Year of the Bat

Heath Ledger’s disturbing and Oscar buzz-worthy performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight renewed interest in the Batman film franchise this year. Now there’s a new book called “Bat-Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan” that provides a glimpse into a year’s worth of comics that were previously only available in Japan in the 1960s.

The strips have been translated into English by Anne Ishii and collected and edited by book designer Chip Kidd. Artist Jiro Kuwata based his images on the campy 1960s American TV series (Bam! Ka-Pow!), and his Bruce Wayne resembles actor Adam West.

Kuwata and writer Shonen King adjusted the tone, action and style of the images to appeal to Japanese manga fans, but it’s the western fans who will probably be the most thrilled to collect a new set of adventures. BoingBoing gives the book a stellar review.

Sarah S.

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