The Caped Crusade cover art

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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Glen Weldon, brought his words to life in an outstanding matter, giving a variety of different voices to the ideas he conveyed. He reading passed his clear passion onto the listener and the was better for it.

A great performance by the author, all around

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The author gives a profound insight and overview of Batman's history and legacy providing a fair share of laughs and excellent impressions of all the men who have played and/or voiced the Dark Knight. A must have for any Batfan.

Well Read and Highly Informative

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Listening to this brought me so much joy. I'm only a passing batman admirer, this book gave me a deeper understanding of a culture I can only peer into, and admire from a distance. Thank you Glen. You are truly wonderful.

The Bestman!

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Weldon gives a engaging and coherent timeline of Batman and nerd culture, from the characters inception right through to the current day. After listening to this audiobook I've come to realization that in regards to nerd culture, the more things change the more they stay the same. Wheldon doesn't attempt to define Batman according "my Batman" but rather explains how and why Batman has stood the test of time and why he is so compelling to so many people around the world for the last 75+ years.

Batman is whatever you need him to be

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