El Guanisimo/How I learned to stop worrying if it's been done before and Love the Bat

Early warm-up sketch for another show at Art du Vin. So glad these things are so well supported and attended!

I was talking to Garry about the show as he was writing up a press release-style blurb to put in the paper, and he'd decided to keep it short and sweet, but I think what we talked about deserves to be said. And since this is my blog, I will now subject you to why I think a Batman-themed art show fits so well with who and what Batman is.

Batman's been around the block in almost every form of media known to Modern Science, and no matter how serious or how garishly impractical he is portrayed, we love him for it.
From his first appearance in 1939 with a cast of one-gag throwaway villains (who somehow managed to stick around through an avalanche of different adaptations, spinoffs and retellings), to Christopher Nolan's jaw-droppingly gritty action trilogy, this dude has appeal in any and all contexts.

Batman is fun. Batman is a badass. Batman is amusingly and hopelessly principled. Batman is James Bond mixed with Inspector Gadget mixed with Dick Tracey mixed with James T. Kirk. There is something in this character for everyone, be it a leather fetish or a love of cool gadgets or a desire to watch an uncompromising pillar of will beat the crap out of a guy in a purple blazer, you get it all.


BATMAN.



Though there are countless different portrayals of Batman, and everyone has their favorite (some of mine being The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns), this is the one I will always consider my introduction.
Right here.