In the pantheon of legendary comic book artists, the late Neal Adams remains one of all the time greats. Over the course of his six-decade career he brought to life some of Marvel and DC’s most iconic superheroes, setting a new bar for visual storytelling. His work on Batman, however, is arguably his best, helping to shape the look and feel of the Dark Knight as he’s known today.
In honor of his incredible contribution to the medium we’ve combed through the archives to identify the best Neal Adams Batman covers of all time. It’s important to note, however, that we chose each book based on their cover art and not necessarily because they represent a key moment in Batman history (although Adams did indeed have a massive influence on the character, having helped shape some of the most memorable Batman story arcs and co-creating iconic villains such as Ra’s al Ghul and Man-Bat). To keep things simple, we’ve listed each issue in order of publication date, along with current prices and our reasons for why we picked it.
So without further ado, let’s pay tribute to an absolute comic book master as we celebrate… the 20 best Neal Adams Batman covers ever made.
1. Batman #200
- Published: March 1968
- Estimated Price: $250 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Neal Adams’ debut on the Batman title.
- Why We Picked It: With this single issue, Neal Adams began his now legendary run on Batman (prior to this issue he had only inked artist Carmine Infantino’s pencils on Detective Comics #370 and had briefly done some cover art for Brave and the Bold #75). This particular cover captures what would later become his trademark style, showcasing his unique sense of layout, color and character design.
2. Brave and the Bold #79
- Published: August 1968
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Team-up of Batman and Deadman.
- Why We Picked It: Another classic Neal Adams Batman cover that still stands the test of time, this iconic issue shows how effortlessly Adams could bring a sense of drama and mystery to his work, with his style going on to influence an entire generation of comic book artists.
3. Detective Comics #395
- Published: January 1970
- Estimated Price: $300 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First collaboration between Neal Adams and Dennis O’Neil on the Detective Comics title
- Why We Picked It: While this comic marks the start of one of the greatest Batman creative collaborations of all time , we chose it for this list purely because of the incredibly cinematic cover, which offers a moodier more atmospheric take on the Dark Knight that would later shape the character for decades to come.
4. Detective Comics #400
- Published: June 1970
- Estimated Price: $600 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First appearance and origin of Man-Bat. First team-up of Batgirl and Robin in a backup story.
- Why We Picked It: While there are dozens of iconic Neal Adams Batman covers, few are as striking (or as instantly recognizable) as this key issue. Adams’ unique sense of lighting, color and character design is simply masterful, not to mention introducing one of Batman’s greatest modern-era villains.
5. Detective Comics #402
- Published: August 1970
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Second appearance of Man-Bat.
- Why We Picked It: In addition to his work on some of the world’s greatest superheroes, Neal Adams was also a prolific horror comic artist. His unique ability to bring a sense of dread and suspense to his work is clearly on display here in this stunning cover featuring another iconic Man-Bat showdown.
6. Detective Comics #404
- Published: October 1970
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover.
- Why We Picked It: One of the hallmarks of Neal Adams’ work is his incredible use of perspective, with Batman often leaping off the pages in a variety of stunning acrobatic poses. That’s definitely the case with this iconic cover, which remains a classic work from an artist at the absolute top of his game.
7. Detective Comics #405
- Published: November 1970
- Estimated Price: $750 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First appearance of the League of Assassins
- Why We Picked It: While this book marks a major milestone in Batman history with the introduction of Ra’s al Ghul’s dreaded League of Assassins, we included it on this list purely because of this atmospheric and stunning artwork that remains one of the all-time greatest Neal Adams Batman covers.
8. Batman #227
- Published: December 1970
- Estimated Price: $1,200 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover art
- Why We Picked It: While this issue stands on its own as an absolute masterpiece, it’s actually an homage to the cover of Detective Comics #31 from 1939 (which in itself is arguably one of the greatest Batman covers ever). The end result is a book that’s a classic on multiple levels, making it one of the most sought after Batman covers among collectors.
9. Detective Comics #411
- Published: May 1971
- Estimated Price: $800 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First appearance and first cover appearance of Talia al Ghul (daughter of Ra’s al Ghul).
- Why We Picked It: While this might be yet another key issue as it introduces Batman’s on-again, off-again love interest Talia al Ghul (and mother of Damian Wayne), we added it to this list because of the stunning cover which once again showcases Neal Adams’ incredible use of perspective and action.
10. Batman #232
- Published: June 1971
- Estimated Price: $1,200 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First appearance of Ra’s al Ghul and second appearance of Talia al Ghul.
- Why We Picked It: While this key issue introduces one of Batman’s greatest foes in the form of Ra’s al Ghul, we chose it for this list simply because of the iconic Neal Adams cover which is incredibly cinematic in its use of action, style, color and design. Notably, Adams was given co-creator credits for Ra’s al Ghul and was even cut a check by Warner Bros. when the character was featured in Christopher Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins film.
11. Batman #234
- Published: August 1971
- Estimated Price: $600 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Reintroduction of Two-Face after being absent from comics since 1954.
- Why We Picked It: Under Neal Adams’ watch, this issue helped to establish the more modern look and feel of Two-Face after his somewhat more ghoulish (and green) Golden Age appearance. For us, however, it’s simply yet another classic Batman cover that stands the test of time.
12. Batman #235
- Published: September 1971
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Second appearance of Ra’s al Ghul.
- Why We Picked It: While most comic book covers tend to feature the most obvious scenes, Neal Adams work on Batman was anything but cliched, instead capturing epic storytelling moments in a single image. That’s exactly what you get with this incredible cover featuring a maskless Dark Knight in action.
13. Batman #237
- Published: December 1971
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First appearance of the Reaper (aka Benjamin Gruener). Iconic horror cover.
- Why We Picked It: This book is actually an unusual Batman key in that it’s based on a story idea inspired by legendary writer Harlan Ellison. It’s also unusual in that real-life DC comic creators Bernie Wrightson, Gerry Conway and Alan Weiss were drawn into the book. For our money though, this book remains a must-have Batman issue thanks to yet another stunning Neal Adams cover.
14. Batman #241
- Published: May 1972
- Estimated Price: $70 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of Colonel Sulphur
- Why We Picked It: Possibly one of the most under appreciated gems in the long list of Neal Adams Batman covers, this issue may just be one of his very best, with the Caped Crusader captured in stunning detail and Adams’ flawless linework featured front and center.
15. Batman #244
- Published: September 1972
- Estimated Price: $440 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Classic battle of Batman and Ra’s al Ghul. Iconic panel of Batman kissing Talia al Ghul.
- Why We Picked It: Yet another classic Neal Adams Batman cover we absolutely had to include on this list, this iconic image remains a must-have for Batman fans, not to mention helping to establish Ra’s al Ghul as one of the Dark Knights greatest foes.
16. Batman #251
- Published: September 1973
- Estimated Price: $2,000 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Reintroduced the Joker as a homicidal maniac.
- Why We Picked It: Perhaps the most famous and iconic of all of Neal Adams’ covers, this issue is particularly noteworthy for bringing a new homicidal bent to the Joker, something that would go on to influence the Clown Prince of Crime throughout his long run in comics, television, video games and film. It’s an absolute masterpiece of a cover that’s had a massive influence on pop culture itself.
17. Batman #255
- Published: March 1974
- Estimated Price: $200 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First appearance of the werewolf, Anthony Lupus.
- Why We Picked It: One of Neal Adams’ greatest strengths was his willingness to take risks in cover design, including using multiple panels and perspectives to achieve an overlook tone to each issue. That’s exactly what he’s done with this classic Batman cover that still holds up almost 50 years after it was first created.
18. Detective Comics #477
- Published: June 1978
- Estimated Price: $30 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: First cameo appearance of Preston Payne (aka the third Clayface).
- Why We Picked It: Another hallmark of Neal Adams’ work is his inspired use of angles to create a particular effect. In many cases a cover is tilted ever so slightly, which brings a sense of action and focus to the work that few artists are able to achieve. That’s exactly what you get in this stunning work of art that remains an under-appreciated (and undervalued) Batman cover.
19. Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1 (Variant)
- Published: January 2016
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Variant cover.
- Why We Picked It: It’s incredible to think that almost 60 years after first breaking into comic books, Neal Adams was still creating iconic Batman covers beloved by new and existing fans alike. Case in point is this stunning variant cover that shows that even in the twilight of his career, Adams was still pushing the envelope with his work.
20. Detective Comics #1000 (Variant)
- Published: March 2019
- Estimated Price: $50 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Variant limited to 2,500 copies.
- Why We Picked It: Rounding out our list is one of Neal Adams’ very last Batman covers. Perhaps fittingly this variant marks the 1000 issues of Detective Comics, a series that undoubtedly owes much of its longevity to the incredible artwork of a true comic book legend.
So there you have it, comic fam! Our picks for the 20 best Neal Adams Batman covers of all time. Are there any issues you think we missed? Let us know in the comments below!
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