Customer Reviews

Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...a whole lot you don't! I almost gave this book three stars due to it being (slightly) disappointingly dry, but added the extra one just for the sheer AMOUNT of detail in the book.

Really, it is too much, though. Admittedly, I haven't read it from cover to cover yet, but then again, I don't think I've ever read a text book from cover to cover. And that's what a lot of this is. Granted, the device of using the idea of "becoming Batman" is a great hook and one that I think can keep true fans (of Batman AND biology) on the line. And even though the focus of the book is on the effect of extensive training and the consequences of living the life of The Bat, Zehr does touch on TYPES of training Batman would most likely be realistically engaged in.

The book contains five Parts and a total of 16 Chapters. Since there is no "Look Inside" for this book yet, I've listed these below:

Part 1 - Bat-Building Blocks
Chapter 1 - The "Before" Batman: How Buff was Bruce?
Chapter 2 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: Bruce's Twin Brother, and the Human Genome
Chapter 3 - The Stress of Life: Holy Hormones, Batman!

Part 2 - Basic Batbody Training
Chapter 4 - Gaining Strength and Power: Does the Bat That Flies the
Fastest or the Highest Get the Worm?
Chapter 5 - Building the Batbones: Brittle is Bad, But is Bigger Better?
Chapter 6 - Batmetabolism: What's for Dinner on the Dark Knight Diet?

Part 3 - Training the Batbrain
Chapter 7 - From Bruce Wayne to Bruce Lee: Mastering Martial Moves in the Batcave
Chapter 8 - Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting: But What Was Batman Doing?
Chapter 9 - The Caped Crusader in Combat: Can You Kayo Without Killing?

Part 4 - Batman In Action
Chapter 10 - Batman Bashes and Is Bashed by Bad Boys (and Girls): What can he break without getting broken?
Chapter 11 - Hardening the Batbody: Can sticks and stones break his bones?
Chapter 12 - Gotham by Twilight: Working the Night Shift

Part 5 - A Mixed Bag
Chapter 13 - Injury and Recovery: How much Banging Until the Batback Goes Bonk?
Chapter 14 - Battle of the Bats: Could Batgirl Beat Batman?
Chapter 15 - The Aging Avenger: Could the Caped Crusader Become the Caped Codger?
Chapter 16 - The Reign of the Bat: Can You Really Become Batman and Remain Batman?

APPENDIX
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

Now don't let these zippy and fun chapter titles fool you. If you get this book you're in for some serious science. There's a lot of molecular biology, chemistry and good ol' fashioned science text book jargon. I'm not sure if the average person who is interested in "Becoming Batman" needs, or even wants, to know how the Cortical bone is made up of Osteon which apparently has something to do with the Haversian canal, but it's all in figure 5.1 on page 68 if you DO need it. I get the feeling the scientist in Batman would love this book.

Or, you could just pop in your "The Dark Knight" dvd again and scarf down some popcorn.

Becoming Batman is an excellent case study in the limits of human performance and will. This book is Great!, it is exactly what you would expect from an expert in science and martial arts. Even more, Zehr's writing demonstrates his joy and curiosity with the subject matter while he thoroughly educates his audience in a fun and engaging manner. This book is truly a journey of scientific discovery to understand what it takes to be a real superhero without superpowers. The depth is impressive; genetics, anatomy, biomechanics...too many to list and all which play a role in becoming Batman. This book challenged me to go beyond a basic view of my comic book superhero and now more than ever I appreciate what it takes to be Batman. Dr. E Paul Zehr attempts to give an educated answer to the question that any fan of Batman has wondered; Can someone actually become Batman? The answer is....???.well get the book I highly recommend it.

I love books that take topics that interest me and examine the science in them. This book is not, as I assumed, a prescriptive on how to become Batman but more a treatise on the feasibility of becoming Batman. Could a man really train and then operate in the way Batman is depicted in the comics and movies?

Dr. Zehr comes to the topic with suitable expertise. Not only is he a professor of neuroscience and kinesiology, but he has multiple blackbelts and more than 25 years of experience in the martial arts. If you are interested in the details of science, you will like this book. If a chapter on how metabolism works isn't your thing, you should probably give this book a miss.

The initial chapters look at the building blocks, for example, what kind of genes would Bruce Wayne have needed to inherit to feasibly become Batman? From there it moves into the training. Would Batman be more interested in strength or power? and what kind of training would be suitable for each? What kind of martial arts should he study? How much training is necessary to become an expert?

The last part of the book looks at the realities of operating as Batman, specifically the impact or repeated stress and injury to the body. How long could Batman operate?

I expected the book to spend more time on the types of things Batman does (i.e. swinging from buildings) - but that is a topic that is well covered in James Kakalios' Physics of Superheroes.

Although I felt that the narrative needed more energy, I did enjoy this book. Dr. Zehr did his research. He knows the science and he knows the character. If you've ever been curious about the possibilities of being a superhero, give this book a try.

Interestingly, there was material in the book that is directly applicable to my job. I can't wait to use this title as a reference, when the subject comes up!

Every child who has donned a cape and ran around the backyard has been asking the question, "Could I be a superhero?" Dr. Zehr answers this question with his detailed analysis of the possibility of becoming a superhero in Becoming Batman.

One of my earliest memories involving Batman occurred when I transformed into the Dark Knight for a kindergarten Halloween party. As I ran around in that "Adam West" style costume, one of the teachers remarked that my eyes were "perfect" for the mask. That level of authentication began a lifelong fascination with everything related to the Dark Knight.

Becoming Batman, however, requires more than simply donning the right type of suit.

Zehr, whose academic credentials trace from an undergraduate emphasis in kinesiology through a PhD in Neuroscience, brilliantly discusses the potential for someone to actually become a superhero. His writing is witty and informative, striking an appropriate balance between a pure scientific discourse and ample explanations to keep lesser trained readers intrigued. In addition to the neuroscientific development, Zehr infuses the text with historical reference to Batman by comic book and year. Such references are sure to satiate any collector of Batman memorabilia.

The narrative includes salient points about the requisite genetics, training, and realities which would accompany the life of one aspiring to be Batman. Zehr's development of the appropriateness of martial arts training stems from his own lifelong fascination with the martial arts and is a compelling analysis of the rigors which Bruce Wayne would have necessarily been exposed to perform as the Batman. A glance at the author's webpage reveals that his research interests revolve around how the nervous system controls movement - a fact that makes his analysis of the probability of becoming Batman seem plausible.

We see ourselves in the characterization of Batman because he is human, not an alien from another planet or someone who received his prowess by the bite of a radioactive insect. When Batman dons the bat suit the archetypal conquest of good over evil becomes possible. Maybe, such an aspiration is possible for any one of us.

Is there hope for those of us who have donned a costume to actually become Batman? The answer might surprise you - if you have the proper genetics; passionately seek your goal; and have enough time and money.

See more about Dr. E. Paul Zehr at [...]

For anyone curious about the feasibility of becoming Batman THIS is the book to read. It's incredibly thorough and considerably enjoyable, considering it's written by a scientist. I admit, there are some parts where you'll probably nod off, such as the complete explanation of nutrition's effect on the body, but overall it's very engrossing for anyone interested in a well-thought-out examination of this topic. I particularly liked Zehr's conclusions about the likely type of martial arts training Bruce Wayne would have chosen, as well as how much training would be necessary for him to perform effectively in high-stress situations. This being said, there were a few flaws that bothered me. For instance Zehr mentions that human genome mapping efforts have identified 150 genes that affect athletic performance, but doesn't identify which ones would have created the kind of outstanding athlete that Batman is supposed to be, nor does he mention possible people in real life who may possess the genetic capability to become Batman (my money would be on Roy Jones Jr.). He also describes how Batman and Batgirl's strengths and weaknesses would match up in a battle against each other that I simply don't find believable. Still, accounting for these flaws I would say every serious Batman/Martial Arts fan should give this book a read, as you'll never find a similar book that is as in-depth.

This book is excruciatingly dry, and oversaturated with health and physiological factoids. This book could have just as easily been a high school physiology text book filled with occasional Batman references. I would normally give this book one star but the author did base this around one of the coolest and most interesting characters ever, granting this one extra star. Save your money and borrow it from someone else.

This is an enjoyable book. I wondered if it was just gong to be a fanboy rhapsodizing about how cool it would be to become Batman, but Dr. Zehr does a good job describing, from a clinical point of view, wheat it would take for a person to become Batman. In a way, it's more a book on physiology and psychology, etc., than it is about comics. Batman is more the backdrop for his discussion.
It's a fun read, though, and the author doesn't go into too much detail. There is a part that I liked toward the start of the book, that compared Batman of the 40s to the Batman of the 70s, to the Batman of today, and shows how much more muscled he's become over the decades.
Interesting and fun stuff. You'll even learn a good deal about how your body works when you read it.

Not exactly what I expected, The book is good but it seems more like "Discussing the science of BatMan" and not so much how to become the BatMan.

Read a few chapters and then lost the book. No loss there; it basically amounts to "You could never be batman, don't bother.". The bit on muscle fibers was interesting, that was only two or three pages though.

It is very in depth, but it is also alot like a text book rather than an easy read.