Had this one for a while...
At my tender age, when WF 244 hit the stands, I was just a kid. But it really made me take notice of BC... if you know what I mean. It forged a connection to the character (and Mike, of course) that continues to this day.
The original art still exists but has never been in the market, AFAIK. I'd love to have it.
But since I couldn't have it, I asked Mike to re-imagine the splash. I'm not one for re-creations if the original could still be had (barring cost). So re-imagine...
I wanted Mike to keep the large main figure "as is" except for making the legs a little longer. Otherwise, Mike could draw whatever he wanted. That included changing the dimensions of the page (e.g. from 10 x 15 to 14 x 17 or whatever). Mike still had to include all of the original text. The classic BC logo had to replace the Toth version.
In the end, Mike, knowing I would love to have the original page, pretty much re-drew the page and made changes to "drawing weaknesses" (Mike's words) instead of composing a totally new page. Mike actually penciled the whole freakin' thing knowing I could reject it. But I loved it. There was a little back and forth about this, I think our sensibilities lined up. Although I'm kind of a non-conformist, being different just for the sake of being different is not always necessary. And I think my requirement to keep Jack C. Harris' script pretty much limited Mike's creative freedom. But we may revisit the re-imagining again.
In the top row, you can see significant changes. Mike left out the blacks and added a cityscape. I also like how the larger figures "pop" against the background.
The additional images show the original page as printed and Mike's pencils.
For more of Mike's art in my collection:
NASSER...I like Mike... Nasser / Netzer
NASSER - Batman / Green Arrow : The Poison Tomorrow
Black Canary was created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino.
