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geekwayne's review
4.0
'Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City' is edited by Dennis O'Neil which should give lie to the "unauthorized" part of this title. It may not have the blessing of DC Comics, but it's edited by a Batman legend.
It's a series of essays and criticisms about the Caped Crusader. I found it much better than a similar one I've recently read about Superman, but I am biased towards the character. The essays include an argument in favor of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which left most fans wondering what happened. There is an essay on what the true cost of being Batman would be (including time spent in forensics and martial arts classes). It turns out you really would need to be a billionaire to pull it off. There is an essay about the murky origins of Batman and how we've heard one story, but there is much more to who is owed credit. The wacky stories of Batman in the 1950s are defended and praised in 'Batman in Outer Space.' And we learn that we get the Batman we deserve, as we look at how the character evolves with the times he lives in.
Most Bat-related things are discussed, but I would have liked a bit more on the really fine animated series. Since the book was writing about 10 years ago, only the first Christopher Nolan work is discussed. It's also nice that nobody came to the defense of the truly dreadful Joel Schumacher Batman films. This book would have lost a star or two if anyone had defended them.
I received a review copy of this ebook from BenBella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
It's a series of essays and criticisms about the Caped Crusader. I found it much better than a similar one I've recently read about Superman, but I am biased towards the character. The essays include an argument in favor of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which left most fans wondering what happened. There is an essay on what the true cost of being Batman would be (including time spent in forensics and martial arts classes). It turns out you really would need to be a billionaire to pull it off. There is an essay about the murky origins of Batman and how we've heard one story, but there is much more to who is owed credit. The wacky stories of Batman in the 1950s are defended and praised in 'Batman in Outer Space.' And we learn that we get the Batman we deserve, as we look at how the character evolves with the times he lives in.
Most Bat-related things are discussed, but I would have liked a bit more on the really fine animated series. Since the book was writing about 10 years ago, only the first Christopher Nolan work is discussed. It's also nice that nobody came to the defense of the truly dreadful Joel Schumacher Batman films. This book would have lost a star or two if anyone had defended them.
I received a review copy of this ebook from BenBella Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
popdetective's review
3.0
Wish the articles were more critical of the Batman mythology overall but there were a couple gems in this collection.
seanwpace's review
5.0
A very interesting, and often fun look into what makes Batman so interesting to so many people. A lot of great analysis and speculation about the various worlds that the character has inhabited. Recommended for any fan of Batman.
jakewritesbooks's review
4.0
Read this to prep myself for "The Dark Knight." Decent collection of essays on the Batman mythos, definitely some insight into things I did not know. Worth a read if your a Batman fan.
libra17's review
4.0
One of my favorite things about comics - especially the longrunners, like Batman - is that there is room for just about any and every interpretation of the characters and that so much has been done that it's pretty easy to pick and choose what you want to read/watch/interact with while ignoring the stuff you don't like. If you don't like a particular interpretation of a character, you just ignore the media that has that interpretation. For example, if you prefer dark, gritty, noir Gotham, then feel free to ignore the Silver Age entirely, and if you like silliness and camp, feel free to ignore the 80s onward, and so on.
Batman Unauthorized was a book with different essays on different interpretations of Batman throughout his 75+ year existence. A wide range of topics were covered from the world of Gotham, to character interpretations in general and in specific ages, to how the world of Batman influences and is influenced by the real world. I didn't agree with all of it - the case for Miller's interpretation of Batman and Gotham was interesting, but it will never make me agree that it's "right" or that I should like his comics - but it was worth the read. This was a very interesting book and I'm happy to have stumbled across it.
Batman Unauthorized was a book with different essays on different interpretations of Batman throughout his 75+ year existence. A wide range of topics were covered from the world of Gotham, to character interpretations in general and in specific ages, to how the world of Batman influences and is influenced by the real world. I didn't agree with all of it - the case for Miller's interpretation of Batman and Gotham was interesting, but it will never make me agree that it's "right" or that I should like his comics - but it was worth the read. This was a very interesting book and I'm happy to have stumbled across it.
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