Why stop at two, huh?
On Friday, we slammed the week shut with the debut of the cover to BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #2, but there are a few more jaw-droppingly gorgeous "Batmen" waiting for some blog time, so why hold off on the Andy Kubert goodness?
So, before you head home, check out the amazing covers to #3 and #4. Enjoy.
Pirate Batman's pretty cool, huh?
Did the RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE covers from Friday sate your hunger for Batman news? We didn't think so.
Luckily, BATMAN AND ROBIN double-ships this month, and the creative team supreme of Grant Morrison and artist Cameron Stewart continue the "Blackest Knight" storyline with #8.
Only months into his new role as Batman, Dick Grayson faces perhaps the biggest threat of his life. In hopes of attaining his heart's desire, has Dick instead unleashed a terror the likes of which the world has never seen?
Meanwhile, back in Gotham City, Alfred and a recuperating Robin are at the mercy of someone both fearsome and familiar. But don't let my words sell you on how great this issue is. Check out some pages below.
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I know, I know. We showed this cover not too long ago. But can you blame me for wanting to show it again? Especially when we have the second to show you? What, you say? The second? Yup. We figured it'd been a long week across the board, so we'd end on a high note. Specifically, Andy Kubert's amazing cover to BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #2.
But before we show off the art, let's check in with BATMAN editor extraordinaire Michael Marts. Take it away, Mike:
"In these first two covers for RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, artist Andy Kubert gives readers an exclusive glimpse into the mysterious realms that Grant Morrison has imagined for RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE. Intrigued? And guess what—this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg!"
Sounds great. Enjoy, folks, and see you all next week for some more exciting DCU news.
The situation is dire as Batgirl and Robin must venture into Devil's Square in an attempt to save Batman before Roulette's "most dangerous game" turns deadly, courtesy of writer Bryan Q. Miller and artist Lee Garbett. BATGIRL #7 hits 2/10.
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Writer/artist Tony Daniel continues to pit Batman against the Black Mask in his latest BATMAN issue. While trapped in the crime lord's headquarters, The Dark Knight must find a way to escape before all of Gotham City falls prey to the Mask's lethal toxins. Guest-starring Catwoman, Penguin, Robin and the Reaper, BATMAN #696 hits 2/17.
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Nice way to end the work week, if I do say so myself.
And he runs into an old flame in a new costume. Guess who?
RED ROBIN #9 hits 2/3.
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So, new comic book day is almost over. Did you get a chance to swing by the shop? If not, you really should. It's a busy week for the DCU, with a ton of books shipping, and lots of stuff happening in said book. One title featuring some major shakeups is BATMAN AND ROBIN #7, which kicks off an arc that teams artist Cameron Stewart with regular writer Grant Morrison.
We showed off the first page of the issue on Monday along with a preview yesterday, but those of you that have the issue in hand know that there was one page in particular that stood out. For more, click below. Spoiler alert, and all that, if you haven't made it to the shop yet.
Yeah. Batman vs. Batman. Is it what we think it is? Or something even more sinister? Well, knowing Grant Morrison, it's probably a combination of both, with a heavy dose of the unexpected and mind-blowing. Stay tuned.
Yesterday, we showed off a page from BATMAN AND ROBIN #7 -- and it was a doozy. But why stop there? We've got the first five pages from the issue here, courtesy of the superstar team of writer Grant Morrison and artist Cameron Stewart.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #7 hits tomorrow. Swing back later tomorrow for a closer look at the issue.
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The first time we did this, it went over so well, it made perfect sense to extend the invite to Dustin to discuss the process behind another BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM cover. So, take it away, Dustin:
1- Thumb #2 of the 5 approved involved showcasing Robin as well. Robin has always been tough for me, every time i drew Tim Drake, he was too young, but now- Damien is young, so this works well for me. This one was very Toppi inspired as well and a bit more experimental than i normally do, but i felt the grit was important.
2- Knowing i will soak this paper up a bit, i also opted to go with the 300lb hotpress, it's smooth enough for the quill and can take a beating from my pencils. The rough basically lays down the more simple elements, making way for placement of logo, bar code, etc. In next stage,i do add on quiet a bit and change many things when i start to finalize for painting.
3- unlike going in digitally for coloring like in the previous cover, i lay down paint before i go in with inks. This is done mostly because watercolor usually paints itself and painting first helps me decide where to laydown holding lines and any rendering i'd like to add. this also helps keep the ink from getting faded or bleeding when washes are layered down. Sometimes, i do reverse the process to get fades and certain effects, but in this cover i wanted more textures in the colors while having crisp black lines.
4- finally, the inks are put down using a variety of quills and brushes, scanned in and then adjusted to bring in the right amount of saturation and hues.
Very cool. Thanks again, Dustin!
