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Topic: Jack Kirby and Batman (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Brian Hague
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Joined: 14 November 2006
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 12:48pm | IP Logged | 1  

Kirby seemed to interpret Batman's cowl as a solid helmet and did not utilize the cape to create mood and mystery, portraying him as an adventure hero rather than a figure designed to frighten the superstitious and cowardly. The only pictures of the character I've seen from him (excepting the humorously intended "If Kirby Created Batman" sketch) place him in context with other heroes in science-fiction or battle scenes.

Had Kirby ever done a story with Batman dealing with a straight crime story or the supernatural (a Demon appearance?), I think we'd have seen something far more on-target, evocative, and substantial.

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Chad Carter
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Joined: 16 June 2005
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 2:33pm | IP Logged | 2  

 

There's also this, found online at some point, don't recall where:

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Lars Johansson
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 2:42pm | IP Logged | 3  

It's hard to keep up with everything. I beleived they were fraternal twins but now I know that Batman and Captain America are identical twins.
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Marc Baptiste
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 2:43pm | IP Logged | 4  

He seems to "get" Cap just fine.
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Brian Miller
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 3:01pm | IP Logged | 5  

Well, he should, shouldn't he?
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Anthony Frail
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Joined: 09 October 2007
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 4:27pm | IP Logged | 6  

Wow, I love that Batman vs Captain America drawing posted by Brian Hague.
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Wallace Sellars
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 7:02pm | IP Logged | 7  

Nice Captain America/Batman picture...
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Flavio Sapha
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Posted: 06 December 2008 at 8:03pm | IP Logged | 8  

Bruce Timm has stated that when called upon to submit the BATMAN TAS
designs, he tried to come up with "JACK KIRBY'S BATMAN".
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John Byrne
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Posted: 07 December 2008 at 7:13am | IP Logged | 9  

How can somebody like Kirby not get Batman or anyone else? The same
could be asked of Neal Adams' Thing, which has been brought up in other
threads. What happens (or fails to) in such unspeakably great artists that
something key in a given character is lacking?

••

There will always be characters that play to the strengths of various artists,
and characters that play against them. When I am asked to do a commission
piece, the first thing I have to consider is which category contains the
character being asked for. Can I draw this character? Can a capture the
essence of this character? If the answer is "No", I decline the commission. (I
did the recent Swamp Thing piece with some degree of trepidation. I was
not sure until the drawing was done that I would be able to pull it off.)

Neal Adams' less-than-successful rendering of the Thing, in THE
AVENGERS, demonstrates the point very well. Designed by Kirby, the Thing
played very much to Kirby's strengths as an artist, which were very much at
the other end of the spectrum from Adams. Kirby stylized everything --
and I do mean everything! -- while Neal is photorealist. One of the first
things I discovered, working on FANTASTIC FOUR, is that trying to draw the
Thing "realistically" is a guaranteed way to miss the look of the character.

This is why Neal is so well suited to Batman -- a character who has to be
solidly grounded in a recognizable reality, even if it contains bizarre
elements (such as Batman himself!) -- while Kirby is not.

No shame in any of this, of course. With so many characters out there,
there's no need for any artist to beat him/herself up when a few elude
her/him. I don't think Kirby's legacy should be considered in any way
diminished by his Batman being a little off-center!
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John Byrne
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Posted: 07 December 2008 at 7:15am | IP Logged | 10  

Bruce Timm has stated that when called upon to submit the BATMAN TAS
designs, he tried to come up with "JACK KIRBY'S BATMAN".

••

The Kirby influence in Bruce's work is most apparent. One of its strengths,
in fact. There is a small amount of irony, I suppose, in Timm doing his
version of a Kirby Batman, and being more successful in capturing the
character than Kirby himself!
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John Byrne
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Joined: 11 May 2005
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Posted: 07 December 2008 at 7:19am | IP Logged | 11  

I love that Batman vs Captain America drawing posted by Brian Hague.

••

Tell you something I don't like about it! The date of the inks would
seem to indicate somebody had that piece in pencil form, and decided to get
it inked! Unless this was done on overlay, that means an example of Kirby's
pencils is now lost, and, let's face it, he's not likely to be producing any
more!
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Al Cook
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Joined: 21 December 2004
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Posted: 07 December 2008 at 7:28am | IP Logged | 12  

I've never seen Adams' Thing. Anyone have an image?
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