JD Hancock Photos

Batman

Batman is a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (1939). The rich industrial, playboy, and philanthropist Bruce Wayne, having watched his parents murdered as a child, swore to protect Gotham City from criminals by honing his physical and mental skills to the peak of human perfection. The Dark Knight’s costume varies but typically includes a cowl with bat-like ears, a scalloped cape, a utility belt, and a stylized bat emblem on the chest. He is often depicted as part of the Justice League superhero team along with Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and others. The character was played by Adam West in the television series Batman (1966), voiced by Kevin Conroy in Batman: The Animated Series (1992), and played by Christian Bale in a series of films directed by Christopher Nolan starting with Batman Begins (2005).

Duel 365

Duel 365 was a year-long project I started in 2010. The goal was to post one photo each day depicting a duel, usually between two pop culture figures, and asking the question, "If they had to fight, who would win?" At the request of those who came to follow the project, I also provided text descriptions of each character. One of the rules was to avoid using the same figure in multiple photos. Another challenge was that I was not allowed to use Photoshop or other advanced photo editors to create the scenes; all editing was done either in-camera or with Apple’s iPhoto software. Over 700 figures were used for the project, which believe it or not represents only a small part of my toy collection.

Superman

Superman is a superhero in comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and first appeared in Action Comics #1 (1938). Rocketed to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, the baby Kal-El was raised in Smallville as Clark Kent. As he grew to maturity, he found himself possessed of amazing physical powers: faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. To use his abilities in a never-ending battle for truth and justice as "Superman," he travelled to Metropolis and assumed the disguise of a mild-mannered reporter for The Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper. His costume is red and blue with a cape and a distinctive "S" shield on his chest. He is often depicted as part of the Justice League superhero team along with Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and others. Superman was played by Christopher Reeve in a series of films beginning with Superman: The Movie (1978) and by Tom Welling in the television series Smallville (2001).