With the meteoric rise in popularity of platforms like NBA Top Shot and Nifty Gateway, and artists like BossLogic auctioning off his Avengers fan art for thousands of dollars, it should come as no surprise that companies like DC Comics are getting in on the NFT craze with the launch of new Batman Black and White digital statues. The new offerings are inspired by the artwork of Jim Lee, Darwin Cooke, Gary Frank, and Jae Lee, and went on sale on March 11th on the VeVe App.
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The new wave of art NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, is possible because of blockchain technology that powers cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Etherium. While anyone can produce and copy an image on the internet, whether those files are .JPGs or .GIFs or myriad other compressions, the NFT technology cannot be reproduced or replicated; this gives digital art a sense of proprietary ownership inherent to physical art. Usually, they are created in a limited amount and carry value based on the demand of the item.
However, NFT’s are a cause of serious ethical concerns due to their impact on the environment. Blockchain currencies like Bitcoin and Etherium are frequently criticized due to the amount of power they require from servers to compute their complex programs. Transactions for each sale of NFT require a lot of energy consumption, and many artists have criticized the current trend due to the negative impacts on the environment as climate change concerns continue to remain a major issue among many people.
While cryptocurrency technology continues to advance, concerns about energy usage have yet to be addressed in popular models such as Bitcoin and Etherium. DC Comics did not comment on these issues when ComicBook.com asked.
The specific NFT digital statues being offered in the Batman Black and White line are: #79 Jim Lee’s Nightwing, #57 Jae Lee’s Batman, #55 Gary Frank’s Batman, and #42 Jae Lee’s Batman.
Fans can collect them by downloading the VeVe app to make a purchase of the limited NFTs.
