1940s "Golden Age" Batman! Custom Mego Action Figure! DC Comics!

Here it is! My latest and greatest Mego-style custom action figure! Here is the "Golden Age" 1940s version of Batman, as he appeared not only in DC comics, but also in two live-action movie serials of the day! Click below to enlarge each image!

Above: My inspiration for this custom figure,
the 1940s BATMAN movie serials..

Above: The custom-sculpted Batman head,
acquired from an eBay auction....

Above: The painted and detailed head! I used acrylics,
as well as ink and light and dark spray enamels ...

Above: The figure begins to come together! I wanted to use an authentic
70s Mego Batman gray bodysuit, to get that  somewhat "baggy" feel.
Custom boots, belt, and shorts from "Dr. Mego" help complete the look...

Above: The completed figure! I used several loose
action figure "weapon" parts to create a futuristic
rifle (seen brandished by our hero in the movie
serials at times)...

Above: I created Batman's chest emblem in Photoshop,
printed on adhesive paper, then cut out and applied...

Above: Batman's cape was made from party napkins! I wanted to use
material that would look somewhat rumpled and rough, and would allow
me to "pose" it on and around the figure!

Above: Batman's glove cuffs were made using stiff bristol board, then
covered in the same napkin material as his cape...I used the same deep
blue spray enamel for all blue costume portions, cape included...

Above: While not exactly matching the look of the "serial costume," I wanted
to achieve the feel of an "early Batman," one who used ready materials to quickly
assemble his garb and battle gear!

Rare Catwoman Fan-Made Model Kit! Julie Newmar! 1966 BATMAN Beauty!

ZAP! Here's Julie Newmar as the curvaceous Catwoman, direct from the 1966 BATMAN TV series! This 90s fan-made resin kit was painted up by me, using acrylics and enamels! Click below to enlarge pics! Click here to see other great BATMAN '66 kits!

The "sparkle" effect on her body suit was achieved using kid's "glitter gel!" 
Her hair is a dark brown coat, with a lighter gloss brown coat dry-brushed on! 

I added gloss overcoats to her mask and suit, as well as her eyes...

BAT-BONUS! Click below to see the awesome unassembled kit, in its original pre-painted form!

Batman vs. The Joker! 1975 Albert Bigley Original Comic Art! "BASHH!!!!" DC Comics?!

Another titanic blast from my past! Let's look to 1975, and this huge (around 11 by 17) illo, featuring a super-violent scene of Batman socking it to the evil Joker! In fact, the Caped Crusader slugs the crime clown so mightily, it seems to lift the villain (and his car) right off the ground! And, how about that detailed background, full of innocent gawkers, impotent policemen, and Batman-boosting billboards? What do you expect from a 10-year-old me?! Click to enlarge!

BONUS! Click below to see some of my inspirations for the above dynamic drawing! This line of panoramic puzzles came out in the mid-70s, all spotlighting large horizontal renderings!

Spidey vs. Kraven vs Tigra! 1978 Albert Bigley Art! Marvel Comics?!

In 1978, jocular John Byrne was a new and exciting up-and-coming comics artist, and fans were treated to his version of the (then still) spectacular Spider-Man (and a myriad of other mighty Marvel characters, such as Tigra) in the merry MARVEL TEAM-UP title. Nobody was more thrilled with Byrne's art than a young me, so dig this 1978 cover pencil repro I attempted, at age 13! I tried to add my own sense of shading and effects, possibly intending this for a never-produced painting! Click below to enlarge!

You can tell I had just learned the "shading with the side of the pencil"
technique here! And, say, where is the rest of Spidey's body?!

More of the Marvel/Monkees Comics Connection! X-Men?! NOT BRAND ECHH!

I've already established the DC Comics connection to the madcap Monkees here, but didja know the maniacal mavens at Marvel Comics moved to the Monkees manic musical groove? True! Click below to see these late-60s examples of the Monkees being cited in such titles as uncanny X-MEN, and the nonsensical NOT BRAND ECHH!

Above: A look inside 1967's X-MEN #31 reveals the merry mutants enjoying some
downtime at a nearby club called "the Monkees Paw!" By Roy Thomas and Werner Roth!

From 1967's NOT BRAND ECHH #4, the X-Men get the parody treatment, all
while listening to THE MONKEES THEME, played on a convenient portable radio!
By Roy Thomas and Tom Sutton!

This 1967 issue of NOT BRAND ECHH #2 once again "apes" the MONKEES THEME,
to hilarious effect! By Gary Friedrich and Marie Severin!

BONUS! Click here to see another Monkees appearance in the pages of the nutty NOT BRAND ECHH! comical book!

Batman! Robin! Superman! Rare 1974 Chemtoy Custom Painted Figures! DC Comics!

Most fans of a certain age recall these wonderfully cheap plastic figures of DC Comics' "Big Three" superheroes. These little (about 5 inches) replicas of Superman, Clark Kent, Batman, and Robin, were all sold loose in end-cap and counter display boxes in stores like Woolworth's in 1974. They were later hawked on blister cards thru Kresge and K-Mart outlets, and were very well-known back in the day! Tho not much to look at in their original state (due to very minimal paint applications), these minuscule masterpieces look quite nice, once a bit of "TLC" is applied! Click below to view images of both the original Bronze Age figures, and the same figures after I've applied paint, marker and lots of time! 

Above: The original Batman and Robin figures, as sold in 1974!

Above: The later-issued carded figures. As crude as they looked then (and
especially now) collectors still clamor for these simple, but colorful, toys!

Above: The original three Superman plastic figures.

Above: Superman on the "blister card!"

Above: The point-of-purchase store box that
housed the three Superman figures!

Above: The 1974 Batman and Robin figures with custom paint!
Marker, and gloss and dull coatings, were also applied!

Above: The '74 Superman (and Clark Kent) figures, with spiffy new custom paint applications!

BONUS! Click below to see the comic-art inspirations for the above figure poses, courtesy of artists Carmine Infantino and Curt Swan!