BATMAN SON OF THE DEMON ORIGINAL COVER ARTWORK by JERRY BINGHAM

All you fellow Batman aficionados are gonna love this one!

There are HOLY GRAIL pieces and then there are a extremely select few pieces of original art that even transcend the very boundaries of the industry they were created for. Simply put, they are ICONIC!

Original cover oil painting for DC Comics' very first and landmark graphic novel, Batman Son of the Demon by the super talented Jerry Bingham. As a Batman collector since 1977 and one who knew Bob Kane personally, I can safely say that this piece represents, beyond any doubt, one of the all-time classic and most famous of all Batman images ever done at any time and in any era.

Stunning scene, full of mood and sombre atmosphere, of The Batman standing bold and majestic as he keeps vigil over his beloved Gotham. The fluid flow of his cape, the subtle arc of his back, the balance of his arms and powerful legs, the full focus of his eyes and the wonderful dry-brush technique for the dark clouds creeping across the lowering sky is just, simply put, SUPERB--a true testament to Bingham's artistry and uncanny understanding of overall design and impact.

In an exclusive interview with the artist for the article "Giants of Gotham," Bingham explained his thoughts about the cover:

"Bingham would produce a spectacular, full oil painting for the HC edition – a piece that is considered to be one of the most iconic images ever created of Batman (see title page) - as well as an additional oil wrap around cover for the SC. Bingham was asked, 'The oil painting cover you did for the hard cover edition of SOD is truly a phenomenal piece of work. Do you recall if DC gave you any sort of art direction for the cover or did they just leave it entirely up to you?' The artist replied, 'Thank you. No, and I was going for that Iconic Batman look. I'm sure I'm not the first to envision Batman standing on a rooftop with gargoyles of some sort, and there really isn't much of Batman and skyscrapers in the story, but it was the first Batman graphic novel and I went for the epic approach. I used a dry brush technique for the background clouds. Stylistically, my painting approach was still in its infancy, I was mostly self-taught, so what you see is what you got.'

“'The building [lower right of Batman’s figure] was inspired by the work of the great New York cityscape artist, Richard Estes. I remember one year at the San Diego Comic Con a fan came up to my table with a tattoo of the cover on his arm.'”

I have been a Jerry Bingham fan since this book came out in 1987 and have to say that after meeting and dealing with him a few times now, he is one of the most laid back, down-to-earth and pleasant guys I have ever had the pleasure to deal with. Just a cool dude all around. So, thank you Jerry for agreeing to sell me this cover and the interior pages. I do appreciate it and look forward to more in the future.

When it comes to classic Batman, for me there is Bob Kane, Neal Adams and Jerry Bingham.