Batman by Neal Adams Book One

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It became the first of a slew of stories and covers Adams would draw for that series and The Adventures of Bob Hope, two licensed titles starring fictional versions of the TV, film and nightclub comedians. If you want to delve into the murky world of pop psychology, there’s something distinctly Oedipal about the dynamic between Ra’s and Bruce. Bruce is “just a man”, but Ra’s is a man who has transcended mortality – much like Batman does as a symbol.

So I went over to see [DC war-comics editor] Bob Kanigher and I showed him my stuff, and I did have that feeling that they were missing Joe – a guy who could draw and do that rough, action stuff. This second volume includes Adams' Dark Knight legacy from 1969 through 1971, showing the continuing innovation that the talented artist brought to this legendary crime-fighter. Rather than announcing his present and acting almost like a deputised law man, O’Neil and Adams have their Batman skulking silently around the crime scene, with even Gordon unaware.This is Adams at the height of his abilities, giving us an over-the-top image that is extraordinarily powerful and even a little frightening. He was also interviewed by Steven Novella on a Skeptics Guide podcast in 2006, and afterward continued the debate on Novella's blog. His fit of insanity after his bath in the Lazarus Pit is contrasted with his generally quite dignified conduct. Indeed, it’s been suggested that Ra’s works so well as a Batman foe precisely because he triggers that sort of conflict in Bruce, and arguably makes him a more complex psychological character.

O’Neil could certainly craft a great tale, but Adams could kick that already fascinating and compelling story up several notches.

Don’t be put off, because there’s still some phenomenal art here, displaying exactly why DC would promote Adams to draw the core Batman titles.

It’s a fairly logical way of looking at the character, but O’Neil does that wonderful thing where he finds something that in hindsight really should be obvious and blends it seamlessly to the character. Anyway, this album cover is a very basic, no-frills tableau but it’s highly effective in atmosphere and concept – and perfect for setting the mood for the record’s four stories. When he arrived at DC in 1968 Adams had already drawn a successful syndicated newspaper strip based on the Ben Casey TV show, but that experience didn’t transfer instantly to comics. In 2010, Adams and Medoff teamed with Disney Educational Productions to produce They Spoke Out: American Voices Against the Holocaust, an online educational motion comics series that tells stories of Americans who protested Nazis or helped rescue Jews during the Holocaust. It might read a little wordy today, and the writing is a bit overdramatic at times, but the stories hold up very well.He represents a dark counterpart to Bruce’s dead father, and I think at least some part of that, even subconsciously, gets Bruce’s blood boiling just a bit. Each standalone episode, which runs from five to ten minutes, utilizes a combination of archival film footage and animatics drawn by Adams (who also narrates), and focus on a different person. In addition to his work with DC, Adams simultaneously freelanced for Marvel Comics on books such as Uncanny X-Men and The Avengers.