Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen was released this past Friday, and a few new reviews have popped up over the weekend…
First up is a review from Rob Smedley of CultBox; here’s an extract:
“Holy Franchise, Batman! makes the bold claim of being ‘the Caped Crusader fan’s bible’, and lives up to its assertion. Charting every one of the Dark Knight’s appearances on film and TV (and we do mean every one – apparently he even turned up in the cartoon Krypto the Superdog), author Gary Collinson is a man who seems to know Batman better than Alfred the butler does… Whether you’re a die-hard fan of the Caped Crusader or an enthusiastic sidekick looking to further their Dark Knight knowledge, the wealth of information here means you’d have to be some kind of joker not to consider picking this up.”
Read the full review here.
[Just to clarify, Batman never actually appeared in Krypto the Superdog. However, Bat-related characters include Ace the Bat-Hound, Bud and Lou, Isis and the Bad News Birds. But yeah, it’s in there.]
Next up is a review from Naomi Barnwell at MovieFarm.co.uk:
“Gary Collinson’s passion for the Dark Knight is evident throughout. Writing enthusiastically, engagingly and, perhaps most importantly, informatively, Collinson weaves interesting facts and tidbits into the wider history he describes… Despite small flaws, the book offers a surprisingly engaging history of Batman’s screen appearances though the ages – the perfect accompaniment to any Bat-fan’s collection.”
Read the full review here.
And finally, here’s a review from Baron Fortnightly of Blogomatic3000:
“The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” was made with this book in mind, the cover features a strange collage of both screen and animated versions of Batman, Robin and The Joker that don’t quite gel. Despite the strange cover, this is actually a very interesting book, especially for Batman fans… Worth picking up if you want to expand your knowledge of the Batman of the movies.”
Read the full review here.
HOLY FRANCHISE BATMAN: BRINGING THE CAPED CRUSADER TO THE SCREEN:
Since the Caped Crusader first made the leap from comics to silver screen in the early 1940s, generations of audiences have been captivated by the screen adventures of Batman, establishing the celebrated comic book hero as a true icon of popular culture. Now, Gary Collinson traces the entire screen history of Bob Kane’s Dark Knight Detective, providing a fascinating insight into one of the most successful media franchises of all time.
Beginning with the early movie serials of the 1940s, Holy Franchise, Batman! charts the development of Batman’s many exploits across both live-action and animation, presenting a comprehensive overview of his illustrious screen career. From the classic 1960s television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward to the hugely successful blockbuster feature films from directors Tim Burton (Batman, Batman Returns), Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, Batman & Robin) and Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises), as well as early Saturday morning cartoon outings through to the acclaimed ‘DC Animated Universe’, this book explores the evolution of Batman – a journey that has taken him from ‘camp’ crime-fighter to Dark Knight.
Holy Franchise, Batman! is available now via Amazon, or click here for a list of stockists. Alternatively, if you don’t fancy buying it, you might want to check out competitions running over at Film-News.co.uk and Filmoria.co.uk, as well as our very own caption contest.
Originally published July 2, 2012. Updated November 6, 2019.
