By Tristian Evans/reporter
“Life is not a comic book.” Those were the words a rabbi told Hollywood producer Michael Uslan on his wedding day.
The words were meant to defer his dreams of writing comic books and producing movies featuring comic book heroes.
Luckily, Uslan didn’t listen. And today, he has produced every Batman film to hit the screen, worked for DC Comics and has taught college courses on comic books and their place in history as the “modern mythology and folklore.”
In his memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman, Uslan tells how his love of comic books and the Batman character in particular have influenced and shaped his life.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Uslan recounts spending his days reading about masked avengers and alien monsters within the funny pages. Those stories lit within him a creative fire and drive to see them on the big screen.
On the college level, Uslan became one of the first people to teach a college course on comic books. He convinced the college dean to approve the class by pointing out the parallels between Superman and the biblical character Moses and arguing that superheroes are the equivalent of the gods and monsters of Greek and Norse mythology in capes and tights.
Later in the book, he describes his decades-long struggle to get a dark and gritty version of Batman on the big screen. The efforts culminated in the release of Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989.
A strong message that runs throughout the book is that no matter how silly or stupid your dream appears to others, as long as you believe in it, that’s all that matters.
This is a message that can resonate strongly with college students.
This book is an enjoyable memoir. It’s funny, inspirational and full of history about the comic book and film industries.
Whether a fan of comic books, memoirs or Batman movies, you’ll enjoy this book.
