The Many Lives of the Batman (1991) was a pioneer within cultural and comic book scholarship. This fresh new sequel retains the best of the original chapters but also includes images, new chapters and new contributions from the Batman writers and editors. Spanning 75 years and multiple incarnations, this is the definitive history of Batman.
Well... the good news is that the only good essay in the book happens to be the first.
There is also a good interview in there with Frank Miller, but that's about it. Aside from being 20 years old, the book is a compilation of essays, which I have a struggling past with.
Some include charts on the decline of comic book sales and ethnographic studies on the kinds of people who buy them.
Not the book for me. I'd recommend reading Bill Boichel's essay "Batman: Commodity as Myth" and saving yourself a couple of hours. If it wasn't for him, one star.
If anyone has any good nonfiction stuff on the Batman send the mail my way. I was excited to read this.