Ref Grassetti, the art director who reimagined Kratos for the 2018 Game of The Year, God of War, has a fantastic Instagram account. He likes to use his free time to create new and exciting artwork showcasing some of the geek community’s most beloved characters.
He made waves in the gaming world when he brought the main characters from the Nintendo Classic Star Fox to life, and then again when he used his talents to reimagine Sonic The Hedgehog, Knuckles, and Tails from the Sonic The Hedgehog gaming franchise.
Now, Grassetti has moved into the realm of comic book fandom, recreating perhaps the most famous and iconic rogue’s gallery in the world. The villains from Batman.
But, Grassetti took things a step further. He didn’t just want to recreate the Batman villains. He wanted to take the villains from the amazing Batman The Animated Series and bring them to stunning life in a way that we’ve never seen before.
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Batman The Animated Series aired in the mid-90’s, first appearing on Fox Kids following the release of Batman Returns in theaters.
This remarkable series was one of the first dark children’s cartoons, capturing the essence of The Dark Knight in an era before such shows were common.
It was the brainchild of writer Paul Dini and Artist Bruce Tim. The series is probably most remembered for the voice acting, which featured Kevin Conroy as Batman and Star Wars actor Mark Hammil as The Joker.
Many people count Conroy and Hammil’s Batman and Joker as the definitive portrayals of these timeless characters.
People loved Conroy and Hammil so much that they were brought back for the Arkham video game series. Paul Dini also returned to write the stories for Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.
Hammil and Conroy voiced The Joker and Batman in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight. The duo also voiced their characters once again in the Direct to Video animated film Batman: The Killing Joke.
Grassetti’s Batman Rogues Gallery includes The Joker, The Penguin, Harley Quinn (who was first created for Batman The Animated Series), The Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Bane, and Two Face.
“My rendition of Batman The Animated Series,” Grassetti wrote when he posted Two Face. “I love the show and I hope one day we get a CG Batman movie (not LEGO Batman). I’m planning to sketch all my favorite villains, starting with Two-Face. I don’t see a lot of blue version Two Face out there and it’s one of my favorite takes on the character!”
