Battling bad guys. High-tech hideouts. The gratitude of the masses. Who at some point in their life hasn't dreamed of being a superhero? Impossible, right? Or is it?
Possessing no supernatural powers, Batman is the most realistic of all the superheroes. His feats are achieved through rigorous training and mental discipline, and with the aid of fantastic gadgets. Drawing on his training as a neuroscientist, kinesiologist, and martial artist, E. Paul Zehr explores the question: Could a mortal ever become Batman?
Zehr discusses the physical training necessary to maintain bad-guy-fighting readiness while relating the science underlying this process, from strength conditioning to the cognitive changes a person would endure in undertaking such a regimen. In probing what a real-life Batman could achieve, Zehr considers the level of punishment a consummately fit and trained person could handle, how hard and fast such a person could punch and kick, and the number of adversaries that individual could dispatch. He also tells us what it would be like to fight while wearing a batsuit and the amount of food we'd need to consume each day to maintain vigilance as Gotham City's guardian.
A fun foray of escapism grounded in sound science, Becoming Batman provides the background for attaining the realizable—though extreme—level of human performance that would allow you to be a superhero.
E. Paul Zehr is a professor of neuroscience and kinesiology at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, and the author of Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero, also published by Johns Hopkins. For more information about finding your inner superhero, visit www.inventingironman.com.
Table of Contents
Foreword, by James KakaliosPrefacePart I: Bat-Building Blocks1. The "Before" Batman: How Buff Was Bruce?2. Guess Who's Coming for Dinner: Bruce's Twin Brother, Bob, and the Human Genome3. The Stress of Life: Holy Hormones, Batman!Part II: Basic Batbody Training4. Gaining Strength and Power: Does the Bat That Flies the Highest or the Fastest Get the Worm?5. Building the Batbones: Brittle Is Bad, But Is Bigger Better?6. Batmetabolism: What's for Dinner on the Dark Knight DietPart III: Training the Batbrain7. From Bruce Wayne to Bruce Lee: Mastering Martial Moves in the Batcave 1018. Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting: But What Was Batman Doing?9. The Caped Crusader in Combat: Can You Kayo without Killing?Part IV: Batman in Action10. Batman Bashes and Is Bashed by Bad Boys (and Girls): What Can He Break without Getting Broken?11. Hardening the Batbody: Can Sticks and Stones Break His Bones?12. Gotham by Twilight: Working the Knight ShiftPart V: A Mixed Batbag13. Injury and Recovery: How Much Banging until the Batback Goes Bonk?14. Battle of the Bats: Could Batgirl Beat Batman?15. The Aging Avenger: Could the Caped Crusader Become the Caped Codger?16. The Reign of the Bat: Can You Really Become Batman and Remain Batman?Appendix: Batman's Training MilestonesBibliographyIndex
When I walk, every once in a while someone notices they can't hear my footsteps. Do you know why? Dr. E. Paul Zehr knows. I'm training to become Batman. Most of the population wouldn't understand this... but beneath and entwined in the soul of many men is a hero-in-the-making. Training for that moment that will, thankfully, never come. The moment when he must be a hero. The moment he trained for. They'll never hear me coming. In this book Dr. Zehr knows exactly what our giddy souls are doing. Here he tells our secret.
— Neal Adams, Batman Illustrator
Scott Beatty
If you really want to become Batman, having a billion dollars in start-up funds and a subterranean lair is just the beginning. Dr. Zehr's thoroughly researched and thoughtfully imagined exploration into the real-life rigors of costumed crime-fighting shows just how DC Comics' Dark Knight -- the original self-made hero -- could realistically transform a mere human body into something no less than superhuman. Consider it required reading for anyone seriously contemplating donning cape and cowl.
— Scott Beatty, author of The Batman Handbook
Bradford W. Wright
As a kid, I wanted to be Batman but always ended up more like the Joker. I only wish I could have read Dr. Zehr's fascinating book then, so that I would have known exactly what it takes to become a real superhero.
— www.denofgeek. — Bradford W. Wright, author of Comic Book Nation
From the Publisher
When I walk, every once in a while someone notices they can't hear my footsteps. Do you know why? Dr. E. Paul Zehr knows. I'm training to become Batman. Most of the population wouldn't understand this . . . but beneath and entwined in the soul of many men is a hero-in-the-making. Training for that moment that will, thankfully, never come. The moment when he must be a hero. The moment he trained for. They'll never hear me coming. In this book Dr. Zehr knows exactly what our giddy souls are doing. Here he tells our secret.—Neal Adams, Batman illustrator
If you really want to become Batman, having a billion dollars in start-up funds and a subterranean lair is just the beginning. Dr. Zehr's thoroughly researched and thoughtfully imagined exploration into the real-life rigors of costumed crime-fighting shows just how DC Comics' Dark Knight—the original self-made hero—could realistically transform a mere human body into something no less than superhuman. Consider it required reading for anyone seriously contemplating donning cape and cowl.—Scott Beatty, coauthor of The Batman Handbook
