Bat Manga! The Secret History of Batman in Japan

Long before Japanese comics was of any interest to U.S. fans, Batman-mania hit Japan. With the blessings of DC Comics, manga-ka Jiro Kuwata drew Batman stories for Shonen King magazine, melding American superheroes with manga-style art. The Dark Knight captured the imaginations of Japanese boys, but when the TV show ended, so did the Bat-manga.

40 years later, collectors Kidd and Ferris joined forces to share this long-forgotten period of Batman-mania with manga fans and comics collectors alike, and the results are nothing less than a fun and lavishly illustrated love letter to Batman, Kuwata and the joy of comics.

When the Batman TV series hit Japanese airwaves in 1967, Japanese publishers were keen to cash in on the phenomena. But rather than reprint the American comics, the editors of Shonen King magazine commissioned 8-Man creator Jiro Kuwata to re-interpret the adventures of Batman and Robin for Japanese readers. After the TV show faded from view, so did the manga. Now thanks to the efforts of avid collectors Kidd and Ferris, these long-forgotten stories have resurfaced in a coffee table-worthy art book featuring both the manga and '60s-era Batman toys.

At a time when superhero comics are dark and grim, reading Bat-Manga is a blast from a simpler past, when comics were largely created for and read by kids. These stories from the '60s lack complex character development, detailed artwork and snappy dialogue that contemporary fans expect from comics, but they do feature dynamic action scenes, crisp art and unusual interpretations of the Batman mythos that are infectiously fun to read.

Kidd and photographer Geoff Spear opted to capture the pages of printed comics, so that rough texture of the paper and the cheap printing are apparent. This preserves the look and feel of the comics as they were read and enjoyed by Japanese kids. When mixed with photos of the toys, Bat-Manga captures the wonder and excitement of this beloved era of Bat-mania.

On the upside, it's delightful to see Kuwata's artwork presented with such class and style, and to read an interview with the now 70-something year old manga master. On the downside, the rarity of these comics meant that several multi-part stories are left incomplete in this volume, leaving readers with some puzzling cliffhangers. These flaws aside, this book is a lavishly illustrated labor of love that will surely delight Batman fans, manga connoisseurs and hopefully Kuwata-sensei too.

Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.