12 Days of Christmas, #12 – Dick Sprang

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The spirit of the holidays is growing strong as we approach the big 2-5. Celebrate every day with the Comic Book Syndicate, as we present a list of twelve comic book Artist’s who capture the true spirit of super hero comics, in our 12 Days of Christmas: Artist Edition! We begin with…

Number 12: Dick Sprang

dick sprang photo

Dick Sprang is considered the definitive Batman artist of the 1950s. Sprang’s striking art defined the Caped Crusader for the Atomic Age. While early Batman stories by Bill Finger and Bob Kane were more derivative of the Shadow, a radio and pulp vigilante, Dick Sprang re-imagined The Caped Crusader and his trusty sidekick Robin as surreal superheroes that visited alien worlds; heroes that traveled through time and fought frightening villains who used giant props as death traps. He displayed imagination in the genre well beyond his time and created a new world for our heroes to traverse, and for ourselves to indulge.

The influence of Sprang’s striking designs and bold, feathery inking style can still be seen in sequential art today. Cartoonists and illustrators like Don Simpson, Charles Burns and Daniel Clowes are among those who employ elements of Sprang’s inking technique.

The cover of Batman #73 is the perfect example of the way in which he married his wild story telling and artistic style.

Recommended reading:
Batman in the ’50s
Batman: The Black Casebook

 

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