Red Lightning Books The Boy Who Loved Batman

This book has absolutely blown my mind! Michael uslan has led such an interesting life and tells his stories with lots of humour and wit. You find yourself actually getting excited for him as the bigger events take place even though these events took place nearly 50 years ago in some cases! Honestly,if you like comics,notice how I didnt just say batman? There's parts about superman,the shadow and the fantastic 4, so If you like comics then this book is for you,you won't be dissapointed.

Fine book in mint condition.

Um ótimo livro para um Bat maníaco, pena que não tenha uma edição em português.

In “The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir,” Michael E. Uslan recounts his life from childhood to the events in which he became the producer of all modern Batman films beginning with the 1989 “Batman” and including the direct-to-video films. He begins with a description of his life growing up in suburban New Jersey and his extensive reading of comic books just as the Silver Age began. His account of the early Comic Cons and his youthful exploits meeting industry insiders like Bill Finger and Otto Binder will make Uslan the envy of fans everywhere, while his description of early fandom offers invaluable insights for comic book historians.Later, he was the first instructor to teach an accredited course about comic books at the university level. While at Indiana University, Uslan used a program at the College of Arts and Sciences that allowed anyone, faculty or student, to design and propose their own course. He developed one that analyzed comic books as folklore, successfully pitching it to the dean by drawing comparisons between the story of Moses and Superman’s origin. Once the dean approved the course, Uslan worked to ensure it received attention in the press. Both Marvel and DC heard of it, with Stan Lee at Marvel arranging for some guest lecturers to join and Sol Harrison, the VP of DC, flying Uslan out to New York City to offer materials that he might use in his course. This, in turn, led to Uslan gaining access to DC’s disorganized archives, developing educational materials for DC to market, and even working on the Comicmobile, a gimmick Sol Harrison developed to help distribute comics in areas where they were harder to get (pgs. 100-113).Discussing his desire to return Batman to the dark knight detective from the campy, pop art style of the 1960s show, Uslan writes, “By God, after so many decades fighting in the trenches, and thanks to many people who believed in that same cause, when ‘Batman’ and years later ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ arrived in theatres, I believed I had done just that” (pg. 62). Though it took some work, particularly as the Batman brand was considered weaker following the 1960s television show, Uslan convinced DC to sell him the Batman film rights and committed himself to ensuring the film captured the dark nature of the Batman as he originally appeared and to which Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams were returning him in the 1970s (pgs. 173-189).Uslan recounts these events with honest humor, dishing on details for his readers and offering a valuable insight into comic book history. As a Chronicle Book, the final product includes beautifully incorporated images with plenty of comic book art, copies of memos, and Uslan’s photographs. The end result is a great insight into comic book fandom, the film industry, and U.S. cultural history.

Michael Uslan is a national treasure. Without him, Batman would be still BIFFing and BAMMing his villains. Instead we have some truly great classic Batman movies that never would have been made without his determined vision to bring an intelligent Batman to the big screen. And this book is even better. To date it is the best book written about what it was like to grow up a fan of comic books. Even better, what it was like to grow up a comic fan in the 1960s. And better still, what it was like to be a comic fan and not a geek or a nerd. I've read this book twice, and I plan to read it again. Michael, thank you for this book - not to mention all the great movies!!!