Adams, Neal - Batman, issue 235, cover (Sept 1971)

Neal Adams (born 1941) helped create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, and Green Arrow. In 1959, after graduating from the School of Industrial Art high school in Manhattan, he unsuccessfully attempted to find freelance work at DC Comics. He instead landed at Archie Comics, where he worked on the publisher's fledgling superhero line being edited by Joe Simon.

In 1962, Adams’ comics career gained momentum as he was given the opportunity to draw Jerry Capp’s (brother of Li'l Abner creator, Al Capp) Ben Casey comic strip, based on the popular television medical-drama series. The first daily strip, which carried Adams' signature, appeared November 26, 1962 – the beginning of a 3½-year run. The ABC series, which ran five seasons, ended March 21, 1966, with the final comic strip appearing Sunday, July 31, 1966.

While Adams' goal at this point was to be a commercial illustrator, it was in the world of comics that he was making his money. Adams found work at Warren Publishing (Creepy #14 in April 1967, Eerie #9 in May 1967 and Creepy #15 in June 1967) and DC Comics (Our Army at War #182 in July 1967). He did a smattering of additional horror and war stories for the two publishers in addition to work on licensed titles starring fictional versions of TV and film properties.

It was near the end of the Silver Age of comic books that Adams was assigned his first superhero covers, illustrating Action Comics #356 (November 1967) and the same month's Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #79 (November 1967). That same month, Adams drew his first superhero story, teaming with writer Gardner Fox on the lighthearted backup feature ‘The Elongated Man’ in Detective Comics #369. Shortly afterward, he drew Batman himself, along with the supernatural superhero the Spectre, on the cover of The Brave and the Bold #75 (January 1968) - the first published instance of Adams' work on what would become two of his signature comics characters. The first instance of Adams drawing Batman in an interior story was ‘The Superman-Batman Revenge Squads’ in World's Finest Comics #175 (May 1968).

Adams’ most significant Batman collaborator was writer Dennis O'Neil. The duo, under the direction of editor Julius Schwartz, would revitalize the character with a series of noteworthy stories reestablishing Batman's dark, brooding nature and taking the books away from the campy look and feel of the 1966-68 ABC TV series. Their first two stories were ‘The Secret of the Waiting Graves’ in Detective Comics #395 (January 1970) and ‘Paint a Picture of Peril’ in issue #397 (March 1970), with a short Batman backup story, written by Mike Friedrich, coming in-between, in Batman #219 (February 1970). Adams introduced new characters to the Batman mythos beginning with Man-Bat, which he co-created with writer Frank Robbins in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970). O'Neil and Adams' creation Ra's al Ghul was introduced in the story ‘Daughter of the Demon’ in Batman #232 (June 1971). The Joker was revitalized in ‘The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!’ in Batman #251 (September 1973), a landmark story bringing the signature villain back to his roots as a homicidal maniac who murders people on a whim and delights in his mayhem. Overall, beginning with issue #200 (March 1968), Adams would create the covers for Batman #200, 203 (his inks over Carmine Infantino layouts), 210, 217, 219-222, 224-227, 229-232, 235 (Giordano inks), 236-238, 239 (Giordano inks), 240, 241, 243-245, 251 and 255 (Nick Cardy inks, April 1974).

During the 1970s, Adams was politically active in the industry, and attempted to unionize its creative community. His efforts, along with precedents set by Atlas/Seaboard Comics' creator-friendly policies and other factors, helped lead to the modern industry's standard practice of returning original artwork to the artist. He won a significant creator’s rights battle in 1987, when Marvel returned original artwork to him and industry legend Jack Kirby, among others. Adams also notably and vocally helped lead the lobbying efforts that resulted in Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster receiving decades-overdue credit and some financial remuneration from DC.

Adams was inducted into the Eisner Award's Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Harvey Awards' Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999.