Neon Knight Forever - by Tomasz Zaglewski (Paperback)

About the Book

"A detailed study of one of the most misunderstood superhero series that uncovers the artistic achievements of a universally criticized version of the Batman universe, Batman & Robin"--

Book Synopsis

Neon Knight Forever is a detailed study of one of the most misunderstood superhero series that dares to ask the most heretical question for all Bat-fans: what if Batman & Robin is actually a valuable achievement in big-budget superhero cinema?

The Batmanfranchise has remained one of the most lucrative and varied lines of superhero-based titles outside its original comic book, with adaptations from filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, Tim Burton, and Zack Snyder. However, among the many facets of Batman, there is one which remains on the margins of Bat-history, being treated as the most obscure or misconceived: the Batman duology directed by Joel Schumacher between 1995 and 1997, a creation which is seen by many fans as the "wrong" approach to the Batman mythos. Neon Knight Forever accounts for the initial rejection of Schumacher's version and explores modern attempts to rehabilitate Schumacher's vision of the infamous Neon Knight. Through discussing the formal foundations underlying both Batman Foreverand Batman & Robinand featuring claims from the Schumacher online fandom, Zaglewski embraces the adaptation as a valuable addition to the Batman universe.

Review Quotes

Neon Knight Forever provides a fascinating look at the other side of the Dark Knight. Through his close analysis, Zaglewski reveals the importance of Schumacher's much derided Batman films. He demonstrates why it is so important to consider what the variations of cultural icons contribute to the characters and reveals about our shifting social values.
Jeffrey A. Brown, Chair and Professor, Department of Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University, USA

Neon Knight Forevermakes a passionate and well researched argument to re-evaluate colorful milestones in the contemporary superhero movie, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Through a focus on transmedia franchising, fan communities, and critical reception, the book provides a rounded analysis of the Joel Schumacher's Batman films that are often unfairly dismissed by superhero fans and scholars. Neon Knight Forever makes an important contribution to scholarship on superheroes and comic-book movies.
Liam Burke, Associate Professor of Cinema and Screen Studies, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia, and author of The Comic Book Film Adaptation and Superhero Movies (2015)

Audiences and critics have often dismissed the Schumacher Batman films as inferior. In Neon Knight Forever, Zaglewski takes a much-needed scholarly approach to the films and their legacy and makes a convincing case for reexamining our perspective.
Erica McCrystal, Assistant Professor of Education and English, Centenary University, USA

About the Author

Tomasz Zaglewski is Professor at the Institute of Cultural Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, and author of numerous comic-related academic papers published in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics and International Journal of Comic Art and ImageText: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies. He is the author of Superculture: The Genesis of the Superhero Phenomenon (2021) and Superheroes' Cinematic Universe: Analyzing a Modern Comic Book Film (2019).