Look, up in the sky: It's a bat! It's a plane! It's a Bat Plane!

In all of the stacks of old comics the cowpokes would leave behind at the ranch, we couldn't get enough of this ad:

Aurora model advertisement (1966)

The Batplane model was a "holy grail" of un-obtainable model kits, practically unheard of at flea markets and dealer conventions... until it was republished by the Polar Lights company.

Batplane (Polar Lights, 2002)

The Batplane model was likely based off the "Batplane II", the jet fighter that Batman flew from 1950-1963.  With slight artistic variation, the model is very accurate.

Batman No 146 (March, 1962)

Over the years, many hobbyists have painted the batplane model according to their own interpretation.  Mostly blue, some black.  Sometimes they use red pin striping a la the George Barris TV Batmobile.

We decided to throw our cowl in the ring, too:

Our rendition of the Batplane (2013)

We kept with the comic-inspired dark blue (in high gloss, of course) with matte black bat head motif.  The Barris-inspired decals were used, but with a USAF nod.  Red pinstripes?  You bet, but in a new way that also made the bat head pop.

The Polar Lights Batplane (2013) 

And Chrome.  Planes fly faster in chrome.

Scalloped Atomic Bat-Landing Struts?  Check!

If Adam West and Burt Ward ever needed to get supersonic, this would have been the thing.

Ready?

Set?

Bat-usi.

Bat Manga! meets Chip Kidd

After getting my first version of the Bat-Manga! statue built, I've always wanted to go back and do it again, based on the color palette from his debut in BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD:  The washed out greys and yellows are perfect.  If anything, I needed a reason to get back into the resin and fire up the airbrush, when all of a sudden...

From the BATMAN: BRAVE AND BOLD show

... came the note from Chip Kidd, asking for a Bat-Manga statue for his own collection.  That got me motivated, so out came the molds again and off we went!  Thankfully, Pops was around to help get the yellows and greys right.  What a huge difference: 

Batmanga v1 for Saul Ferris

Batmanga v2 for Chip Kidd

We worked out a deal where I would bring his statue down to his Manhattan apartment that features his Batman / Captain Marvel collection, which was pretty cool.  It was crazy, because I was leaving New England and the summer was winding down and time was running out, but we finally got a time that worked for both of us and I ran into the city to see his place.

Basically, it's everything you've seen from his books and more.  The walls are covered in original art and shelves of the collection.  He asked me why I liked the Kuwata stuff and he showed me the remaining original artwork, which is in gorgeous shape.  He showed me his original Frank Quitely artwork from BATMAN AND ROBIN and ALL STAR SUPERMAN that he had bound, which looks great in person.  We talked about his latest release, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN, and all of  it's art influences.  I showed him my History of the Batmobile project, which was just about done through the Fifties at the time.  He had some very nice custom Batmobiles from Argentina on his desk.  Chip professed a dis-interest in most things custom-made, so my Bat Manga statue has now made it to the big leagues.  I even warranted an entry in his blog. 

Party at Mr. Kidd's

The most fun moment was when he shared with me a reprinted volume of an intact BATMANGA story that wasn't included in his book, complete with a translation!  We talked about how to sculpt the villain of the story and Chip picked out the pose from the artwork and gave me pointers on the color scheme.  I got to make copies of the story for myself, which was very generous of him.  I think I've finally figured out how to make the character's cape, so it will probably be my fifth Bat-Manga statue of the proposed collection.

All in all, I tried very hard to behave: I brought my copy of Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006 and Death by Design to get autographed but left behind the rest of collection of his books.  I stayed a polite time, but didn't ask to see the guest cot.  


Most importantly, I didn't sweat or drool on anything.

It was a blast.

It's had some cool consequences: It got my artwork out there a bit more, made a few contacts, and I had a nice follow up request from James Tucker, the producer of BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD.

  

It was, as my brother said, the perfect way to leave New England.  

Now, on to some villains, yes?

A Brave and Bold Man of Steel? Super Idea!

All the Buckaroos at the Flying Batmobile Ranch love us some BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD cartoons.  The only thing better is a hot plate of new Brave and Bold figures.  Sure enough, the fine folks at TARGET complied with our requests and released a whole new lineup of figures...

... with no hex bolts!

New and Improved BRAVE AND BOLD figures!

It sure looks like a big box of fun.  The only problem?

They got the costumes wrong.

"nU 52" and "Superman Returns" Figures

The first Superman figure produced was based on the drab color palette from SUPERMAN RETURNS.  This new "Justice League" version has a darker blue and has big mistakes about the costume (The Man of Tomorrow lost his super-trunks!).  Thankfully, we all here at the Ranch have a big stack of ACTION COMICS and were happy to get 'em just right!

A classic Superman!

Superman debuts our new experimental Plasti-Cape technology.  We're very happy with this prototype and hope to do much more with the process.

Will you believe a man can fly or that a comic book could be fun?

Four down, four to go!

Who's next up from the box?

Tom Ziuko and The Dark Knight Returns

"Batman and Robin" by Tom Ziuko (1980s)

Can you remember the world of Batman before Frank Miller hit the scene?

In the mid 1980s, as the summer convention schedule was nearing, DC editorial handed colorist Tom Ziuko a reproduction of a sketch by Frank Miller.  In Tom's words:

"... [I]t was to be used in a slide show presentation at upcoming conventions; and was only intended to be seen on screen for a few minutes, and never published or used in print - hence the loose (sloppy?) look of the color. Since I'm extremely meticulous with my coloring, I'm somewhat mortified now that this is under the microscope.

In fact, I seem to recall that they needed this done at the last moment, and I sat down and colored it in the production department with a borrowed set of [Dr. Martin] dyes, as opposed to taking it home and coloring it in my studio. (Which also accounts for the somewhat 'gritty' look of the greys on Batman - my dyes at home were much 'cleaner')."

Whereas Tom may be mortified by this promotional piece, I think it's amazing for those reasons: It's fast and loose, which adds strength to Tom's artistic impressions of color.  It also shows us the world before anyone had heard of THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.  Carrie Kelley was unknown as Robin (hence the dark hair color) and Tom used his own interpretation of Batman's costume, as Frank had not blacked out the Bat symbol.

Brilliant.  A wonderful snap shot of Batman history.

More recently, Tom has done a considerable number of color jobs for TwoMorrows Publishing.  Tom also included this print from a George Perez sketch used as the cover of Back Issue #1

"Batman and Captain America" by Tom Ziuko (2012)

Tom, a long-time colorist for DC and MARVEL, has taken ill.  He is currently offering his deep collection of hand-colored production art from DC and MARVEL to offset his mounting healthcare costs.

You can preview his artwork on his facebook page, where you can contact him directly.

The world needs more color and Tom Ziuko.  Please consider an addition to you art collection and keep a good thought for this talented artist.

We love Brave and Bold Kamandi and Andy Suriano!

The only thing better than BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD shows are BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD comics done by the kind folks who made the animated show!

BATMAN BRAVE AND BOLD was a great comic, with monthly issues that told fun and exciting adventures in the spirit of the original comic book series of my childhood and the upbeat and offbeat show.

Andy Suriano, Emmy-award winning animator, did double duty with both the show and the comic.  His pages are posted on his art blog here!

I couldn't resist and grabbed a great page, featuring the Awesome Brave and Bold Batmobile and Kid Eternity!

"Batman Brave & Bold" Andy Suriano

 
I asked Andy which character was his favorite to animate on the show.  His response?

Kamandi and Batman (2012)

Kamandi!  We always suspected Suriano had good taste, but now it's confirmed!  Santa delivered The Last Boy on Earth to the Suriano Studio and everyone was happy.  Hooray!  Andy will be appearing at the Motor City Comic Con in the Spring of 2013.  Perhaps he needs another figure...

The Noir of the Golden Age Catwoman, with Terry Beatty!

"Hell could have opened for me then, and it wouldn't have made any difference.  

 I had to have her, if I hung for it."

    -James M. Cain.  THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1934).

Catwoman (2012) by Terry Beatty

Whereas early BATMAN comics featured a wide array of gangsters and grotesques, a truly unique comic relationship was created with the advent of The Catwoman.

In 1939, the Bat-Man was a hard-boiled, two-fisted dark avenger of justice.  He beat criminals savagely and even dispatched monsters with the cold resolve of a .45.  If the authorities were impotent to stop lawlessness, Bat-Man was a final solution.

Until he met Selina Kyle.

With the introduction of The Cat, Bat-Man was shown to have a fatal flaw: he patronized  her cunning because of her beauty.  Her earliest appearances in BATMAN #1 began a theme in which Batman relented, often to the frustration of The Boy Wonder.  Yet, his flaw was shared by her; quickly, the jewel thief abandoned the success of her clever disguises for an outlandish costume.  For her part, Catwoman refused to kill and was at odds with The Joker because of it.  Thus began the doomed romance of 80+ years.  

Terry Beatty is a master illustrator, having co-created the pulp comic Ms. Tree and has drawn MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE DANGER and JOHNNY DYNAMITE.  He is currently the artist for the Sunday episodes of King Feature's classic comic strip THE PHANTOM.

The evening dress/ cat-masked Catwoman was short-lived, but it represents the core of the noir relationship between Dark Knight and the jewel thief.

Perhaps Michael Caine's ALFRED feels relived to see Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle together.  

The rest of us know such resolve is short lived at best.

Made in The Shade

One of the more entertaining new comics from DC Entertainment has been THE SHADE, a cool jazz 12-issue limited series about a morally ambiguous character taking stock of his centuries-long life and getting into troubles along the way.

The Shade in 1942

Originally published in FLASH COMICS #33 (1942), The Shade was a villain who enjoyed testing The Flash and was later featured as a member of some nefarious Society of Injustice during the Sixties and other iconic appearances.  His costume was a jet-black unitard with some sort of ... shaw (?), a black head mask (?), a top hat, and sunglasses. His ability to create objects and shapes from a black force were supposedly due to the unearthly nature of his walking cane.

Yup.  That's what we're working with.  That outfit and that backstory.  Can you believe that DC actually made an action figure from that?

Thankfully, in the early Nineties, writer James Robinson had restored interest with The Shade in his magnum opus STARMAN, and the character's story continues in this new tale.  His backstory became drastically more interesting- he was the product of some Victorian-era demonic experiment which imbued him with an ability to tap into a black other-dimensional well of power and gave him immortality.  Over the years, that immortality developed a streak of ennui that lead him to "play with" the super-heroes of the Golden Age, more for sport than malice.  His character appearance in the STARMAN series charts his development from self-centered rogue to a man with a developing appreciation of other people, and almost *almost* of sense of heroism.

Missing Page from THE SHADE
Can you name the three heroes?

Dr Fate team up from SHOWCASE 1996

His wardrobe improved drastically, too.

The Shade by Andy Lee

With MATTEL's release of THREE different Starman figures ("Starmen?") in their DC Universe Classics line, we decided it was time to add this fantastic character to the fold, using his modern appearances as a style guide.

Our figure, based on a sketch by Chris Samnee

As our base, we used the MATTEL Gentleman Ghost, for a slender suited body.  His trench coat came from a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Captain Barbosa figure.  His arms and cane were donated from a WILLY WONKA figure.  The head is from DC Direct's Uncle Sam and the hat is from MATTEL's Zatanna.  That's a lot of figures!  The upside of such patchwork is that there was very little sculpting to do, aside from giving him a shave and creating a new collar for him.  His coat cuffs were sculpted and craft beads were used to make the distinctive buttons.

Color-wise, it seemed just so sad to paint him all black.  His shirt and gloves are NATO Black (slightly more grey), his shoes are Gloss Black and his shirt and pants are Matte Black.  His coat was painted with a Chaos Black acrylic that adheres wells with the rubber coat.  His cane was sprayed Metallic Black and his trademark cane topper was sculpted and painted Chrome Silver.  I painted his vest lapels to match the hat band.  Both Shade figures received sunglasses made from floral wire and styrene.

I think this new figure is a Shade for all seasons and makes a great addition to a collection from my favorite comic story of all time!