Detective Comics (1968-72). OK, now this is a hot mess. The lettering isn’t quite bold enough but it’s balanced and sharp. Gotham Knights (2003-06). This is just a plain, solid logo, by Chris Gardner. Clean, clear, bold - with a tiny bit of extra detail by the left eye - this is the one that should be in use today. I’d move this waaaaaaay up the list had it gotten wider use.ĩ. For whatever reason, they used this logo, designed by Rian Hughes, for the series’ Batman story - and it rocks. Remember Wednesday Comics? It was a 12-week anthology series printed like a Sunday funnies section that I wish had become a DC staple. (The bat design was used later in Detective’s Batman: Year Two, as well.) I generally dislike asymmetrical Bat-logos but this emblem is better than a lot of other ones DC’s used over the last 30 years or so.ġ0. Designed by Todd Klein, this look was used only for the four Batman issues that featured Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One. It also gave the comic a bit of a historical feel since it originally included mostly reprints.ġ1. But it was still effective and the bottom half was used as a smart contrast against the top half and the rest of the cover imagery. This one’s a bit of a cheat because it’s a rejiggered version of the mid-’60s logo, which - SPOILER ALERT - you’ll see below. Batman Family (1975-78, though also used in Detective for awhile after the titles merged ). (They were in all likelihood also trying to catch the eyes of readers who often could only see the tops of the covers on newsstands.) Ever since, DC has almost always made a point of emphasizing Batman’s starring role in the Detective logo itself, with very mixed results. That changed in the ’60s amid the TV-driven Batmania, when DC was eager to scream “HEY, YOU! BATMAN HERE! GET YOUR BATMAN HERE!” across the top of Detective. The cover image and maybe a corner bullet – plus perhaps readers’ familiarity - did the trick just nicely, thank you very much. Detective Comics managed to go about 27 years without having to proclaim in its logo that Batman was the star of the comic. If you have any intel on these, share in the comments!)ġ3. Further, I’ve noted the designer where I have that info*. I’m also allowing for whatever fine-tuning went on. (Oh, and a note on the dates below: Occasionally, DC would switch logos off and on. So here for your edification and debate are the 13 GREATEST BATMAN LOGOS - RANKED. The classic Detective Comics logo (likely by Ira Schnapp) for example, is one of comics’ all-time great lettering designs but it doesn’t factor into what I’m discussing here. I’m considering pretty much any logo that features big Bat-iconography. I’m not limiting myself to the flagship title either (and in one case, I’m veering off comics). We’ve also seen new logos for Justice League and Hawkman, as well as a nicely streamlined Action Comics header that premiered with Issue #1000.īut what about Batman, one of the logos most in need of a revamp?Īll this has gotten me thinking about the Logos of Batman Past, what worked and what didn’t. (This followed an earlier launch of a sharp new “DC bullet” that replaced the maligned “Band-Aid” version.) When Rebirth was phased out at the end of last year, the publisher introduced a slate of bold and enticing corner boxes. Now, with the New 52 farther and farther in the rearview, DC has been upping its trade dress game. I could be way off-base but it’s something that’s stayed with me. It came out at the time the Arkham games were immensely popular and it felt to me that the publisher was seeking to subtly link itself to the video game’s iconography. The Batman logo, an awkward and asymmetrical image, felt like an attempt at corporate synergy. That said, there were downsides, including the ill-considered reinvention of Superman and an overall unevenness of the titles themselves.īut there’s one thing that always bugged me and it’s a relatively minor issue in the grand scheme of things - the mags’ logos, especially Batman: I think it took an incredible amount of guts to completely relaunch an entire line of mainstream superhero comics and take a chance on titles like Men of War and I, Vampire. DanĪ lot of people like to knock DC’s New 52 initiative that kicked off in 2011. That got me thinking of this piece that first ran in June 2018 - and how it’s the perfect time to present it again, in slightly altered form. Click here to check it out but what’s great is its distinct Bronze Age flavor. UPDATED 8/31/19: The other day we showed off the groovy logo for Neal Adams’ new miniseries Batman vs. Posted By Dan Greenfield on | 31 comments
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