Batman

by Craig Shaw Gardner

Book Overview

The story of how Batman's career started, told in graphic novel form. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446354872
• ISBN13: 9780446354875
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 225 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.1" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Batman, the Greatest Detective, against the deadliest of enemies.

The 1989 novelization of the movie Batman is nicely done, Vicki Vale, a photographer trying to break out of fashion and into the mainstream media goes to Gotham City where its criminal contention is being terrorized by what they believe is a giant bat. Gotham is ruled by Carl "Boss" Grissom who sends his number one guy Jack Napier to retrieve files at Axis chemicals where he while trying to escape both the police and the batman falls into a vat of chemicals and is transformed from a mob assassin to the Joker a psychotic gang lord who will stop at nothing to bring total chaos to Gotham. This puts the caped crusader against one of the more deadly of foes who will push him to his limits to decide not just the city's fate but his own. Gardner makes a great adaptation of the movie into a novel.

Super Reader

The novelisation of the big 1989 movie. It also includes a photo section in the middle, as lots of those sort of books of the time did. It is competently handled, even asking "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight?" Batman faces off with Jack Napier as he becomes the Joker, and discovers the links to his past. He also has to deal with the prying of Vicki Vale.

An excellent audio book

Accompanying the release of the 1989 smash hit, Tim Burton movie Batman, Dove Books on Tape released this audio book. Acclaimed author Craig Shaw Gardner took the screenplay for the movie, and did an excellent job of reorganizing the story for audio. Making the project complete, veteran actor Roddy McDowall provided the voice, doing an excellent job of playing the roles of the maniacal Joker, the sultry Vicky Vale, and the serious Batman. Overall, I found this to be an excellent audio book. The story is quite close to the original movie, and Roddy McDowall pulls off a real coup, doing all three major characters in a believable and interesting way. Indeed, I highly recommend his performance as the Joker to everyone. I loved this audio book, and highly recommend it to everyone. This is a prized part of my library, and my only regret is that I cannot now get it on CD!

An Exceilent Book

Batman Is one of America's Favorite Superhero. This Book is very good. There is a lot of action and suspense in this book. Criag Shaw Gardner did an exceilent job on this book if you liked this on then read batman Returns, Batman Forever & Batman & Robin

A truly excellent book!

It's strange. You'd never guess that a book based on a screenplay could be any good, but you'd be wrong in this case.Craig Shaw Gardner, my favorite movie-tie-in author, wrote this book, taking a good screenplay and turning it into a truly masterful, exciting, and touching book!To start off with, the book has whole sections that were cut from the film, giving it more depth and character development. Hmmm.... character development.... there's a whole lot of it. The book truly gets inside the head of everyone, Batman, The Joker, Alexander Knox, Commisioner Gordon, and even Vicki Vale, and all have varied outlooks on the book's events. The Joker sees everything as hilarious, and twisted, Vicki's stressful situations are more developed, Knox is detailed as a hard-boiled reporter (Moreso then the film), Commisioner Gordon is very interesting, in the fact that he likes Batman, but is sworn to his duty to arrest the vigilante, and he's very dedicated and tough, and Batman/Bruce is incredibly written. The writing for Batman's mind is at it's best toward the end, when Batman tries to get up into the Cathedral, while trying not to faint from the wounds he got by crashing the Batwing, and he fades in and out of reality as he remembers the night he lost his parents.I mean, the film is excellent, but the book is not to be missed. It's deep, profound, moving, and truly exciting in the way Gardner writes fight scenes. Fast and furious, but also surprisingly detailed. I've read this thing so many times that the pages are starting to fall out, and I am continually surprised at the quality of the book. A truly enjoyable read from start to finish. If you're a fan in the least, you'll pick up this wonderful book!