Rating: 
Summary: Everything you need to know about Batman!
Review: It's a great and colorful guide to the Dark Knight and deserves a place on the shelf of every Gothamite. The best reference book since the long out of print Batman Encyclopedia. Great images in an attractive package and well written text full of cool, real-world info. A class act all around.
Rating: 
Summary: Incomplete Batman
Review: Much smaller then other similar histories it is lacking in many areas. It skips many classic versions of the caped crusader in favor of a commercial promoting the current "Dark Age of Comics". It doesn't bother with many of the best and landmark portrayals such as Adam West's 60's TV series, The Superfriends, the radio and movie serials, the classic cartoons and more. There was no example of the best writers and artists, among them Adams, Aparo, Robinson and Sprang. A very abbreviated account. They could have done better and since they probably will when the new Batman movie comes out why bother to buy this book? save your money and wait until a better one is published.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Not what I expected.Firstly, it was rather thin. For a book about arguably the best known comic hero it weighs in at a less than impressive 128 pages. I bought the Spiderman version at the same time and was impressed by that. In comparison, the Batman version is very lacking. Not enough classic Batman. Would have loved to see more old time original stuff. Too much of the futuristic Batman stuff. The sections on the Batmobile and Batcave were good, but again, it looked like all new stuff. Not much on the classic look. Same thing goes with the villains. Seems the book was really showcasing the new look Batman world. It's obviously a matter of taste; this one wasn't up to my standards.
Rating:
Summary: A great book on the current version of Batman
Review: Scott Beatty worked very hard to compile all this data. Even a popular men's magazine recommended this as one of the top ten Christmas gifts last year. Some have complained that it wasn't enough, but after over 60 years of Batman's existence, it really would take too long to go over everything. Especially since much of the history is no longer considered in continuity. This book pretty much covers the current continuity. As a bonus it has biographies of Batman's allies as well as some of his villains. There are diagrams of the batcave, info on the various incarnations of the batmobile, and even a map of Gotham City. If you cannot find the answer to a question you have about Batman in the book, you can go to Scott Beatty's website (scottbeatty.com) and contact him on his message board. He is very friendly. I look forward to his next project, the ultimate guide to the JLA.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive guide to Batman.
Review: Scott Beatty's "Ultimate Guide" is just that. It contains all the information that any fan (or curious adventurer) would want to know about the current comic incarnations of the character. it's filled with great illustrations from the comics, as well as tech specs on all the Bat-Gadgets. A great book for all Bat-Fans.
Rating:
Summary: Not enough.
Review: Taught me a lot about Penguin and a few others, and gave great ideas for movies, but not enough. Not enough.
Rating:
Summary: You Call Yerself a Batman Fan?
Review: Then you need this book. A wonderful overview of the current Batman mythos, blending past Batman history with the continuity that runs throughout all of the character's modern comic book stories. Scott Beatty has assembled a Bat-Fan's dream here, balancing facts with fancy and always providing another nugget of interest to draw your eye to every corner of every page. Much of the book is art that first appeared in the comics themselves (but well chosen) and there is also some very welcome new art detailing Bat-vehicles, Bat-gadgets, and yes, that Bat-Mecca itself, the Batcave. If only it were real...
This Ultimate Guide is, though, and you should visit it often.
Rating:
Summary: A Celebration of the Modern-Day Caped Crusader
Review: This book is a blast to read. I wished this book had come out sooner when I was just finding my way around the modern Batman comics. Nevertheless, better late than never. A word of caution. If you are looking for the DEFINITIVE guide to everything Batman, I wouldn't recommend this book to you. Les Daniels' book on Batman is by far the most comprehensive treatment on the whole history of the Batman from his pre-conception in the 1930s up till the recent stuff (including his incarnations outside the comicbook - TV, toys, cinema, etc.). Also, if you're interested in analyzing Batman as a pop-culture icon, you should check out Will Brookner's "Batman Unmasked" book. Finally, if you're interested in reading a one-volume collection of the definitive Batman - I'd recommend Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" and/or "Year One" along with the "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told". What then is this book by Scott Beatty about? It's about the modern day Batman. THIS Batman is as different from the classic Bob Kane/Bill Finger creation as the Tim Burton movies are from the Adam West TV show. For your information, THIS Batman is the one from Frank Miller's "Year One" (1986) and it includes the later revisions by Dennis O'Neil and Chuck Dixon up to today. In other words, this is the Batman of "Knightfall", "Contagion", "Cataclysm" and "No Man's Land". And in my opinion, this is the most exciting and rich version of the Batman since his conception in 1939. This book is not so much a guide but more a celebration of this modern-day Dark Knight of the comicbooks. The book is neatly divided into sections. The first section is about Batman/Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. The second section covers his allies and loves (Alfred, Gordon, Nightwing, Oracle, Robin II, Robin III, etc.). The third section focuses on the many colorful villains in the Bat-mythos. Finally, there's also a foreword by Chuck Dixon, the man who, under the editorial-eye of Dennis O'Neil, pretty much shaped the direction of the Bat-books throughout the 1990s. Note: Dixon also teamed up with the author Scott Beatty on some other great works like the recent "Robin: Year One" and "Batgirl: Year One".
Rating:
Summary: Bland Bat
Review: This book was disappointing. Bland, flacid, superficial ... pointless, except for the Bat-neophyte. You'd have to know next to nothing about Batman to appreciate this book. It breaks no new ground, presents mediocre archive art in a boring way, and is a basic waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for kids!!!!
Review: This is the sort of guide I would like to see for all DC and Marvel characters. At first glimpse I thought it was a kid's book but it proved to be an invaluable aid for me to catch up on some of the plotlines I had missed.
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