Bret Blevins has drawn a bunch of cool Batman comics and, in the process, delivered some truly rousing fight scenes. Although Blevins doesn’t always hit the mark (especially when working with inkers or colorists that screw up his crispy pencils), at its best his art has a strong sense of geography and sleekly choreographed movements, making these slugfests a joy to behold!
Here is an excerpt from ‘Images’ (script by Dennis O’Neil, colors by Digital Chameleon) the best story about the first confrontation between Batman and the Joker (yes, better than The Man Who Laughs). This one is a doozy, not least because of the amusing asides by the Clown Prince of Crime:
Legends of the Dark Knight #50
Notice how each attack flows from a previous panel establishing Batman’s spatial relationship with his opponents. Also, the Caped Crusader tries out different moves, showing off his versatility while keeping things interesting for the readers!
Later, in Shadow of the Bat, Bret Blevins gave us the chance to have a clearer look at Batman’s technique (this time with less murky colors, by Adrienne Roy), as the Dark Knight fought a couple of military-trained hitmen on a rooftop. Once again, we get a commentary track, now courtesy of Alan Grant’s characteristically pulpy narration…
Shadow of the Bat #00
That is some Fist of Fury shit right there, yes it is.
Last but not least, in another issue of the same series, Bret Blevins crafted a great sequence in which Nightwing and Robin worked as a team to bring down a bunch of hooligans at a playground. The issue was also colored by Adrienne Roy, although it’s unclear how much of it was inked by Blevins himself and how much of it was inked by Bob Smith… Regardless, it’s quite a nifty fight scene, as Dick Grayson and Tim Drake make a fun use of the props around them, Jackie Chan-style:
Shadow of the Bat #29
The best, indeed!