Scan barcode
shookone's review against another edition
3.0
As a history of Batman it’s spotty, but overall pretty interesting. There’s stuff I wish Weldon had spent a little more time on (the big one for me would be that the Marshall/Englehart stuff barely gets mentioned at all despite even Weldon pointing out that it’s some of the best Batman material out there), but given the amount of material the author has to get through and the limited space he has there’s no way he could cover everything in a way that would make everyone happy. The book especially shines when it talks about the sixties show, the Burton movies, and the 90s animated series. I wish Weldon had dived in to some more of the comics with the same amount of detail he gives to these adaptations, but like I said, this isn’t a project where you can please everybody.
Every now and then Weldon pulls back to try to I don’t know, talk about nerd culture? Give a history of comic book nerds? It’s a little vague, and doesn’t really work. Partly because I don’t think it’s a subject you can go in to without getting in to a more general history of comics as a medium and hobby, and Weldon doesn’t want to stray too far from Batman. But also partly because Weldon’s main point with this stuff (nerds are awful, yeah? But also the internet just made them even worse) while mostly true, is also a point that he just makes over and over and over and over again. It never really stops and by the end of the book it really was like “ok, I get it. Can we just move on already?”
Finally I’ll say I listened to the audio book and I can not stress enough what a bad decision to read the book this way was. When Weldon is reading his own words it’s fine, but when he starts quoting anyone at all it turns in to a real disaster. Every person in this book has a cartoon character voice. Everyone. Journalists sound like old timey newsreel announcers, comic book professionals all sound like New Yawkers, nerds all sound like the Simpsons comic book guy, Joel Schumacher has a voice that I would call homophobic if someone other than Weldon was doing the reading. Grant Morrison and Frederic Wertham especially have the worst, strongest accents I have ever heard in my life. The first time Weldon speaks in their voices my response was “Jesus Christ, is he joking right now?” As this went on my reaction changed to “I need to rewind that, the accent is so thick I’m not sure what he just said.” Glen Weldon is a podcaster and NPR guy, I get why he’s reading his own audiobook. I really wish someone had taken him aside during the recording process and asked if he really wanted to handle quotations like this though.
Every now and then Weldon pulls back to try to I don’t know, talk about nerd culture? Give a history of comic book nerds? It’s a little vague, and doesn’t really work. Partly because I don’t think it’s a subject you can go in to without getting in to a more general history of comics as a medium and hobby, and Weldon doesn’t want to stray too far from Batman. But also partly because Weldon’s main point with this stuff (nerds are awful, yeah? But also the internet just made them even worse) while mostly true, is also a point that he just makes over and over and over and over again. It never really stops and by the end of the book it really was like “ok, I get it. Can we just move on already?”
Finally I’ll say I listened to the audio book and I can not stress enough what a bad decision to read the book this way was. When Weldon is reading his own words it’s fine, but when he starts quoting anyone at all it turns in to a real disaster. Every person in this book has a cartoon character voice. Everyone. Journalists sound like old timey newsreel announcers, comic book professionals all sound like New Yawkers, nerds all sound like the Simpsons comic book guy, Joel Schumacher has a voice that I would call homophobic if someone other than Weldon was doing the reading. Grant Morrison and Frederic Wertham especially have the worst, strongest accents I have ever heard in my life. The first time Weldon speaks in their voices my response was “Jesus Christ, is he joking right now?” As this went on my reaction changed to “I need to rewind that, the accent is so thick I’m not sure what he just said.” Glen Weldon is a podcaster and NPR guy, I get why he’s reading his own audiobook. I really wish someone had taken him aside during the recording process and asked if he really wanted to handle quotations like this though.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book immensely, probably more so given that Glen Weldon, with his wonderful inflection and voice, read the audiobook. I've never really been a Batman comics reader (or anything in the D.C. Universe) but this was a really interesting look at the development as Batman in all his iterations since the 1939s and the parallel development of nerd culture. (PS: Glen's "Comic Book Guy" voice is just perfect for reading fan-boy quotes, particularly the toxic quotes)
Incidentally, I started this book the day before Adam West died. The Batman TV show was in reruns on summer TV when I was a kid, so West has always been "my" Batman. Camp and all.
Incidentally, I started this book the day before Adam West died. The Batman TV show was in reruns on summer TV when I was a kid, so West has always been "my" Batman. Camp and all.
joelkarpowitz's review against another edition
4.0
For someone who has read a lot of Batman (particularly from the 80s onward), grew up watching Adam West's Batman, and has seen every Batman film (with the exception of Batman and Robin) multiple times, I'm not sure there's anything NEW in Glen Weldon's analysis of The Dark Knight's highs, lows, and vehement fan base, but that's not to say I didn't really enjoy it. His take on the ownership people claim with Batman (and why) and his parsing of all the different "versions" of Batman is thoughtful, empathetic, and damning all at once. He paints a nice picture on why comic books' increasing prominence is both a blessing and a curse for comic book nerds. And the whole book has a nice, readable voice to remind you not to take the whole thing too seriously. It's pop culture, not high culture, after all.
A good read.
A good read.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
4.0
The Caped Crusade was a much more in depth and interesting book than I anticipated. I am by no means a comic book guy, in fact, I’m about as far from it as one can get, but I do appreciate the medium. This book is clearly heavily and meticulously researched and probably goes a bit deep even for the casual fan, but there’s a lot more history here than you’d expect. Batman has been around for 80 years now and has morphed and adapted to the times about as well as you’d expect. He’s ranged from the incredibly campy 60’s television show to the more recent darker Batman of the movies. I particularly enjoyed the perspective the book gave of the hardcore Batman nerds and how their voices had so much impact starting in the early fanzines and then growing to a roar with the creation and expansion of the internet. How Batman is seen to change from a nerd perspective versus a normal/pop culture (people like myself) is an interesting dichotomy. I now have a much deeper appreciation for Batman and the comic medium in general and I have added a few comic and graphic novels to my “To-Read” list because of this book. Overall, this is a very interesting read, although it is probably far too in-depth and long for most casual fans.
glowbird's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audio book b/c I love the sound of Glen's voice. I'm not that in to the Batman phenomenon and didn't really engage with the material til he hit the modern era and discussed the films. It's more of a three star book for me, but again, huge fan of Glen Weldon (look him up on Pop Culture Happy Hour) and I want him to write more books about nerds.
beeshep's review against another edition
4.0
I do not fully know why I picked up this book but I am so glad I did - I feel marginally nerdier reading after reading this book.
tasharobinson's review against another edition
4.0
It's pretty fascinating to me how much this in-depth history of Batman centers around the fans who, for decades, resisted any interpretation of Batman that wasn't grim and gritty, and devoid of any emotion but glowering anger.
It's pretty hilarious to me how many reviews of this book are from angry fans who resent the idea that their grim-and-gritty-devoid-of-any-emotion-but-glowering-anger Batman is not the One True Batman All Others Must Bow To.
It's pretty hilarious to me how many reviews of this book are from angry fans who resent the idea that their grim-and-gritty-devoid-of-any-emotion-but-glowering-anger Batman is not the One True Batman All Others Must Bow To.
keever1102's review against another edition
4.0
Chose the audiobook version because Glen Weldon's voice is a joy. Really interesting, and I don't even care that much about the character.
thestarlesscasea's review against another edition
4.0
Baby's first audiobook! I couldn't have picked a better starting point for my audiobook-listening journey than hearing Glen Weldon, whom I admire and cherish as a national treasure of the podcast world, read his own book on a subject about which he is amazingly knowledgable and super passionate. I am, admittedly, not one of the true Batman nerds or even a true nerd in the world of comics or superheroes more widely, but the Nolan Batman films got their hooks in me at just the right time in my youth, and I've found myself fascinated by Batman ever since. I loved learning about the history of Batman and of comic books. It's always eye-opening to see the ways in which things taken for granted in one era are quickly forgotten or eschewed in another, and what stays the same about a character like Batman and the world in which he lives, and what transforms over the course of decades. I also really appreciated learning a bit more about the start and rise of fanfiction, and the ways in which women often write our own stories about the fandoms we love because we are marginalized in the canon. Oh, and the ways homophobia impacted the transformation of Batman! And the different accents and voices he used to represent different writers, illustrators, directors, actors, and nerds/fans added so much and were quite entertaining! I could go on for a while, but basically, I'm a fan. 👌🏻
ivanssister's review against another edition
3.0
Glen puts together a great summary of Batman over the years, and how the style and characters evolved over time. Recommended for fans of the franchise.