Beyond the Bat: Secrets of a Superhero Scribe

Part memoir, part how-to, and part how-not-to, Beyond the Bat: Secrets of a Superhero Scribe is a wide-ranging collection of essays that focus on lessons learned during fifty-plus years of writing for superheroes and superhero-adjacent characters. You’ll read about what it was like to work with the legendary Stan Lee; how to get an Emmy award for writing Batman cartoons; how a superhero obsession can start long before you learn to read, and lots more—like how not to write for William Shatner and even what it might have been like in the Old Testament’s writers’ room!

Stan Berkowitz started writing professionally in 1971 and hasn’t stopped. He began with film reviews for Coast magazine, then started doing show business-related journalism for Esquire, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Daily News and many others. He co-authored a book, The Movie Business: A Primer, and then began a long career writing for television, first for police shows and then for superhero shows, both animated and live-action. He’s written for Superman, Superboy, Batman, Batman Beyond, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Transformers, GI Joe, Ben 10, The Legion of Superheroes and many, many others.

Dan Riba is a three-time Emmy-winning animation director with over thirty-five years of industry experience. He is renowned for his significant contributions, especially in the realm of superhero animated series. He is best known for his work as a director; however, he has also worked as a character designer, storyboard artist and assistant animator. His work has also earned him an Eisner Award. The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (Eisner Awards) are given for creative achievement in American comic books.