Customer Reviews

Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (DC Comics)

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This fascinating collection of Batman stories published between 1939 and 1983 is an invaluable goldmine for anyone who is interested in Batman or in the history of comics. There are many books detailing and explaining the history of comics, but it's much more rewarding to actually see it happening, and this book gives you a rare chance to read some classic comics which are by now practically unobtainable and frighteningly valuable. The collection is fascinating both in terms of Batman's history and comics history. On the one hand, it presents some of the most important stories in the development of the character throughout the years - stories like `The Origin of Batman' from 1948, which finally revealed Batman's story in its final version as well as the identity of his parents' killer; `Dr. Hugo Strange and the Mutant Monsters', from the very first issue of Batman, the story that introduced the villain Dr. Strange; and `The First Batman', a classic and often referenced story in which a lot is revealed about Batman's father. But at the same time, you get a rare and precious opportunity to view stories and artwork by some of the finest comic book artists to walk the face of the earth, and explore the development of the medium from the 40s to the 80s. Classic artwork by the great man himself, Bob Kane, is a real treat; stories by some of the great writers like Gardner Fox and Bill Finger; through greats like Dick Sprang, Carmine Infantino, Charles Paris, and up to the great Denny O'Neil, and Neal Adams, Dick Giordano and Archie Goodwin, among others. The later stories show brilliantly how both the art and writing developed to create more original and inventive stories - like `The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne', which suggests a possible future for Batman; `To Kill A Legend', one of the classic Elseworlds tales; and `Death Strikes at Midnight and Three', in which Denny O'Neal and W. M. Rogers take the format to its ends.

Since I'm a huge Batman and DC fan, and also a creator of comics and very much interested in the artwork and format of comics, this book was amazingly valuable to me. I recommended it for anyone who is interested in this great and unappreciated medium, and for anyone who wants to learn something about the Caped Crusader.

This book is really good if you are interested in watching the development of the Batman since his origin in 1939. The almost "film noir" style of the 1930's/ early 40's Batman is actually really cool.
It is actually the fifties and sixties of Batman that are a little campy and cliched, and while I still like the character and the stories of that era, the Batman of the late 70's and 80's is the Batman I grew up with and loved.
This book is a good anthology of a character whose origin and inner psychology have fluctuated a great deal since his first appearance.
Worth the price if you buy a used copy.

Batman is a character with a long history and career. The flavor of the character has changed over the years from grim to goofy and back to grim. He is at times a detective, at times a superhero and at times a science fiction hero. This book, "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" does an admirable job of pulling the best of each incarnation of Batman and presenting them in a single volume. Each story is a well-chosen and enjoyable read.

Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Dick Sprang, Neal Adams, Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers are Dick Giordano are all represented. Each of these creators touched Batman in a permanent way. Noticeably absent are Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One) and Alan Moore/Brian Bolland (The Killing Joke). In the introduction, it is stated that these famous Batman creators are well-represented in other reprint collections and thus were not included in this volume. It is nice to know that they were acknowledged.

Those who were introduced to Batman by the movies and the accompanying 90's rebirth may be disappointed by this volume. It does cover the Batman character as a whole, and not only one phase (Grim and Gritty). Also, the Joker has a companion volume, "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told," so there are few Joker stories included.

I was just reading this last night and became very interested. I read all night long, admiring the fine work. One of my favorites was the one with Powerman. That was a good ending to a great story. I am in the middle of the one where the Scarecrow takes over Batman. Wow, can you say that is a good story or what. Batman truly was the greatest superhero of all time, and he still is. He has kept the magic alive after all of this time. If you are looking at this item, buy it, for it is a very good price, and a very good book.

ALL RIGHT!!! Here it is! Of the 5 decades(6 now) of Batman comics, this has thee best and most important of them! I, for one, have always wanted to see some reprints of the mysteries Batman comics of the 30's and the thrill-packed fun adventures of the 60's, and "Dark Knight Detective" stories of the 70's. This book has the best of them! It sincerely captures the molasses-thick eerie atmosphere of the Batman comics as well as important additions to the mythos and a good overview of all the Batman characters.

This book has the fun, wholesome kind of Batman comics I remember reading and being amazed by as a kid. For maximum enjoyment, I read the comics in the order I wanted (they are printed in chronological order). Also, the book includes a great introduction by Dick Giordano, a foreword, endnotes, and bios of the many artists and writers, with pics of classic Batman covers in the margins. This book is like a DVD! It is a must have for Bat-fans (unless you own every Batman comic ever made).

The gatherers of the stories for this book must have had a very hard time (in fact their introductions & end notes are very enjoyable to read, even more enjoyable than some of the stories in the book)...

The authers tried to capture the Batman saga & to chronicle his appearances in 40 years...

Some of the stories are great because they are clasic & very old... they introduced important writers & artists... others were great because of the sory line e.g killer of the dark skies echoing the great character enemy ace (lord Von Hammer)...

The book was denied many good stories because of differnt reasons: the Joker had a complete separate volume for his stories... I wanted to see Bats interacting with Gordon & other mature Gotham characters...none of this I found here...

a good read but If you're expecting the dark Batman of the eighties with mysterious plots this is not the book for you...

while some of the stories are boring, most of them are really good. The writers picked out some VERY good stories.

heros: batman, robin, leslie thompkins, superman, bat-mite, alfred, lucius fox, ace the bat-hound, phantom stranger, Jim gordan.

villans: the joker, penguin, catwoman, calendar man, deadshot, hugo strange, monk, lex luthor, blockbuster, mxyzptlk {mentioned,} two-face.

It's not the Batman that's worth reading. This features a killing, machine gun-wielding Batman of the '30s. A goofy, time travelling Batman from the '50s and they dominate the book. A few redeeming 1970's stories don't make it worth the price.

this is not the greatest batman stories ever told. I bought this book expecting great things. Instead, I'm treated to campy Batman stories that look like they came from the TV show. It has the story of his origin by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, but that story has been told many times and has been handled better. It bites.