MIDTOWN — Most fans knew Batman as the campy, “milk-drinking do-gooder in tights” of the 1960s television series when DC Comics hired artist Neal Adams and writer Dennis O’Neil to revamp the superhero's image.
“That old television show, after all, was satire,” Adams recalled. “I revitalized Batman into the ‘Dark Knight’ character that prowls the night and beats up criminals.”
The Manhattan-based illustrator — who also created new versions of Green Arrow and Green Lantern for DC Comics — began showcasing his work at a Midtown gallery last week, he told DNAinfo New York.
“Putting a gallery together may seem silly, in a way, for a comic book, but it’s really not,” he explained. “People in regular, human life — outside of comics, and comic related stuff — don’t quite realize the tremendous impact that comic books are making on television, and movies, and computer games, and everything in our society.”
The illustrator — who’s been called one of the “elder statesmen of comic books” along with Stan Lee and Joe Kubert — said he recently got back into comics after years working for advertising agencies around the city.
His now-empty advertising studio made an ideal space for a gallery, he said.
Dozens of original comic book pages, paintings and illustrations will be displayed at the gallery on rotation.
Along with transforming Batman, Adams takes credit for creating DC Comics villain Ra's al Ghul — portrayed by Liam Neeson in Christopher Nolan's Batman movies — as well as new iterations of the X-Men and superhero Green Arrow.
Green Arrow was originally a “very, very bad and poor imitation of Batman,” Adams noted.
His Green Lantern, meanwhile, was “probably… the first black superhero that was college educated and had a profession,” he said.
Comic book characters have secured an unprecedented place in the zeitgeist in recent years, Adams noted.
“You can’t walk down the street without seeing a Superman or Batman on a T-shirt,” he noted.
The artist is currently working on a "comedic takeoff" on 1978 comic book "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali" and a 300-page Batman-centric graphic novel, among other projects, he said.
With gatherings like Comic Con becoming increasingly popular, he envisions more galleries like his own popping up around the city.
“Comic books and comic book-related stuff is the wave of the future,” he said. “You have a subculture that’s becoming a culture.”
Those interested in viewing the gallery, which is on the ninth floor of 15 W. 39 St., can schedule an appointment by calling 212-869-4170.
