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Jim Aparo

Got this piece at SDCC, I think in 1989. Kind of a funny story which I told once elsewhere but I didn’t have a scan of the art at the time. It was Sunday and con was winding down, and a friend of mine and I were in the main lobby of the old convention center when we noticed a small crowd of people gathered around someone sitting at a table: it was Bob Kane. I was pretty shocked because I had no idea he was going to be at con, and I always made it a point to meet the golden age guys and the legends. (Please go easy on me. I was in my teens at the time, so I didn’t really know all about Bill Finger yet). It didn’t seem like he was there in any official capacity. It looked as though people had just started talking to him as he was wandering around, and that turned into him informally signing autographs. Someone, maybe Kane himself, had a sketchpad and he started doing Batman and Robin sketches and handing them out. As I watched people getting stuff signed, I wondered how long it would take me to find an affordable golden age mid grade Detective or Batman in the dealer’s room, buy it, and get back before he left (this was the pre-CGC era, so I routinely had books signed by creators I loved). I figured I had maybe ten minutes at most, so I bolted. I hadn’t gotten that far, I was maybe halfway down the first formal row of tables in the dealer’s room, and I screeched to a halt Scooby Doo style because in front of a table full of OA - no portfolios and no organization, just piles roughly eight inches tall of loose pages - a guy was standing there holding this cover, looking intently at it. I could not believe I was face to face with this piece. I was a huge Jim Aparo fan and this was one of the first comics I’d ever read (I was just old enough to be in that post-Neal age and I literally grew up with Aparo as the/my Batman artist). I asked the dealer how much. He wanted $95. I told the guy with it in his hand, “If you’re not going to buy that, I will buy it right now.” The guy gave me an annoyed look, and he hesitated for a second - I really thought he was going to buy it - but he handed it to me. I paid the dealer and I ran back to the table. Fortunately everyone was still there and I asked Kane to sign it. I remember he told he really thought the cover was terrific and he raved about the art. He told me he was really impressed with the Batman statue on the gravestone. He asked me who the artist was and I don’t think he really knew who Jim Aparo was when I told him. I know all about Bill Finger now, of course, but I’ve still nevertheless always been impressed about how cool Bob Kane was. He honestly was one of the nicest comic people I ever remember meeting. He loved talking to his fans and he was extremely cool with me. He even loved Aparo (even if he might not have known who he was)! Doesn’t make it anything right, but I do have fond memories of the guy and that day at SDCC.

There are 1 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.    

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Batman #291 cover

Art Details

Artist:	Jim Aparo (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	No
Views	2836
Comments:	26
Added to Site:	10/26/2019

About the Owner

Sam H
Member Since:	February 2007

Batman #291 cover
Artist: Jim Aparo (All)
2836 Views, 26 Comments

There are 1 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.    

About the Owner Sam H Joined: February 2007 Last Login: September 2025 Country: UNITED STATES On CAF: Sam's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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