Batman Sketch Challenge – Day Twenty Four – The Mad Hatter

by on April 24, 2018 at 10:57 am
Posted In: Art

For Day Twenty Four of my Batman Sketch Challenge I drew the Mad Hatter The Mad Hatter was one of the members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery I was mostly indifferent to. In my opinion, he was one of the campier B-raters from the silver age that people remembered only because he was at the end of the list. (I was surprised that he was created as far back as 1948)

I liked what they did with him in the animated series, which made him more than just a crazy man with a hat fetish, but for my purposes, the whole thing with the mind control goes a little too far into the fanciful sci-fi that I’m trying to avoid in this approach.

For the purposes of my version, I’m making him my version of the Marvel’s Tinkerer working directly under the Joker. He still has his fancies though, and enjoys a nice cup of tea while working.

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Batman Sketch Challenge – Day Twenty Two – Poison Ivy

by on April 23, 2018 at 11:44 am
Posted In: Art

For Day Twenty-Two of my Batman Sketch Challenge, I drew Poison Ivy! The Magic Tupperware gave me a relatively easy and fun one today with Poison Ivy.

At first glance, you’d think Ms. Isely would be problematic in the relatively realistic no power setting I’ve been putting together. Fortunately, in her case, all it takes is going back to basics. Back in her first appearance, Poison Ivy was a femme fatale with a gimmick. Admittedly being an expert in botany and toxicology is a good gimmick, but it’s still not quite the same as manipulating monster plants.

My only problem with this one is I think I put more effort into Ivy’s greenhouse then I did working on her.

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Batman Sketch Challenge – Day Twenty Two – Ra’s al Ghul

by on April 22, 2018 at 7:28 pm
Posted In: Art

For day Twenty Two of My Batman sketch Challenge I drew Ra's al Ghul!I was beginning to think I’d never get to some of the real heavy hitters, but finally, the Magic Tupperware let me draw Ra’s al Ghul!

For me, Ras is the best villain in Batman’s rogue gallery or at least the deadliest. He’s pretty much so much out of Batman’s usual scope that every time Batman has to fight him the stakes are raised to a completely new level.

While it was tempting to just have him rise out of the Lazarus pit I decided to go with what makes him scary for me. The fact he’s a man with his own freaking army!

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Batman Sketch Challenge – Day Twenty-One – The Penguin

by on April 21, 2018 at 10:56 am
Posted In: Art

For Day Twenty-One of my Batman Sketch Challenge, I drew The Penguin! Oh, we finally get to the one I’ve been looking forward to the most, The Penguin.

Growing up Oswald Cobblepot was my favorite Batman villain. I think it’s because Burgess Meredeth totally owned the role in the 1960s television show. It’s also probably because he was pretty much the de facto leader of the Rogues Gallery because he was the only one with any brains.

Regrettably, he’s the one who aged the worst. Where all the other villains were updated. The Penguin remained this cartoon of what people from the fifties thought a stereotypical, inbred gentleman looked like.

The first time I saw him being done seriously (or at least seriously so. Was in John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad run where he planned a covert operation into the Soviet Union. Since then he’s worked much better with the writers making him going semi-legit as a fence and information broker, working both sides.

So for this sketch, he gets a makeover. What classy outfit is more up to date but still has us thinking of a penguin? Well, we can lose the necktie, replace the dinner jacket with something a little classier and a Cuban instead of the top hat. The monocle has to go… I’m pretty sure no one’s been wearing them for over twenty years.

I’ll keep the cigarette holder… he has to have some affectations.

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Batman Sketch Challenge – Day Twenty – Harley Quinn

by on April 20, 2018 at 12:45 pm
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For Day twenty of my Batman Sketch Challenge I drew Harley Quinn Harley Quinn was one of the sketches I was looking forward to… Having said that I think I kind of queered the pitch here.

I’ve liked the character since her first appearances in Batman the Animated Series and found her tragic obsession with the Joker fascinating. I also liked how the writers showed how smart and competent she was, essentially serving as the Joker’s executive officer. She got increasingly ditzier as the show went on. I’m sure I could use the Watsonian argument that she became “immersed in her role” that still feels like a stretch and like I’m rationalizing. It hasn’t helped that she’s pretty much become a goofy dumb blonde who’s only assets… (sorry… was actually using it unironically that time) are sexuality and a sense of humor.

So as I said I’m seeing this version of Harley is an independent operator, though I have no idea what her agenda is. Since the version of the Joker I’m having in this version is not quite the stuff of nightmares and a little more competent because of this, Harley may not have severed all of her attachments with his organization.

I have to confess I’m not happy with my design, here. I wanted to play up the Harlequin in her look while keeping the elements of her original jester suit. In the process, I think I ended up canceling out both elements. (not to mention that I forgot a few key details of her original costume. ) Still, I think the jacket works pretty well.

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Batman Sketch Challenge -Day Nineteen – Black Mask

by on April 19, 2018 at 8:56 am
Posted In: Art

For day Nineteen of my Batman Sketch Challenge I drew Black Mask Black Mask was another character on this list I was not looking forward to.

For the most part, Roman Sionis is one of the numerous by the numbers villains created in the eighties who somehow lasted beyond their first storyline. Later the writers made him a gang lord in what looks like an attempt to bring the realism of the mob into the costumed world. But ultimately he’s another psycho who’s more of a danger to his own men then he is to Batman and the rest of society. The last two reboots have not done him any favors.

It doesn’t help that in this monochrome format he’s indistinguishable from the Red Skull.

For this setting, I might keep him at the top of the heap if I need a someone to fill in the “King” niche for my Joker as the crown prince of crime idea.

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