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Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman book cover 1
Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman book cover 2
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Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman
Series · 3 books · 2020-2022

Books in series

ZLONK! ZOK! ZOWIE! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman '66, Season One book cover
#1

ZLONK! ZOK! ZOWIE! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman '66, Season One

2020

Another Bright, Sunny Day in Gotham City…Or is it? The Riddler, the Penguin, the Joker, and Catwoman are all making their first fiendish forays to prey upon Gotham’s innocent citizens, but Batman and Robin, the famous Caped Crusaders, stand ready to Z-ZWAP! their diabolic schemes—all the time knowing full well that even more arch-criminals such as the Bookworm, King Tut, and False Face will follow!Maybe you already know these stories and have thrilled to them since their debut during the inaugural 1966 season of the beloved Batman television series—but when eighteen energetic essayists all descend upon these episodes to evaluate them for enlightenment, suffice to say, citizen, you’ve never seen them like this!Join Jim Beard, creator and editor of Gotham City 14 Miles, as he returns to the Batcave with a few fearless friends to dig deep into Batman Season One’s seventeen episodes and the 1966 Batman feature film. With particular points-of-view and a worldly wealth of Bat-knowledge, these writers tackle themes, tones, and tropes beyond any previous Batman episode essays—Holy Hooks! They’ll ZLONK! ZOK! ZOWIE! your senses!
BIFF! BAM! EEE-YOW! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman '66,Season Two book cover
#2

BIFF! BAM! EEE-YOW! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Guide to Batman '66,Season Two

2021

Peace and Prosperity Reign in Gotham City… But it’s merely the calm before the storm! Following several months of dastardly deeds by a small army of super-criminals, Gotham’s citizens once more sleep soundly in their beds until crime yet again rears its ugly head, prompting the Dynamic Duo to swing into action on their behalf! Within these pages, Batman and Robin face not only their usual rogues gallery of Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, King Tut, and Mr. Freeze, but all-new fiendish foes the likes of the Archer, the Minstrel, Colonel Gumm, and Marsha Queen of Diamonds! You’ve thrilled to the episodes that originally brought you this bounty of baddies, but suffice to say you’ve never experienced these stories quite like this, citizens! Join Jim Beard, creator and editor of Gotham City 14 Miles and Zlonk! Zok! Zowie!, as he returns to Gotham City Police Headquarters with new friends and old to perilously plunge into the twenty-nine episodes of Batman 's second season and the related public service announcements! Ride by their sides as they pit their amazing skills and abilities against the episodes’ themes, tones, and tropes to go far beyond any previous Batman episode essays—Holy Hours of Fun! They’ll BIFF! and BAM! you until you howl EEE-YOW! with delight!
Oooff! Boff! Splatt! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Essays on Batman '66, Season Three book cover
#3

Oooff! Boff! Splatt! The Subterranean Blue Grotto Essays on Batman '66, Season Three

2022

Is This Finally the End for Gotham City? The city’s peerless protectors, the famous Caped Crusaders, Batman and Robin, steel themselves against the storm clouds that even now gather to rain danger and disaster down on Gotham’s citizens, and, what’s more, bring the curtain down on what will surely be the hard-working heroes’ final battles against the forces of evil! Once you open this book, the die is cast. The last cathode-ray tube adventures of the dashing Dynamic Duo will be yours for perusal and pondering, a smorgasbord of sallies with the Joker, the Penguin, Catwoman, Egghead, King Tut, and more dissected and discussed by the cream of the crop of ebullient essayists with only one powerful purpose behind their Call them as they see them, for better or for worse! Join Jim Beard, creator and editor of Gotham City 14 Miles and the Subterranean Blue Grotto Essays on Batman ’66, as he braves the battlements and bulwarks of Batman’s third season, the unaired Batgirl test pilot, and a special surprise essay of his own crazed concoction. But fear not for him, friends! For at his side trod a passel of pundits poised to ward off the vile villains who lurk within these pages, as well as budget cuts and waning energies that threaten the very fabric of the once terrific television series! OOOFF! you’ll cry when BOFF! the show is done and SPLATT! the Subterranean Blue Grotto will be closed forever! Featuring Special Guest Sam Agro James Aquilone Ben Bentley Michael Bailey Cliff Biggers Ed Catto Keith DeCandido John S. Drew Sean Dulaney Gordon Dymowski Chris Franklin Bob Greenberger Dan Greenfield Rich Handley Forrest Helvie Barbara Kesel Paul Kupperberg Brian K. Morris L.E. Perez Stacey Smith?

Authors

Brian K. Morris
Brian K. Morris
Author · 1 books

Brian K. Morris is an independent publisher of novels and comic books, freelance hybrid author, "award-winning" playwright, occasional actor, and former morticians assistant. Brian's articles have seen print in magazines such as BACK ISSUE Magazine, Hogan's Alley, Knights of the Dinner Table, RetroFan Magazine, WHOtopia, The Jack Kirby Collector, and many other magazines in varying degrees of obscurity. His books have sold across North America as well as in Great Britain, Japan, and China. In addition to his writing, Brian hosts two Facebook Live shows (NEVERMIND THE FURTHERMORE on Mondays and Thursdays at 9:30 am and CLEVER TITLE PENDING at 7 pm on Tuesday, all times Eastern). Because he doesn't have enough to do, he does two vlogs on his Facebook page: NEVERMIND THE FURTHERMORE (Mondays and Thursdays at 9:30 Eastern) and CLEVER TITLE PENDING (Tuesdays at 7 pm Eastern). Brian also maintains a page for Rising Tide Publications where new content appears daily. In addition, Brian gives seminars on storytelling, motivation, self-publishing, and comics history at conventions, libraries, and for private groups. Contact him at Brian@RisingTide.pub for information. Don't let anyone steal your dream ... you have greatness within you ... and never apologize for being awesome. P.S. If you want to receive my monthly newsletter, filled with tips, news, promoting my very talented friends, and the MYSTERY LINK, sign up at http://bit.ly/RsgnTd01 (Your contact info will never be sold, given away, rented, donated, abandoned, spindled, folded, or mutilated.) Thanks for reading (and don't forget to leave a review)!

James Aquilone
James Aquilone
Author · 6 books

James Aquilone was raised on Saturday morning cartoons, comic books, sitcoms, and Cap'n Crunch. Amid the Cold War, he dreamed of being a jet fighter pilot but decided against the military life after realizing it would require him to wake up early. He had further illusions of being a stand-up comedian, until a traumatic experience on stage forced him to seek a college education. Brief stints as an alternative rock singer/guitarist and child model also proved unsuccessful. Today he battles a severe Tetris addiction while trying to write in the speculative fiction game. Demons, robots, dragons, superheroes...that sort of thing. His short fiction has been published in such places as Nature's Futures, The Best of Galaxy’s Edge 2013-2014, Unidentified Funny Objects 4, and Weird Tales Magazine. His first novel should be out soon. Suffice it to say, things are going much better than his modeling career. He lives in Staten Island, New York, but don't hold that against him.

Barbara Randall Kesel
Barbara Randall Kesel
Author · 23 books

Barbara Randall Kesel is an American writer and editor of comic books; her bibliography includes work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, CrossGen, Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics. Kesel is a very outspoken opponent of sexism in the comic book industry. She is known for her strong female characters, influencing her then husband Karl's work on Lois Lane in the Superman titles and creating Grace, the ruler of the Golden City location in Comics' Greatest World. Kesel initially came into the comics world after writing a 10-page letter to editor Dick Giordano regarding the portrayal of female comic book characters. At Dark Horse, Kesel was part of Team CGW, responsible for most of the design and creation of the setting and characters in the Golden City location. She is currently part of book packaging company The Pack, alongside Lee Nordling, Brian Augustyn, Gordon Kent and Dave Olbrich. Kesel has been nominated for the 1991 "Best Editor" Eisner Award for Badlands, Aliens: Genocide and Star Wars. In 1995, she was nominated for "Best Anthology" and "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Material" Harvey Awards for, respectively, Instant Piano and Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. She won the 1996 "Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work" Harvey Award, for Hellboy: The Wolves of St. August.

Chuck Dixon
Chuck Dixon
Author · 192 books

Charles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, perhaps best-known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s. His earliest comics work was writing Evangeline first for Comico Comics in 1984 (then later for First Comics, who published the on-going series), on which he worked with his then-wife, the artist Judith Hunt. His big break came one year later, when editor Larry Hama hired him to write back-up stories for Marvel Comics' The Savage Sword of Conan. In 1986, he began working for Eclipse Comics, writing Airboy with artist Tim Truman. Continuing to write for both Marvel and (mainly) Eclipse on these titles, as well as launching Strike! with artist Tom Lyle in August 1987 and Valkyrie with artist Paul Gulacy in October 1987, he began work on Carl Potts' Alien Legion series for Marvel's Epic Comics imprint, under editor Archie Goodwin. He also produced a three-issue adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit for Eclipse with artist David Wenzel between 1989 and 1990, and began writing Marc Spector: Moon Knight in June 1989. His Punisher OGN Kingdom Gone (August, 1990) led to him working on the monthly The Punisher War Journal (and later, more monthly and occasional Punisher titles), and also brought him to the attention of DC Comics editor Denny O'Neil, who asked him to produce a Robin mini-series. The mini proved popular enough to spawn two sequels - The Joker's Wild (1991) and Cry of the Huntress (1992) - which led to both an ongoing monthly series (which Dixon wrote for 100 issues before leaving to work with CrossGen Comics), and to Dixon working on Detective Comics from #644-738 through the major Batman stories KnightFall & KnightsEnd (for which he helped create the key character of Bane), DC One Million, Contagion, Legacy, Cataclysm and No Man's Land . Much of his run was illustrated by Graham Nolan. He was DC's most prolific Batman-writer in the mid-1990s (rivalled perhaps in history by Bill Finger and Dennis O'Neil) - in addition to writing Detective Comics he pioneered the individual series for Robin, Nightwing (which he wrote for 70 issues, and returned to briefly with 2005's #101) and Batgirl, as well as creating the team and book Birds of Prey . While writing multiple Punisher and Batman comics (and October 1994's Punisher/Batman crossover), he also found time to launch Team 7 for Jim Lee's WildStorm/Image and Prophet for Rob Liefeld's Extreme Studios. He also wrote many issues of Catwoman and Green Arrow, regularly having about seven titles out each and every month between the years 1993 and 1998. In March, 2002, Dixon turned his attention to CrossGen's output, salthough he co-wrote with Scott Beatty the origin of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl in 2003's Batgirl: Year One. For CrossGen he took over some of the comics of the out-going Mark Waid, taking over Sigil from #21, and Crux with #13. He launched Way of the Rat in June 2002, Brath (March '03), The Silken Ghost (June '03) and the pirate comic El Cazador (Oct '03), as well as editing Robert Rodi's non-Sigilverse The Crossovers. He also wrote the Ruse spin-off Archard's Agents one-shots in January and November '03 and April '04, the last released shortly before CrossGen's complete collapse forced the cancellation of all of its comics, before which Dixon wrote a single issue of Sojourn (May '04). Dixon's Way of the Rat #24, Brath #14 and El Cazador #6 were among the last comics released from the then-bankrupt publisher. On June 10, 2008, Dixon announced on his forum that he was no longer "employed by DC Comics in any capacity."

Jim Beard
Jim Beard
Author · 7 books
Jim Beard became a published writer when he sold a story to DC Comics in 2002. Since that time he's written official Star Wars and Ghostbusters comic stories and contributed articles and essays to several volumes of comic book history. His prose work includes SPIDER-MAN: ENEMIES CLOSER, an original novel; co-editing and contributing a story to PLANET OF THE APES: TALES FROM THE FORBIDDEN ZONE; a story for X-FILES: SECRET AGENDAS; GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES, a book of essays on the 1966 Batman TV series; SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER, a collection of pulp ghost stories featuring an Edwardian occult detective; MONSTER EARTH, a shared-world giant monster anthology; and CAPTAIN ACTION: RIDDLE OF THE GLOWING MEN, the first pulp prose novel based on the classic 1960s action figure. Jim also currently provides regular content for Marvel.com, the official Marvel Comics website.
Dayton Ward
Dayton Ward
Author · 46 books

Dayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time. Ask him sometime how well that worked out. In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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