Not bad, but it spends too much time on basic biology and physiology and doesn't delve deeply enough into any of the topics covered.

Let me preface this review with the fact that this is not a geeky treatise on all of Batman’s cool toys and tools of the trade. Instead, it’s a geeky treatise on the idea that Batman is one of the few superheroes who has trained to be a crime fighter, no otherworldly or radiation-granted powers. It’s a look at the physiology of what it would take to train to become as good as Batman. It’s a science book so if you’re looking for something else there are plenty of other books about that. If you have an interest in the human body and physiology (and a healthy interest in super heroes) you’ll enjoy this and Dr Zehr is the person to write this book. He is a professor of neuroscience and kinesiology as well as a martial artist and presumably a comic book fan. I got to meet the author briefly when he was the keynote speaker for the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society’s annual meeting this year.

Using copious references to various Batman comics from the golden Age until today, Zehr studies is it possible to train like Bruce Wayne did and what is truly possible in Batman’s world and what is pure comic book fantasy.

In part one, we look at Bruce Wayne before he starts training and there’s an introduction to the endocrine system (hormones) and its role in training. Also we meet Bob, a fictional twin brother for Bruce to illustrate what a more average person would be undergoing daily compared to the intense training Bruce undergoes. Part two looks at training the human body to do what Batman does. Part three examines the role of martial arts in Batman’s training. Part four is about the stresses of this sort of thing on the bones and muscles and what happens when we force ourselves to be nocturnal. Part five sums up whatever is left, probably where we see the most Bat-fallacies as this unit looks as what happens to the body when injured, especially in the lasting effects of multiple concussions and broken bones. Along with that are a comparison of male vs female trained warriors (i.e. Batgirl and Catwoman) and the effects of aging (how long could Batman remain Batman before he gets too old for the part).

Overall, it’s a lot of fun. I’m going to make it reading for fun for my students if they want to see physiology’s real world applications (if you want to call Batman that). It balances the science with lay terms that should be easy for people to read (but not being a lay person I could be overestimating that). If I had one quibble with it, it’s that the author does commit exclamation point abuse! There’s a nice fat appendix (including a Batman timeline) and bibliography. If you like science and comic books, give it a try.

So far so good! The book is a little bit more difficult to get through than I had originally anticipated (science is dry, and I can only get so excited about alleles and stress), but it's definitely interesting. Full review to follow when I finish!

Good experience reading it, but little carryover information. Basically becoming batman is possible but will take a long time of dedication, and probably only sustain for a short amount of time. Because being batman means death is a mistake occurs.

I went into this book thinking it would talk about what you COULD do in order to become Batman. Instead, the book discusses all the physical and mental abilities needed and whether or not it's possible. While the author is a medical expert and a practicing martial artist, he is not the greatest writer. He tries to make it entertaining by cracking jokes, but from a scholastic point of view, it follows the basic technique that teachers teach students who are just learning to write. This bugged me throughout the entire book. However, I found some of the topics extremely interesting (i.e. can Batgirl beat Batman? and is Batman a ninja?). I recommend reading this, but don't feel bad if you end up skipping some parts.

Very good on the science side but if you're not a full-on science and superhero nerd you might have a really hard time finishing this book, it goes into real and I mean real depths on science stuff, and I consider myself full-on science and superhero nerd but I had a little hard time finishing the middle chapters of this book but in a defence of the writer it is supposed to go into that level of depth. The writer clearly states that becoming and staying Batman can be brutal and exhausting on our mental and physical state and if you really want to achieve somewhat physical and mental capabilities of The Batman(like I do) I can assure you, you don't have to read this book and understand every concept in it to achieve that, there are many Reddit threads that explain this stuff way more simplistically and practically, but if you really want to go on full-on nerd just go for it but be prepared for big sciency jargon.

A discussion on what it would take to remold one's self into the Batman (well, a Batman) and what that would mean in practical terms. Feels a bit padded at times, as if it could have simply been a long journal article, but well worth reading. Also answers the question as to how long someone could last working as the Batman. How long? Well, let's just say there's a reason why comics universes keep getting rebooted.

This book was pretty amazing. It combines two of the things I love most: Superheroes and Biomechanics. My Graduate Supervisor recommended I read it - the title came up in a conversation over beers and a Batman vs. Iron Man conversation. He hasn't led me astray with his recommendations and this book is no different. I couldn't put it down.

As an "expert" (I use the term loosely because although I'm intensively studying biomechanics, I'm still a student and have a lot to learn) I really enjoyed this book. Zehr (also an expert) was engaging enough that he didn't oversimplify and lose me in his analysis; I don't think he would come across as patronizing to the non-expert either. Excellent balance.

For me, the main draw for this book was because I'm a HUGE Batman fan, simply because he's the only Superhero that is a "normal guy", just wanting to make Gotham City a better place. We all have the potential to BE Batman - with a little bit of disposable cash, some sweet gadgets and A LOT of martial arts training. Zehr draws on this aspect that separates Batman from the rest and wonders "OK, if Bruce Wayne/Batman truly existed, would it be scientifically possible to condition and maintain the Bat-body?"

I'm not going to give you the answer, because I really think you should read this book for yourself, but his sound analysis makes for some interesting conclusions.

I truly enjoyed this book. I recommend it not only for the Biomechanics Buff (pun intended) but also the Superhero Fan-Boy (or -Girl :P), who wants to truly believe that there could just be a Batman.

I can't wait to read Zehr's 2nd book - Inventing Ironman....to finish off the debate.

This book is not what I expected. As a fan of comic books, I expexted a breezy book reviewing how billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne would transform himself into Batman. What kind of training regimin? How would he get all those wonderful toys? How much money would it take? How could he keep this all a secret?

Unfortunately this book is a serious treatise on physiology and biology. It could be a wonderful supplemental reading for an academic class, but it was really tedious when all I wanted was some fun.