Batman: Death By Design

NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS raves about BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN

Writer and graphic designer Chip Kidd brings his love of Batman lore, architecture, and design together in BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN with art by Dave Taylor. It's a thrilling and gorgeous book, but you don't have to take our word for it.

In a rare graphic novel review - written by prominent American architectural critic Martin Filler - THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS raves, "Batman: Death by Design is as intriguingly multi-layered as the metropolis it depicts."

For the full review head on over to NYROB and pick up a copy of the book today.

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Batman, Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor, new york review of books

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN Sketchbook – Day Five

Exploring the sinister truth behind the destruction of Gotham’s most iconic historical landmarks, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN is realized by the collaboration of four-time Eisner award winning writer/designer Chip Kidd and critically acclaimed artist Dave Taylor. No traditional superhero slugfest, this original graphic novel examines the pop culture icon as a product of his environment – a thriving metropolis as fantastic and idiosyncratic as Batman himself.

To celebrate the book’s release, we’ve been giving you a sneak peek at Dave Taylor’s sketchbook everyday this week on THE SOURCE. Featuring commentary by Taylor, these sketchbook pages can also be found in the back of the book.

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN is available in comic book stores now and in bookstores everywhere on Tuesday.

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Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor

Chip Kidd Talks BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN

If you’re a reader of THE SOURCE, you’ve noticed that each day this week we’ve been giving you a special behind-the-scenes tour of BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN. Well, don’t think that artist Dave Taylor’s sketchbook is the only thing you’ll be able to see from this original graphic novel before you pick up your copy!

To read a series of exclusive previews of BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN and interviews with writer Chip Kidd, check out the coverage that’s run in THE HUFFINGTON POST, WIRED’s GEEKDAD, GAWKER’s IO9 and IGN.

Pretty cool stuff, huh? Makes you want to look at more exclusive sneak peeks at the book, right? Well then you’re in luck! For more previews of the book, head on over to MAXIM and COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. And to hear more from Chip, take note of some additional interviews that he conducted with SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES and BATMAN-NEWS.COM.

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN is on sale in comic book stores now and will be available in bookstores everywhere on Tuesday.

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Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN Sketchbook – Day Four

To celebrate the book’s release, we’ll be giving you a sneak peek at Dave Taylor’s sketchbook everyday this week on THE SOURCE. Featuring commentary by Taylor, these sketchbook pages can also be found in the back of the book.

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN is available in comic book stores now and in bookstores everywhere on Tuesday.

Tags:

Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN Sketchbook – Day Three

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN is on sale in comic book stores today and in bookstores everywhere on June 5th.

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Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN Sketchbook – Day Two

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN goes on sale in comic book stores tomorrow.

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Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN Sketchbook – Day One

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN goes on sale in comic book stores on Wednesday.

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Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor

DC COMICS IN 2012 – BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN

Primed to be one of the most talked about original graphic novels of the year, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN crafts a deft mystery around the architecture and design of Gotham City itself.

Set against the period backdrop of an expansive Gotham City construction boom, the unique take on the Batman mythology is brought to life by acclaimed writer/designer Chip Kidd and fan favorite artist Dave Taylor. Together, they weave a singular tale that captures the flavor of the city as it’s never been seen, while also creating an new look at Batman that re-imagines both the caped crusader and his iconic nemesis – the Joker.

"When I was invited to write a Batman graphic novel by Dan DiDio, for some reason I thought the Joker would be off limits (I'm not worthy!),” said Kidd. “When my editor Mark Chiarello told me that was not the case, I jumped at the chance to include him. This page marks his grand entrance into the book. I wanted him to look like a 1920s silent movie villain, as his visual roots lie in Conrad Veidt in 'The Man Who Laughs.' Dave totally nailed him in a unique yet undeniably classic way, and I LOVE what he's wearing: the jodhpurs, the dinner jacket, and those boots!! To die for, so to speak. That is all due to Mr. Taylor's expertise, which shines throughout the book. If you think this is cool (and it is), just wait...this only the thin end of the wedge!”

“This book is the culmination of all my years dreaming of working on a special Batman project, this is the summit,” said Taylor. “Chip's writing, his total knowledge of the character and his environment, has made this a very special story. It's full of what I call Batman reality. The tone and feel of this book are as close as anything I've read to a real sense of being. Gotham exists. The Batman is real. All these people are as real as you and I. And the story then is real also. The amount of research I did on it's own shows that I was into something way bigger than I'd first thought. I now know more about 1939 than I do about the year of my birth! The book contains some of the truth behind how a city is built, literally. The corruption, and misplacement of power rings true to the point of making this book a timely record. But what this book does above all is show how easy it can be to bring that corruption and power down, all you need is one hero!”

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN will be released on May 2, but we have a first look at Taylor’s interior art for the book – as well as the design process that led to the final product.

[gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="4"]

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Batman, Batman: Death By Design, chip kidd, Dave Taylor

Everybody’s Talkin’ About The Weekend (and DC COMICS-THE NEW 52), Friday Afternoon (ET) Edition

You might have heard: it's the weekend after NYCC. So the DC Entertainment PR team will be heading our separate ways for two days of rest and relaxation, which translates roughly to attending a wedding, watching scary movies, picking out pumpkins and laundry. Oh, there will be laundry. Fret not. Before we sign off for the weekend, we have a guide to the latest and greatest coverage:

LIBRARY JOURNAL interviewed DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras about DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. “Comics can be about Superman battling aliens in a big, blazing cosmic adventure, or they can equally be about Swamp Thing learning about his inner humanity in a quiet story about loss," said Harras. "Comics are about characters so compelling that readers come back month after month, year after year, to see what happens next.”

COMICVINE has a look at changes to JUSTICE LEAGUE in DC COMICS: THE NEW 52.

NEWSARAMA has an interview with the bestselling creative team of THE FLASH.

AMAZON’s OMNIVORACIOUS blogger is excited about BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN, the original graphic novel by Chip Kidd and Dave Taylor that will be hitting stores next year.

Meanwhile, IGN chronicled the evolution of Batman’s looks over the past 70 years.

To be continued …

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Batman, Batman: Death By Design, bob harras, chip kidd, Comicvine, Dave Taylor, DC Comics-The New 52, IGN, justice league, Library Journal, Newsarama, omnivoracious, the flash

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, Tuesday Afternoon (ET) Edition

(Greg Capullo’s variant cover for JUSTICE LEAGUE #3)

New York Comic Con has been over for two days, but, well, everyone's still talkin' about it. Here are some recommended reads:

UGO caught up with Geoff Johns about AQUAMAN. “They are a glimpse of the horrific world at the bottom of the ocean and beyond that Aquaman has never faced, that we have never really encountered,” Johns said of The Trench, the villains in the series’ first arc. “They are still learning and meeting new species every day, so I wanted to go as horrific and bizarre as I could. And you haven't even really seen how bizarre these creatures can get. They are pretty nasty.”

Following the announcement of THE CURSE OF SHAZAM, NEWSARAMA chatted with artist Gary Frank. "Both Geoff and I were keen that our costume should look different to the rest of the Justice League's costumes since it comes from a different place," Frank revealed of how fans can expect Shazam to look. “We're still ironing it out but, whereas the other costumes feel very modern and cool, ours needs to feel timeless and, hopefully, cool. We are dealing with magic rather than tailoring, so this has to be in there somehow.”

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES spoke with Scott Snyder, writer of BATMAN, SWAMP THING and AMERICAN VAMPIRE, about all of his respective series. “To me, he takes on a Robin because he needs a human connection,” Snyder said of Batman. “He needs to be a father because of what happened with his parents. He needs an ally because he is lonely – even though he won’t admit it. So he takes on a Robin but then at the same time, as much as he cares for that character, he has tremendous issues about getting too close to anyone and having it be his mission.”

And speaking of Gotham City, AIN’T IT COOL NEWS chatted with Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti about ALL-STAR WESTERN and their upcoming series, THE RAY. “All great cities have their own history and Gotham is no different,” said Palmiotti about the setting of ALL-STAR WESTERN. “Some of the main landmarks in the city will be and are featured in some of the new 52 books coming out and we are working closely with the crew to make sure we create an environment that reflects both ways the time period and the life of the city.”

(The cover of BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN)

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has the first exclusive interview with Chip Kidd about his upcoming original graphic novel, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN. “What I've always liked very much is that there are certain things Batman can do that Bruce Wayne cannot. But there's very much a flipside to that because there are things Bruce Wayne can do that Batman cannot,” Kidd said. “You need both of those things -- or at least I do -- to make things interesting. A good part of the story and the plot goes into the building and design trade of Gotham City -- how that works or doesn't work and how it's corrupted. There is a good bit of history with Bruce Wayne's father. It's not any kind of twisted, huge revelation. It's about the design legacy of the Wayne's in Gotham City.”

To be continued …

(Ivan Reis and Joe Prado’s variant cover for BATMAN #3)