This is the third entry in a series of commissions titled "Arkham Clashes", scenes depicting Batman facing off against a rogue or rogues inspired by the Arkham series of video games created by Rocksteady. This piece takes inspiration from the last boss battle in the first game of the series, Arkham Asylum. Throughout the entire game, Joker has been working on a special Titan formula and experimenting with it. Think of it as an updated version of the Venom juicing that powers Bane. By the end of the game, Joker decides to take his created substance and gets all Hulked up and becomes Titan Joker. There were earlier sequences in the game where Batman got to fight Titan'ed thugs, but going against his arch enemy in this form was a completely different experience. And let's be honest, Joker is already a pretty terrifying villain. In this Titan form, he is downright insanity.

This piece, like the others in the series, was done by the amazing Eranga Devasurendra. This piece was very different from the first 2, as for once it didn't have a super odd perspective. I actually told him it would be the easiest one yet for him. Leave it to Eranga to make this the most difficult one! I love the perfectionist in Eranga, and that came out in this piece. The final image is very much akin to the reference pic I gave him (which comes from early in the battle), with Eranga's creative touch of course, and Eranga spent a lot of time focusing on the gnarly anatomical details of Titan Joker. He was enthralled to draw a Hulk meets Joker character, and the attention to detail is obvious. Look at the spikes and bones protruding from Joker's body, the definition in the abs and biceps / triceps, the shadows thrown by the lighting. Oh, and did anyone notice Titan Joker's thigh gap?

Where he spent a lot of time racking his brain was on Batman. The reference pic was not very accurate from a physics standpoint, and he wanted to ensure that Bats both looked like he was fighting back while also nearly helpless in the throes of the Titan. Essentially, he wanted it to feel dynamic and loose rather than tight and stiff, and I think he nailed it. I love the dynamics...Batman's grimace as he tries to free himself, his legs flailing as Titan Joker lifts him ready to strike, his cape whipping around him. Little would you know that Bats is about to get the better of Joker, but he has his work cut out for him! I also really love the smaller arena feel and the lightning in the background, harkening back to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Eranga's touches here are evident, and it is such a fun piece.

Like the others, I worked with Dennis Lehmann to get it colored. The second image shows the output of that, and he knocked it out of the park. With the coloring it looks like it was lifted right out of the game. He took a lot of liberty with the lighting effects, as well as the lightning, and it creates a lot of nice contrasts throughout the final image. I love Dennis's work, and he continues to bring it on these pieces! I currently don't have either the art of the giclee print of the colors in hand as I will be getting these in person from Eranga at NYCC 2022.

Original art is accomplished in ink over graphite on 11" X 17" art paper. Colors were done digitally but will be printed on archival paper as an 11" X 17" giclee print (which Eranga signs / denotes as PP 1/1).

Outside of this first game, you really never see images of Titan Joker, so I am absolutely thrilled to have a cover quality image of him! I would love to see DC do something with this one! As for the next entry in the series, we have already decided on the theme of #4, which hopefully I will be able to share in a couple months.