After Nick Chubb saw "The Batman" movie last year, the Browns four-time Pro Bowl running back armed his utility belt with a new idea.
A monologue delivered by Batman actor Robert Pattinson late in the film motivated Chubb to write his own speech for a hype video he and one of his close friends, Nate Jones, had envisioned.
"We took that and ran with it," Chubb told the Beacon Journal.
It turns out the man many consider the NFL's best pure ball carrier — and the ultimate strong, silent type — has the ability to tap into a creative side, especially when his favorite superhero is involved.
The hype video posted on Chubb's Instagram profile two days before the 2022 season opener includes footage of him training at his alma mater of Cedartown High School in Georgia interspersed with Browns highlights and comic book-style artwork.
The video has received more than 68,000 likes on Instagram, and the positive feedback prompted Chubb and Jones to collaborate on the weekly release of comic book-themed art throughout last season.
For the second consecutive Browns season, a collection of artwork known as Sunday Knight Comic will be unveiled and sold online.
This time, there will be one comic produced each month instead of one every week, Jones said in a recent phone interview, and another video is in the works to unveil the first piece of art of 2023 before the Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday's season opener.
The Sunday Knight Comic illustrations depict Chubb as Batman battling villains based on the mascots of Browns opponents. They're printed on posters and hoodies, both of which can be found on SundayKnightComic.com .
"It's fun, for sure," Chubb said. "I mean, everybody loves Batman, and I kind of make that my identity here. It works for me and Cleveland — the dark, gloomy city it is."
Chubb and Jones bonded while the latter served as a student assistant running backs coach at the University of Georgia when Chubb was a Bulldogs freshman.
Later, Jones got out of the coaching business and started a media company.
So when Chubb sought to connect with football and Batman fans through a hype video, he enlisted Jones. And Jones brought videographer and producer Randy Olson into the fold for the project.
"Nick gets hit up by every talented person in America to do work with him," said Jones, who was raised in Gainesville, Georgia. "But he is so loyal to his friends and his hometown people and the city of Cedartown and his friends from Georgia that he loves sharing his success with the people that mean the most to him."
One of the reasons Chubb , 27, and Jones, 31, grew close is because they possess an affinity for the Dark Knight.
"The only toys that I had growing up were Batman toys," Jones said, "so we both have this weird obsession with Batman."
Last year, Chubb , Jones and some of their friends visited a movie theater together to watch "The Batman." Chubb and Jones left the theater discussing how they wanted to feature a Pattinson-esque monologue in the hype video .
"We were like, 'Dang, that gave us chill bumps!'" Jones said. "And [Chubb] was like, 'I've got to recreate that for the video.'
"We walked away, and it was like, 'That's it! We need a monologue from Nick talking in the tone of Batman, using some workout clips and some comics.' So that's what we built."
Another breakthrough occurred when Olson found an artist, Ezequiel Rubio Lancho, through Instagram to create the Sunday Knight Comic images. Rubio Lancho lives in Spain, but he communicated with Jones, Olson and occasionally Chubb through direct messages to bring their imaginations to life.
"[Chubb] wanted to make it about the people of Cleveland and get them excited through his story and his obsession with Batman," Jones said. "... We would explain in detail our vision, and [Rubio Lancho] would come up with it.
"I would talk to Uber drivers when I came and stayed with Nick and would go to [Browns] games and ask Uber drivers what the most iconic Cleveland symbols were. So in each poster, we kind of built in different subtle shout-outs to the city through conversations with Uber drivers and people that I know in the city."
Chubb provided input at times and approved each installment of Sunday Knight Comic before it went public.
"There were certain things that Nick had opinions about," Jones said. "He really likes Zeus. So Week 5 when we played the Chargers , that artwork of Zeus spiking the thunderbolts on Nick's Batman character was inspired by him."
Operating Sunday Knight Comic "was more of a hobby than it was a full-time job," Jones said, and it netted less than $1,000 for the entire season.
Chubb noted "winning would help" sales. Because he is the epitome of a team-first player who's focused on the Browns emerging victorious, Chubb was reluctant to promote Sunday Knight Comic on social media during the week of a loss.
When times are good, though, Chubb relishes opportunities to remind fans about his passion for Batman, something he's learned he has in common with many of them.
"I do enjoy it just because it's something I'm really interested in — my love for Batman — so it makes it easier for me to be all in," Chubb said. "I mean, Nate tells me to post stuff [on social media] all the time. I don't really do it, just because it's not who I am, but it definitely makes it easier for me."
A few years ago, Browns offensive right tackle Jack Conklin revealed he had begun broaching the subject of Batman with Chubb in an attempt to lure the introverted star out of his shell. Since then, Conklin has been delighted to see Chubb's enthusiasm for the Caped Crusader catch on with the Cleveland fan base.
"He is a quieter guy, and it's cool to see him find his way of connecting," Conklin said. "He doesn't have to go out of his way to act like something different. He's his own person.
"Above all, he's a great person. We all know what type player he is. He's a generational player. It's awesome to see him stick to who he is and be who he is."
The theme of the speech Chubb wrote for the 2022 hype video is centered on Browns fans — and the elite runner they adore — being fed up with losing.
"Five years in with nothing to show for it really has me questioning everything," Chubb , a 2018 second-round draft pick (No. 35 overall) of the Browns, said in the video. "Have I done enough? I still feel like I can do a lot more. I'm finally starting to understand now. My only goal is to protect the people of Cleveland and lay everything down on the line for my teammates.
"No one else is coming to save us, but everyone is out to destroy us. But no more of that — no more bad luck, no more mistakes, no more embarrassments, no more excuses. If you aren't with us, you're against us."
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With the Browns coming off a record of 7-10 , Chubb's message is just as relevant now as it was a year ago. A new season will rise from the ashes when the Bengals visit Cleveland Browns Stadium for Week 1.
"More than anything in the world, he loves the people in Cleveland," Jones said. "He loves the fans.
"He doesn't say much to the media, so anything that he can do to give [fans] excitement and joy and share the same passions with them that he has, he wants to do it."
Chubb's legacy as a Cleveland sports hero will only continue grow if he can help the Browns achieve the level of success he craves.
Nick Chubb is a fixture at high school: How Nick Chubb remaining 'one of the guys' at his alma mater in Cedartown, Georgia, keeps him ready for Browns season
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Nick Chubb connects with Browns fans through comic book art
