The Essential Batman Encyclopedia

The ultimate guide to the man behind the mask . . . and the mythology behind the man.

?Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot. So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible. . . . I shall become a bat!? So declared millionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne, orphaned as a boy by a murderous thug and driven as a man to battle the scourge of crime by becoming Batman. Batman swooped into popular culture in 1939?and for nearly seventy years has thrilled audiences in countless comics, live-action and animated television programs, and seven feature films. Prowling the darkened rooftops of Gotham City, roaring through the teeming streets in the sleek, high-powered Batmobile, and leaping into action when the iconic Bat-Signal pierces the night sky, the Caped Crusader is a larger-than-life legend. And now, for the first time in more than thirty years, everything there is to know about Batman?from the beginning to the present, and from A to Z?is collected in one comprehensive new sourcebook. More than 500 pages of entries and illustrations include:

? fascinating details and the complete background on Batman?s origins
? biographies of every major character in the Batman universe?including his closest allies, from Robin the Boy Wonder and faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth to Commissioner Gordon; and his countless enemies, from the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler to Scarecrow, Two-Face, Ra?s al Ghul and Poison Ivy
? classic black-and-white comic book artwork throughout
? two sixteen-page full-color artwork inserts

Even an all-access pass to the Batcave couldn?t rival former DC Comics editor and Batman scholar extraordinaire Robert Greenberger?s exhaustive ultimate archive. The Essential Batman Encyclopedia is a must for every Batman fan?s bookshelf.

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