Batman Illustrated, Vol. 1 [Hardcover]

Neal Adams (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401200419
• ISBN-13: 978-1401200411
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.9 x 10.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NEAL ADAMS IS STILL THE GREATEST, March 7, 2006

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Batman Illustrated, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

Outside of perhaps only Jack Kirby, there is no doubt in my mind that Neal Adams is the most influential comic book artist in the history of the genre. Even now, some thirty plus years after I began reading comic books I can still recall the issue numbers of so many of those classic Neal Adams issues...The battle against the Sentinels in X-men numbers 57 through 59, the Kree-Skrull war and that great cover from Avengers #96, Green Lantern #76, the first issue of his memorable run, etc... While Neal never stayed too long on any one title, he left an unforgettable imprint on every book he worked on, whether it was the socially conscious stories on Green Lantern, or his one issue fill-in on Conan #37. Which brings us to the character the Adams is perhaps most associated with, Batman. In the first of a three volume set, DC Comics is re-printing in chronological order, all of the Batman stories and covers that Adams did. The stories not only will include the Batman and Detective Comics stories, but also stories from World's Finest and The Brave and The Bold.

In fact the first story in this volume comes from Worlds Finest # 175 from 1968. In a story called "The Batman Superman Revenge Squad" two groups of villains plan to take out the pair of heroes as they are engaged in their annual battle of wits. While the story may seem somewhat corny in this day and age Adams always had the ability to bring a story up a few notches by just his style alone and make it seem more serious. This is especially true in a story from Brave & the Bold # 79 as Batman meets Deadman for the first time as Boston Brand is searching for the man who murdered him, and Batman is on the trail of the brother of the man who killed his parents. This is about as grim as it could get in 1968. In another Brave & the Bold story, Batman teams with the Flash against a two-bit hood named Bork who suddenly has gained tremendous strength and total invulnerability. While Batman tries to hold him in check, the Flash races around the world to try and find the source of his new found powers.

In other stories in this volume, Batman teams with The Creeper, Sgt. Rock, The Teen Titans, and Green Arrow in a series of stories that helped take Batman back to his detective roots. One can certainly make the argument the gritty, dark atmosphere of Adams' art helped bring Batman out of the doldrums of the early and mid-1960's. Adams was one of the first artists to truly take a cinematic approach to comic art, using his panels as a camera lens and approaching the action at odd angles and perspectives never seen before in comics. His oddly angled geometric panels with the action bursting outside the borders became an Adams trademark. I honestly cannot wait until the next two volumes, especially to read again the great Batman stories that Neal did with Denny O' Neil in the early 1970's, especially Batman # 237 with that grim reaper cover that still sticks in my mind all these years later.

Adams provides an introduction to the book where he deems himself unworthy of a book with a $50 price tag. I'd say that's chump change compared to the many years and pages of joy and wonder that he has given his legions of fans over the past 40 years. A magnificent edition to add to your library and long overdue! Now I just wish I could get my hands on Superman vs. Muhammad Ali again!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

49 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is what it reprints, August 21, 2004

By 

D. Lowicki (Kenmore, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman Illustrated, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

It reprints all of the Neal Adams stories in chronological order. Volume #1 includes reprints of Batman #200,203,210, Brave and the Bold #75,76,79-85, Detective Comics #370,372,385,389,391,392, and World's Finest #174-176,178-180,182-183,185,186.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little pricey, but a decent collection of Batman stories, January 5, 2004

By 

Mark Twain "Sam" (Lavtaria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman Illustrated, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

It's the character that made Neal Adams a hot artist among the comic book fans & community. With Carmine Infantino and Irv Novick, Adams is one of the first artists to bring the Batman back as the dark knight avenger of crime.
It's interesting to see Adams early attempts at drawing him in World's Finest comics during the TV Batmania craze. The first two issues show him as an adventurous carefree individual. While the character poses look awkward and page composition a little inconsistent, Adams illustrative style is an eye opener; there was nothing quite like it at the time.
Things start to change when reading the Brave and the Bold issues. Batman comes out into the night more often; he mostly works alone now. Adams is getting better; The changes are small, but you get to see improvements in the stories. The characters look better, pacing and layouts are smoother.
Half of this book has been recolored and retouched by Continuity Studios. The new coloring may look amazing, but I've seen the originals to some of these stories and they were done quite well despite the technical limitations at DC during that time. The retouching was not necessary, like making Batman's ears longer for example, don't look that great. Thankfully it's not very distracting.
The reproduction of the artwork is ok. Adams did good job of giving quality prints in the first half; the reproduction of the work there is top notch I can't say the same for the other half. A lot of the details are missing in the artwork & the lines looking a little heavy in some parts.
While it's not as great as the Deadman Collection, Batman Hardcover should make some Neal Adams fans happy.