The Batcave Grows More Crowded After Lake Como Comic Art Festival 2025

The Lake Como Comic Art Festival brings together some of the most well-known comic illustrators from around the world. That makes it the perfect place to add to my ever-growing collection of original Batman art.

The show’s 2025 edition did not disappoint – except for my bank account! Here is a quick rundown of what I came back to the US with, both planned and unplanned. They aren’t in any real order, except that I did save my favorite for last. So if you get bored, skip to the end.

Pepe Larraz doesn’t make it to many shows and seemingly does even fewer commissions. So he was a priority for me. As you probably can tell, he didn’t disappoint. His dark, brooding Batman could be mistaken for one of Gotham City’s ubiquitous gargoyles protecting the city.

If you’ve had a chance to read Batman: First Knight, you have seen Mike Perkins’ amazing artwork. His 1930s’ era Batman retains the spirit – and the ears – of Bob Kane’s original. I ended up winning an auction to make sure I would be first in line for this commission.

Jon J. Muth also created a 30s-inspired Batman – and Batmobile – to give a completely different take on this long-running character. I haven’t seen Muth at a convention before, so I was happy to jump on his pre-show list.

Honestly, I forgot that I bought this fun piece from Mark Badger. He shares an art rep with Muth, who reminded me that I had previously purchased the piece. Fortunately, the rep brought it with him so I could enjoy Batman dodging some rocket-propelled penguins.

I did not forget about my Mario Foccillo commission! I actually commissioned him for last year’s New York Comic Con, but didn’t end up getting the piece until LCCAF. This Batman with organic wings and incredibly detailed background adorns the cover of Foccillo’s art book, which I also picked up while I was there.

This next piece is part of my youth. Pepe Moreno’s Batman: Digital Justice came out when I was in college. It made a lot of headlines at the time because it was the first “computer-generated” graphic novel – meaning it was drawn using a computer. It seems quaint now, but it is a part of comic book history. Moreno sketched by hand before rendering in a computer. This piece, from 1990, is the cover before the computer did its work.

Every year, I ask Mark Raats to create a piece on one of the actors who has played Batman on the silver screen. Raats has already created amazing versions of Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, and Robert Pattinson. Originally, this was going to be the year for George Clooney, but when Batman Forever star Val Kilmer passed away in April, I reached out to Raats to see if there was time to switch. What came next was a stunning tribute.

Is there anything hotter than DC’s Absolute Universe right now? From the mind-bending Absolute Martin Manhunter to the tatted Wonder Woman to the genre-defining Batman, these titles consistently rank at the top of the best-sellers list. When Ben Olivier’s rep offered me his variant cover to Absolute Batman #3, I couldn’t say no.

Interestingly enough, if you compare the painting to the final cover, you’ll notice quite a difference in the expression. Apparently, DC wanted a younger looking version of the character, so Olivier scanned his original in and altered the face digitally for the final product. He’s still menacing no matter which version you look at.

Joe Quinones is known for his work on Batman 89, so when I commissioned him, I figured I’d end up with a Keaton-esque version of the character. It turns out Quinones hadn’t yet drawn Abs Bats and saw an opportunity here to expand his repertoire.

When it came to Gabriel Walta, I knew exactly what I was getting. Walt’s art rep put his pages for the Year One-inspired Absolute Batman #4 in January, and I jumped on it. I’m a fan of his unique style and was excited to see what he brought to the character. Just seeing any version of Batman with a gun is striking, and this page doesn’t disappoint.

And as a thank you for buying such a high-end page, Walta drew a Vision for me, based on his best-selling miniseries with writer Tom King.

Keeping with the Absolute theme, when I found out that Absolute Superman artist Rafa Sandoval would be at LCCAF, I knew I needed his take on the character. It turns out he went with more of a traditional version of Batman. I asked him about the Death’s head in front of Batman, and he said he wanted to bring more of a narrative to the drawing. What story does the piece evoke in you?

That brings us to this stunning painting by Gabriel Dell’Otto. It’s his variant cover to Batman #151. I put a downpayment on it at last year’s show and paid it off this year. If I had walked away only with this painting, I would have been happy. As a bonus, I was able to get Dell’Otto to sign my copy of the issue as well.

Now I need to let my bank account recover as I start saving and planning for LCCAF 2026!