BATMAN UNMASKED ANALYZING A CULTURAL ICON TP

by Will Brooker Batman, like Madonna and Elvis and James Bond, strikes a resonant chord in too many of us to deny that there is something about him that speaks to us at the level of myth. With a combination of rigorous historical, academic research and witty, fluid, and oft times controversial writing style that is both vastly instructive and entertaining, Dr. Will Brooker dissects this cultural icon, introducing what may prove to be the definitive history of Batman and his mythos in all its myriad forms, from comics and films, to television and the internet. Pinpointing four key moments in Batman's history, Brooker illuminates the struggles over Batman's meaning by shining a light on the cultural issues of the day. What results is a book that stands up both as a work of scholarship and as a labor of love - and a book that will provoke debate wherever Batman is studied. (Continuum) TP, 384pg