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Batman Arkaham: Guía Visual
¡Conviértete en Batman!
El terror reina en el universo arkham. Sólo Batman se interpone ante el inevitable descenso de Gotham City en el caos y la depravación.
Sé testigo de cómo Batman lucha por mantener el control de la ciudad que ha jurado proteger de los criminales, los asesinos y los dementes.
¡No hay escapatoria!
El terror reina en el universo arkham. Sólo Batman se interpone ante el inevitable descenso de Gotham City en el caos y la depravación.
Sé testigo de cómo Batman lucha por mantener el control de la ciudad que ha jurado proteger de los criminales, los asesinos y los dementes.
¡No hay escapatoria!
200 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2015
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Matthew K. Manning
229 books39 followersMatthew 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.
Buy his books and support independent booksellers on Bookshop at https://bookshop.org/shop/matthewkman...
Buy his books and support independent booksellers on Bookshop at https://bookshop.org/shop/matthewkman...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 31, 2016
Okay time to get my records up to date and this is the first. Basically it is a visual guide and concept art book from the Batman Arkham computer game - and that is basically it.
Now why spend time (and money on this book) well first of all I have love for the Batman - partly because it was one of the first comic book heroes I got to read when I was at uni and partly because I was blown away by the Tim Burton films. Okay time and imagery has moved on but I still love his work and the lasting images they gave me.
The second is the concept art (although here it is completed and pretty much finished ready for inclusion in to the Arkham universe). The work that goes in to such artwork and the story that goes along with it more often than not is lost or at least given only cursory glances but in this book you can take your time and really appreciate it.
So for fans of the game its a must - for those who enjoy the antics of batman its good (since there isn't really a storyline as such) and those who appreciate concept art its a wonder - and that is why I took time to add it here.
Now why spend time (and money on this book) well first of all I have love for the Batman - partly because it was one of the first comic book heroes I got to read when I was at uni and partly because I was blown away by the Tim Burton films. Okay time and imagery has moved on but I still love his work and the lasting images they gave me.
The second is the concept art (although here it is completed and pretty much finished ready for inclusion in to the Arkham universe). The work that goes in to such artwork and the story that goes along with it more often than not is lost or at least given only cursory glances but in this book you can take your time and really appreciate it.
So for fans of the game its a must - for those who enjoy the antics of batman its good (since there isn't really a storyline as such) and those who appreciate concept art its a wonder - and that is why I took time to add it here.
April 8, 2020
Oof! Why so cool?! Absolutely loved it.
It's like everything you ever wanted to know about Batman, and all things Batman related. All the villains, heroes, their strengths, weaknesses, powers, history, facts and just about everything. Not to mention the graphics are so cool, my eyes just popped!
This made me very happy :)
It's like everything you ever wanted to know about Batman, and all things Batman related. All the villains, heroes, their strengths, weaknesses, powers, history, facts and just about everything. Not to mention the graphics are so cool, my eyes just popped!
This made me very happy :)
March 26, 2016
I've got several issues with this 'ultimate guide' to the Arkham Universe:
1) As a visual guide, the art is too dark to really get a good feel for it. Yes, I know the games were dark too, but their saturated color palettes work on the screen - they aren't done enough justice on the page, where most of it translates to various shades of black. Some of the art works here (Arkham Origins with its snowy backgrounds especially), but for a book about the art, the art isn't particularly good.
2) The text tries to do too many things, and fails at most of them. It's written from within the perspective of the Arkham universe, so things that break out of it (specifically Batman's alternate costumes) involve a tap-dance to explain. The author's tendency to throw in a nod and wink reference to the sources of the costumes is an attempt at wit that fails almost every time. Just explain 'this is a variation of Batman's costume from the Sinestro Files crossover story;' don't try to justify it. It can't be justified, and the attempt looks stupid.
3) Speaking of stupid, the number of times the same plot points are regurgitated in the text is phenomenal. Things are mentioned, almost word for word, six to eight times in some cases. I guess if you're looking at it as a coffee table book, that's fine. But as a narrative text, it's horrible.
4) The copy editing is pretty shoddy. Misspelled words, and grammatical errors are common.
5) Spoilers - Apparently this was written halfway through the events of Arkham Knight. The book has no problems spoiling everything that happens in any of the previous games, but then whenever it gets to a topic relating to Arkham Knight, it clams up. I get that you don't want to spoil the newest game, but the dichotomy between that and a literal timeline of 'important' events culled from the previous games with no regard to spoilers is really hard to take.
6) Another problem with the 'from within' viewpoint - the book never really tells which game the artwork comes from - there are intimations of 'during the Arkham City period' or 'the Origin days of Batman' that are pretty clear, but it hampers the explanations. I still don't know if Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is really covered here; I think it is, but the book never specifies, and I've blocked out the game as much as I can from my memories.
Ultimately, I'm being way too hard on this book. It's a coffee table book that you're supposed to glance through and drool over the artwork. Expecting narrative cohesion, succinct explanations, or anything other than pretty art is asking too much of it. But when even its art suffers from the design, I really have to say I can't recommend it to anyone but the most ardent fans of the series (who don't mind it's omissions of much of Arkham Knight).
1) As a visual guide, the art is too dark to really get a good feel for it. Yes, I know the games were dark too, but their saturated color palettes work on the screen - they aren't done enough justice on the page, where most of it translates to various shades of black. Some of the art works here (Arkham Origins with its snowy backgrounds especially), but for a book about the art, the art isn't particularly good.
2) The text tries to do too many things, and fails at most of them. It's written from within the perspective of the Arkham universe, so things that break out of it (specifically Batman's alternate costumes) involve a tap-dance to explain. The author's tendency to throw in a nod and wink reference to the sources of the costumes is an attempt at wit that fails almost every time. Just explain 'this is a variation of Batman's costume from the Sinestro Files crossover story;' don't try to justify it. It can't be justified, and the attempt looks stupid.
3) Speaking of stupid, the number of times the same plot points are regurgitated in the text is phenomenal. Things are mentioned, almost word for word, six to eight times in some cases. I guess if you're looking at it as a coffee table book, that's fine. But as a narrative text, it's horrible.
4) The copy editing is pretty shoddy. Misspelled words, and grammatical errors are common.
5) Spoilers - Apparently this was written halfway through the events of Arkham Knight. The book has no problems spoiling everything that happens in any of the previous games, but then whenever it gets to a topic relating to Arkham Knight, it clams up. I get that you don't want to spoil the newest game, but the dichotomy between that and a literal timeline of 'important' events culled from the previous games with no regard to spoilers is really hard to take.
6) Another problem with the 'from within' viewpoint - the book never really tells which game the artwork comes from - there are intimations of 'during the Arkham City period' or 'the Origin days of Batman' that are pretty clear, but it hampers the explanations. I still don't know if Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is really covered here; I think it is, but the book never specifies, and I've blocked out the game as much as I can from my memories.
Ultimately, I'm being way too hard on this book. It's a coffee table book that you're supposed to glance through and drool over the artwork. Expecting narrative cohesion, succinct explanations, or anything other than pretty art is asking too much of it. But when even its art suffers from the design, I really have to say I can't recommend it to anyone but the most ardent fans of the series (who don't mind it's omissions of much of Arkham Knight).
March 22, 2021
Covers the events of the games with character profiles. Learned nothing new.
March 1, 2017
I am not a ganer.
I have not sat down and played an episodic
video game in 15 years.
Not to cast aspersions.
I have nothing against the people who love gaming.
I just don't have the time.
That said I have nothing but respect and admiration
for the artists and designers who
create such stunningly detailed worlds.
Or often entire Universes.
This book if crammed with beautiful
images that capture the essence of the many characters from the
Batman comics and spur the imagination.
Awe inspiring in creativity
breath taking in detail.
I have not sat down and played an episodic
video game in 15 years.
Not to cast aspersions.
I have nothing against the people who love gaming.
I just don't have the time.
That said I have nothing but respect and admiration
for the artists and designers who
create such stunningly detailed worlds.
Or often entire Universes.
This book if crammed with beautiful
images that capture the essence of the many characters from the
Batman comics and spur the imagination.
Awe inspiring in creativity
breath taking in detail.
January 7, 2016
No story line here. Just a reference book of the Batman Arkham Universe. There are some great graphics associated with this world. For a reference book it has just enough detail to make it interesting. But my most enjoyable piece is the Foreword by Kevin Conroy. Seconded but the history of various Batman costumes over the ages. There is a sections on weapons, setting, allies, and villains. Otherwise, it is not all that great, but I am not into the whole Batman Arkham series. I would be more interested in a grander compendium.
Have a GoodReads.
Have a GoodReads.
January 24, 2016
The guide covers all the Arkham games from Origins to Knight and is full of just about everything you'd want to know. It covers the stories of the games, Batman's gadgets and costumes, his allies, his enemies, his vehicles. Full of lots of nice full page art from the ganes as well as tons of info too.
August 17, 2015
It's a Comprehensive guide to all Batman Arkham games and how they're all linked. Note this is not walkthrough guide book. Most interesting is all the versions batman. Many questions are answered but some still remain hidden.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews