Just beautiful Batman: Death By Design artwork

DC Comics has released some stunning artwork from the highly anticipated original graphic novel Batman: Death By Design, written by Chip Kidd and with art by Dave Taylor. They have crafted a story that captures the flavor of the city as it’s never been seen, and at the same time creating a new look at Batman that re-imagines both the caped crusader and his iconic nemesis – the Joker.


From Kidd: 

“When my editor Mark Chiarello told me that was not the case, I jumped at the chance to include him. This page marks his grand entrance into the book. I wanted him to look like a 1920s silent movie villain, as his visual roots lie in Conrad Veidt in ‘The Man Who Laughs.’ Dave totally nailed him in a unique yet undeniably classic way, and I LOVE what he’s wearing: the jodhpurs, the dinner jacket, and those boots!! To die for, so to speak. That is all due to Mr. Taylor’s expertise, which shines throughout the book. If you think this is cool (and it is), just wait…this only the thin end of the wedge!”

From Taylor:

“Chip’s writing, his total knowledge of the character and his environment, has made this a very special story. It’s full of what I call Batman reality. The tone and feel of this book are as close as anything I’ve read to a real sense of being. Gotham exists. The Batman is real. All these people are as real as you and I. And the story then is real also. The amount of research I did on it’s own shows that I was into something way bigger than I’d first thought. I now know more about 1939 than I do about the year of my birth! The book contains some of the truth behind how a city is built, literally. The corruption, and misplacement of power rings true to the point of making this book a timely record. But what this book does above all is show how easy it can be to bring that corruption and power down, all you need is one hero!” 

BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN will be released on May 2, but we have a first look at Taylor’s interior art for the book – as well as the design process that led to the final product.