BATMAN: THE WIDENING GYRE concludes later this month, courtesy of writer Kevin Smith and artist Walt Flanagan, and is sure to feature a handful of surprises for not only Batman, but love interest Silver St. Cloud and a few others important to the Dark Knight. As we head toward the final issue, we figured a look at the final variant cover from artist Gene Ha was in order.

We continue our spotlight on writer Grant Morrison and artists Frank Quitely and Philip Tan’s BATMAN AND ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN Deluxe Edition this week with a look at the cover to issues #3-6, in the words of Grant. Swing back tomorrow for a look at the process behind redesigning the dynamic duo and more.

ISSUE THREE

This was commissioned as part of DC’s “weird cover month” (as far as I’m aware, there were no other weird covers that month, leading us to suspect some elaborate practical joke), so Frank took the opportunity to create this Dollotron’s-eye view of the conflict. The whirling vortex that spirals towards the tiny, battling figures of Batman and Robin creates a sense of lurching, unstoppable motion. Combined with the purple and lime green logo the result is purest necrodelia!

In a wonderfully Beatles-esque moment, this cover became the subject of frenzied conspiracy theory and fan interpretation when a reader, for unimaginable reasons of his own – perhaps goaded by Professor Pyg’s obsession with upside-down-ness – rotated it through 180° only to find an eerie ghost of this famous image, as drawn by Brian Bolland in his and Alan Moore’s graphic novel BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE.

I’m sad to say that none of this was planned, but the undeniable apparition of a faceless face – a mask and a personality made of vertiginous space and scraps of meaning, all spiraling down into the ineluctable singularity of a Batman right hook – was so absolutely emblematic of the Joker that it surely had to be the work of some Cosmic Trickster.

What makes it odder and somehow more perfect is that BATMAN AND ROBIN was intended to feel “haunted” by the Joker from the very beginning. Although he does not appear in person in this volume, you will find numerous deliberate and carefully inserted traces of the Clown Prince of Crime’s sinister presence throughout the series, some in the form of scenes that hint at or recall famous Joker moments of the past.

So, if Quitely’s hidden Joker image is completely unintended yet somehow perfectly complements the themes of the stories themselves, can it truly be described as “coincidence”? Is coincidence just our name for those moments when we are most truly aware of the fearful symmetry of existence? I don’t know. Go ask your mom.

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Today, the first collected volume of Grant Morrison’s epic BATMAN AND ROBIN series hits comic shops in the form of BATMAN AND ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN, the Deluxe Edition. To commemorate the event, we’re spotlighting the series this week with comments and artwork from the creators that made the collection possible — Morrison and artist Frank Quitely and Philip Tan.

We’ll look at the cover for the first two issues today, with comments from Grant and sketches/final covers from Mr. Quitely. Take it away, gents:

ISSUE ONE

Bruce Wayne was gone, but Batman could not die.

With Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne taking the lead roles, we wanted to make the new book instantly feel and look different from the Bruce Wayne/Tim Drake team we’d be replacing.

Since starting this run of Batman stories in 2006, I’ve been drawing inspiration from some of the most neglected areas of Batman’s long publishing and screen history – like the 1950s “sci-fi” Batman and the ’60s TV show. The color palette of the “Batman R.I.P.” storyline which preceded BATMAN AND ROBIN was built around red and black and was mostly grimly funereal and somber, so we chose brighter colors for BATMAN AND ROBIN to reflect the change in tone.

Looking at the 1950s covers in particular, there’s an obvious vogue for intense, clashing colors in the logos, so we were able to do something ostensibly un-Batman-like while quoting Batman’s graphic past – the vibrating contrast of purple and green, or blue and yellow, and the big, flat expanses of background color that were popular during that era of design all seemed ripe for a comeback. Unlike the flowing lines and paisley fronds of ’60s psychedelia, the ’50s brand of op/pop art in comics was straight, no frills, linear, modernist and, we felt, contemporary once more.

The idea was to intensify the trashy, pulpy energy of the book, but where “Batman R.I.P.” had been inspired by industrial music, the Tibetan Book of the Dead and pop psychology, the reborn BATMAN AND ROBIN would be fast-moving, twisty and physical, like paint flung around a room by chimps in a gabba gabba frenzy of violence without consequence – as garish, sensational and flippant as we could make it.

In publishing circles, the color yellow is considered taboo (according to market research, yellow covers sell less than any other color, while covers with a lot of red tend to sell the best), so right up until the last second the yellow background for the first issue’s cover was being debated, but it went out as originally intended and was one the best-selling comics of the decade, running to four printings (each of which used a different background color).

The image had to be simple and iconic – the modern equivalent of Batman holding up the ringmaster’s hoop on the cover of DETECTIVE COMICS #38 which introduced Robin as “The sensational character find of 1940!” – and, as this original sketch shows, the cover idea didn’t change much from conception to publication.

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Been enjoying FIRST WAVE, writer Brian Azzarello and artist Rags Morales’ neo-noir adventure featuring Doc Savage, the Spirit and the Bat-Man? Good to hear. The second issue of the mini-series hits later this month, but why wait for some new art? Here’s a first look at the cover to the second issue, from superstar artist J.G. Jones.

Last week, we confirmed the big details: Neal Adams is returning to the Dark Knight for a 12-issue mini-series, BATMAN: ODYSSEY. We even had a cool piece of art to debut. But why stop there?

Shipping in July, the first issue of BATMAN: ODYSSEY features a wonderful piece of Adams art on the cover, which we’ve got right here for you to look over. Enjoy!

And in case you missed some of the coverage over the holiday weekend, be sure to check out WIRED, IGN, NEWSARAMA, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES and AOL COMICS ALLIANCE’s pieces on the Adams news.

The latest arc by the creative team of writer Chris Yost and artist Marcus To races to its conclusion as Ra’s al Ghul’s endgame for Time Drake begins. The Men of Death are on the move in Gotham, and Red Robin, Batgirl and Prudence are out to stop them from killing everyone close to Bruce Wayne. But before our hero can face off against Ra’s, he has to throw down against a few familiar faces.

RED ROBIN #11 hits tomorrow.

Writer Matthew Sturges and artist Freddie Williams II present a tale of the Injustice Society, as the villains find the All-Stars new headquarters. But Cyclone, of all people, has found a way to turn their own allies against them. Meanwhile, Stargirl shares a moment with a teammate — which might not be the wisest decision.

JSA ALL STARS #5 hits tomorrow.

Grant Morrison and artist Andy Clarke continue to roll in the second part of the “Batman vs. Robin” arc, as the Dynamic Duo fight it out in the ultimate death duel. But what happens when Damian’s mother Talia sends out an old enemy to finish the job her young son couldn’t stomach?

BATMAN AND ROBIN #11 hits 4/7.

TIME MAGAZINE has posted 200, count ‘em, 200  nominees for their list of the Top 100 Most Influential People of 2010.  Included on that list? DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson and Neil  Gaiman, author of the Hugo Award nominated WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED  CRUSADER? and, of course, SANDMAN.

Want to cast a vote for this year’s  tastemakers?  You can start by clicking here.

C’mon, DC Nation. Let’s get out the vote!

Just woke up and yeesh, it’s early here on the west coast. Just so you guys know, I’ll be up in the air with a few of my DC colleagues heading back to NY. But don’t fret. We’ve got a preview of the next issue of BATMAN AND ROBIN coming first thing tomorrow, though. See you then.