Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years by Bill Finger

Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years Reviews

• 
  Mohammed Arabey

  Batman V Superman , 75 Anniversaries
  
  منذ خبر اعلان اللقاء السينمائي الذي طالما انتظرته منذ منتصف التسعينات، حينما كان بات مان مهيبا ومليء بعجائب تيم بورتون القوطية، أو ملونا بصخب جول شوماخر المسلي رغم كل الإنتقادات....وكان وقتها سوبرمان مختفيا عن السينما منذ الثمانينات مع وعود زائفة بالعودة
  خبر لقاء سوبرمان وبات مان السينمائي الأول
  
  قررت أن أقرأ بعض الكوميكس الخاص بهما، ولكن كيف يختار المرء بين الآلاف الأعداد؟
  لحسن الحظ جائت تلك المجلدات التي صدرت في وقت واحد تقريبا بها تجميع لأهم محطات كلا البطلين علي حدة وحتي لقاءاتهما الأولي
  
  بنجاح سوبرمان السريع والساحق قررت الشركة المنتجة دي سي كوميكس تقديم ابطال خارقة اخري
  لكن كي لا يكون مجرد تقليد او استنساخ قرر روب كين تقديم بطل مضاد تماما لشكل سوبرمان
  لو سوبرمان نهار..باتمان ليل
  سوبرمان بألوان زيه الاساسية،الاحمر والأزرق، فباتمان كان الرمادي والأسود
  سوبرمان يتخفي في شكل رجل طبيعي بسيط ،كلارك كنت
  بروس واين يتخفي في شكل الرجل الخارق ، باتمان
  
  لكن بمرور الوقت..حتلاقي الجانب المظلم للعالم اثر علي شخصية وطبيعة السوبرهيروز في الكوميكس والافلام الأحدث
  
  
  بكمل الريفيو زي ماعملت في ريفيو سوبرمان
  
  ريفيو 75 سنة سوبرمان
  ونتابع فيه بتتابع الكتاب مراحل تحول باتمان
  حتي ان يصل لدرجة من الواقعية في الأحداث وعمق نفسي ممتاز للكوميكس زي ماحصل بنهاية كتاب سوبرمان القصص زي ماقلت في ريفيو سوبرمان بقت عالمية اكتر , مش امريكية بس , وكمان تحس انها فيها شئ من الواقعية اكبر من الكوميكس القديمة
  
  دي سي كوميكس عاما تحس ان فيها شئ من الواقعية والتعمق في النفسية في القصص الجديدة عن مارفيل اللي كلها الوان وبهرجة
  مش بقلل من مارفل وافانجيرز , بالعكس انا بعشق يمكن اكتر منهم
  X-Men من مارفل
  لانها فيها شخصيات اقرب بكتير من باتمان وسوبرمان نفسيا اكتر من افانجرز
  
  وزي ماظهر في الفيلم الي بالمناسبة سيناريو قوي جدا، وإن في كثير من التشابك في الاخراج في جزء ما حول السياسة الامريكية-تشعر انه تم تقديمه بشكل خاطف- لكن بيظل الفيلم فعلا قوي وعبقري جدا بحق
  وأمين لبعض الكوميكس الشهيرة لسوبرمان
  
  ولو حابب تتعرف اكتر عن الشخصيات فافتكر السلسلة دي متاحة تورنت كمان
  
  
  محمد العربي
  في 24 مارس 2016
• 
  Ｆｒａｎｋｈ

  Batman has been officially 75 years old since 2014, and to commemorate this turning point in the history of the character's legacy, DC released an anthology of stories for most of their DC characters, most notable examples include Superman, Wonder Woman, Shazam, the Joker, etc. Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years is just the first part of the goodies DC has bequeathed long-time readers and avid fans.
  
  There is also the Visual History almanac of the character (and I own both hefty copies), which served as a chronological catalog to Batman's seventy-five reign, including a varied list of landmark issues, most coveted issues, and recent works in memory. This anthology, however, collects specific comics issues that readers can enjoy for themselves. The stories were divided into specific categories of era. We have the 40's, the 50's-60's, the 70's-80's, the 90's and the 2000's-present.
  
  Originally, I was supposed to write a multi-part review for each Bat-era category, but I have other obligations in real life that cannot be put aside to make more time to do that, and now I opted instead to write one official review for the entire collection itself. I regret to say that this wouldn't be as nuanced and in-depth as I wanted it to be, or what readers of my Bat-blog has come to expect from a lot of my reviews, but nevertheless I'll discuss as much as I could about this collection in case some of you have yet to possess a copy of this, and therefore are curious to know what it has to offer or if it's even worth buying.
  
  On a surface level, Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a must-have anthology. After all, it collects DC Comics' certifiable choice cuts of Batman comics throughout the seven and a half decades everybody's favorite caped crusader has graced us with. Batman has captured so many readers' imagination and sense of danger and intrigue, and this is supposed to highlight exactly why his fictional exploits have lasted for so long and are so heavily ingrained in his fanbase's hearts and minds. In my own personal opinion, however, this collection is a mixed bag of goods. If you're a first-time reader of anything comics, this anthology may not be my first choice for you to get to know Batman with.
  
  In both an objective and subjective sense, Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years is not an advisable route to start with because there are a few valuable graphic novels I think newbies have to experience first if this is truly going to be the first time they will encounter Batman in said medium. This anthology in question is far too varied with its sample stories that newbies who are only familiar with the recent Batman adaptations (read the dark, gritty approach to the character) and hence they may find most of these issues jarring and bizarre, particularly the earlier eras of Batman.
  
  For example, did you guys know about Batman Of Tomorrow? Here is a sample page:
  
  
  
  
  
  [CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGES]
  
  To those who are more than familiar with the character's earlier years, Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years is a collection worthy of purchase, primarily for reasons that have something to do with nostalgia. I'm not saying that readers of my generation will be forever incapable of appreciating old-school Batman, but chances are these readers may already have fixed tastes of how they want their Batman to be served to them and so the categories dating back in the 40's, 50's, 60's and some material back in the 70's which this anthology touches upon may not resonate as meaningfully as more recent works have in the 80's to the present which portray Batman in a more serious manner that really focuses on the Dark Knight aspect of his lore. Everyone has a version of Batman they know and love well. Mine was Bruce Timm and Paul Dini's Batman: The Animated Series.. To the oldest of fans, Adam West's TV series in 1966 was a childhood favorite, while others prefer the Tim Burton films a lot more, cinematically-speaking.
  
  A great number of fans now, however, subscribe to Christopher Nolan's trilogy whose tonality and themes might have influenced their reading choices. It's not to say that these same fans will not enjoy this anthology as much if they do purchase it, but a lot of its earlier material will go over their heads and shock them because it's a complete dissonance to what they know about Batman as a superhero. That being said, early-era Batman is a bottle of laughs and hijinks, IMHO! If you're my age (twenties) and was able to fall in love with Adam West's version of the character later on even if you also still prefer your Batsy dark and brooding, then being able to read these early issues will be an effortless thrill!
  
  Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years, the earliest eras portrayed his character in less darker shades than the contemporaries. Batman is a lot more light-hearted in a way you would not believe unless you're over forty and have read the run of these fun titles back in the day. A lot of the material chosen for this anthology are first or memorable appearances of characters such as Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and a few of Bruce Wayne's girlfriends like Vicki Vale and Silver St. Cloud. Some issues also have the most ridiculous plot-lines imaginable that showcases Batman's penchant for over-the-top gadgets and often also involve the mind-boggling schemes of one-note villains who don't belong to the top-shelf Rogues' Gallery. The titles range from the titular Batman, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin, World's Finest, DC Special Series and so on.
  
  The breadth of this collection is satisfactory yet a little challenging in some places. The varied styles of narrative can be an acquired taste, particularly for those more accustomed to the way comics are drawn and written in these days. Early-era comics tends to tell more rather than show action sequences, relying on the writer's narrative boxes that have a tendency to be indulgent in both speech and character dialogues. Fortunately enough, the choice cuts in Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years have stories where such a narration style works well enough to keep readers interested. My favorite part of this entire anthology were the recent works, of course, starting with BTAS writer Paul Dini's contribution. And yes, this also includes the re-printing of the original first Batman issue of The Case of the Chemical Syndicate which include Batman's origin story at the end.
  
  BEHOLD HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS! I may or may not have started kissing the pages repeatedly after reading them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years is generally a highly recommended work that long-time fans should have in their shelves, but I wouldn't consider it as something I would readily recommend to newbies and more contemporary-inclined fans of Batman who haven't read much about him in comics just yet. That being said, I can't really stop you if you still want to buy this, perhaps either because of posterity reasons or because you want to challenge yourself to get to know old-school Batman. If that is the case, then more power to you! I maintain that to love a fictional character means to explore everything there is to know about him or her, and Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years is the best place to start that quest, if nothing else.
  
  If you're interested to know which Bat-titles and story arcs to start with as a newb, then check out my
  IF YOU WANT TO START READING BATMAN rec list.
  
  RECOMMENDED: 8/10
  
  DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:
  
  
• 
  Shannon

  An overview of Batman through the many years with some interesting tidbits of his development as a DC Comics hero.
  
  OVERALL GRADE: B.
• 
  Beau Johnston

  I really enjoyed reading
  Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years. It was a great cross-section of Batman stories from his origin in 1938, through to the modern era. Would I have swapped some stories for others that weren't included? Of course; we all have our personal favorites. But the editors can't please everyone, all the time. If you are new to Batman comics, or don't have a great deal of knowledge about his earlier adventures, do yourself a favor and purchase a copy of this graphic novel.
• 
  David Musto

  The dark and the light, the yin and the yang. One simply cannot exist without the other. Throughout the 75-year history of the Caped Crusader, the Joker has been the other side to Batman. The flip side of the same coin (sorry, Two-Face), Joker is the lighthearted, murderous worst case scenario of what Batman could become. It all comes down to belief. Batman believes in justice, Joker worships chaos.
  
  Please read my full review
  at this link
• 
  Dave Farrance

  Really enjoyed this collection. A great look at the history of Batman through the ages from his first ever appearance in Detective Comics #27, to the modern New 52 rebirth.
  
  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this item, but it was Batman so I placed a reservation on it. When it arrived it was quite the unexpected tome! But reading that first ever Bat-Man comic was so cool! I can’t imagine how exciting it must have been to read something like that way back in the 1930’s.
  It was a treat seeing how the art style and language changed with the stories as the decades went on, and DC pushed the boundaries as much as they could along the way.
  
  With all the changes to characters and plots along the decades too, I think I might get hold of a Batman encyclopaedia style book so I can get my head around things a bit. Had one years ago for Judge Dredd and it was great!
  The changes in who was what member of the Bat Family at what stage alone can be a little confusing, and then there’s multiverse stuff!
  
  On the whole though, this collection was so enjoyable, I think I’ll buy a copy for my own collection. The included “essential reading” list was a great addition too, and I’ve read half of those already so that was good to see.
  
  Definitely recommend this collection!
• 
  Brian Rogers

  This was about what I expected it to be - a bunch of Batman stories that got less enjoyable the closer we got to today. OK, that's a little harsh, since most of the stories were good single issue contained Batman tales that work pretty well. I don't like the new art styles, and the 'latest freshest New 52 takes on the Batman' at the end were pretty bad, but on the whole this was solid.
  
  I didn't like how they divided prior Batman epochs into 15 year periods and then the current era runs all the way back to 1986 and Dark Knight Returns/Year One. There have been a lot of changes in the character over those years and easily could be split into two 15 year periods. That they don't/cant speaks to the stagnation of how they see the character.
  
  Another thing that jumped out was the need to include the Knightfall Broken Bat issue which, unlike the highly interconnected with surrounding issues silver age return of Deadshot, barely functions as a story on its own. It's just such a weak story.
• 
  Candace Perry

  I was highly disappointed with this compilation. I wish I had read it first - I would have given it a higher rating. But after reading the excellence of the Flash and Shazam celebration books, I just was expecting much more.
  
  In both of the previously mentioned compilations, we read at least snippets of major events and storylines. This book didn't have that. The stories seemed to be chosen at random. And where were the stories with Dick Grayson as Batman? The Flash had a story with Bart as Flash, are you telling me they couldn't show one with Dick as Batman? For that matter, there was no mention of Batman ever dying/being lost in time. That was a HUGE storyline, and it's a great example of my complaint above!
  
  Very very frustrating overall, but not bad. Like I said, if I had read this first it would have had a high rating. I just happened to read it last, so the bar was set really high - and this book did not deliver.
• 
  Christopher

  There is a reason Batman has been around 75 years, and will more than likely continue to be around for awhile. Despite the great length of time that has passed since Bob Kane originally created Batman, he stays in (relatively) consistent character. Which is partly due to his adaptability as writers and artists change, bringing new ideas, and new life into the DC Universe. The other part I think is because he "normal" man, doing what is right without the benefit of powers. This collection defiantly showcases, the various ages of comics well. As well as showing how Batman has evolved but, manages to retain the ideal behind his character.
• 
  David

  Not the best selection of material.
• 
  Seth

  A collection of stories each so uniquely uninvolving that they seem to have been put together by a group of mothers trying to convince you to put down the comic book and go outside.
• 
  Michael Emond

  So I got this collection for one story in particular - a story drawn by Alex Toth - a minimalist artist whose art I adore. It was written by Archie Goodwin a writer/editor who left us way too soon. It was worth the price of admission. It is a simple story but shows how a simple story done by two expert craftsmen works so well. It is s simple story of a man who goes on a killing spree using WWI planes. Obviously written by someone who loves those planes and drawn by someone who loved those planes. Basically - two grown boys who wanted to write a Batman story with those planes :).
  
  Besides that perfect 5 star story were there any other gems? Not as many as you would hope for. The editor could have selected ANY Batman stories from the 75 years of Batman (up to 2014) and there were a lot of duds. What you get is a nice overview of the pivotal artists who drew Batman (Kane, Burley, Sprang, Aparo, Rogers, Miller, Infantino, Capullo) but some key ones are still missed. It is a crime Norm Breyfogle was left out especially when he and Alan Grant produced some of the best Batman stories of the 80's.
  
  You get some early Batman stories that show how lame he was in the 50's and 60's when the comics code choked the noir out of Batman. You get the first Poison Ivy which was astonishingly bad but at least it was a nice key first appearance. In point of fact I wish MORE key issues had been included. As a comics collector it would be nice to see some of the other major keys "first Robin", "first Mr. Freeze". But, along those lines you do get the first Batgirl which is a great story with Carmine Infantino at the height of his powers.
  
  Oh - you also get the "Bane breaks Batman's back" issue which I had never read before and it was as lame as I imagined it would be. Why do I say that? Because it was page after page of Batman being beaten up...when he normally could take a guy like Bane using his brains instead of trying to slug it out with him. Also - as a stand alone story it fails because it only works as part of the larger arc. So including it here in this collection makes zero sense.
  
  So, overall, it is disappointing that there weren't more stories that were great or classics in this "best of" collection but it was still a lot of fun to read. And I do love to have all of these stories in one collection to see how Batman evolved over the years.
• 
  Jason Luna

  This book does a pretty in depth job of sampling Batman's adventures from the early 30s into the approximate modern day. There's a lot of different stories from over the years, and a BIG PLUS is to see every story in full color, on a big page so you can see lots of detail. It's a good collectible for fans.
  
  But for me, the stories themselves, while not bad, felt a little so-so. A large part of it is because I've read so many comic books that I felt a distance, and similarly it's hard to read DC stories even from the 1960s, especially earlier. So maybe my personal taste for Marvel, for modern stuff, even for cosmic heroes, hurt the appeal. I feel a judgment against DC from the 1930s.
  
  But I think for any reader, there's a repetition that sets in. Batman has a structure that most of his adventures follow (no spoilers): there's a bad guy bad enough that Batman (and maybe Robin) have to patrol the town, fighting their way through trouble.
  Even with modern fare by the likes of Dennis O'Neil, Mike W. Barr, or the recent guys like Paul Dini, there's a sort of generic heroism, a "can Batman beat this bad guy", and it blends together.
  
  There wasn't enough breakout material to say that any story here was out and out amazing. It DEFINITELY hurts that the best Batman story arcs (Dark Knight Returns, Long Halloween, etc.) are multi-issue/longer, allowing for more twists and turns. Almost all the stories here had to be wrapped up in one fell swoop, preventing tension or even differentiation from issue to issue.
  
  If you want a very rushed point of view on Batman history, to have different art and writing styles to compare, this book is for you. But for actual reading enjoyment, it feels very one note, and lacks a progression.
  
  A very kind 3/5, based on ambition in publishing so many separate stories, and the quality of the volume design.
• 
  Colin Hayes

  I've always enjoyed Batman in comic books, TV or films through the years ever since watching the camp version portrayed by Adam West as a kid. Although I've liked the comic books I don't have an encyclopediac knowledge of them and as there are so many versions of the Dark Knight, so many stories that require pre knowledge dipping in isn't always easy.
  
  This collection was published for Batman's 75 anniversary and contains a pretty large assortment of Batman comic strips from the very beginning in 1939 right up to 2014.
  
  It's a good collection and it's good that you don't need to know lots of back story. It's interesting to see the evolution from 1939 where the artwork was pretty basic and the story lines not too complex to the more sophisticated artwork and stories of later years and all sorts inbetween as the years go by. The stories are in chronological order so it's helpful in tracing the evolution of the character. It's split into sections according the timeline with a brief introduction to each section explaining where we are up to and how things have changed up to that point in the development of Batman.
  
  The final story in the collection is particularly novel as it's a reprint of the very first Batman story but with a new script from 2014.
  
  A good collection for anyone who maybe doesn't have all the stories (and over all the years there's a lot of them), anyone interested in seeing the evolution of the character and particularly if you don't know all the back story for the many different versions of Batman.
• 
  B. P. Rinehart

  This anthology book was released in 2014 and is a series of comic book one-shots from the different eras of the Dark Knight from the golden age with
  Detective Comics #27 to the controversial "New 52" era of DC Comics (which thankfully
  ended in 2016). I have to say, New 52 and silver-age (aka Adam West) stuff aside, the selections for this book were very good. I was not big on the Dick Grayson-era Robin, but I was really fascinated with the bronze age era part of the book. Of course when I was growing-up, it was hard to imagine what this character was like before
  Frank Miller permanently changed the character in the 1980s. I definitely will try to read more of the
  Dennis O'Neil-era of the character.
• 
  Will Hoover

  This is an EXCELLENT compilation of some of the very best Batman stories from the first 75 years of the character as he has appeared (sometimes solo, and sometimes with a younger sidekick, such as Nightwing, or one the various incarnations of Robin) in Detective Comics and other DC titles. Although this isn't the first "75 Years of" volume from DC that I've read, it is definitely the best one thus far.
  
  Because, believe it or not, even though I am a ravenous consumer of comic books in general, I've never been particularly attracted to the superhero aspect of the industry. In fact, my interest in sequential art has always tended towards movie and TV adaptations, classic hero stories, science fiction, fantasy, and of course, horror, but this action-packed volume (that clocks in at over 400 beautiful pages) dramatically illustrates just exactly why this particular superhero has been so consistently popular for the better part of the past century.
• 
  Victoria

  I say it's a good introduction to Batman for someone who has not read many of the comics before and a good collection of comics for long-time fans. Batman has been my favorite hero since I was a little kid and this collection is nice to have in my library. It shows the evolution of Batman throughout the years from the first comic in 1939 to the new 52 introduced in the early 2010s. It doesn't hold complete arcs. Just one comic from an arc that leaves you wanting to understand what happened before this or how it plays out later, which shows that this is focused on the evolution of Batman rather than the main story-telling, but that is the main purpose of "Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years"
  Loved it, long live the bat!
• 
  Chris Schaben

  I appreciate this book for breaking up the eras of the Dark Knight's history and providing various issues to see his evolution. However, these comics they chose for this collection are really hit and miss. Some superb choices include Detective Comics #27 (the first appearance of Batman), the first appearances of Catwoman, Batgirl, and Poison Ivy, the infamous story with Bane breaking Batman's back, and some various takes on his origin story. But others did not deserve a spot in this collection and could have been replaced with better stories I'm sure. "Knight Out" in particular was completely pointless and lacked the kind of Batman action you would hope for.
• 
  Andres Castro

  Fue una buena experiencia poder comparar la historia del personaje más icónico de DC cómics desde el primer estilo de la primera historia del detective murciélago y su primer diseño, la primera aparición de algunos villanos icónicos y como evoluciónaba los cómics y el diseño del personaje, recordar algunas de las historias más icónicas cómo la corté de los búhos y knightfall. Un gran libro para los amantes de Batman.
• 
  Ayan Basú

  Absolutely adored it.
  This is my first ever Batman Graphic Novels, I had ever bought.
  It is a good place to start reading Batman too. Because this book gives you a detailed information of Batman & it's era.
  This Omnibus do coverage every era of Batman since 1939, when Batman came into existence in the Detective Comics No. 27 in the year 1939 created by Bob Kane and the fun fact is that issue is present in this Omnibus too.
  
  A must buy if your Batsy Fan 😁
• 
  Robert Reiner

  A great look at Batman comics of the first 75 years. My only complaint is that some of these stories I just don't get why they were selected out of the hundreds of great Batman comics there are to choose from. Certainly not a "greatest hits" but entertaining nonetheless.
• 
  Roland Baldwin

  This is a decent collection of Batman stories. Each era is covered. Perhaps Earth 2 Batman would have been a decent addition for one of these stories but it is a good overview of Batman as a whole. I do wish the 80th anniversary had been given a volume 2 of these titles
• 
  Daniel

  I just adore this hardcover edition of Batman! It's very well done and perfectly edited , collecting some of the best stories from different Batman's ages. It's fascinating to see how the art is changing over the years and how the stories improve themselves and starts to get more sensible and meaningful.
  As a child of the 90s, I worship the Tim Burton's movies and as well Batman: The animated series which I grew up with. So, I easily could say that my favorite comic book stories are also from 1986 to 2011 era, when Frank Miller took over both as writer and as artist and give us one darker and more mature superhero.
  Although I had already read before most of the collected stories in this edition, it was nice to remember and enjoy them again. My only complaint is that I expected to find inside more stories with my favorite villains but unfortunately that did not happen, maybe except for the few pages that include Poison Ivy and Bane.
• 
  Eladio Garro

  Excellent. My Batbible.
  
  My favorite story was Batman Special.
• 
  Hande

  Mielenkiintoinen kurkistus Yön ritarin historiaan sarjakuvien muodossa aina hänen ensiesiintymisestään 1939 lähtien.
• 
  Niamh Ennis

  Despite the great mix of eras, it wasn't too jarring for the less frequent reader; great selection.
• 
  Valerie R

  I was hoping for an issue or two with Damien.
• 
  libraryfacts

  I've loved this quintessentially noir character most of my life, as he was the character that introduced me to DC. A selection like this, with a character with such a varied and deep history, there are bound to be unfortunate misses. But I liked the selections and found great joy in revisiting old stories, as well as finally reading others I hadn't as of yet read.