Bob Kane or Frank Miller: Who Did Batman Better?

On the verge of the most stunning Batman sale of the millennium, I'll ask the question, who did Batman better, Bob Kane or Frank Miller?  It was a quiet day in Gotham City when I flipped through the catalog for Heritage Auctions June Signature comic sale.  My Bat-Signal flashed frantically when I recognized original cover art from Dark Knight Returns #1 was being offered.  Frank Miller, Lynn Varley, color, iconic...

Where Does the Dark Knight Returns Rank

Detective Comics #27 tops all Batman comics.  Batman #1, introducing the Joker and Catwoman, follows closely behind.  These represent the pinnacle of Bob Kane's achievements.  What other Batman works (by anyone) belong ahead of Frank Miller's dystopian caped crusader?  Go ahead and tell me where Dark Knight Returns #1 ranks among all Batman comics, and give us your reasons why!

What does it matter how a comic rates amongst massive products for a character like Batman?  Well, significance is the number one factor driving these crazy art auction prices.  What was the significance of the black Spidey costume?  Todd McFarlane liked the red and blue so he and David Micheline needed a reason to separate Spider-Man from the symbiote: hence Venom.  In Batman lore, does any story get more credit for Batman's personality in the last 3 and a half decades than Frank Miller's mini-series?  The ambiance or 'Bat-mosphere' created by Miller is oft-imitated but rarely achieved--in movies or comics.  Can I say that one more time...Batmosphere!

Frank Miller.... or Bob Kane

When does a legendary creator like Bob Kane take a back seat?  Consider, Frank Miller wasn't born until 1957, Batman's Science Fiction years.  The dark avenger of the night created by Kane and Bill Finger in 1939 had long since evolved into a father figure to his ward, the Boy Wonder.  So, Miller correctly recognized the perfect timing for his 'Batman meets the Road Warrior' tale.

Miller did not portray Batman as the clean-cut, human-with-no-powers version of Superman.  Rather, Batman and Bruce were grittier, affected by the years of fighting the worst elements of society.  And, future Gotham City reeked of that same <ahem> Batmosphere.  Of course, Miller humanized Batman by introducing a new Robin.  Seems like Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson did the same way back in 1940, Detective Comics #38.

Art Prices: Miller vs. Kane

My thoughts on who did Batman better, Frank Miller or Bob Kane, originate from the sales of art.  Miller's line art for the cover of Dark Knight Returns #3 sold in April for $264,000.  That may seem cheap, but the original Miller art included only Robin.  The background was added later from a scan of the Varley color guide.  Miller pages from the Dark Knight series sell for astronomical amounts even compared to his other works, such as Daredevil.  For example, the page 10 splash from Book 3 sold for $448,125 way back in 2011.  Definitely iconic, and definitely worth more today than that price from a decade ago.  The cover of Book 2 is not nearly as visually appealing, but it also sold in 2013 for $400K plus.

By the time this article is published, no doubt the Book 1 cover sale will be complete.  But as soon as I saw the catalog, I had no doubt the Dark Knight Returns #1 original art would surpass the Zeck $3.36 million-dollar Secret Wars art.  By how much, I wasn't sure.  However, as of June 9, 2022, the high bidder offered to pay $1.38 million.  I'm revising my estimate upward!

What About Bob?

Bob Kane original art sales are altogether different.  First, many pieces of art by Bob Kane are simple sketches or paintings.  Few published pages of original art drawn by Kane (rather than his ghost artists) have been offered.

One of the nicest (pictured) sold for $38 grand in 2019.  The art featured Catwoman from Detective Comics #122.  Batman #9, page 1 "The Four Fates", boasts the top sales price on HA for art credited to Kane.  It's not clear if Kane did pencils and Robinson did inks, or possibly Robinson did it all.  That art sold for just under $51 thousand in 2014.

But this June auction features a rare, remarkably uncommon, treat--Detective Comics #59 original cover art by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson.  The current bid is at about $45,000.  Did I miss a zero, maybe two... no!  That's still less than a Hundred Grand bar.  I suspect the final price will be in the 2 to 3 hundred grand range.

I think it ought to go for just over $500K.  Think about it, people--original cover art, rarely available, by Batman's creator, Bob Kane.  Admittedly, this art is NOT iconic or anywhere near as memorable as the Frank Miller/Lynn Varley art.  BUT REALLY!

Miller Art Will Win, But...

Let's assume the Dark Knight Returns 1 cover art sells for five million dollars, and the Bob Kane cover art sells for $500,000.  Do these prices make any sense?  First, check out "Orange, Red, Yellow" by Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman's "Black Fire 1".  These paintings are indistinguishable from the works of many preschoolers, yet sold for $80 million plus.  (That statement should be redacted.)

In that sense, I would say bidding tens of millions for historic Batman pieces would be well worth the money.  Because the Dark Knight Returns transcends comics, I suppose it deserves a premium price and it won't fade (until Batman's persona changes radically again).  Meanwhile, the Bob Kane cover art will outdistance a coverless copy of Batman #1 with art NOT by Frank Miller...but not by that much.

Check out more from the comic art world!

• NEAL ADAMS: A FAN ASKS “IF ONLY…”

• AFTER ZECK 3.3 SHOCK AND ART: WHAT’S NEXT?

• DOCTOR STRANGE ART INDEED: BRUNNER, SEVERIN, COLAN

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not reflect advice on behalf of GoCollect.