Batman Unmasked

By Will Brooker

Book Overview

Over the sixty years of his existence, Batman has encountered an impressive array of cultural icons and has gradually become one himself. This acclaimed book examines what Batman means and has meant to the various audiences, groups and communities who have tried to control and interpret him over the decades. Brooker reveals the struggles over Batman's meaning by shining a light on the cultural issues of the day that impacted on the development of the character. They include: patriotic propaganda of the Second World War; the accusation that Batman was corrupting the youth of America by appearing to promote a homosexual lifestyle to the fans of his comics; Batman becoming a camp, pop culture icon through the ABC TV series of the sixties; fans' interpretation of Batman in response to the comics and the Warner Bros. franchise of films.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826413439
• ISBN13: 9780826413437
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant and entertaining

This is a rare thing - a scholarly study that you can't put down. It's beautifully written, enlightening and thoroughly researched all at once. I strongly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Batman in particular or popular culture in general. Superb.

Brilliant and entertaining

This is a rare thing - a scholarly study that you can't put down. It's beautifully written, enlightening and thoroughly researched all at once. I strongly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Batman in particular or popular culture in particular. Superb.

Brilliant. We need more books like this.

The idea of analyzing Batman as a serious cultural icon may seem laughable - until one realizes that there is some sixty years of history to the character and his companions. Batman has been there through most of the 20th Century, so there's something to analyze.This is not a pop culture book - this is an analysis of culture. Serious, insightful, footnote-heavy analysis. This is not for the casual comics fan - this is for people who love comics and their culture and want some insight into that culture and that history.This book analyzes batman in "blocks" of time. From the creation, to the war years, to the 50's, the 60's, the 70's, and beyond. Examples of interpretations, misinterpretations, and historical impact are given, at times in incredible detail (such as panel-by-panel analysis of a comic issue).Without giving anything away about the book, this analysis looks at how Batman came to be, what themes have endured, and how the times have (and haven't) affected him. Most interestingly, the "dark eras" of the comics Inquisition of the 50's and the controversial pop-interpretation of the 60's are examined in detail - and some startiling revelations and interpretations are made.The problem with reviewing this book is that I can't do it justice and don't wish to spoil the readers. However, simply, if you care about comics in general or Batman in particular, and like to understand the deep issues of culture, buy it. Buy several - give them to friends. It's worth it.

Outstanding

Batman unmasked is the quintisential exploration into the role of Batman as a cultural icon. It is a must read for those who have followed the 'caped crusader' in print, television and the cinema.

Fascinating and fun

I bought this not because I'm a Batman nut, but because the jacket implied it was going to be a well-written, well-researched history book of a sort, and I enjoy reading those. I didn't realise it would be quite such a good read as it is. Brooker is clearly in love with the subject, but he's also very thorough and is an amusing writer as well. Some of the chapter on Adam West and camp had me laughing out loud on the tube. Yes it would have been nice to see a few more pictures, and yes it reads like a thesis at times (I suspect it probably was!), but if you want to read an intelligent, fun book that touches on some major issues in pop culture, this is a great place to start.