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The Caped Crusade

Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture

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The Caped Crusade

By: Glen Weldon
Narrated by: Glen Weldon
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About this listen

 “A roaring getaway car of guilty pleasures” (The New York Times Book Review), Glen Weldon’s The Caped Crusade is a fascinating, critically acclaimed chronicle of the rises and falls of one of the world’s most iconic superheroes and the fans who love him—now with a new afterword.

Since his debut in Detective Comics #27, Batman has been many things: a two-fisted detective; a planet-hopping gadabout; a campy Pop Art sensation; a pointy-eared master spy; and a grim ninja of the urban night. Yet, despite these endless transformations, he remains one of our most revered cultural icons. In this “smart, witty, and engrossing” (The Wall Street Journal) cultural critique, NPR contributor and book critic Glen Weldon provides “a sharp, deeply knowledgeable, and often funny look at the cultural history of Batman and his fandom” (Chicago Tribune) to discover why it is that we can’t get enough of the Dark Knight.

For nearly a century, Batman has cycled through eras of dark melodrama and light comedy and back again. How we perceive his character, whether he’s delivering dire threats in a raspy Christian Bale growl or trading blithely homoerotic double entendres with Robin the Boy Wonder, speaks to who we are and how we wish to be seen by the world. It’s this endless adaptability that has made him so lasting, and ultimately human.

But it’s also Batman’s fundamental nerdiness that uniquely resonates with his fans and makes them fiercely protective of him. As Weldon charts the evolution of Gotham’s Guardian from Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s hyphenated hero to Christopher Nolan’s post-9/11 Dark Knight, he reveals how this symbol of justice has made us who we are today and why his legacy remains so strong. The result is “possibly the most erudite and well-researched fanboy manifesto ever” (Booklist). Well-researched, insightful, and engaging, The Caped Crusade, with a new afterword by the author, has something for everyone: “If you’re a Bat-neophyte, this is an accessible introduction; if you’re a dyed-in-the-Latex Bat-nerd, this is a colorfully rendered magical history tour redolent with nostalgia” (The Washington Post). 21st Century Art & Literature Authors Literary History & Criticism Modern Social Sciences Fantasy Superhero Witty Middle Ages Crusade
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I Loved this audio book very much and the narration in this audio book. I give it 5 Stars out of five. thank you very much for entertainment.

The Caped Crusade: The Review

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Whether you're a Bat-fan or a complete novice, you'll find this book amazing! I've never written an audiobook review, but this book was so good I just had to write one. Even hard-core fans will learn something new, and the narration is brilliant and hilarious!

Holy Audiobook Batman!

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Although a self-described ‘normal’, I utterly ate this audiobook up. It is absolutely brilliant. Not only does the author take me firmly into his world, he is able to contextualise his world in such a way that really requires a macro take and a non solipsistic approach.

Comic book guy voice, brilliant, on the nose, Chris Nolan, entertaining, Scottish accent..., maybe you want to outsource that one...

But seriously, immensely enjoyable and has flicked an internal switch that has had con elements and dust on it for about 25/27 years.

Bravo!

Love it

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An interesting insight into the social and cultural history of a pop culture icon and also how nerd culture can become so self serious and frankly creepy. The narration is only marred by the authors insistence on doing an unfunny and cliched Simpsons style internet nerd voice repeatedly when quoting fans and several bad accents. If you can put up with that it’s a well researched and accessible book.

A really interesting listen

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Just a great history of one of the biggest characters in the world that is both informative and funny.

Batman fan loved it

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