Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I thought
Review: One of the first, bigger books of comics called "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" didn't impress me. For instance, the art, coloring, shading, graphics for the whole comic collection wasn't at all awe-inspiring, although suitable for the date it was produced, but pencilers did good. I thought that Bob Kane should have taken more time to scrutinize some of the Batman stories that were produced through the 1970s-1980s. Comic books like regular BATMAN stories from the 40s & 50s bored me. But we do learn some of the events that took place in Batman's era. Some of the later stories like "To Kill A Legend" and "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne" are exciting with a more dark knight feel for the comics. People who love to read books on Batman like "Cataclysm" or just regular Gotham Knights comics, be aware: there is a dramatic change in the plot, graphics, and the dark knight type appeal. It's a more introductory comic book set on the Batman that may not appeal to modern-day Batman fans.
Rating:
Summary: Can you capture the Dark Knight in one book?
Review: The gatherers of the stories for this book must have had a very hard time (in fact their introductions & end notes are very enjoyable to read, even more enjoyable than some of the stories in the book)... The authers tried to capture the Batman saga & to chronicle his appearances in 40 years... Some of the stories are great because they are clasic & very old... they introduced important writers & artists... others were great because of the sory line e.g killer of the dark skies echoing the great character enemy ace (lord Von Hammer)... The book was denied many good stories because of differnt reasons: the Joker had a complete separate volume for his stories... I wanted to see Bats interacting with Gordon & other mature Gotham characters...none of this I found here... a good read but If you're expecting the dark Batman of the eighties with mysterious plots this is not the book for you...
Rating:
Summary: Can you capture the Dark Knight in one book?
Review: The gatherers of the stories for this book must have had a very hard time (in fact their introductions & end notes are very enjoyable to read, even more enjoyable than some of the stories in the book)... The authers tried to capture the Batman saga & to chronicle his appearances in 40 years... Some of the stories are great because they are clasic & very old... they introduced important writers & artists... others were great because of the sory line e.g killer of the dark skies echoing the great character enemy ace (lord Von Hammer)... The book was denied many good stories because of differnt reasons: the Joker had a complete separate volume for his stories... I wanted to see Bats interacting with Gordon & other mature Gotham characters...none of this I found here... a good read but If you're expecting the dark Batman of the eighties with mysterious plots this is not the book for you...
Rating:
Summary: Essential for Fans, but Did Not Win Me Over
Review: This anthology of the Batman does a nice job of hilighting the many facets of the character throughout his history as well as the artists who developed him. While the stories presented here may represent the artists and the depth of the character very well, they for the most part, were just not all that fun for me to read. A few exceptions were "The First Batman" and the excellent "There is No Hope in Crime Alley" (the latter is also included in "Batman in the Seventies"). Both stories play off of his origin and add a nice emotional element missing from most of the other stories. I also enjoyed the origin of the Superman-Batman Team-up, which was fun without being too campy (a fate that the next story "Robin Dies at Dawn" could not escape). There is a solo Robin story and appearances of Bat-mite and a Man-Bat story, but the focus is almost exclusively on the Batman. Unfortunately, the stories for the most part don't do the character justice to convert many new fans.
Recommended for fans only.
Rating: 
Summary: Invaluable
Review: This fascinating collection of Batman stories published between 1939 and 1983 is an invaluable goldmine for anyone who is interested in Batman or in the history of comics. There are many books detailing and explaining the history of comics, but it's much more rewarding to actually see it happening, and this book gives you a rare chance to read some classic comics which are by now practically unobtainable and frighteningly valuable. The collection is fascinating both in terms of Batman's history and comics history. On the one hand, it presents some of the most important stories in the development of the character throughout the years - stories like 'The Origin of Batman' from 1948, which finally revealed Batman's story in its final version as well as the identity of his parents' killer; 'Dr. Hugo Strange and the Mutant Monsters', from the very first issue of Batman, the story that introduced the villain Dr. Strange; and 'The First Batman', a classic and often referenced story in which a lot is revealed about Batman's father. But at the same time, you get a rare and precious opportunity to view stories and artwork by some of the finest comic book artists to walk the face of the earth, and explore the development of the medium from the 40s to the 80s. Classic artwork by the great man himself, Bob Kane, is a real treat; stories by some of the great writers like Gardner Fox and Bill Finger; through greats like Dick Sprang, Carmine Infantino, Charles Paris, and up to the great Denny O'Neil, and Neal Adams, Dick Giordano and Archie Goodwin, among others. The later stories show brilliantly how both the art and writing developed to create more original and inventive stories - like 'The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne', which suggests a possible future for Batman; 'To Kill A Legend', one of the classic Elseworlds tales; and 'Death Strikes at Midnight and Three', in which Denny O'Neal and W. M. Rogers take the format to its ends. Since I'm a huge Batman and DC fan, and also a creator of comics and very much interested in the artwork and format of comics, this book was amazingly valuable to me. I recommended it for anyone who is interested in this great and unappreciated medium, and for anyone who wants to learn something about the Caped Crusader.
Rating:
Summary: an atrocity
Review: this is not the greatest batman stories ever told. I bought this book expecting great things. Instead, I'm treated to campy Batman stories that look like they came from the TV show. It has the story of his origin by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, but that story has been told many times and has been handled better. It bites.
Rating:
Summary: Oh yeah!
Review: while some of the stories are boring, most of them are really good. The writers picked out some VERY good stories. heros: batman, robin, leslie thompkins, superman, bat-mite, alfred, lucius fox, ace the bat-hound, phantom stranger, Jim gordan. villans: the joker, penguin, catwoman, calendar man, deadshot, hugo strange, monk, lex luthor, blockbuster, mxyzptlk {mentioned,} two-face.
| 
