Batman Cover to Cover: The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight [Hardcover]

Frank Miller (Illustrator), Jim Lee (Illustrator), Tim Sale (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

Over 250 of the greatest Batman comic covers of all time, showcasing the worlds most recognizable character. See how he has been interpreted by the greatest creators in all comic-book history. Watch him on his own, paired with Robin the Boy Wonder, pitted against the Joker, Catwoman and his other enemies and caught in one perilous death trap after another. Special features include a look at how covers are created, the evolution of the Batman logo and Batman covers from around the world. A must-have for all pop culture, graphic design, comic-book and Batman fans, BATMAN: COVER TO COVER is the definitive guide to the most memorable comic covers of all time. Picking their favorites are Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan, televisions first Batman Adam West, and the voice of the animated Joker, Star Wars Mark Hamill.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This dazzling collection of pop-art miniposters spans six decades of readers' fascination with the costumed hero. The editors selected roughly 250 from among the more than 2,000 covers done for Batman-themed publications. Batman has huge advantages as a graphic image. For one, the character has wonderfully dramatic looks—a swirling cloak, an inhuman mask and a grimly clenched don't-mess-with-me jaw. He also lends himself to strikingly lit, foreboding night settings. Regardless of what a particular story is about, he's always been a comics artist's dream subject. Consequently, though the book is organized loosely according to subjects, such as "Fearsome Foes" and "The Batman Family," it also takes pains to include examples of covers from different eras, featuring interviews with some of the artists who created the covers. Famous comics and media people from Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan to actor Mark Hamill also get to choose a favorite cover and explain briefly why they chose it. Fortunately, the editors have resisted the temptation to print a huge number of covers reduced to matchbook size, so these selections are large enough to appreciate. From Brian Bolland's hyper-detailed realism to Alex Toth's b&w minimalist rendering, this book does a good job of showing how much fun artists have had designing this comic book icon. (May)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics; First Edition edition (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140120659X
• ISBN-13: 978-1401206598
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 0.9 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book!! A Tribute To The Dark Knight!!!, May 25, 2005

By 

Karen "KYLAAMIR" (Union, New Jersey, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman Cover to Cover: The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight (Hardcover)

I just recently received this book,and I can tell you it is well worth having. True, there are definitely some covers that are missing (in my opinion all of Jim Lee's covers should have been here from the Hush series. OUTSTANDING!!!) A beautifully done book to add to your Batman collection. This book does not cover all of Batman's many comic book covers, but this was not to be expected. Instead they point out some of his most daring and bold covers. Batman has had the benefit of being drawn by some of the greatest comic book artist ever. I beleive you will find it truly amazing how each one has their own distinctive style on creating the Dark Knight. So make sure you own this one. You won't be sorry. Hey, maybe they'll make a volume 2.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Does Batman Justice, October 15, 2008

By 

Paul Polonskiy "Watching the Watchmen" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman Cover to Cover: The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight (Hardcover)

It was so cool reading this book and seeing so many of my favorite covers being reprinted and having all the numerous people who were essential to Batman (Dennis O'Neil, Christopher Nolan, Mark Hamil, Adam West, Jeph Loeb, etc.) talk about their favorite covers. It really took me back seeing some of them, and reminded me why I love Batman so much. The covers are great, and the reprinting if pretty high quality with a few that could have been better. Overall, I am incredibly satisfied with this book and will definitely look over it many a time to see all of the great covers. Five stars is not enough to convey my appreciation for this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's about time, for someone like Batman, May 13, 2005

By 

Steven Bailey "KilSB" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman Cover to Cover: The Greatest Comic Book Covers of the Dark Knight (Hardcover)

Well first, it's Batman; that might be enough reason to buy it, even for the price. (I'm a collector anyway, so what's some bucks?) Anyway, it features a number of cool and "forgotten" covers done over the 65+ years of Batman being in comics. I was even surprised some of the covers of War Games got in, really nice. There are some well-written commentaries too, by artists and editors and the like, and what cover they picked.

The cover of the book itself is great. I thought it was just a hardbound book; it turns out, the dust jacket reveals some more to it. I was in awe when I opened it, well done.

My only rant, not all of the covers I wished to be there was not there. Well, that's how it is. Tec#700 and Strange Apparitons, I think, should've been in the list. Well, all in all if you have the money and would really have something to keep for a number of years, get this. Well, if not, I hope you can browse through it when you get a chance. It would be great.