Rating: 
Summary: Great, but could have been better
Review: When I heard that DK was doing a book on Batman, I was excited. The James Bond and Star Wars books that DK put out were some of the best visual dictionaries I had ever seen. However, when I paged through the text, I found I would have preferred a more "inclusive" coverage of Batman in other mediums. I would have loved to have seen a few pages of the Adam West incarnation, the Superfriends, the movies, the current animated series, the filmation cartoons, and other appearances of the caped crusader. (I would have loved to have seen a list of every Bat device that was used on the Adam West version, that would have been hilarious). Perhaps a few episode guide would be in order from the varous series. The graphics done on the Batmobile, utility belt and the Bat cave were tremendous. I just wish they would have included more pre-eighties art on the previous Batcaves and such. For the "elseworlds" stories, a few less dark stories could have been mentioned. And I confess I'm being "nitpicky" here, but they forgot about Batman's alias of "Matches Malone." But overall, it's a great text focusing on the past fifteen years of Batman in DC Comics. I'm still looking forward to their texts on Superman, Star Trek, and hopefully the Justice League. If they could include the various versions of Superman as well. Maybe DK Publishing would do a second Batman volume as well. Sincerely, JSmith
Rating: 
Summary: Even if you're not a kid
Review: While Scott Beatty's Batman: The Ultimate Guide to the Dark Knight is advertised as a children's book, its content and the writer's sophisticated prose will please the young and mature. Beatty has an intimate knowledge and understanding of the Bat universe, yet he brings readers a new, delightful vision of the villains and heroes populating Gotham. The art was well-chosen, and the book's layout is accessible. Not a better writer for this project could have been chosen. Finally, DC got it right, and you should too: Buy this book!
| 
