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Becoming Batman: The Possibility Of A Superhero (2008)

by E. Paul Zehr(Favorite Author)

3.52 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0801890632 (ISBN13: 9780801890635)

languge

English

genre

Graphic Novels & Comics

publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press

review 1: Here's a nonfiction book about some geeky and interesting questions: Given any training necessary, could an actual man become as strong, highly skilled, and agile as Batman is in the comic books? If so, could that man fight crime the way Batman does? If so, for how long? It's hard to imagine someone more qualified to answer such questions than E. Paul Zehr, who holds a Masters in Kinesiology and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and is, in addition, an expert martial artist. His book-length treatment about the possibility of Batman explores everything from the contribution of genes to the human body’s responses to stress to some of the technical aspects of fighting. Did you know that Batman would be better off mastering a few martial arts styles rather than the 12... more7 styles that one comic book writer attributed to him? Or that ninjutsu might be one of the two or three fighting styles he should master, owing to its emphasis on fighting from several different distances? Did you know that, with the better part of two decades' training, a person could possess Batman's skills and power? Did you know that, when it comes to injuries, fighting crime as Batman does would probably be like doing mixed martial arts and being a professional linebacker at the same time? This book is a treasure for readers who like to think about the endless thought experiments that comic books provide.
review 2: This book is not what I expected. As a fan of comic books, I expexted a breezy book reviewing how billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne would transform himself into Batman. What kind of training regimin? How would he get all those wonderful toys? How much money would it take? How could he keep this all a secret?Unfortunately this book is a serious treatise on physiology and biology. It could be a wonderful supplemental reading for an academic class, but it was really tedious when all I wanted was some fun. less

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