Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "BRUCE WAYNE'S CHILDHOOD ended the night his parents were brutally murdered before his eyes in Gotham City's notorious Crime Alley..." (more)
Key Phrases: utility belt, Rá's al Ghúl, Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne, Gotham City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you're already well versed in Bat-trivia, you probably won't find The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight anywhere near ultimate enough. But as a broad history of Batman's friends, foes, and high-tech hardware and hideouts, this oversized, illustration-filled DK guide just can't be beat.

Just as DK did with the people and paraphernalia of Star Wars in Star Wars: Episode I: Incredible Cross-Sections and Star Wars: Episode I: Visual Dictionary, this guide pulls apart and pokes at the many gadgets and backdrops found in the Dark Knight's world. Exploded diagrams reveal the innards of the new and old Batcaves, and stat-packed tags and captions spell out everything from how the Bat-Signal works to where Catwoman stashes her bullwhip. Batman scholar Scott Beatty has compiled hundreds of excellent panels and covers from the original comic, and he displays commanding knowledge cataloging Gotham's most colorful characters in big, splashy spreads. (And no doubt future historians will appreciate his capsulized, 1939-on Batman timeline as an uncanny window into American pop consciousness.)

Die-hard fans will find much lacking here, though, like the near-omission of Frank Miller's genius Dark Knight Returns series and not even a passing reference to Batman's poignant love-hate relationship with the Man of Steel. But what DK's Ultimate Guide does, it does well--examining neat Bat-minutiae and providing a primer on the post-no-man's-land comic continuity. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Readers can uncover the secrets of two superheroes in Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight by Scott Beatty and Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide by Tom DeFalco. The first, for example, opens with the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents, then tracks Wayne's transformation into the evil-avenging "Guardian of Gotham" and includes reproductions of many drawings from the archives of DC Comics. The latter chronicles the adventures of Peter Parker, who gains unusual powers after being bitten by an irradiated spider, with reproductions of drawings from the Marvel Comics archives. Each contains more than 700 illustrations.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; Updated edition (February 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756611210
• ISBN-13: 978-0756611217
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #208,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Celebration of the Modern-Day Caped Crusader, February 9, 2004

By	Edmund Lau Kok Ming (Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight (Hardcover)

This book is a blast to read. I wished this book had come out sooner when I was just finding my way around the modern Batman comics. Nevertheless, better late than never.

A word of caution. If you are looking for the DEFINITIVE guide to everything Batman, I wouldn't recommend this book to you. Les Daniels' book on Batman is by far the most comprehensive treatment on the whole history of the Batman from his pre-conception in the 1930s up till the recent stuff (including his incarnations outside the comicbook - TV, toys, cinema, etc.). Also, if you're interested in analyzing Batman as a pop-culture icon, you should check out Will Brookner's "Batman Unmasked" book. Finally, if you're interested in reading a one-volume collection of the definitive Batman - I'd recommend Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" and/or "Year One" along with the "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told".

What then is this book by Scott Beatty about? It's about the modern day Batman. THIS Batman is as different from the classic Bob Kane/Bill Finger creation as the Tim Burton movies are from the Adam West TV show. For your information, THIS Batman is the one from Frank Miller's "Year One" (1986) and it includes the later revisions by Dennis O'Neil and Chuck Dixon up to today. In other words, this is the Batman of "Knightfall", "Contagion", "Cataclysm" and "No Man's Land". And in my opinion, this is the most exciting and rich version of the Batman since his conception in 1939. This book is not so much a guide but more a celebration of this modern-day Dark Knight of the comicbooks.

The book is neatly divided into sections. The first section is about Batman/Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. The second section covers his allies and loves (Alfred, Gordon, Nightwing, Oracle, Robin II, Robin III, etc.). The third section focuses on the many colorful villains in the Bat-mythos. Finally, there's also a foreword by Chuck Dixon, the man who, under the editorial-eye of Dennis O'Neil, pretty much shaped the direction of the Bat-books throughout the 1990s. Note: Dixon also teamed up with the author Scott Beatty on some other great works like the recent "Robin: Year One" and "Batgirl: Year One".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LIVES UP TO ITS GRAND TITLE!, May 9, 2006

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Despite being around for over 65 years, Batman's popularity never seems to wane. The blockbuster Batman film in 2005 once again generated enormous interest in the character. "Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight" has been updated right up through 2005 to ride this crest of popularity. The book is really geared towards the more casual or new Batman fans, as old-timers will already be familiar with much of the material inside the 144 page, hardcover book. Still, the book moves the reader on a rapid fire history of the character beginning with his origin and creation by Bob Kane way back in 1939.

Techie fans will love the intense coverage of all of the "wonderful toys" that Batman uses. His utility belt includes such items as tear gas pellets, an acetylene torch, a palm top communicator, grappling hook, and more. The book also presents a look at each of the Batmobiles and how the style has changed over the years from a rather modest sedan to today's sleek, armored road-killer packed with the latest cutting-edge technology. There's also a look at the various other "bat vehicles" including the Bat-plane, Bat-sub, Bat-Copter, etc...There is also a nicely diagrammed, cut-away view of the Bat-cave.

Most of the major characters in Batman lore are featured including allies such as Commissioner Gordon, the various Robins, Batgirl, Oracle, loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth, and Azrael. Then there are the Batman romantic interests: Vicky Vale, Silver St. Cloud, Talia Al Ghul, and Julie Madison. But what would any Batman book that calls itself "Ultimate" be without a rundown of the caped crusaders rogues gallery of villains. Batman's villains are almost as famous as he is and have played a huge role in the character's long-lasting popularity. They are all here: The Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, Bane, Mr. Freeze, Scarecrow, Mad-Hatter, Two-Face, and many more. All with brief sections noting their real name and first comic book appearance.

The book covers some of the more well-known storylines in Batman history such as the Death in the Family storyline where the Jason Todd Robin was killed by the Joker. Unfortunately the book fails to mention that this gimmick storyline hinged on a fan vote via phone call to determine if Robin lived or died. Another notable storyline mentioned is Frank Miller's landmark mini-series The Dark Knight Returns.

Finally, there is a fantastic look at the Golden Age Batman as well as a timeline noting important events and stories in Bat-history along with the issue number where it took place. If I do have one nit about the book it's that issue numbers are not provided for some of these noted storylines although you can find most of them in the timeline section. The book features incredible artwork from the host of artists who have worked on the various Batman titles over the years including: Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Brian Bolland, Paul Gulacy, P. Craig Russell, Dick Giordano, and many, many more.

All in all, "Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight" definitely lives up to its grand title!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's actually pretty decent, January 19, 2002

By	"mikehernandez" (Bellevue, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight (Hardcover)

I do have to agree that it was not quite as big as the other books (Spiderman, X-Men, etc.), and that it didn't cover enough of the "classic Batman" that I grew up with (I'm 47). But, I still liked the book nonetheless. It has some great "shots" of Batman in variouis poster-quality poses - I thought they were well done.

Batman has been around a long time and has gone through a number of revisionist histories. Despite the fact that much of "my Batman" is missing, I was still impressed by how Beatty was able to incorporate elements of the various histories and timelines that have been in place for the past two to three decades. I really loved his treatises of the bat-suit, utility belt, bat-weapons, bat-gadgets, the Batcave, the Batmobiles and bat-vehicles. (BTW, he did manage to incorporate the Batplane and Whirly-Bat that I knew and loved as a kid.)

It was also good to see how he handled the Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler and Ra's Al Ghul. It brought back quite a few memories. And I thought the "Batman Timeline" was a nice touch.

I have a nice-sized Batman library, and I'm happy to include this book as the latest addition.