Customer Reviews

The Batcave Companion

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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.

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.

A wonderful book - as are most from Two Morrows - and highly recommended for all lovers of the The Dark Knight of the late 1960s and early 1970s when Neal Adams was king.

On the brink of cancellation in 1963, Batman was rescued by a comic book artist who gave the caped crusader a new look and multimedia stardom. The stories behind Batman's rise, fall, and resurrection are told in THE BATCAVE COMPANION, with essays, issue-by-issue indexes, and commentary by two artists responsible for Batman's fame and fortunes making for an outstanding survey for any graphic novel or cartoon history collection. Black and white illustrations throughout bring the Batman history to life.

Contrary to what the title may imply, this new book from TwoMorrow's Publishing isn't a guide to Batman's secret lair but rather an exhaustive look at Batman comic books of the 1960s and 1970s. We may find it hard to believe today but in the early 60s, the Batman comic titles were on the brink of cancellation. Sales of Batman and Detective Comics had declined to the point where they were given just one last chance to survive. This book takes a look at how Batman had fallen to such near-fatal depths and how the titles were eventually rescued.

Michael Eury, a renowned comic book historian and editor of "Back Issue" Magazine and his partner Michael Kronenberg guide readers through this tumultuous period in the Dark Knight's career. Batman was on the verge of cancellation due to years of poorly conceived stories involving monsters and aliens. As noted, the editor at the time, Jack Schiff, became the scapecoat although Schiff insists the monster stories were mandated by his boss, Mort Weisinger. The titles would be handed over to Julius Schwartz who was given six months to turn the titles around.

The book features recent interviews with many of the talents that helped turn the franchise around including artists Carmine Infantino and Neal Adams, and writer Denny O'Neil. The turnaround came with a redesigned look to the Batman but also to the Batcave and Batmobile. Everything was modernized. Infantino didn't just stop there but produced some of the most dynamic covers of the period including the re-introduction of the Riddler in Batman #171 in 1965.

One of the revelations in the book is just how little involvement Bob Kane had with his creation. While Kane was given issue credits, the art and stories were often written by others. In Fact, it was writer Bill Finger who wrote many of the Batman stories. Finger said it was he who had designed many of Batman's distinguishing costume characteristics including the bat ears on the cowl and the bat-winged gloves. Finger also stated he created characters such as The Joker, Catwoman, Penguin and others. This set off a firestorm of controversy in the mid-1960s. An open letter written by Bob Kane is reprinted that tries to refute Finger's claims. What can't be refuted is how artists like Jerry Robinson and Sheldon Moldoff actually drew the stories while Kane was given credit. In the Infantio interview, Carmine can barely control his disdain for Kane.

In all the book contains 26 chapters that take a look at this era from every angle. Chapter 17 takes a look at the Joker's return to being a homicidal maniac courtesy of Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams in 1973. There is a chapter on how horror influenced Batman stories of the time and a chapter devoted to the creation of Ra's Al Ghul, one of his greatest foes. Many people consider Neal Adams to be the definitive Batman artist and in a 2003 interview with Kronenberg, Adams talks about his approach to Batman's look and some of the stories he worked on.

Finally, the book wraps up with a complete index to every Batman and Detective Comics issue from 1969- 1979, noting the release date, writer and artist credits, story title, synopsis, and key notes about the issue.

The Batcave Companion is impeccably researched and overwhelmingly informative. Were it not for this era of Batman comics, we might never have the recent blockbuster motion pictures. This was the era that defined, or redefined the Batman character for the next several decades.

For the Bat-Fan, this text is incredible. Filled with memorable quotes and bat-history, Mr. Eury's research is his opus to the Caped Crusader's history. The index is invaluable alone for helping me recognize the issues and stories I've missed in the Darknight Detective's Silver Age.

One wonderful thing about this book--is that it brought me awareness of the sixties Batman newspaper strip by Joe Giella and others. It would be great if those sixties Bat-stories would be collected into a trade paperback. Though it's not shown in the Batcave Companion, I did get a kick out of seeing Catwoman dressed in prison strips and high heels at the same time.

I do have to confess that I would have liked to have seen the text's suggestion that Ann Margaret play Poison Ivy. That would have been an interesting appearance indeed.

A great book! I look forward to more of Mr. Eury's work.

JThree

I breezed through the pages of The Batcave Companion and that was enough to get me to purchase it. It's not the type of book that fixates on Batman's definitive or multiple origins; his stats; in-depth rogues gallery; modern trade paperbacks you ought to purchase, etc. Instead, this book goes behind the curtain to look at the people who shaped the Dark Knight during his most definitive periods. There's a fine balance between the attention given to the creators and to the superhero icon they worked with. More recent creative teams contend with Batman as the legend; however, the folks covered here more or less MADE the legend on panel and on television.

This book is the definitive look at Batman in the Silver and Bronze ages. Through use of interviews with the writers, artists and editors of the comics, critical reviews of the comics, and complete checklists for each and every comic, it presents a complete picture of the Batman phenomenon of the '60s and '70s. Lots of great artwork, too. First class package. If you're a fan of Batman, this book belongs on your shelf.