BATMAN COMIC BOOK LOGO DESIGN STUDY At Todd's Blog

I have been meaning to do a post for this topic for a very long time but totally forgot. Yes, sometimes I am a total moron, ha ha! There's a website called "Todd's Blog" where a guy named Todd Klein has done an extensive study of the Batman Logo over the years. He starts with the one seen in the VERY first Batman story, Detective Comics #27, & then he works his way up to modern day. Seeing the evolution of the logo is pretty interesting, from a historical point of view. Plus, if you love graphic art design, then it's pretty neat too. I've included a few examples but at his website there are many many more. In fact the posts are broken-up into "parts". I think there are 5 of them. If you use the "Search Box" at the top of his page you can find the rest. Just type "Logo Study Batman" in there, pretty easy. The amount of attention used in this story is what makes it really clever. Plus, there's a lot of beautiful eye-candy to enjoy! Just click on the link button down below, you'll see.

ART: PABLO PICASSO Inspired BATMAN & JOKER Parody Paintings

OK, I hope I don't need to explain who Pablo Picasso is, ha ha! But he was an artist who helped define Modern Art & one of his most popular styles was cubism. Well, the designers at WONDER BROS recently created many Superhero Paintings in the Picasso-Style & they're totally AWESOME! In fact, the name of the Gallery is "Artwork So Awesome It will Melt Your Face Off", ha ha! Now because the Bat-Blog is all Batman-related I only posted the ones of Batman & The Joker but if you visit their website you can see ones of Spiderman, Wolverine, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Silver Surfer, Superman, Green Lantern, Captain America, & many many more! They are all extremely funny & very well-executed...To see them all, just click HERE!

George Barris' Design Patent for the 1966 TV Batmobile Car!

This is a very cool piece of Bat-History! Shown above is the original "Vehicle Design Patent" that George Barris filed with the United States Patent Office on Oct 18th, 1966 for his Classic 1960's Batman TV Series Batmobile custom car design! The rough graphics show the basic concept of the design in front view, side, back, etc...Sweet!! This is the greatest car ever made....ever!

Concept Art: Custom BATMAN FIGURE Urban Toy Designs

I found a very talented guy on MySpace who did some very cool concept art designs for a Batman Vinyl Urban Toy idea. He had a few variations & for this article I picked my 2 favorites. The left one is the Classic Blue, Yellow, & Grey suit ( I like this one best ). The one on the right is the more modern black & dark-grey version...cool! Please leave a comment & let us know which one you prefer. His name is "TRE DEEZEE" & here's a link to his MySpace page. Check it out sometime because his art style is pretty cool.

http://www.myspace.com/tre_deezee

What If?...Fisher Price Made Batman Little People??

Tonight I checked out the Bat-Blog Message Board and one of our members, named Jeff, who's a pretty talented artist, came up with the concept of "What If" Fisher Price had made some Little people who looked like Batman characters. What would they look like. I think this is a great idea & I wish they would make them!! This idea is so brilliant I'm kind of shocked nobody else has done this, ha ha. I know that toy collectors would flip over these & little kids would love playing with them. I have been noticing that Hasbro has been making Mr. Potato Head as Darth Vader& the other day I saw one of Spiderman. Ya know, they should make one of Batman. Probably during the Dark Knight movie I bet they will!

BATMAN HOTROD CAR Resin Model Kit Design

The other day a friend reminded me of a wonderful website called SUGAR FROSTED GOODNESS. It's a site for "Graphic Design Nerds" ( I mean that in a good way, ha ha ) who appreciate good design in the skills of graphic & commercial art. It's also a neat page for visual eye-candy. While there I discovered a Graphic Artist / Illustrator named Chris Parks. He's from Wichita, Kansas & his main focus are corporate logos. He also likes to dabble in vinyl toy designs & came up with this amazing "Hot Rod Car" resin model kit featuring...Batman!!



Here's a photo of the model kit completed...


And here's another photo of the packaging & another "paint variation" on the kit. I Actually like the 2nd one better! Mainly because the colors of Batman are more like the "comic book version". Click on it to see a larger, more detailed, photo. I also love the graphics on the box. They look a lot those "Weird-O's Hot Rod Model Kits" from the 1960's. Especially the font design...nice!

Here's a link to check out his official interview. He does some very cool stuff so you might like just looking at the artwork, ha ha!

NEW COMIC BOOK BATGIRL - Lee Garbett's Original Design & New Action Figure

In the DC comic book world everybody is sort of freaking out over the new Costume Design for the Batgirl comic book character. So, I thought I would post the original design art sketches that Lee Garbett did for her. He's the guy responsible for the new look. Plus, as a bonus, here's a sneak peek at the new Batgirl Action Figure that will be released later. ( Thank you to the "Mighty Knipp" for the heads-up! ) As always just click on an image for a larger version.

DC BATMAN: Batbaby Baby Bao 10" Art Doll Figure by Dorophy Tang

Recently a famous Hong Kong artist and designer named Dorophy Tang released a few Batman Parody illustrations that became quite popular. The "fake Batman comic book covers" were called BATBABY & they were inspired by Chinese Boy imagery combined with American Superhero iconography. So, to capitalize on the success of her art, she will be releasing this very limited 10" vinyl figure doll called "BATBABY BABY BAO". So limited in fact that only 300 will be made & the rumor is that they will retail for around $165.00 ( American Dollars ). Personally, I think it's pretty cool! It really cracks me up. The funny thing is, for this post, I was researching the "Bat-Baby Prints" & at almost the same time a reader ( named BATFAN ) sent me these photos of the doll....WOW! Now, how weird is THAT!! After such a good omen like that I knew it was going to be a good post, ha ha! Also, I hope she makes one of Robin The Boy Wonder too!! Thanks BATFAN!

Batman Designer Clothing: Hoodie & Action Figure Toy by BAPE

In the Underground Fashion Worlds of Europe & Japan a lot of young designers are really attaching themselves to the iconic image of Batman. I think, to them, he is an American Icon who represents both adventure & heroism but also has a lot of campy kitsch appeal. Here's one small example. A design company named BAPE ( Bathing Ape ) will release a Batman Hoodie Sweater this year for their new collection. It's done in the classic "Black & Gray colors" of Batman with a Bat-Symbol logo on the chest. The hood even has "bat-ears". Like most of the designer stuff it's extremely cool but priced where poor people like me can't buy it, ha ha. The retail price is around $440.00 US Dollars. But, the sweater also comes with a FREE Designer Toy Action Figure of Batman so that takes a little sting off it. Besides Batman they have also done Superman, Wonder Woman, & The Flash. If you're interested in buying one of these you can find it at a website called www.hypebeast.com. Tell 'em the Bat-Blog sent ya!

BATMAN BATH TIME - Dark Knight Washcloths

Some people call them "washcloths", others call them "bath rags", but either way these brand-new BATMAN MAGIC TOWELS are pretty cool! You can find them for just $1.00 at your friendly neighborhood DOLLAR TREE store. There are 3 to collect. The graphics are really bright & the rags are decent quality. The neat thing is they are super-compressed into a flat square shape & when you drop them in water "they grow", ha ha! Now, they're kinda hard to find but if you look near the area with bath supplies & towels you'll find them in their own store display basket. ( Thanks to THE BATFAN for sending this wonderful photo ).

MATT POTT, A Commercial Artist Inspired by Batman!

People know that I love art so a friend at MySpace told me about this commercial artist named Matt Pott. He has a very cool online portfolio & you can tell from a few pictures he did that he's a HUGE fan of Batman, ha ha! Here's a few examples right here: Batgirl & Catwoman. He has a pretty cool style, very cartoony with a 50's retro feel about it. Here's a link if you're interested in seeing more, enjoy.

PAPER MODEL KIT 1966 BATMOBILE CAR Urban Papercraft Custom

I wanna thank my friend Rawb for sending the link to this very cool website that has a Custom 1966 Batmobile Paper Model Kit ( the George Barris Car for the 60's TV Show ) you can download & make. In the "urban toys" sub-culture there are many designers, crafts people, & artists who are very serious about creating these custom paper toy models for the masses. This one is extremely awesome & I knew I had to share it here! It was created by an artist named Marshall Alexander & ya gotta admit he did a great job. These are pretty fun to build so please make one today! Here's a link to get the download with instructions.

Custom Design BATMAN BAT-SYMBOL Coffee Table

Oh yeah! I saw this on the internet the other night & knew it had to be shared, because it's pretty freakin' cool! This is a custom designed BATMAN Coffee Table. It features the BAT-SYMBOL LOGO on both sides. It also looks like it is made from concrete or stone granite but I don't think it is. I think it's just painted to look that way, to be sort of "Industrial". In other words, I bet it's not as heavy as it looks, ha! So, have you seen any Batman-inspired furniture or interior design lately? Maybe you have done some cool decorating? Well, either way please shoot us an email & let us know about it.

George Barris-Inspired 1966 Batmobile Car Items

Batman has a lot of cars, jets, subs, & other vehicles. There are almost way too many to even mention! But if you ask a large group of people what their favorite car is then one of the top ones has got to be the 1966 Batmobile Car designed by George Barris for the '66 Batman TV Show. It will always be #1 because it's a Classic! Recently, I have come across a few "Bat-Car-Inspired" photos & decided to share them here. The 1st pic is of an actual "George Barris item" you can buy, not from me, but from his personal website. It's a 1966 BAT-CAR Lapel Pin made out of metal & when I last checked it was only $8.00, a great deal. The 2nd photo is of a fine art painting I saw on the Jonathan Levine Art Gallery website. An artist named M. Todd did this wonderful painting totally inspired by the famous TV car. I really like the primative, almost child-like, style of the art...very nice. The last photo is sort of a humor photo but it's also extremely cool because it's real. This is one of those little micro-mini eco cars that have been popping-up lately. This one has been totally customized to look like Batman's car! It's black, with classic red pinstriping, just like the Barris Car. Also, Ya gotta love those big-tailfins! Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed some of these pics, I thought they were cool. If you ever come across any great Batman-related photos then please send them in because sharing the love of the character & the collecting is what the Bat-Blog is all about!

2009 “Design Scholarship Challenge” Contest for Aspiring Graphic Designers

I know from personal experience that many of Bat-Blog Readers are very creative people & there are even a lot of graphic artists who read this page. So, that's the reason for this post, to pass along this information about a Design Contest sponsored by DC Comics. The company handling the publicity on this event is the "Visual Diner" website & here's what their PR copy says:


"Do you have an eye for design? If you’re an aspiring graphic designer or just someone who loves being creative, the 2009 Design Scholarship Challenge sponsored by Brooks Institute, Brown College, Collins College, Harrington College of Design and the International Academy of Design & Technology along with DC Comics is your chance.


Design a print and online ad for the Absolute Justice graphic novel, full of some of your favorite DC Comics characters. Local winners receive $5,000 scholarship at one of the sponsoring schools and a trip to San Diego Comic-Con 2009 to present design ideas to a panel of judges. The national winner receives an additional $20,000 scholarship and the opportunity to work with DC Comics on an upcoming marketing campaign."


For more information about entering be sure to visit the VISUAL DINER.

Custom Bat-Bike: GEORGE BARRIS KUSTOMS BAT-KRUISER Bicycle By Nirve

Recently, a bicycle company called NIRVE hired Barris Kustoms to design a special edition bat-bike called The BATT-KRUISER! Now of course we're talking about the designer George Barris who created the famous 1966 Batmobile Car for the Batman TV Series. If you check out the details you can see the inspiration here. Mainly the black paint job with the red pin-striping....AWESOME! It costs around $370 dollars which isn't too bad for the great quality. Be sure to click on the above photo for a larger, more detailed, version. Also, for more information, be sure to check out Nirve's website by clicking on this word: '66BAT-BIKE!

NEW BATMAN SNEAKERS: Limited Editon DC Super Heroes Shoes

New Batman Sneakers! ACI International has just recently created three different styles, each featuring one of three DC Comics characters - Superman, Batman, and The Joker. The shoes retail for $110 per pair. Not too bad a price for designer sneakers.The shoe I am focusing on here, in this post, is the Batman Sneaker. ( I'll have some nice sharp photos of The Joker shoes in another post ). It will be limited to only 1,939 pairs ( that number is special because it's the year of the very first appearance of the character - 1939 ). The quality of the design looks pretty excellent. Shoe companies usually go kinda overboard when they design "comic book character" shoes but these are tastefully done. The shoe is all black with some gray & yellow accents. The rubber sole is bright yellow which is kinda cool. On the tongue is a yelow label with nice Batman artwork. The sides of the shoe show a picture of Batman with Gotham City in the background. There is also some black leather with the word "Batman" embossed in a repeated pattern. On the backs of the shoe the names "Bruce" & "Wayne" are on each individual shoe so when you look at them it reads, "Bruce Wayne". That's actually kinda clever. There is also a black "Bat-Logo" stitched on the side, near the front. Even the shoe box is well designed as the lid features original art by Jim Lee.

EVAN SHANER, Cartoonist & Batman Inspired Artist!

Recently I came across a blog written by Evan Shaner. He's a design student & cartoonist who is very inspired by comic book heroes, especially Batman. Some of his favorite artists are Alex Toth, Mike Wieringo, Jordi Bernet, Joe Kubert, & Darwyn Cooke. Shown up above are just 2 examples of his amazing work. The 1st one was an art commission for a friend who wanted a re-creation of the Golden Age Batman #11 comic book. I attached a photo of the original comic book to it so you can see how good it is...very nice! The next picture is a personal piece where he just expressed his love for all the villains who used to appear on Batman: The Animated series. He has a great style, clean & crisp. If you're interested in hiring this guy or just enjoying his work then here's a link button.

GEORGE BARRIS Designs a 1966 Batman TV Show Batmobile-Inspired HALLMARK GUITAR!!

George Barris, famous custom car designer known for The 1966 Batman TV Show Batmobile (& many others), has teamed up with HALLMARK GUITARS to create this "Batmobile-Inspired" Electric Guitar! As soon as I saw the photos I knew it had to be posted here, it's crazy cool! It features the classic red lines of the original car & even has the "George Barris Crest" logo. He even autographs all the guitars sold! For more information here's a link to their website. While there be sure to check out the cool video!

BATMAN BEGINS Converse Shoes Designed by Jim Lee

A couple of years ago, around the time of the BATMAN BEGINS movie, the famous Batman Comic Book Artist Jim Lee was invited by Converse Shoes to design a pair of "Batman Sneakers". I thought the design was pretty cool & decided to post a photo of them here. The funny thing is that Jim Lee said, "They never sent me a pair", ha ha.