JOE KUBERT TRIBUTE - The Greatest Comic Book Artist Ever!

OK, I'm gonna try to get through this post without crying and I'm being completely serious. Yesterday, while goofing around on Facebook, I came across the tragic news that a personal childhood hero of mine, the legendary Comic Book Artist Joe Kubert, passed away. He was 85 years old. Mr. Kubert had a very long career working in comics and all of his artwork has become totally iconic. Once you see it you can never forget it. He is mainly known for his work on Tarzan & Sgt. Rock but my personal favorites were when he drew Batman. He just had an incredible style.

I never had the privilege of meeting him but about 2 months ago our friend in New Jersey, BatDave, went to a signing at a popular Comic Book Store in New York City. Dave said that Joe Kubert was one of the nicest guys he had ever met. He also said he was kinda shocked that Mr. Kubert was not even charging for Autographs, a rare thing in today's greedy marketplace. But this doesn't surprise me as I have always been told by other friends who have met him that he was always very down to earth & super friendly. Another thing I know is that his art will live on forever. In fact, it's hard for me to even think about any other Artist even drawing Sgt. Rock. His style was so much a part of that character. He will be missed. My condolences go out to his friend and family. Please find peace & know that he will live on forever in the hearts of Comic Book Fans all over the world.

R.I.P. JOE KUBERT 1926 - 2012

AURORA RISE - The Batman Benefit Event - SPREAD THE NEWS!

 

ALL C'S COLLECTIBLES, a local Comic Book Shop in Aurora, Colorado, will be hosting a fundraiser benefiting the victims of the recent tragedy. It's being called, AURORA RISE! Of course as serious Batman Fans we would all be proud to support this event and spread the news about it. If you're a Facebook Member then please visit their page, share it with your friends... because this is a cause we can all believe in! Come to think of it, if you are on Twitter then please tweet it too!

For More Information, Here is a LINK to their Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aurora-Rise-Benefit-Event/479465245414113

EARTHA KITT IS CATWOMAN - 1960's Batman TV Show Tribute

This day in Bat-History is special because today would have been Eartha Kitt's 85th Birthday. Sadly, she passed away on December 25th, 2008 at the age of 81. I can count back on that that day now and think about it. I was doing the BAT-BLOG pretty heavy at the time it happened and remember how weird it felt that she died on Christmas. That made the news twice as sad. She is deeply missed.



Of course her place in Bat-History is the fact that she took over the role of CATWOMAN in the 3rd and final season of the 1966 BATMAN TV Show. She replaced Julie Newmar who could not be placed in that season because of previous contract agreements and Eartha Kitt was pppuuurrffeecct! She totally got into the character and also had a really great voice. Check out the video below for a few highlights:

ALAN NAPIER TRIBUTE - Alfred on the 1966 BATMAN TV Show

Today, January 7th, is a very important day in Bat-History! The Actor, Alan William Napier-Clavering, was born today in 1903. Of course we all knew him has the ever-loyal "Alfred The Butler" on the 1966 BATMAN TV Series. He was perfect for the role and for sentimental "childhood memory" reasons he has always been my favorite "Alfred".

Once, when asked how he got the role, he said, "I had never read comics before I was hired for Batman. My agent rang up and said, 'I think you are going to play on "Batman,"' I said 'What is "Batman"?' He said, 'Don't you read the comics?' I said, 'No, never.' He said, 'I think you are going to be Batman's butler.' I said, 'How do I know I want to be Batman's butler?' It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of. He said, 'It may be worth over $100,000.' So I said I was Batman's butler."

Sadly, Alan Napier passed away on August 8th, 1988 but lived a good life to the ripe-old age of 85. He will forever be missed. Somehow, I hope he knew that he brought a lot of joy to the world while he was here, may he rest in peace.

OK, as sort of a tribute, up above is an ALFRED WALLPAPER you can use to brighten your desktop. Also, look down below for a funny YouTube clip I found featuring "Alfred vs. The Joker", enjoy.

Xavier's BATMAN ART PAINTING and BAT-BLOG TRIBUTE

Here are 2 cool pieces of BATMAN Fan Art that I'm proud of because they were sent in by a longtime Bat-Blog Fan & Good Friend named Xavier. If I did my math right he's now 11 years old and in the 6th grade. First he painted this awesome BATMAN Painting, done in an abstract style. Then, he drew a Tribute to the Bat-Blog website... How cool is that?!! It has a very interesting PUNK design to it, I love it! Thanks Xavier, YOU ROCK, Sir! Xavier writes a blog about his love of comic books called "Super Creations", click HERE to check it out!

A TRIBUTE TO JERRY ROBINSON - Golden Age BATMAN Wallpapers

Yesterday, a Friend on Facebook suggested the idea of creating a few BATMAN Wallpapers using the "Golden Age Artwork" of Jerry Robinson as sort of a Tribute. Wow, what a great idea!



So, here are some backgrounds I made last night. The first two are images from 2 different comic book covers drawn By Jerry Robinson that featured the Joker. I thought these were appropriate since he created that character.



Then, the next two are a comic book cover he did with the Penguin ( That Villain's 1st Appearance! ). They also feature ROBIN, The Boy Wonder, another character Mr. Robinson created. It's also important to note that the last one is the Original Art for the previous image.

Kevin Stark's ADAM WEST 1966 BATMAN Tribute Artwork

A Friend on Facebook yesterday shared this amazing piece of BATMAN Art he did recently & I thought it was decent enough to share ( Ha Ha, just kidding, it's great! ). Actually it's an extremely well done Tribute to ADAM WEST from the 1960's Batman TV Series. This Digital Art was drawn on a Wacom Tablet by our buddy Kevin Stark. The rendering of West's face is dead-on perfect! I like the coloring/shading, the use of the fine black outline, & even that wacky yellow-paisley wallpaper background... GROOVY! Thanks Kevin for sharing your fun artwork.

R.I.P. Michael Gough 1917 - 2011 ( Alfred, Batman Movies )

I have some very sad news to share. The Actor Michael Gough has passed away at the age of 94. Of course as Batman Fans we all know & love him as Alfred Pennyworth, the Butler to both Bruce Wayne & Batman. He appeared in 4 Batman films: 1989 Batman, 1992 Batman Returns, 1995 Batman Forever, and 1997's Batman & Robin. He played the character with Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. He is best known for this role but he also had a very long career, appearing in over 150 films. On a personal level, I have always had a lot of respect for this Actor. He played the "Alfred" role perfectly. He was very dignified, proper, and had a great sense of humor. I always enjoyed how he played the character in a "loving, caring" way.

As sort of a tribute to Michael Gough I have posted a few videos. One is a short documentary that covered his Alfred character in the "Batman Returns" movie. The 2nd clip is an appearance he made in one of his many Batman/OnStar TV Commercials. He was a great Actor & will be missed.

Heath Ledger Exhibition Planned in Perth, Australia

An exhibition about "The Life of Heath Ledger", with displays including the diary he kept while developing his character The Joker in the movie The Dark Knight, is being planned by the WA Museum. The Oscar he won after he died, The Joker's costume and a painting of Heath Ledger by Melbourne artist Vincent Fantauzzo ( shown above ) will feature in the exhibition. This is due to open in 2012. Please stay tuned to the Bat-Blog and as soon as we have more information we'll let you know.

Batman Wallpaper - THE JOKER - Heath Ledger Tribute ( Costume )

I got an email tonight from a Bat-Blog Fan named Damon. He sent us some photos of a few Batman-themed costumes he has had in the past where he dressed-up like the JOKER from The Dark Knight movie ( Heath Ledger version ). The costume looks great & the make-up effects are out of this world! This would be the perfect Halloween Costume, it's very well done. He also sent us some pics of his 1989 Batman film costume & some of his tattoos too. I plan to feature those later, but for right now I thought I would share this one picture that I used to make this desktop background. I mean, ya gotta admit that this image makes a great Joker Wallpaper! ( Thanks Damon, Please look for the other pics later )

1966 BATMAN TV Show Tribute Artwork by Steve Willaredt

A friend turned me on to this website the other day Called BATTLE ROYALE WITH CHEEZE & I have to admit that I'm very impressed with it so far. Basically, it's the online artwork portfolio of a Graphic Artist named Steve Willaredt and it looks like he has been doing a tribute to the old 1960's BATMAN TV Series. He's doing some very funny caricatures of the characters from the show & they really look like the actual actors. In fact, the art is pretty cool! As an example I'm showing just a few here but please be sure to visit his site to see the rest, click HERE!

Art - Chris Mason's ADAM WEST TRIBUTE Painting

Our good buddy Chris Mason recently did an amazing painting of Adam West as Batman, sort of like a "tribute". I mean, Adam West is a total ICON! Don't believe me? Well, Check out the 2nd photo showing Adam West's STAR at the "Walk of Stars" in Palm Springs...that's proof right there! If you read it, it says, ICON, ha! ( Thanks to Chris for allowing me to post this wonderful artwork ).

R.I.P. Dick Giordano, 1932-2010

Yesterday was a very sad day for many comic book fans. A legend, an icon actually, passed away. Of course I'm talking about Dick Giordano. Mr. Giordano worked in the comic book industry most of his life. He was an incredible artist & was quite prolific. As a very young comic book fan & collector I was always drawn to his artwork. He drew many of the comic book characters that I really loved. I ALWAYS recognized his art, almost right away. He had a very unique style. It was very realistic, especially his background scenes, & always interesting. His line work was sort of fast & fluid, but he always attached a great amount of detail in a way that seemed effortless. He also created a lot of stock art that was used on paperback books, calendars, products, & other bits of marketing. So, even if you didn't read the comics he drew his art seemed to be everywhere! It saddens me to say that I never got to meet him. I know a lot of people who did & every single person has told me that he was totally great to be around, that he was very down to earth, kind to a fault, & very funny. I'll always be a fan of his work and, with his passing, I even sort of feel like I have lost a part of my childhood. So, I want to thank him personally for all of his great work & for his friends & family I hope they find some peace very soon. He will be missed by many many people. R.I.P Dick Giordano, 1932 - 2010. As sort a side note I would like to tell people that the picture down below is a "Tribute Wallpaper" I made last night. Please feel free to use it to remember this great man, thanks.

DICK SPRANG TRIBUTE - Golden Age Batman Comic Book Artist

This is pretty cool! In a small Government Building in the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah there is a small plaque hanging on the wall that is a Tribute To Dick Sprang. Of course he was one of the original comic book artists of the Golden Age of comics!! Here at the Bat-Blog we totally love his artwork, he's really great! This weird piece of Bat-History was discovered by our friend Wayne Smith, who stumbled upon it while on vacation! Take a look at his photo & read what the message says, it's pretty interesting! ( Thanks for the pic Wayne )

BATMAN AND THE FARSIDERS! - Funny Parody Comic Book Cover

BATMAN AND THE FARSIDERS! Yes, you read the title correctly. Here's a totally hilarious parody comic book cover done by our new friend ( & great Graphic Artist ) Jim Mohan. It makes fun of the old 1980's BATMAN & THE OUTSIDERS #1 Comic Book Cover by replacing a few superheroes with characters from Gary Larson's famous comic strip, THE FAR SIDE. It's also sort of a tribute to the original artist & creator Jim Aparo. The artwork is awesome & it is really really funny! ( Thanks Jim )

Video: JOKER'S REACTION - A HEATH LEDGER TRIBUTE ( Batman: The Animated Series )

A new friend of mine on Facebook, named Michael Valentine, had this video to share that he actually made. Well, he used footage from the Batman: The Animated Series & added his own audio of himself doing the Joker's voice ( he sounds exactly like Mark Hamill! ).The main focus of this piece is that it's a tribute to Heath Ledger ( Joker from The Dark Knight movie ) who had just died. It shows the Joker cartoon character all upset hearing about Heath's death...it's pretty well done. Thanks for letting me post it Michael, ya did a great job on it! Readers, if you would like to see more of his videos then check out this LINK.

Tribute Video: BATMAN, THE DARK KNIGHT Movie ( Music: Gary Numan 'Pure' )

Here's an extremely well-done music video tribute to the BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT Movie. The editing is very cool & the song is pretty great too...very clever! ( Thank you to Satish, the Bat-Blog Reader who sent it ).

HEATH LEDGER BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE ( Wallpaper )

Today, April 4th, would have been Heath Ledger's birthday. So, to act as sort of a tribute to him I created this Desktop Wallpaper you can use to remember him. He is missed very much by all of his fans & it's still a shock to me really that he tragically died so young. I was so happy he won the Oscar for his performance of the Joker in The Dark Knight, he really deserved it, but at the same time I was sad he didn't get to go on stage to receive it. Besides being a great actor, and more importantly, he was also a really great person. Happy Birthday Heath.

THE DARK KNIGHT Batman Movie JOKER HEATH LEDGER TRIBUTE Art with Bead Sprites

It's pretty well known that I'm a big fan of art in all shapes & forms, especially if it's Batman related, so I was really excited to receive an e-mail from a Bat-Blog Reader named Jose who had this to share. It's a large-sized artwork of Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight Batman movie. Now the thing is that it's made out of many many tiny little plastic beads ( Click on the small pic up above for a more detailed version ). The artist's name is Serena Azureth & she lives in Illinois. She's a member of the PIXELGASM Forum where she shows a lot of her other Bead Sprites artwork. There seems to an entire subculture of fans & artists who totally worship pixel art. And I can completely see why because if you search in that world just a few minutes you can see some really cool stuff! Basically they all love the old school video games where, if you remember, were rendered in total 8-bit graphics & were always kinda crude & simple. But even back then graphic artists took a lot of care to squeeze all the form & color they could in that simple artform. There's been a lot of recent artwork in this area of art that's really great but I knew everyone here would at least appreciate this one of Heath's Joker, she did an awesome job! I wanna thank Jose for sending this, Thanks Dude! Oh yeah, if ya wanna investigate more art like this check out this link:

Batman Fan Calling For All Tattoo Artists & Creative People

It was kinda late tonight when I decided to check my e-mail before going to bed. I was kind of surprised by this message I received from a Bat-Blog Reader named Wes. He had sad news about his Mother passing away almost a year ago & has decided to get a Batman Tattoo to honor her memory. He has asked me to ask my readers, many of whom are very creative, to maybe come up with a design he could use as a tattoo. I think his own words convey the message a lot better then I can so I'm just gonna pass it along on here & ask everyone to read it with care. Wes wrote, "My name is Wes Greer. We've been in contact a few times but this time is the most important time I think we will ever talk. Almost a year ago my mother passed away. It was on the eve of Jan 7th, 2008, and I want to do something big. She was the inspiration for my love of the Dark Knight. My mom was one of the coolest moms in the world and she was also a super nerd. She loved everything there was to do with Batman, from comics to collectibles, movies, and waiting to come home from daycare and watch Adam West and Burt Ward slide down the bat-poles and be magically dressed in the costumes we all love. She started with me on the 1989 Batman movie, which came out the year I was born, and she said that due to the fact I was born that same year I would be a bat-o-holic til the day I die, just as she was. What I need your help with is to have all the awesome Bat-Artists that visit the blog get together and help me with their art to create a tattoo that will immortalize my mother and her love for the Dark Knight. I've searched and come out empty handed for something that was perfect, so I turn now to the rest of my bat admirers just as she would. She was also a Bat-Blog addict and actually showed me the site so it would be a great honor to have the people we have communicated with forever give a little more just as they always do and come up with their own sketches that would be a memorial to my mother using Batman. I will take the image I think best represents what I'm aiming for and will be getting that image tattooed on my body. I would also like to contact the artist who's work I choose and give personal gratification. My mother went before her time, which makes this hard, but with support from the bat bloggers I can feel help and courage. My mother's name was Karen Jane Greer and her date of birth was June 17th, 1963 and her date of passing was January 7th, 2008 and I would like that incorporated in the art. Thanks so much, Wes." Oh man, Wes, first off I want to send my heart-felt condolences to both you & your family. It seems she did pass too early & that's a very sad thing. It's been almost a year & I know things never get easier but I hope they have a little. Getting a tattoo to celebrate her life & her love of the character seems like such a great thing to do. I think she would really love that. So, Bat-Blog Readers, I am asking everyone of you who are tattoo artists, graphic designers, commercial artists, or just creative people to please send in your tattoo ideas. I have enclosed my idea. It's not much but I hope it might be close to what you're looking for Wes. Readers, our "Send e-Mail" Button is always at the top right-hand side of this page. Please send us some ideas or artwork. Thank you. And Wes, I hope this doesn't sound too corny or anything because I don't mean it like that but I am very touched that you would ask me to do this. Seriously, I am actually very honored to do it & I hope I can help. Thank you.