The Boy Who Loved Batman: Michael Uslan
Michael Uslan may not be a household name, but he’s been a driving force behind the geek world’s takeover of the cinema during the last several decades. As an Executive Producer, he’s had his finger in virtually everything “Batman” Hollywood has produced, from Tim Burton’s Batman through this week’s The Dark Knight Rises. This includes the good (Batman the animated TV series) and the bad (Batman Forever and Catwoman), but if the caped crusader or one of his menagerie were involved, Michael was championing their cause.
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Uslan’s accomplishments were recognized this week when he received Comic-Con International’s highest honor, the Inkpot Award. The Inkpot Award was started in 1974 as an achievement award given to some of the top names in comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of pop-culture. Previous recipients include Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Roger Zelazny, Douglas Adams, and Charles Schultz.
And Uslan is a real geek’s geek. He’s been in the entertainment industry for 36 years, mostly producing comic related projects including The Spirit and Constantine, but was also producing kids shows like PBSs “Where In The World is Carmen Sandiego?” He tells his story in his autobiography The Boy Who Loved Batman. “I was just a kid from the suburbs who loved comic books, but I had a dream and I wasn’t going to stop till I made it come true,” he says. A man after my own heart.
His latest film, The Dark Knight Rises, opens July 20.
