Kevin Colden

“improving the foundations: batman begins from comics to screen” by Julian Darius is an in-depth look at the movie Batman Begins and the beginnings of Batman in the comic form. Mr. Darius begins with the history of Batman in the comics (Detective Comics #27 May 1939) and shows the reader how Batman became to be and how his story evolved over the years. From there, the author then delves into the movie, Batman Begins, and breaks it down into acts and scenes. He begins each act/scene with a description of what is happening at that moment. For example:

Act 1, Scene 3 (Flashback Sequence 2), Part 1: Continuing directly from the previous flashback, Thomas Wayne pulls his son Bruce up from the well and takes him into Wayne Manor.

Mr. Darius then goes into detail about the history of that scene and its importance. He refers back to particular comics that help illustrate the scene. He will also go into the choice of actor for a role in the film and give some background on the person. What I really liked is that Mr. Darius also included illustrations from the actual comics throughout the book.

I’m not a big Batman fan, but I love the behind the scenes and history of things. This book did not disappoint. I really like the attention to even the smallest details. I enjoyed having each act/scene broken down and the significance of it explained. This book makes me want to go back and watch Batman Begins while holding the book in my hand and referring to it.

**This book was received for free through Goodreads First Reads. That in no way influenced my review.**… (mere)