We recently revealed Jim Steranko's dynamic illustration of Batman for the cover of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #47. Did you know it’s only the latest in a long line of fantastic covers by top name talent to feature Bruce Wayne’s alter ego on the Guide? The cast of creators ranges from Joker and Robin creator Jerry Robinson and Silver Age legend Murphy Anderson to acclaimed painter Mark Chiarello and Grendel creator Matt Wagner.
Guide author and Publisher Robert M. Overstreet and Vice-President of Publishing J.C. Vaughn put together this quick tour through this part of Batman’s history and ours. Here's the first installment...
CBPG #13 - The first Guide cover to spotlight Batman also showcased Wonder Woman and Superman in 1983. They were featured as an infinity cover concept with pencils by Don Newton, who did the first Guide cover with original art (#4), and inks by Joe Rubinstein, who has a long and distinguished career. In 1982, the year before this edition came out, he worked on the four-issue Wolverine miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. Since Rubinstein was Newton’s favorite inker, it was a given that he would be asked to ink this piece. Rubinstein had previously inked his pencils on New Gods in 1978 and Avengers Annual in 1979, and he also inked Newton’s last story for Infinity, Inc. in 1985 just before he died.
CBPG #19 - “After acquiring permission from DC Comics in 1988 to have a Batman cover, I contacted Jerry Robinson in New York to create the cover. A meeting was set up in New York at the Gotham Bar and Grill, where our editor from House of Collectibles and I met Robinson for dinner,” Overstreet said. The restaurant was picked for its name being associated with Batman’s Gotham City. “It was a stormy night with thunder and lightning. Perfect atmosphere for the meeting, and Robinson was thrilled. He was the “perfect” choice who rendered a classic Batman-Robin-Joker cover for the Guide.
CBPG #26 - Batman was featured on a Justice League (-ish) cover by Starman artist Tony Harris. The edition sold well, but despite Harris’s stellar work on Starman and Ex Machina, it has never made any of the lists of “favorite Overstreet covers” we’ve seen from time to time. The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #26 is also notable because it was the last time to date that we’ve produced only one cover for an edition.
-Robert M. Overstreet & J.C. Vaughn
Artist Jim Steranko's take on Batman is featured on the cover of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #47, which is a Featured Item in the April 2017 issue of PREVIEWS from Diamond Comic Distributors. You can find it on Page 361 in that issue or on PREVIEWSworld.com.
