Brave & Bold

R.I.P. Jim Aparo, 1932-2005

The news of legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo's death has been traveling around the internet for a few days. I decided to post something about his passing myself when a friend sent me this, the obituary at The Comic Book Bin, which includes information from, and the wishes of, the Aparo family, along with contact information.

The art above is the cover of a book scheduled to be released in October, The Brave and Bold Art of Jim Aparo. The book description:

For a generation of comic-book readers, Jim Aparo is considered the greatest Batman artist of them all. Aparo - with his strong, dynamic style, well-grounded in realism - together with Batman made a team worthy of the title, The Brave and the Bold. Now, Scott Beatty (writer of Batman and The DC Comics Encyclopedia) along with Eric Nolen-Weathington (editor/designer of the Modern Masters book series) turn the Bat Signal onto the life and work of one of comics' finest: Jim Aparo. From his time in the world of advertising art, through the heyday of the '70s, and beyond the death of Robin, Aparo's career is finally given the attention it so richly deserves.

The following quote about Jim Aparo's historical impact on DC Comics comes from a good article by Ray Tate at Silver Bullet Comics, The Importance Of Being Brave And Bold:

The real important era of Brave and Bold arrived when Jim Aparo began an almost twenty year uninterrupted run as the Batman artist. I mean no disrespect to the authors. The writers however came and went. Mr. Aparo remained, and what made his run, so important is that he was doing archetypal DCU. This is the DCU all but the history-cheated new comic book readers remember.

Also, here is an interview with Jim Aparo from the August 2000 issue of Comic Book Artist.

I won't try to expound on Jim Aparo's career or his contribution to the comics industry -- the major details are available at the links above. On a personal note, however, I will add this: For many of us, when we think of the classic image of Batman, it is Jim Aparo's art that pops into our heads. His art is as iconic as the character himself.