Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman

Just like the comic books

This collection of stories shows many of the different characters that first appeared in Detective Comics from the Crimson Avenger, and Batman of course, to Robin, Airwave, Slam Bradley, Pow-wow Smith, Bat woman, Bat-mite, Martian Manhunter, Batgirl and others. Also includes important Batman stories.

This is such a treasure for Batman readers.

Brilliantly curated selection of stories from the pages of Detective Comics. Understand that is what you are getting. This isn’t 80 years of Batman, so there are great never reprinted stories featuring The Crimson Avenger, Slam Bradley and many others who made their first appearances here in these pages.One review noted the absence of The Joker from this tome, but if you look at the history of the villain you’d see the vast majority of his important stories occur in the pages of BATMAN not DETECTIVE Comics.The articles written by several notables in pop culture and Batman history add nothing to the volume with the exception of Paul Levitz’s piece which explains how National Comics would come to be known as DC Comics— and the DC does not stand for what you think it does.The selections of stories include several Batman ones that have been reprinted elsewhere but it was nice to see such an emphasis on non-Batman and early Batman stories rather than the pablum DC Comics puts out today. I guess that owes some small part to the fact that they don’t do simple stories any longer and everything has to be a six page epic.This is a handsome and well put together volume which properly celebrates the title.

This is an incredibly good collection that not only houses some of the best Batman stories and the ones that introduce bat-family members, but also long forgotten Detective comics characters such as Slam Bradley and Pow-Wow Smith. However, what I’ve always thought is one of Batman’s greatest assets is his villains. While some of his most well known rogues have their first appearance in this collection(Two-Face, Man-Bat, Riddler), one is noticeably absent. Unfortunately that one is the greatest comics villain of all time, The Joker. There are only references to him, such as that is of the unnamed burglar climbing out of the vat of acid is the 2014 remake of Detective comics 27, or the murder of Commissioner Gordon’s wife, but he never appears as the Joker in panel. While I know Batman collections such as this are over saturated with the Joker, and am glad other villains got their spotlight this time around, It the Joker is the batman’s Greatest villain, and not seeing him in any of the stories is a disservice.

Didn't realize it was a hardcover book amazing can't wait to revisit with "THE Batman"

This nice hardbound edition offers a wide variety of stories from detective comics over the last 80 years. While the majority of the stories are Batman stories, some are about other characters who have been featured in Detective, like the Manhunter from Mars and Pow-Pow Smith, which I had never read before. his volume offers a wide variety of Batman through the years. I do wish that one day they would reprint the stories done by Neal Adams in their original form, not the re-colorized (or inked, I guess) versions that he did a few years back. I read the essays just for the sake of completeness but they added nothing, although one was quite, unintentionally, laughable. Great collection for old fogeys like me or for newer readers wanting a little Bat-history. They really did this one right.

Outstanding historical reference of the Batman. From his creation in 1939 to his present day exploits this book captures the entire career of the Batman and his rogue's gallery of arch enemies and frenemies!