Collectible Time: (Unofficial) Story of Batman (a360media) Magazine

360media's (Unofficial) Story of Batman: From the Comics to the Movies inserts a prolific probe into the Caped Crusader's lineage.  

Even if "unofficial" (for whatever obscure cause), writer Glenn Greenberg's emphasis falls on the the comic-book origins of Batman and Robin, establishing Bob Kane/Bill Finger's pioneering, DC foundation (and Carmine Infantino and Frank Miller's influential revamping of it) and the credit combativeness that ensued. The text also plunges into the 1940s serials, the 1960s television series, the mega-buck, theatrical releases and the Dark Knight's inexhaustible, cartoon and video-game ventures. 

Such events as Alfred Pennyworth's "death" and Harriet Cooper's entrance into DC lore characterize Greenberg's overview, with much of the live-action queue devoted to Adam West/Burt Ward's incarnation, which made Batmania a household word and forever entrenched the Dynamic Duo as pop-culture staples.

Along with West and Ward, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, Chris O'Donnell, George Clooney, Lewis Wilson, Douglas Croft, Robert Lowery, Johnny Duncan, Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson receive their expected nods, joined by their renowned costars and sweetened by generous, developmental and behind-the-scenes additives. 

Though Fox's Gotham, CW's Gotham Knights and Max's Titans land on the cutting-room floor, Greenberg's chosen entries exemplify the mythology's mercurial and philosophical flow. For these juxtaposing segments, readers are treated to such noted, supporting characters as Batwoman, Catwoman, Batgirl, Bat-mite, Man-Bat, James Gordon, Poison Ivy, Bane, the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, the Clock King, Doctor Death, Killer Moth, Mr. Zero/Mr. Freeze and even Tweedledee and Tweedledum, all parenthesized by imposing graphics.  

(Unofficial) Story of Batman is available at drugstores and supermarkets nationwide: a worth-while purchase for any Bat-connoisseur.