Our recent move from the Twin Cities to the Kansas City area gave me the opportunity to reorganize my collections and assemble a new studio room. I thought it might be fun to tour the studio one collection at a time. For today, it's Batman.
I've been a fan of the character since I was a kid, reading the Dick Sprang/Bill Finger material in DC's "80 page Giants" and watching the Adam West TV show first run. My professional association with the character lasted more than a decade, as I inked one after another of DC's animated style Batman comics.
I started with Batman and Robin Adventures and went on to ink Gotham Adventures, Batman Beyond, Batman: the Lost Years, the SubZero adaptation, the Superman/Batman World's Finest graphic novel (Eisner Award winner!) and The Batman Strikes. I ended my run with a few issues of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I'd hoped to get a shot at penciling and inking that particular series, but, alas, it was not to be, and I've gone on to other things.
During my time on the books, I collected quite a few Batman items -- and here's what's on display in my studio. This little bookshelf was in my bedroom when I was a kid, and it's travelled with me everywhere I've lived. It's currently holding a number of Batman figures that reflect the look of the character from the various TV cartoon-based comics that I drew. A '60s vintage "Soaky" shares the top row with a '60s ViewMaster packet.
The gem of this collection is the Aurora Plastics' Penguin model kit on the bottom shelf. It's a particularly rare piece, and I was lucky to find it. I actually found two -- still sealed in their boxes -- at a flea market in Iowa. I purchased both kits and sold the better condition of the two to a Batman collector, recouping most of my investment. I then opened the one in the slightly crushed box -- doing so while on-line with a group of fellow model kit collectors -- describing the process (and the still-present "Aurora smell") as I carefully removed the cellophane from the back of the box and inspected the like-new contents.
Below is a Brave and Bold Batman/Elongated Man page, signed to me by artist Jim Aparo and writer Mike Barr. Aparo's signature was acquired at a Chicago Con, where I had the pleasure of introducing Jim to Golden Age Batman artist Dick Sprang -- my finest fan moment. I do have a few things from Dick -- letters, prints, etc. I never could afford to get on his commission list -- but am more pleased to have counted him as a friend. Exclusive club, y'know.
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