So you think you know everything about the Caped Crusader? Think again, because Chip Kidd has uncovered a Japanese angle to the superhero that most westerners, and even many Japanese readers, will have never seen. Back in 1966, when the first episodes of the TV show were airing in the US, Japan had its own take on the franchise. The Japanese Batman appeared in a weekly comic called Shonen King, for about a year, before disappearing with barely a trace.
In Japan, Batman and Robin were a little cooler than the camp antics of Adam West and Burt Ward – they fought aliens, dinosaurs and zombies. Hundreds of pages of these epic strips have been restored, translated and reprinted here, alongside photographs of cool, rare collectibles. The ultimate companion to a side of Batman that has, until now, been shrouded in mystery.