The icon known as Batman is one of the rare characters who define pretty much every era of comic books. He helped put DC Comics on the map and inaugurated the Golden Age in 1939. His Silver Age exploits were defined by a campy television show and outlandish sci-fi plots. The Bronze Age so Batman become the character fans largely know today: The Dark Knight.
Some of the most important Batman artists of all time worked on his various titles during this period, which is generally considered to last from the 70s into the mid-80s, depending on where some draw the line. Trends that would define the character forever would be set in motion during this time.
10 Don Newton
Artist Don Newton had a long career in comics but got something of a late start. He started with Charlton Comics and then in the late 70s, moved over to DC. He took over drawing Batman beginning with Batman #305 in November of 1978.
Perhaps Newton's most significant contribution to Batman lore is drawing the first appearance of Jason Todd in Batman #357 in March of 1983. Todd became the second Robin, and his shocking death at the hands of the Joker was both a great idea and not.
9 José Luis Garcia-López
Like Newton, José Luis Garcia-López started his career at Charlton Comics. DC would later buy Charlton and incorporate many of its characters, like the original Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, into DC lore. Garcia-López then moved over to DC and started drawing Batman with Detective Comics #452 in October of 1975.
Perhaps his greatest contribution not just to Batman but DC was creating the style guides used by the company to provide official artwork for merchandise like toys and games. García-López illustrated the 1982 guide, still used today by the company.
8 Marshall Rogers
Marshall Rogers began working at DC in the 1970s and his take on the character would have a lasting impact. Rogers drew Detective Comics #471-476, written by Steve Englehart, which brought the character more into a noir take that heavily influenced not just artists who came after him, but the 1989 Batman film by Tim Burton (to say nothing of the iconic Batman: The Animated Series, one of the greatest superhero series of the 1990s).
He drew the story "The Laughing Fish," which would come to be a hallmark of the Joker in subsequent media.
7 Dick Giordano
Dick Giordano was a major artist for Batman in the 1970s. His era overlapped Neal Adams, Bob Brown, and Irv Norvick, all major Batman artists of the Silver Age. Giordano would ink their pencils, and then he later went on to drawing full issues himself.
Giordano was primarily an inker during this period, but he is likely best known by fans and industry professionals alike as an editor. He served as managing editor at DC through the 80s, overseeing some of the greatest comic stories ever, including Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns.
6 Ernie Chan
Ernie Chan started working at DC Comics in 1972. He was drawing issues of Detective Comics by 1976 and his art continued the tradition largely set out by Adams earlier in the decade. Chan served as the main cover artist for all of DC during this same period, drawing virtually every major character in the DC mythos.
Chan later worked exclusively for Marvel Comics in the 1980s, drawing long runs on Conan The Barbarian and other titles.
5 Nick Cardy
Before Chan, Nick Cardy was the primary cover artist at DC for the early 70s. Like Chan, he covered just about every character in the DC canon including Batman and Robin. He also helped out with artistic chores on the long-running Batman comic strip in the late 70s.
His biggest contribution to DC might have been drawing the original version of the Teen Titans. Cardy drew the first issue of the book and also introduced Donna Troy as Wonder Girl, in her original costume.
4 Walt Simonson
Walt Simonson is legendary in the world of comics for his epic run on Thor, the God of Thunder, which introduced some of the best versions of Thor ever. Simonson also drew for the distinguished competition on occasion, including Batman #366, which saw his unique take on the look of the Joker.
Simonson would continue to be a major presence at Marvel through the 80s and 90s, with stints on books like X-Factor and Fantastic Four.
3 Gene Colan
Gene Colan is famous for his work in Marvel Comics as well. He drew well-remembered runs on Daredevil and also the majority of Howard The Duck. Colon left Marvel and became a major force in Batman for much of the early 80s
He drew issues of both Batman and Detective Comics between 1981 and 1986. His style was notable for its use of heavy inks and dark lines, which in some cases went a step further than the work of his predecessors, like Neal Adams.
2 Neal Adams
Neal Adams came in at the end of the Silver Age and redefined Batman for a whole new generation of comic book fans. His realistic photo-real style had a monumental impact on the art of comics that followed. He continued drawing the character well into the Bronze Age.
Arguably his most important work during this period was "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!" in Batman #251 in 1973, which completely revitalized a character that had fallen into disuse. After, Joker became a true threat to Batman.
1 Jim Aparo
Jim Aparo came over to DC Comics from Charlton in the late 1960s. Starting in 1971, Aparo began drawing The Brave And The Bold, the team-up series that paired Batman with other characters from DC. Aparo worked on the title for over ten years.
He penciled and inked all his pages during this period and also contributed covers across all of DC Comics. In the early 80s, co-created and drew the original line-up of the Batman And The Outsiders series.