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crzyarrow's review
5.0
This took me a really long time to read, but I absolutely loved it. It gives you such a good taste for the majority of Batman's stories, incarnations, friends, villains... Just enough to make you want to go read all or them without ruining them. I personally found it a nice way to get my head around all the Batman lore, just because there is so much of it. Jumping straight into the comics can just be more confusing (albeit enjoyable lol). Plus, I just love how the information is presented in general, from Bruce's perspective like a scrapbook. I loved reading Bruce's case files on his friends, especially Clark. That one made me laugh. If you're fairly new to Batman comics and want some background knowledge, this is a great place to go.
jesssika's review
5.0
This is a pretty cool book. I'm not huge into comics, but really you'd have to under the dirt to not know Batman. It was supposed to be his life story so far, which I though would be a nice cliff notes version to help fill in some gaps for me.
It's more of a journal/scrapbook from Bruce Wayne. It begins with some cute pictures of Bruce as a baby with his mom. It has everything! Blueprints, pictures, criminal case files on all enemies, sketches of the progression for the batmobile/cycle/gyro, and more photos. It even holds sketches of what Bruce's great great grandfather had drawn up for Gotham to look like originally. It's sad ending of Robin, his death certificate, and a snapshot of Batman carrying him away. Reading the story through Bruce's eyes gives a new element as well.
Truly put together well and planned out amazingly to include the progression of Batman, the Justice League, the Joker, and Catwoman. They've all transformed over the years and this book embraced that. A great read!
It's more of a journal/scrapbook from Bruce Wayne. It begins with some cute pictures of Bruce as a baby with his mom. It has everything! Blueprints, pictures, criminal case files on all enemies, sketches of the progression for the batmobile/cycle/gyro, and more photos. It even holds sketches of what Bruce's great great grandfather had drawn up for Gotham to look like originally. It's sad ending of Robin, his death certificate, and a snapshot of Batman carrying him away. Reading the story through Bruce's eyes gives a new element as well.
Truly put together well and planned out amazingly to include the progression of Batman, the Justice League, the Joker, and Catwoman. They've all transformed over the years and this book embraced that. A great read!
davramlocke's review
4.0
Wow. This is one of the most impressive books I've ever made my way through. First of all, if you're not a fan of Batman in general, don't bother. I suppose it's possible that looking through this Bat-pedia might make a fan out of someone, but nuts to that. This is a book for fans. And it is just that; a Bat-pedia. It tells the facts of Batman from his inception into the present, and it does so in beautiful detail. It's an encyclopedia for Batman-lovers and a manual for would-be Batmans. It doesn't lay out every dimension of the Batmobile, but it comes eerily close.
At this point in the comic cycle of Gotham's Dark Knight, it would be fairly difficult to read the entire story. It branches off at points, it contradicts itself, and at times it becomes almost too ridiculous to actually read. Add to this the cartoon series, the multiple movies, and a few excellent video games, and you have a world that has little cohesion but loads of entertainment. With the Batman Files, Manning has attempted to tell a certain timeline, and while even it doesn't hold up to super-scrutiny, it's incredible to read through. It's dense, full of information, and one of the most visually pleasing books I've ever held in my hands. I want so much to have it in my own collection just for its aesthetic appeal, but alas I can not afford to spit out a hundred bucks for one book. I'll leave it to my library to foot that expense. But I'm glad they did because this book just feels...important. Yes, he's just a guy in a fancy bat-suit, but as a symbol, he's so much more than that. The Batman Files delivers that importance.
At this point in the comic cycle of Gotham's Dark Knight, it would be fairly difficult to read the entire story. It branches off at points, it contradicts itself, and at times it becomes almost too ridiculous to actually read. Add to this the cartoon series, the multiple movies, and a few excellent video games, and you have a world that has little cohesion but loads of entertainment. With the Batman Files, Manning has attempted to tell a certain timeline, and while even it doesn't hold up to super-scrutiny, it's incredible to read through. It's dense, full of information, and one of the most visually pleasing books I've ever held in my hands. I want so much to have it in my own collection just for its aesthetic appeal, but alas I can not afford to spit out a hundred bucks for one book. I'll leave it to my library to foot that expense. But I'm glad they did because this book just feels...important. Yes, he's just a guy in a fancy bat-suit, but as a symbol, he's so much more than that. The Batman Files delivers that importance.
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