Batman: The Multiverse of the Dark Knight: An Illustrated Guide

by Matthew K. Manning

Discover the hidden corners of the DC Multiverse in this definitive illustrated guide to the multiple versions of The Dark Knight.

Take a tour through the diverse worlds of the DC Multiverse in this comprehensive guidebook detailing the lives of its many Caped Crusaders. Dive into different dimensions and meet countless variations of the Dark Knight—from the Batman Who Laughs to Flashpoint Batman, from Captain Leatherwing to Bizarro-Batman, this book profiles more than 60 iconic iterations of DC’s legendary Super Hero alongside striking original art. Thrilling and vibrant, this treasury is a must-have collectible for every Batman fan!

EXCLUSIVE BATMAN An Illustrated Guide to the Multiverse is filled with spectacular, never-before-seen artwork.

60+ More than 60 stunning illustrations celebrate the unique visual style of each Batman universe.

ENTER THE Showcasing detailed profiles of characters like Flashpoint Batman, The Batman Who Laughs, and Bizarro-Batman, this book is the definitive guide to DC’s trove of Batman characters.

AN ACCESSIBLE MULTIVERSE Featuring an in-universe narrative and a fan-favorite guide who takes the reader though every corner of the DC Multiverse.

A SPECTACULAR ADDITION TO YOUR DC This guide joins Insight Editions’ exciting line of DC titles, including Anatomy of a Metahuman and The Definitive History of the Dark Knight in Comics, Film, and Beyond .

Genres: Batman

128 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2023

About the author

Matthew K. Manning is the author of over eighty books and dozens of comic books. He has written books for Scholastic, Disney Press, Abrams, Amazon, Capstone, DK Publishing, Insight Editions, Andrews/McMeel, and Running Press, dividing his time between writing original chapter book series and coffee table books. His chapter books include the six-book series Xander and the Rainbow-Barfing Unicorns (Capstone), the four-book Drone Academy series (Capstone), Backstories: Batman and Backstories: Batgirl (Scholastic), and Artemis Fowl: How to be a LEPrecon (Disney Press), released in both paperback and on Audible. Many of his books have reached best-seller status on Amazon, including DC Comics: Anatomy of a Metahuman, DC Comics Encyclopedia, and Batman: A Visual History. In addition, Manning specializes in comic books, writing for the titles Beware the Batman, Teen Titans Go!, The Batman Strikes!, Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century, Justice League Adventures, Scooby-Doo, and Looney Tunes for DC Comics, Marvel Action: Avengers for IDW/Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Amazing Adventures and TMNT: New Animated Adventures for IDW, and the top-selling Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures for DC/IDW, nominated by the Diamond Gem Awards for comic of the year. Manning’s work has received acclaim in Entertainment Weekly, People Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and The Washington Times. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife Dorothy and his daughters Lillian and Gwendolyn.

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Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Because at his core, Bruce Wayne - the Batman of our 'Earth-0' - is just a human being who slid a cowl down over his face, swung off a building, and saved a city. Then a planet. Then a Multiverse." -- Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Oracle, on page 7

Multiverses are all the rage right now in the comic book / graphic novel industry, and writer Manning partnered with newbie illustrator Flaviu Pop to catalogue the dozens of Dark Knights fighting crime in various parallel dimensions or alternate versions of Earth within DC Comics. This means Batman as a cowboy, a pirate, a samurai, a crazed zombified version, and even as (gasp!) Frankenstein's monster. Yes, it can be as silly as it sounds on occasion, but I have to give Manning credit for his direct explanatory text which sells these variations PLUS especially Pop's artwork, which is uniformly excellent with the exceedingly prolific array of represented styles. (His take on the late Darwyn Cooke's 'New Frontier'-era Batman & Robin was sublime.) Also of note was the 'Batman, Incorporated' team, featuring the many international versions of the character - from Argentina, France, Russia, Japan, Australia, etc. - with the expected regional or cultural flair.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

As someone who is more interested in the Batman movies than the comics, I don't think I was really the target audience for this book, but I do look forward to passing it on to someone who will appreciate it more than I could because it's beautiful as a piece of art. I definitely appreciated it for that and didn't feel reading it was a waste of time, but I hope the next person who reads it gets more out of it than I was able to.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully done book featuring information and pictures of all the different multiverses of batmen. I had originally wanted this book to share with the students at the middle school I work at, but it's just too nice!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quality of this book was amazing!! I intended on giving it to my grandson, but my adult son got to it first.