The Dark Bite Returns (A Goya-Inspired Batman Painting)

A few years ago, a local comic shop asked me to design a T-shirt for them. I don’t know why, but my first instinct was to parody Francisco Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son, but with Batman and Robin.

A titan devouring a Titan, if you will.

It was a terrible idea, obviously, so the comic shop asked me to go in a completely different direction. I can’t blame them.

But I still really liked this weird little piece of Batman Devouring Robin art, so I figured I’d share it here for y’all to enjoy.

This drawing is a reference to "Saturn Devouring His Son", a famous painting by Francisco Goya. This version shows a large version of Batman, hunched over and eating Robin. Batman is holding a small version of Robin in his hands and biting on Robin's arm. The art is digital, but recreates an oil paint on a dark background.

I also did a version in a more traditional comic book style:

In the spring of 2024, a local comic shop asked Doctor Popular to illustrate a promotional t-shirt for an upcoming fundraiser. The original design, "Batman Devouring His Young", was rejected by the comic shop upon review.

— Doctor M. Popular (@docpop)2024-05-07T23:21:56.237Z