Book Review: Batman’s Batman

Michael Uslan might not be as recognizable as Stan Lee or Jack Kirby, but this New Jersey-based movie producer is one of the most important figures in the comic book zeitgeist. You’ll see his name appear on the credits of any Batman movie since 1989, and that’s because he and the late Benjamin Melniker acquired the film rights to the character in 1979. Uslan’s origin story and tale of how he brought a grounded depiction of the dark knight to the big screen is documented in his 2011 memoir, The Boy Who Loved Batman.    

In 2022, Uslan published a sequel, Batman's Batman: A Memoir from Hollywood, Land of Bilk and Money. Whereas the first book covers Uslan’s childhood through the making of the 1989 Batman, this one provides an in-depth look at the life of a Hollywood producer. There are countless memoirs and biographies of actors, writers, and directors, but producers often exist outside the realm of public consciousness. Even as a lifelong movie geek, I was ignorant about the roles and responsibilities of this profession before I read Uslan’s account. 

Here, Uslan articulates everything from the agony of overseeing a project stuck in development hell to the sheer ecstasy of being on a film set. He recounts some of his favorite projects that never saw the light of day, such as Monopoly: The Movie and a live-action Mr. Potato Head TV series. The one that intrigued me the most was his pitch for an animated adaptation of the iconic David Bowie album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Holy Moonage Daydream, Batman! 

Structurally, the book is divided into chapters that outline Uslan’s 13 “Ps of Producing.” These tenets include passion, preparation, partners, pitching, and other principles that Uslan states are vital to filmmaking. Each chapter opens with a quote from a Batman comic or movie that correlates with its message. 

Yet while the caped crusader is central to the book’s thematic material and Uslan’s life, Batman’s Batman is a wonderful love letter to cinema, particularly in the era of classic Hollywood. Uslan names Casablanca his favorite film, and he laments when he meets people in the industry who don’t know who Audrey Hepburn was or who never watch black-and-white movies. He remains passionate about preserving film and pop culture history and paving the way for innovative writers and directors to build upon the past and work toward a better future.

For as much as Uslan examines the pitfalls of his career and the obstacles that Hollywood moguls continue to block him with, he writes fervently about what keeps him going. For every passion project that never came to fruition, he considers himself one of the luckiest people for having a career that’s all about making dreams come true. Batman’s Batman is a great read for aspiring artists and filmmakers, as well as entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and enthusiastic pop culture geeks.