The Batcave Companion (TPB)

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The Batcave Companion (TPB)

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An examination of the New Look (1964-69) and Bronze Age (1970-79) Batman and Detective Comics. Loaded with a wealth of behind the scenes stories, facts, photos and artwork, this sheds light on even the most obscure Bat-facts. Interviews with Batman artists and editors like Neal Adams, Carmine Infantino and Archie Goodwin discuss the iimpact of the Batman TV show and the long-overdue redesign of the character, from the goofy Bob Kane version, locked into 1950s mentality and, yes, aliens bad-guys. DC put it's finest creative team on the job, straight off beloved runs on Adam Strange and Strange Adventures, to reinvent the Dark Avenger and debut the drop-dead gorgeous BatGirl. Includes exhaustive indexes of Batman's foes and friends as well as an issue-by-issue overview. Introduction by Dennis O'Neil. Guest Essays by Mike W. Barr and Will Murray. --

The writer/editor of the critically acclaimed The Krypton Companion and the designer of the eye-popping Spies, Vixens, and Masters of Kung Fu: The Art of Paul Gulacy team up to investigate the Silver and Bronze Ages of Batman comic books in The Batcave Companion! Two distinct sections of this book follow the Dark Knight's progression from his campy "New Look" of the mid-1960s to his "creature of the night" reinvention of the 1970s, through art-jammed interviews with and examinations of the work of Carmine Infantino, Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Len Wein, Steve Englehart, Elliot S! Maggin, Walter Simonson, Jim Aparo, Irv Novick and other fan favorites. -- Amazon.com customer reviews: This is a thoroughly researched Bat Book focusing on the 1960s and 1970s era, jam-packed with comics and archival photos, and presented in painstaking detail by the authors. There's something here for everyone -- history, artist interviews, and story analysis. The format and visuals make it easy to jump in and read in short bursts. But the narrative thread is strong throughout, which makes this compelling cover-to-cover reading for Bat-amateurs and die-hard fans alike. -- This is without a doubt, one of the best Bat-Books out there. Authors Kronenberg and Eury have done an incredibly detailed job of covering two important periods of the Batman mythos. Back in 1963 when the character's books were on the verge of cancellation, Editor Julius Schwartz was given the task of rescuing the Dynamic Duo. Which, he did, with the help of several amazingly talented artists and writers. They were reponsible for giving the Caped Crusaders the identity that ultimately skyrocketed them into multimedia mega-stardom. Then in the next decade when the character was in need of yet another make-over, the talented Mr. Schwartz, with yet another legendary team of creators, returned the hero to his darker crime fighting roots,...from whence the incredibly popular Dark Knight of today was born. This is a profusely illustrated and incredibly researched tome that includes interviews and anecdotes from creators of that era as well as those of today. The indexes and rogues galleries alone are worth the price of admission. The layout and design of the book is clear and catchy. Any Bat fan worth their salt would be proud to display this beautifully created book on their shelf. --