My Batman-Art-Project (Batman Eras)

[BareKnuckled]

Hey Guys and Girls,
My art-teacher gave us the Task of tinkering a Book of any kind. The Bats-fan I am, I decided to make a "Batman-Book". Though im still incredibly happy that I was allowed to do so, I'm now at a point where I need some help from you, fellow Batfans, concerning 2 Points


The idea of the book is to compare the different ages or eras Batman has gone through over the years. Since I'll have to compare very different media like TV-shows, movies, comics etc. in this, I think that I should focus on the tone/atmosphere, general style and different characterizations of the main characters. As to everything, I'm open about this point, so if you have any suggestions, I'd be very grateful to read them t:

Please note that this project is just to give a very basic overview and is not directed at hardcore-fans but my art-teacher

But my first problems is : I'm not sure which "Ages" to pick. I'm only sure about the first and the last I don't even know how many are necessary to do justice to the immense changes the Bat has undergone over the years, though I don't think that I can do more than 4 - 5 time-wise ...
So here is my first, provisional selection:

1. "Golden Age"( Kane & Finger, 1939-1950 )

2. ABC Television Era (1966 - 1968 ) ??

3. Alan Moore & Frank Miller Era (1986 - 1988 ) ??

4. Chris Nolan Era ( 2005-2012 )

Do you think it's ok to leave Silver and Bronze Age, Tim Burton, The Animated Series or even Schumacher out or am I missing something really basic by omitting them ? The book shouldn't be for Batman geeks but for my Art-Teacher who knows close to nothing about Batman

My second problem is: I'm only an apprentice learning,reading and watching as much of Batman (but) who doesn't know everything about him yet, so i don't really know how to characterize the particular Eras . So could you maybe help me with your ideas of what defines the particular Ages ?

As a new person to the community,I'm endlessly grateful for everybody reading this long text,contributing and helping me.

P.S: I'll keep you updated about the process with some pics of my Book - if you want

 

[atomicbattery]

Those are pretty good breakdowns.
For your art teacher, explaining the difference between the Gold and Silver Age of comics may be TMI. You could probably draw the best possible comparison by folding a Golden/Silver Age Batman into one category (and including the Adam West in that- the best possible shorthand for the less-informed to illustrate that Batman was originally more lighthearted entertainment directed at a primarily juvenile audience), and comparing it to the Bronze and Modern Ages, as Batman went in a more adult direction with O'Neill and Adams through the shockingly 'Mature' works of Miller and Moore.
All of those stories were legitimate, as the character went through profound changes in his first two years. In 1939 he was a darker figure who carried a gun, inspired by 'The Shadow' and the pulps. In 1940, with the addition of Robin, he became the smiling adventurer we knew until the seventies.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the character is that he is able to support such radically different interpretations. The recent 'Brave and the Bold' cartoon was inspired by the Golden and Silver Age, while the Nolan films owed more to the modern interpretation of Batman.
And they were both wonderful.

 

[Bathead]

Those are pretty good breakdowns.
For your art teacher, explaining the difference between the Gold and Silver Age of comics may be TMI. You could probably draw the best possible comparison by folding a Golden/Silver Age Batman into one category (and including the Adam West in that- the best possible shorthand for the less-informed to illustrate that Batman was originally more lighthearted entertainment directed at a primarily juvenile audience), and comparing it to the Bronze and Modern Ages, as Batman went in a more adult direction with O'Neill and Adams through the shockingly 'Mature' works of Miller and Moore.
All of those stories were legitimate, as the character went through profound changes in his first two years. In 1939 he was a darker figure who carried a gun, inspired by 'The Shadow' and the pulps. In 1940, with the addition of Robin, he became the smiling adventurer we knew until the seventies.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the character is that he is able to support such radically different interpretations. The recent 'Brave and the Bold' cartoon was inspired by the Golden and Silver Age, while the Nolan films owed more to the modern interpretation of Batman.
And they were both wonderful.

I have the Batman Chronicles books that cover those first years, and Batman never "carried" a gun. He used a gun, only a very few times reallly, but he never regularly had one on his person.

 

[joker1]

i did a very similar art project in college a couple of years ago. as it was art-based (more of an excuse to draw lots of batman ), i felt the need to keep the teacher "sweet" by adding as much art references as possible. so it might be an idea to start looking at Kane/Fingers original inspirations such as Leonardo Davinci's bat wings...that sort of thing. also, even though it's widely regarded as a low point in the batman franchise, the schumacher film costumes - nipples and all - were inspired by greek sculpture and the relation to superheroes by glorifying the human figure...so i did some sketches to back up and reinforce my work.

just a suggestion

JC