Artist Show-Off Showdown 2.0: Beware the Bat-Man Cometh!

Artist Show-Off Showdown 2: Beware the Bat-Man Cometh!

Imagine waking one morning to find that it’s the winter of 1938 and you apparently are the apprentice to the legendary Bob Kane. Only, he isn’t the legend just yet. He’s just your mentor, Bob.

As you try to wrap your head around this amazing turn of events, Bob bounds into the studio with unexpected news. He’s won the lottery and has decided to leave the comics business for a life of leisure. But before he leaves, he hands you his notes on a seminal character that he has been working on with Bill Finger.

With a kind but firm gaze, Bob turns to you and says, “Look, kid, I don’t know if you have what it takes, but here’s your chance to find out. Here are some rough sketches of a character that Bill has been pressing me for all week. Take a look and try to create something that you think he’ll like, building on the concepts that we discussed. Make it your own, if you want. But if Bill gives you the thumbs down, well, that’s your sign to clean out your desk and go take that job over at the bottle cap making factory that your pop has been saving for you. Capiche?”

With that, Mr. Kane dons his fedora and happily saunters out the door. He doesn’t realize the monumental task that he’s placed on your shoulders, but you do. You are now the chief artistic designer of the Batman!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…

Mission/ Call to Arms:Create an original design of the Batman. Raven-maned Bruce Wayne as the caped crusader is now the archetype, but we all know that wasn’t the original concept. Feel free to indulge your every creative impulse and make it your own. Even the character’s name need not be a hard and fast rule as it pertains to gender. The only limit is your imagination. Just remember, the character that you create will be the one and only Dark Knight that comic fans and movie goers will be seeing for the next 80 years and beyond! Don’t let Bob and Bill down. ;)

Good luck and have fun!

Field:Open to all, amateurs and professionals alike

Deadline: All submissions are due by 11pm Pacific Standard Time on September 20^th. Voting will begin the following day. The winner will be determined after all votes are tallied the following week.

Restrictions: Content that conflicts with the established standards of this website and/or forum will not be accepted. That said, if Namor can go around for almost 50 years wearing little more than a pair of fish scale Speedo briefs, I think we’re safe when it comes to the Bats. (Why do I have a feeling someone is going to draw a Batman with bat fur briefs and batwings on his ankles?)

Disclaimer/Legal mumbo jumbo: I do not own the rights to the Batman, images or character content. This contest is intended purely as a voluntary homage to said character(s). By participating in this contest all contributors agree to the limited reproduction of their original images for the purposes of this contest, subsequent voting thread, and memorial winner’s gallery only here at Comicvine.

@egod Kindly pin this for us.

@dragonspine:

Good choice Hope it gathers plenty of contributors!

@ramsillustrations: Keeping my fingers crossed. Batman is such an iconic figure that I felt it was only right to feature him for the second contest. But Wonder Woman was also a strong consideration, as was a "create your own Avengers Endgame character" contest. Lots of ideas for the future.

@dragonspine:

Yeah he was another choice for me in the first round. I started sketching out an idea myself. :)

@dragonspine Bravo on the narrative introduction. Thanks for investing the time to add that little flourish.

@frischdvh: No problem, my pleasure! I was hoping to get everyone's creative juices going, but with one week left in the contest, it looks like the Batman contest may be DOA. We'll see.

@ramsillustrations: Would love to see some of those sketches.

I've been playing around with some ideas as well. I may post one of them, although not as an official entry into the contest.

@dragonspine:

Here's one to get the ball rolling...

I was thinking of sitting this one out but after waiting a week without entries I didnt want this opportunity to do the Caped Crusader some justice.

I was afraid this was going to happen with bringing the contests back.

I had high hopes that some of the previous talents would join but hoping at the same time several new upstarts would join and grace the contest with their creative works of art.

Hope to keep it going just a little more, if not maybe its not time to bring this back, at least not at the moment.

Decided to throw something in to help with getting things rolling.

@mofetaclueca: BWHAHA...so good