The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir

Picking up Michael E. Uslan’s new book: The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir, I identified with the author immediately.

Like me he grew up as a nerdy kid who loved comic books. Even after hitting his teenage years and young adulthood he lived and breathed comic books, with his favorite being Batman.


Unlike me his obsession soon became a crusade: to see the Dark Knight make it to the silver screen.


In The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir, published by Chronicle Books, Mr. Uslan’s long quest to legitimatize and promote comic books in general is told in a series of captivating chapters broken down as stages in his life.


In the book readers learn of his fascination with comic books, his association with some of the greats of comics, his dealings with the comic book and movie industries and his eventual realization of a lifelong dream: bringing Batman to movie screens.


It’s obvious after reading the book that Michael loves comic books and without his dogged perseverance Batman would never been made into a movie. Superhero movies made since then in no small part owe him a depth of gratitude. For without his dogged determination to bring Batman to movie screens and the resulting success of said franchise, it is doubtful that other superhero movies may have never been made since then.
This book was a real eye-opener to me about how the movie and comic book industries work and the people who hold the strings of power. It’s all about playing the game, who you know and how passionate you are about seeing a project through. It’s more than a book about comic books; it’s a great lesson on how to succeed in life.