Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan

Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan is a 2008 book published by Pantheon Books, subsidiary of Random House, in the United States. The book was designed by Chip Kidd, the content was sourced from Saul Ferris’ extensive collection of Japanese Batman manga, toys and ephemera, which was photographed by frequent collaborator Geoff Spear. It collects a Japanese shōnen manga adaptation of the American comic book series Batman by Jiro Kuwata simply entitled Batman (バットマン, Battoman) and also includes photographs of vintage Batman toys from Japan. The Batman manga included in Bat-Manga! was created during a Batman craze in Japan, being serialized from April 1966 to May 1967; the series ended when the craze ended. The manga was released in paperback and at the same time a limited hardcover was released on October 28, 2008, with an additional manhua bootleg and an extra Batman story by the creator. On October 28, 2013, the entire 53 chapter run of the series was released in Japan as a three volume-box set.

In July 2014, DC Comics started to release the entire Japanese Batman manga in English through ComiXology as a Digital First series The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga, with a new chapter going online each week. The digital run will be followed by a complete three-volume release in both print and digital form some time during or after the run.