Comic Book Artist. Adams jolted the world of comic books in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his toned and sinewy take on heroes, first at DC with a character named Deadman, then at Marvel with the X-Men and the Avengers, returning to DC and helping create one of DC's first Black superheroes, Green Lantern John Stewart, and recreating his most lasting influence, Batman. During his tenure working on Batman in the early Seventies, he is credited with infusing a dark realism in the comic book franchise then associated with the campy, colorful Adam West-starring TV series. Adams and his writers at the time co-created the Gotham villains Man-Bat and Ra's al Ghul (the latter a key figure in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight film trilogy) as well as reinvented classic Batman baddies like Two-Face and the Joker; his take on the Joker—which returned the character to his roots as a homicidal maniac in clown makeup—served as an inspiration for the villain would appear countlessly on the big screen and graphic novels in the decades that followed. In addition to his work as an artist, Adams also fought for the rights of comic book artists and writers, many of whom—as contracted by DC and Marvel—would see the characters they created turn into million-dollar franchises for the companies, with no additional income for themselves. While he was ultimately unsuccessful in his fight to copyright his and others' comic creations, he was able to ensure that the artists received their original artwork back following publication, opening a lucrative revenue stream for artists on the memorabilia market.
Comic Book Artist. Adams jolted the world of comic books in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his toned and sinewy take on heroes, first at DC with a character named Deadman, then at Marvel with the X-Men and the Avengers, returning to DC and helping create one of DC's first Black superheroes, Green Lantern John Stewart, and recreating his most lasting influence, Batman. During his tenure working on Batman in the early Seventies, he is credited with infusing a dark realism in the comic book franchise then associated with the campy, colorful Adam West-starring TV series. Adams and his writers at the time co-created the Gotham villains Man-Bat and Ra's al Ghul (the latter a key figure in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight film trilogy) as well as reinvented classic Batman baddies like Two-Face and the Joker; his take on the Joker—which returned the character to his roots as a homicidal maniac in clown makeup—served as an inspiration for the villain would appear countlessly on the big screen and graphic novels in the decades that followed. In addition to his work as an artist, Adams also fought for the rights of comic book artists and writers, many of whom—as contracted by DC and Marvel—would see the characters they created turn into million-dollar franchises for the companies, with no additional income for themselves. While he was ultimately unsuccessful in his fight to copyright his and others' comic creations, he was able to ensure that the artists received their original artwork back following publication, opening a lucrative revenue stream for artists on the memorabilia market.
Bio by: Bradley M.
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