Customer Reviews

Batman: Secrets of the Batcave

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Since there is currently very little information about this graphic novel on Amazon, and some of what they listed is incorrect, I copied the back cover and table of contents below.

BACK COVER:

A GIANT PENNY! A ROBOT DINOSAUR! A MUMMY CASE! WHERE DOES HE GET THOSE WONDERFUL TOYS?

LOCATED UNDER BRUCE WAYNE'S MANSION, THE BATCAVE HAS SERVED AS BATMAN'S BASE OF OPERATIONS SINCE THE BEGINNING OF HIS CAREER. Originally just a storage area, over the years the hidden cavern has evolved into a crime lab, armory, training grounds and museum. Very few know its location and even fewer are invited to enter. Now, some of the most significant stories to come out of the secret sanctuary, and the tales behind the Dark Knight's most prized trophies, are revealed in the collection of tales from the Golden Age to present.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

TROPHIES OF THE BATCAVE

6 BROTHERS IN CRIME
Originally presented in Batman #12, Aug/Sept 1942
Writer: Don Cameron Artist: Jerry Robinson

19 THE PENNY PLUNDERS
Originally presented in World's Finest Comics #30, Sept/Oct 1947
Writer: Bill Finger Penciller: Bob Kane Inker: Jack Burnley

32 DINOSAUR ISLAND
Originally presented in World's Finest Comics #35, Jun/Jul 1946
Writer: Bill Finger Penciller: Bob Kane Inker: Ray Burnley

45 THE THOUSAND AND ONE TROPHIES OF BATMAN
Originally presented in Detective Comics #158, Apr 1950
Writer: Edmond Hamiltion Penciller: Bob Kane Inker: Charles Paris

57 THE MAN BEHIND THE RED HOOD
Originally presented in Detective Comics #168, Feb 1951
Writer: Bill Finger Penciller: Lew Sayre Schwartz Inker: George Roussos

70 THE FLYING BATCAVE
Originally presented in Detective Comics #186, Aug 1952
Writer: David Vern Reed Penciller: Lew Sayre Schwartz Inker: Charles Paris

82 THE FIRST BATMAN
Originally presented in Detective Comics #235, Sept 1956
Writer: Bill Finger Penciller: Lew Sayre Schwartz Inker: Charles Paris

92 THE 100 BATARANGS OF BATMAN
Originally presented in Detective Comics #244, Jun 1957
Writer: Bill Finger Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff Inker: Charles Paris

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE BATCAVE

105 THE ORIGIN OF THE BATCAVE
Originally presented in Detective Comics #205, Mar 1954
Writer: Bill Finger Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff Inker: Charles Paris

117 THE MAN WHO FALLS
Originally presented in Secret Origins of the World's Greatest Super-Heroes, 1989
Writer: Denny O'Neil Artist: Dick Giordano

TALES FROM THE BATCAVE

133 THE 1,000 SECRETS OF THE BATCAVE
Originally presented in Batman #48, Aug/Sep 1948
Writer: Bill Finger Artist: Jim Mooney

146 THE BATMAN DIME-MUSEUM
Originally presented in Detective Comics #223, Sept 1955
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff Inker: Stan Kaye

158 PRISONERS OF THE BATCAVE
Originally presented in Batman #108, Jun 1957
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff Inker: Charles Paris

166 SHADOW PLAY
Originally presented in Batman #348, Jun 1982
Writer: Gerry Conway Penciller: Gene Colan Inker: Klaus Janson

181 INTERLUDE ON EARTH-TWO
Originally presented in Batman #348, Jun 1982
Writer: Alan Brennert Artist: Jim Aparo

202 INSIDE THE BATCAVE
Originally presented in Bizarro Comics, 2001
Writer Paul Pope Artist: Jay Stephens

5 BATCAVE IN THE 40S & 50S
44 BATCAVE IN THE 60S
104 BATCAVE IN THE 70S
145 BATCAVE IN THE 80S
164 BATCAVE IN THE 90S
200 BATCAVE IN THE PRESENT

This is a BEST OF THE BATCAVE ISSUES collection.Not the book described above in the editorial review of this product.This book contains many BATMAN stories from the 1940's,'50's and onward. Includes diagrams of THE BATCAVE in each decade of BATMAN's existence.It's an enjoyable, nostalgic look back at BATMAN AND ROBIN and how the artifacts they have collected over the years in the BATCAVE got there.Have you ever wondered where that giant penny came from? How about the Tyrannosaurus?
It's all within these pages. Not a bad price for so many stories, either.

This is a great anthology with excellent stories and inserted cross sections of the Batcave from the 1940s to the present. Some of the stories overlap with stories reprinted in the "Batman in the 40s," "Batman in the 50s," and "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" anthologies. However, my only complaint is with the inclusion of "The Man Behind the Red Hood," the classic story from 1951 that gives the Joker an interesting back story. Not only is this story included in two of the aforementioned anthologies, but also it is not directly connected to the Batcave. Instead of this story, it would have been nice to get a story from the unrepresented 90s. Chuck Dixon's 1992 story "The Dragon" would have been a good choice, as it features Harold's extensive exploration of the cave. This issue aside, "Secrets of the Batcave" is an intriguing look at Batman's headquarters!

If u want to know about the bat cave and it toys then this is the book form for you. It has great old time story on how the bat get the toys that r in the cave.

Provides stories on many of the trophies found in the Batcave, including the giant penny and the robotic dinosaur. Good read for fans wishing to learn history of the batcave.

The Giant Penny. The Mechanical Dinosaur. The Joker's Playing Card. Batman never seems to be the sentimental type, but he has kept these three trophies for so long that any image of the Batcave would seem incomplete without them. But what is their history? Where do they come from?

These are the questions answered by "Secrets of the Batcave," one of the most interesting and fun collections that I have read for a long time. Even though I have been a Batman reader for a long time, I never realized how ignorant I was of the back-stories behind his famous souvenirs. I had always assumed the giant penny had something to do with Two-Face, and not some forgotten punk called Joe Coyne who appeared once in "The Penny Plunderers" and then never again. And I didn't know that the mechanical dinosaur used to be a brontosaurus.

Collected here are most of the original stories behind the Batcave's collection. The Giant Penny from "World's Finest" #30 (1947). The mechanical dinosaur from "Batman" #35 (1946). Thomas Wayne's original Bat-Man costume from "Detective Comics" #235 (1956) and the Joker's original Red Hood costume from "Detective Comics" #168 (1951). (I didn't get how the Red Hood story was connected at first, but looking closer at the pictures of the Batcave through the decade I see it has been on display for a long time.) Noticeably missing is the origin of the giant Joker's Playing Card. Possibly that one never appeared in a story, and is just there to represent the Joker.

Just as interesting is the evolution of the Batcave itself. Batman's subterranean lair went from being a cavern underneath some property he just happened to buy ("The Origin of the Batcave"; "Detective Comics" #205, 1954)) , to a childhood haunt where he was terrified for the first time by the bats that would later inspire him ("The Man Who Falls"; "Secret Origins of the World's Greatest Superheroes" (`1989)). The Batcave has vastly grown in size, from looking like something little more than an underground garage to a cavernous domain where Batman can walk for miles. And it even once flew! ("The Flying Batcave"; "Detective Comics" #186, (1952)).

Most of the stories are reprinted from the 40s &50s, which is all good for me because I love Golden Age stories, but might throw off modern readers. They could have done a little better with the balance; some of the stories involve the Batcave just aren't that great and a few more modern tales would have been appreciated. But all in all this is a great collection with some interesting slices of history for the ongoing Batman mythology.

This book is has all the original stories showing where and how the Batman came across all those things he has in his batcave, The giant Penny, The T-Rex and all other Batcave secrets.