Post by webmaster on Nov 8, 2006 12:07:37 GMT -5
Read the complete review:
www.comicrelated.com/reviews/batcave.htm
Comic Related Reviews
Wisdom from the Batcave
How to Live a Super, Heroic Life by Cary A. Friedman
by Chuck Moore III
Sunday November 05, 2006
Over the last few years I’ve reviewed quite a few comics, but [discounting one commentary] I haven’t fully reviewed a comic related book. That's about to change as I share, with great pleasure, the lessons I learned reading Wisdom from the Batcave: How to Live a Super, Heroic Life.
Before I get started, I want to explain how I came across the book and how this review made it to the web. A few months back I stumbled across an e-mail from Cary Friedman asking if anyone would like to read an advance copy of his new book. The title caught my eye, I contacted him and told him I would be happy to help. He forwarded me a pre-publication copy and I set about giving it a critical read. In my daily life, I have a half hour drive between my day job and my home. Over the course of a week, Katie drove and I read the book aloud so we could compare notes dissecting the points raised and the impact the book could have on a potential reader. This wasn't just a great way to read the book, it proved to be a lot of fun.
Cary Friedman, for those of you who may not know, received an MSEE from Columbia University and Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University. He was a Chaplain at Duke University and a Chaplain at the Federal Correction Institute in Butner, NC. He is also the author of five books, including Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement which is based on his work as a spirituality consultant to the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in Quantico, VA and the law enforcement community in general. As you will learn in the pages of Wisdom from the Batcave, Rabbi Friedman has an interesting background and quickly proves himself an expert on all things Bat-related. He has a clear love for the character and it was interesting to see how the Batman influenced the choices he made in his own life. This book has an advantage with me from the start. It plays into my longstanding belief that comics aren't just entertainment. They really matter in today's society both as a form of moral and social commentary and as clear literary works (and at times literary masterpieces). This book takes a walk down this road showing a great example of that concept of social relevance. Cary does solid work summing up how comics, in this case one title specifically, can serve to frame the way we view our daily life.
As I turned the first page, I honestly didn't know what was coming. Would it be humorous? Would it be serious? Would it be something I even wanted to read? I learned very quickly that the answer to all three questions is a definitive "yes". The book offers life lessons with Batman's perspective on the world as the basis for the points made within the text. The book is littered with great examples from the comics (both old and new), the television series and even the cartoon series. The three graphics scattered through this review highlight just a few of the many wonderful visual examples found in the pages of the book. Wisdom from the Batcave is often serious, but hits those serious points without taking itself too seriously. Cary takes his subject matter and his love for the Batman personally and I think his approach is well founded and enhances the read. He puts a lot of heart into this small book.
Cary Friedman, as stated previously, is a Rabbi and he's clearly a deeply religious man. There are elements of religion in this book but the approach of the author is anything but heavy handed. As he puts it best (through a third party observation in the book) his style is "spiritual in nature without being too heavily religious". I found the references to religion, where they came up, both insightful and relevant to the text.
The book has a self help tone at times, but really succeeds where other books of this type fail. Here, Wisdom from the Batcave is clear, concise, makes solid points, avoids overworking the generalizations and doesn't have that gimmicky feel so common among other personal improvement books. The book itself is a quick read. You can enjoy it within an evening or it spread out over several days, chapter by chapter, as I did giving a bit of thought to the points raised.
I think Cary's writing approach really works as the wisdom found in the Batcave spells out a series of truths about life which are well worth knowing. Framing those truths and showing how they can be derived from the Batman's history makes this a great read for comic and non-comic fans alike.
Here, the author shows how Batman is, at his core, an everyman who's simply pushed himself in the face of tragedy to find the personal dedication to take himself to the limits of educational study, physical refinement and spiritual focus. The Batman is a great hallmark for what an individual can do when they focus not just their body but their mind toward a single goal. Batman is character who exhibits a mix of core values, story after story, which in the face of often unknowable pressure he refuses to give up. That internal honor code, even when witnessed in a fictional character, does a lot to reveal what can be great about the human spirit. The book, Wisdom from the Batcave works to unravel some of that honor code.
Though the book, I learned once again that a comic can be both informative, inspirational and relevant to our daily lives. I also learned that Cary A. Friedman has a fun writing style which made the book both accessible, applicable to my own life and anything but lecturing in nature.
Recently, I've had several opportunities to talk briefly with the author by e-mail and he's proved himself to be both a kind individual, a patient confidant and an easily accessible writer. That comes through in his book with each page as he weaves a personality into the text. Most recently I fired over a few questions which he graciously answered and I share for your enjoyment:
Q: I have to ask, aside from Batman, what was you second favorite comic character?
Cary Friedman: Clearly, it was Robin / thingy Grayson. But, besides the Batman-family characters, my next favorite was Conan the Barbarian.
Q: Your book deals with core values and principals through which Batman can help people live better lives. Do you think comics, specifically the Batman titles, are good reading materials for today's younger audience? At what age would you point a young reader to a Batman title to start learning? Are there other or additional comics which you think would be good for a young reader?
Cary Friedman: Generally, I think they are good reading material. Comics nowadays seem significantly darker and grimmer than I remember them from my youth, but, when you consider what other forms of entertainment are available to young people today, they look pretty good by comparison. There's always been a certain heroism and idealism that comic book stories seem to innately possess, sometime despite even the best efforts of some of their writers.
Not all comics are appropriate for young readers, of course. My wife and I are careful with what we read to our children or what our younger children read. There are particular series we feel comfortable with. A lot depends, of course, on who's doing the writing. There are certain writers whose worldviews are in sync with ours and we have no trouble providing their work to our children. [See my answer to #4, below]. I've always felt comfortable reading the Animated Adventures-inspired comics to my kids, and my children have all been through those series many times.
Q: Has the book, since going to press, opened up any new opportunities for you? Have you been able to meet or talk with anyone you didn't expect as a result of the book?
Cary Friedman: I contacted many talented, famous, even legendary, comic book creators and big shots and even some Hollywood celebrities, associated with Batman in some way in the process of publishing this book. I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed by how approachable, encouraging, and gracious most of them were. I am grateful that so many of them were willing to share their impressions of the Batman and their most deeply held ideas and ideals about Life. Those interactions and new relationships are very meaningful to me.
Q: Do you still enjoy reading the Batman titles today? If yes, which is your current favorite?
Cary Friedman: I really do. I didn't for a while, honestly, during that long era when there was a very different "take" on [i.e., creative vision of] the Batman. For a long time, he just wasn't the Batman I remembered or liked. But I sense lately that we are entering a new era, one with a Batman that I recognize, remember, relate to, admire, and like.
I really liked the Animated Adventures on the 90's, and liked the several comic book series based on the A.A., the ones supposedly written for younger readers written by people like Kelly Puckett, Scott Peterson, and Ty Templeton. I loved Chuck Dixon's work on Detective. I was thrilled when Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin reunited to do Dark Detective last year! it took me back to my youth and their first incredible, incomparable run on Detective in the mid-70's.
In the brief interview, Cary talks about the people he's met and those who have been supportive in the creation of his book. To that end, I want to list for you those from the comic industry who wrote comments for the foreword to the book:
Chuck Dixon, Denny O'Neil, Mark Waid, Steve Enlehart, Gerry Conway, Robert Greenberger, Joe Kelly, Scott Beatty, Ed Brubaker, Joe Kubert, Alan Brennert, Bob Rozakis, Mike Baron, Max Allen Collins, Doug Moench, Neal Adams, Paul Kupperberg, Scott Peterson, Roy Thomas and Mike Gold.
I list out these names, not just for the comments they made supporting of the book, but for the fact that they are recommending the book. I could write for paragraphs telling you that I loved the book, I think it should be on every comic fans shelf and I think you should order a copy today, but I'm just one voice in the vast world of comics. If you take a look at the list above, there's a lot of talented people (and more than a few comic legends) who think this book is worth your time. Don't listen to me, listen to them. Order it, read it, enjoy it and, just maybe, live it.
The book can be found on Amazon and any of a host of other booksellers on the internet. For more details, please visit the book's official website www.batwisdom.com. If you will allow me one more plug, you can also find Cary's other book, Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement on Amazon here. Cary Friedman is clearly a great guy that we here at Comic Related want to support. I invite you to do the same.
www.comicrelated.com/reviews/batcave.htm
Comic Related Reviews
Wisdom from the Batcave
How to Live a Super, Heroic Life by Cary A. Friedman
by Chuck Moore III
Sunday November 05, 2006
Over the last few years I’ve reviewed quite a few comics, but [discounting one commentary] I haven’t fully reviewed a comic related book. That's about to change as I share, with great pleasure, the lessons I learned reading Wisdom from the Batcave: How to Live a Super, Heroic Life.
Before I get started, I want to explain how I came across the book and how this review made it to the web. A few months back I stumbled across an e-mail from Cary Friedman asking if anyone would like to read an advance copy of his new book. The title caught my eye, I contacted him and told him I would be happy to help. He forwarded me a pre-publication copy and I set about giving it a critical read. In my daily life, I have a half hour drive between my day job and my home. Over the course of a week, Katie drove and I read the book aloud so we could compare notes dissecting the points raised and the impact the book could have on a potential reader. This wasn't just a great way to read the book, it proved to be a lot of fun.
Cary Friedman, for those of you who may not know, received an MSEE from Columbia University and Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University. He was a Chaplain at Duke University and a Chaplain at the Federal Correction Institute in Butner, NC. He is also the author of five books, including Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement which is based on his work as a spirituality consultant to the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in Quantico, VA and the law enforcement community in general. As you will learn in the pages of Wisdom from the Batcave, Rabbi Friedman has an interesting background and quickly proves himself an expert on all things Bat-related. He has a clear love for the character and it was interesting to see how the Batman influenced the choices he made in his own life. This book has an advantage with me from the start. It plays into my longstanding belief that comics aren't just entertainment. They really matter in today's society both as a form of moral and social commentary and as clear literary works (and at times literary masterpieces). This book takes a walk down this road showing a great example of that concept of social relevance. Cary does solid work summing up how comics, in this case one title specifically, can serve to frame the way we view our daily life.
As I turned the first page, I honestly didn't know what was coming. Would it be humorous? Would it be serious? Would it be something I even wanted to read? I learned very quickly that the answer to all three questions is a definitive "yes". The book offers life lessons with Batman's perspective on the world as the basis for the points made within the text. The book is littered with great examples from the comics (both old and new), the television series and even the cartoon series. The three graphics scattered through this review highlight just a few of the many wonderful visual examples found in the pages of the book. Wisdom from the Batcave is often serious, but hits those serious points without taking itself too seriously. Cary takes his subject matter and his love for the Batman personally and I think his approach is well founded and enhances the read. He puts a lot of heart into this small book.
Cary Friedman, as stated previously, is a Rabbi and he's clearly a deeply religious man. There are elements of religion in this book but the approach of the author is anything but heavy handed. As he puts it best (through a third party observation in the book) his style is "spiritual in nature without being too heavily religious". I found the references to religion, where they came up, both insightful and relevant to the text.
The book has a self help tone at times, but really succeeds where other books of this type fail. Here, Wisdom from the Batcave is clear, concise, makes solid points, avoids overworking the generalizations and doesn't have that gimmicky feel so common among other personal improvement books. The book itself is a quick read. You can enjoy it within an evening or it spread out over several days, chapter by chapter, as I did giving a bit of thought to the points raised.
I think Cary's writing approach really works as the wisdom found in the Batcave spells out a series of truths about life which are well worth knowing. Framing those truths and showing how they can be derived from the Batman's history makes this a great read for comic and non-comic fans alike.
Here, the author shows how Batman is, at his core, an everyman who's simply pushed himself in the face of tragedy to find the personal dedication to take himself to the limits of educational study, physical refinement and spiritual focus. The Batman is a great hallmark for what an individual can do when they focus not just their body but their mind toward a single goal. Batman is character who exhibits a mix of core values, story after story, which in the face of often unknowable pressure he refuses to give up. That internal honor code, even when witnessed in a fictional character, does a lot to reveal what can be great about the human spirit. The book, Wisdom from the Batcave works to unravel some of that honor code.
Though the book, I learned once again that a comic can be both informative, inspirational and relevant to our daily lives. I also learned that Cary A. Friedman has a fun writing style which made the book both accessible, applicable to my own life and anything but lecturing in nature.
Recently, I've had several opportunities to talk briefly with the author by e-mail and he's proved himself to be both a kind individual, a patient confidant and an easily accessible writer. That comes through in his book with each page as he weaves a personality into the text. Most recently I fired over a few questions which he graciously answered and I share for your enjoyment:
Q: I have to ask, aside from Batman, what was you second favorite comic character?
Cary Friedman: Clearly, it was Robin / thingy Grayson. But, besides the Batman-family characters, my next favorite was Conan the Barbarian.
Q: Your book deals with core values and principals through which Batman can help people live better lives. Do you think comics, specifically the Batman titles, are good reading materials for today's younger audience? At what age would you point a young reader to a Batman title to start learning? Are there other or additional comics which you think would be good for a young reader?
Cary Friedman: Generally, I think they are good reading material. Comics nowadays seem significantly darker and grimmer than I remember them from my youth, but, when you consider what other forms of entertainment are available to young people today, they look pretty good by comparison. There's always been a certain heroism and idealism that comic book stories seem to innately possess, sometime despite even the best efforts of some of their writers.
Not all comics are appropriate for young readers, of course. My wife and I are careful with what we read to our children or what our younger children read. There are particular series we feel comfortable with. A lot depends, of course, on who's doing the writing. There are certain writers whose worldviews are in sync with ours and we have no trouble providing their work to our children. [See my answer to #4, below]. I've always felt comfortable reading the Animated Adventures-inspired comics to my kids, and my children have all been through those series many times.
Q: Has the book, since going to press, opened up any new opportunities for you? Have you been able to meet or talk with anyone you didn't expect as a result of the book?
Cary Friedman: I contacted many talented, famous, even legendary, comic book creators and big shots and even some Hollywood celebrities, associated with Batman in some way in the process of publishing this book. I was pleasantly surprised and very impressed by how approachable, encouraging, and gracious most of them were. I am grateful that so many of them were willing to share their impressions of the Batman and their most deeply held ideas and ideals about Life. Those interactions and new relationships are very meaningful to me.
Q: Do you still enjoy reading the Batman titles today? If yes, which is your current favorite?
Cary Friedman: I really do. I didn't for a while, honestly, during that long era when there was a very different "take" on [i.e., creative vision of] the Batman. For a long time, he just wasn't the Batman I remembered or liked. But I sense lately that we are entering a new era, one with a Batman that I recognize, remember, relate to, admire, and like.
I really liked the Animated Adventures on the 90's, and liked the several comic book series based on the A.A., the ones supposedly written for younger readers written by people like Kelly Puckett, Scott Peterson, and Ty Templeton. I loved Chuck Dixon's work on Detective. I was thrilled when Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin reunited to do Dark Detective last year! it took me back to my youth and their first incredible, incomparable run on Detective in the mid-70's.
In the brief interview, Cary talks about the people he's met and those who have been supportive in the creation of his book. To that end, I want to list for you those from the comic industry who wrote comments for the foreword to the book:
Chuck Dixon, Denny O'Neil, Mark Waid, Steve Enlehart, Gerry Conway, Robert Greenberger, Joe Kelly, Scott Beatty, Ed Brubaker, Joe Kubert, Alan Brennert, Bob Rozakis, Mike Baron, Max Allen Collins, Doug Moench, Neal Adams, Paul Kupperberg, Scott Peterson, Roy Thomas and Mike Gold.
I list out these names, not just for the comments they made supporting of the book, but for the fact that they are recommending the book. I could write for paragraphs telling you that I loved the book, I think it should be on every comic fans shelf and I think you should order a copy today, but I'm just one voice in the vast world of comics. If you take a look at the list above, there's a lot of talented people (and more than a few comic legends) who think this book is worth your time. Don't listen to me, listen to them. Order it, read it, enjoy it and, just maybe, live it.
The book can be found on Amazon and any of a host of other booksellers on the internet. For more details, please visit the book's official website www.batwisdom.com. If you will allow me one more plug, you can also find Cary's other book, Spiritual Survival for Law Enforcement on Amazon here. Cary Friedman is clearly a great guy that we here at Comic Related want to support. I invite you to do the same.