Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman Deluxe Edition

by Various

Overview

Detective Comics featured DC's first masked adventurer and went on to give the company its name (from Detective Comics Inc.) and the only character to dominate American popular culture three separate times, each a generation apart: Batman.

Join us in a celebration of Detective Comics' amazing eight-decade run and Batman's 80 years, with reflections on Detective Comics by Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Glen David Gold, Senator Patrick Leahy, Denny O'Neil, Anthony Tollin, police chief Shelley Zimmerman and Paul Levitz.

This special collector's edition also features the very first Batman story; the debuts of classic sidekicks and allies like Robin, Batgirl, Batwoman and even Bat-Mite; and the first stories of archvillains Two-Face, the Riddler and Man-Bat.

With a new cover by DC publisher and chief creative officer Jim Lee, a never-before-published sketchbook of Lew Sayre Schwartz, a never-before-published scene from Bruce Wayne's childhood by Paul Levitz and Denys Cowan and much, much more, this is sure to be the celebration of the year!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781401285388
Publisher:	DC Comics
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Pages:	424
Sales rank:	156,016
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 11.10(h) x 1.00(d)

Editorial Reviews

This look back at an iconic hero is intriguing not only for devout fans, but also for those interested in comics history. Engrossing on many levels.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2019-03-12

An 80-year retrospective shows the fraught and fascinating evolution of the beloved caped crusader.

Spanning nearly a century, this sprawling anthology traverses Batman's Detective Comics history, starting with "The Crimson Avenger," a precursor to Batman from 1938. Later issues from the 1940s introduce Boy Wonder Robin and Two-Face but also lesser-known characters like the Boy Commandos. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Batwoman and Batgirl make their first appearances. As the collection reaches the present day, readers encounter a recognizable cast of characters and the ongoing exploration of Batman's tortured psyche. Detective Comics is separate from the stand-alone Batman line, and both exist concurrently within the DC Universe. Seeing how the styles, use of color, and text bubbles evolve throughout the decades is compelling; in the early volumes, the issues burst forth with a bright, almost psychedelically hued palette; they later fade to the shadowy palette now associated with the Dark Knight. Narratively, however, readers can see how overt racism and casual misogyny were bandied about in earlier decades and have now changed. Despite past offenses, this look back at an iconic hero is intriguing not only for devout fans, but also for those interested in comics history. In addition to the comics, there are contributions written by fans, including Neil Gaiman and Cory Doctorow, and short biographies of many of the creators who contributed to the collected works.

Engrossing on many levels. (biographies, cover galleries) (Graphic fiction. 13-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

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