Posted in: ComicConnect Sponsored, Comics, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Batman, Jim Aparo

Jim Aparo's Ghost of Wayne Manor Cover Art for Batman 341, at Auction

Legendary comic book artist Jim Aparo contributed to a large number of DC Comics classics, and his Batman #341 cover is an interesting symbol of his career.

Jim Aparo's (Aug. 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) comic book career spanned some 35+ years and an incredible array of titles and genres. At DC Comics alone, he did artwork on major landmarks such as A Death in the Family and Knightfall, along with a lengthy run on The Brave and the Bold and significant additional contributions to Batman, Detective Comics, and many other DC Comics titles.  He created numerous highly-regarded covers as well, including stand-outs like Detective Comics #437 and Batman #292, among countless others.  His The Ghost of Wayne Manor cover for Batman #341 hearkens back to his comic book horror roots as well.  Aparo had originally attempted to get work at EC Comics during the waning days of that legendary publisher, and then made significant contributions to Charlton horror titles such as Ghostly Tales and The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves, as well as DC Comics' House of Mystery and House of Secrets.  The original art for Aparo's Batman #341 cover, a piece that could be considered an apt symbol for his diverse career, is up for auction at Comic Connect.

Aparo's cover for Batman #341 also obviously channels the Gothic Romance imagery that could be found on the paperback covers of the 1960s and 1970s (see examples below).   A character holding a candle on or near a staircase in a remote, dark mansion was a trope unto itself during that period and the concept even seeped onto comic covers of the 1970s, like (appropriately enough) DC's Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #5.

In the story by Gerry Conway, Irv Novick, and Frank McLaughlin in Batman #341, a group of kids on a dare entered Wayne Manor (Bruce Wayne had moved into the Wayne Building at the time, leaving Wayne Manor empty and not particularly well secured, it seems) and claimed to have seen a ghost there.  They weren't the only ones. When Commissioner Gordon asked Bruce Wayne for permission to search the place for possible squatters, Batman realized that he'd better investigate as well.  Once there, Batman's mission was complicated by the arrival of Commissioner Gordon in the company of famous DC Comics Ghost-Breaker Doctor Thirteen, while Man-Bat turned out to be the source of the mystery.  Aparo's classic cover avoids giving anything away while still being a perfect match for the story.

"It's been really exciting to see the Bronze Age take off in the original art marketplace," said ComicConnect President Vincent Zurzolo. "Last year's auctions included a $105,800 sale for John Romita Sr.'s signed cover for the first appearance of Nightshade in Captain America #164, and John Byrne brought in $39,962 for his first Wolverine illustration in a half-splash for Iron Fist #15. 1981 has already been a great year for us, too. Frank Miller's work saw a $104,075 sale for a page from that year's Daredevil #172, and there was a top bid of $47,150 for Morpheus' first appearance on the cover of Moon Knight #12."

Aparo's artwork has long been appreciated by comic fans and art collectors alike, and just a glance at any of his covers from this period — or really, just in 1981 alone — provides us with a good explanation of the appeal.  The original artwork for his Gothic Dark Knight cover for Batman #341 is currently up for auction at Comic Connect's Event Auction #61.

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