williams said.
I dig the black but I LOVE the navy.
“As a sculptor, I worked out a 3D face that world work under the cover rather than painted details seen on the ’60s cowl,” he added. “We are offering it in several colors. Lynne is a trained patternmaker and costumer. She was able to create the leather pattern over my newly sculpted shell.”
Now, the big question: Do you need to be Bruce Wayne to afford it? I suppose that depends on your personal situation, but it’s $650, plus shipping.
For more info and to check out other Williams wares at their Etsy site, click here.
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MORE
— Chuck Williams — The Crusader of Cowls. Click here.
— The Greatest BATMAN Costume a Kid Could Have. Click here.
May 21, 2021
Bravo! I am fortunate to have a couple of Chuck’s cowls, and other Bat items he’s created. Each one is a marvel, and this cowl is next on my list, but what color to chose….
March 2, 2022
Ordered the Black version – Dark Knight returns, due in May. Can’t wait.
May 21, 2021
They’ve got really incredible designs!
May 21, 2021
Chuck does great work and it’s always great to see what he’s done over at the 66 Batman Message Board. Personally, I’m holding out for his outstanding Shakespeare bust but these leather cowls are masterpieces, too.
May 21, 2021
Wow, that’s gorgeous!!! It definitely nails the Bronze Age Caped Crusader!
May 21, 2021
Wow… that’s really cool… I think the best thing about it is that is somehow doesn’t make his head look fat, which is what usually happens, and is my biggest gripe about Nolan Batman’s headgear. That’s why the previous movie Batmen all had thick, unmovable necks.
May 21, 2021
Perfect.
May 23, 2021
That is very, very impressive, I just wish that the outside of the ear could merge with the cowl without that ridge, then it would be perfect. I’ve always wanted them to go for this sort of look in the movies. I really thought Matt Reeves The Batman had an opportunity to do something more like this, but no.
May 25, 2021
I met Marshall Rogers during a signing at the Silver Snail Comic Ship here in Toronto Canada back in (I think) 1985. One of the first things I said to him was how much I liked his rendition of Batman’s cowl. He told me a story of how the Batman movie people tried to make the cowl using various materials with varying degrees of success.