In my own case, for instance, I had drawn Batman many times before I came to do BATMAN & CAPTAIN AMERICA, yet when I drew him for the first time in that book, looking as he had in the first Batman story I read, with the short ears, the big square chin, the half moon eyes, and, the open-for-color cape, cowl, gloves and boots (not to mention no oval!) something inside my head said There he is!

It was like a reunion with an old friend.

Mine is the Len Wein/Irv Novick & Don Newton one. Denny O'Neil wasn't far away either.

It's natural, of course, for the first version of a character one "met" to be the version that first comes to mind. Dick Sprang's version is the "right" Batman for JB, because that's the one he first met.

The Adams/Aparo look is "right" for me, becaue that's the one I first met. Nostalgia is a powerful force!

However, I've trained myself not to automatically assume that the first version of a character I met is the best. On a dramatic, aesthetic, and "realistic" level, the Classic Batman look (black-gray outfit, cylinder belt, and plain black bat-emblem) is probably the best.

But my childhood self loves that Adams/Aparo, more "superhero-y" look.

Something else I find interesting is the "hybrid" look--the Adams design (long ears, etc.) withOUT the yellow oval. JB basically did this in MOS.

That look doesn't entirely compute for me--my conception of Batman usually boils down to the two basic looks that have had the most longevity--Sprang (short ears, no oval, stockier build) and Adams (long ears, oval, slim build).

I rather liked the idea used in the 80s and 90s--Batman had the oval-less version of the costume earlier in his career, and the then-current version had the oval. Stories set in Batman's past then could easily be identified by the oval (since the LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT series often told stories from earlier in Batman's career, this made it easier to tell past from present).

I'm late to the oval discussion. (Oval-late?)

I will admit the oval was a handy cue back in the day to differentiate between the Earth-1 and the Earth-2 Batman's, and -- like Greg --to distinguish between Batman early in his career versus Batman down the road.

That said, I'm quite fine without it.

Purely on an aesthetic level, the two touches of bright yellow on the Oval and the Utility belt are a very appealing contrast to the intentionally drab overall color scheme.  

It's pretty!