Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Swipe File, X-Men | Tagged: Batman Deadpool, frank quitely, grant morrison, Jim French, Longhorns Dance, Swipe File

Separated At Birth: Frank Quitely, Batman/Deadpool And Longhorns Dance

Separated At Birth: Frank Quitely, Batman/Deadpool and Jim French's Longhorns Dance as requested by Grant Morrison

Published Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:47:05 -0600

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

Grant Morrison reveals the creative process behind Batman/Deadpool covers, featuring Frank Quitely’s work.
Frank Quitely’s cover pays homage to Jim French’s iconic Longhorns Dance gay cowboy illustration from 1974.
The Longhorns Dance artwork was famously appropriated for a punk T-shirt by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren.
Explore how comics culture uses homage, parody, and swipe files to inspire fresh creative work and connections.

On their Substack, Grant Morrison has been discussing the process behind Batman/Deadpool, published by DC Comics today, including cover plans drawn by Morrison's Klaus co-creator, Dan Mora and We3 co-creator Frank Quitely.

"I came up with two ideas – for the Dan Mora one, I suggested Batman and Deadpool doing Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, battling before an enthusiastic crowd of cheering angels. The conceit was to have been provided by a cover blurb reading 'BATGOD vs. MARVEL JESUS!' until we were told that God and Jesus were off limits!"

And as for this Frank Quitely cover? Time for another swipe file…

"At my request, the Frank Quitely cover is an homage to the illustration Longhorns Dance by Jim French, which depicts two gay cowboys, naked from the waist down except for gunbelts, boots 'n' spurs. The drawing appeared in French's gay magazine Man Power in 1974 and was appropriated in 1975 by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren who détourned it a little to create an infamous T-shirt design!"

You can enjoy the unimpeded original right here… and the T-shirt it became.

Call it Separated At Birth or call it Swipe File, we present two or more images that resemble each other to some degree. They may be homages, parodies, ironic appropriations, coincidences, or works of the lightbox. We trust you, the reader, to make that judgment yourself. If you are unable to do so, we ask that you please return your eyes to their maker before any further damage is done. Separated At Birth doesn't judge; it is more interested in the process of creation, how work influences other work, how new work comes from old, and sometimes how the same ideas emerge simultaneously, as if their time has just come. The Swipe File was named after the advertising industry habit where writers and artists collect images and lines they admire to inspire them in their work. It was swiped from The Comics Journal, which originally ran a similar column, and the now-defunct Swipe Of The Week website, but Separated At Birth was considered a less antagonistic title.

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