Arriving in cinemas on July 20th, The Dark Knight Rises promises to deliver ‘the epic conclusion’ to British filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Batman saga. However, rather than being the ‘end’ of the legend, the eagerly-awaited sequel is but the closing stanza of the latest chapter in the illustrious history of the Dark Knight Detective.
Created back in 1939 by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, Gotham City’s masked vigilante is one of only two Golden Age heroes to enjoy an unbroken comic book publication run (the other being Superman) and his crime-fighting exploits have entertained generation after generation, resulting in one of the most successful media franchises of all time.
Written by Gary Collinson, the founder and editor of UK film site FlickeringMyth.com, Holy Franchise, Batman! traces the entire screen history of the Dark Knight, providing a fascinating and comprehensive insight into the history and genesis of one of the most recognisable characters of all time…
- Charts Batman’s various adventures across film, television and animation, from his early silver screen appearances through to The Dark Knight Rises and beyond
- Detailed insights into the making of the Batman movie series directed by Tim Burton (Batman, Batman Returns), Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, Batman & Robin) and Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight)
- Features a full episode guide to the classic 1960s Batman television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward
- A compendious overview of Batman’s animated adventures, including early Saturday morning Super Friends cartoons, the fan-favourite ‘DC Animated Universe’ and the direct-to-video ‘DC Universe Animated Original Movies’ line
Holy Franchise, Batman! is released on June 29th. For a list of stockists, click here.
Originally published May 31, 2012. Updated December 6, 2019.
