Fellow Batman fans, we hope you have a spare change of pants. We have seen encyclopedias, guidebooks, philosophy books, how-to books, history books, and various other materials that have documented all things awesome about the dark knight.

Now, brace yourselves for…The Batman Files. This hardcover dossier by Matthew Manning comes packed with histories of all the major Bat-characters, letters, newspaper articles, in-depth computer files, crime scene photos, blueprints, schematics, maps of Gotham City, and even Bruce Wayne’s childhood drawings.  Every minute detail of Batman’s life is carefully and thoroughly covered in this book, which makes it a must-have for Batman fans.  Check out the photos below.

“The Batman Files” is gilded with a black matte finish and a fabric cover, while secured with a metallic silver Batman emblem.  It is now available for preorder on Amazon for $61, down from the original $100 price. We’re not sure why there is a different cover on the Amazon posting, but we’re hoping it will have the more polished, solid black finish in the end instead.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m placing my copy on my coffee table, snug in the middle of my “Arkham City: Collector’s Edition” and ”Batman: Year One” blu-ray, sitting over my pile of #1 Batman comic issues. It is a good month to be a Batman fan, indeed :)

“The Joker: A Visual History of the Clown Prince of Crime” is available for pre order on Amazon.com.

A comprehensive look at the greatest comic book villain . . . ever. Since his first appearance in 1940’s Batman #1, the Joker stands alone as the most hated, feared, and loved villain in the DC Universe. Though his true origins may be unknown, the Clown Prince of Crime’s psychotic appearances in hundreds of comic books has shaped the way we look at Batman, comic books, and ourselves. Indeed, a hero is only as good as his nemesis, so the Joker’s heinous crimes, including murdering the second Robin and paralyzing Batgirl, have elevated Batman to the highest levels of crime-fighting, and we, the readers, to the finest levels of quality pop-culture entertainment.

The Joker is the first retrospective chronicling one of the most groundbreaking and game-changing villains of all time, and contains images from his more than seventy years in comics by comic book artists and writers such as Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, Dick Sprang, Grant Morrison, Dave McKean, Neil Gaiman, Geoff Johns, Alan Moore, Brian Bolland, Brian Azzarello, Bruce Timm, and Paul Dini. Also included are images from his various film, television, animated, and video game incarnations, such as the timeless interpretations by Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, and Heath Ledger, who won his posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight. This book is a must-have for fans and anyone who wants to die laughing.

He also shops at ThinkGeek.com.

ThinkGeek, widely known as being the internet’s pre-eminent purveyor of peculiarities to the nerdy masses, is the home of – among other things – the titanium spork. Mr. Shipp has acquired one of these magnificent pieces of curious cutlery and is offering it as an incentive to his fans.

To win the cherished spork, become a follower of Mr. Shipp’s blog. Yeah, that’s really all there is to it. Easy, right? The winner will receive not only the spork of awesome, but a Kindle or Nook copy of their choice of any of Mr. Shipp’s eBooks. A full list of eligible titles can be found in this post.

The contest will remain open until Mr. Shipp receives his 200th subscriber on the blog.

Lionsgate has released the teaser trailer for “The Hunger Games” at this Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. Based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling young adult fiction book trilogy, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Lenny Kravitz. For those who haven’t read the books, here’s the synopsis:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

“The Hunger Games”, which will be the first of a 4-part series, hits theaters March 23rd, 2012.

9.15.09 – Dan Brown’s long-awaited novel, “The Lost Symbol”, has finally been released today with a record number of 5 million copies in its first print. Curious how that was possibly accomplished? You might even be wondering how these hardbound books are produced in the first place. Enjoy the video.

Here is Good Morning America’s coverage of the release:

The official Doubleday site for “The Lost Symbol” can be found here, where you can pre-order the novel through various websites as well as follow Dan Brown on Twitter and Facebook.

“The Lost Symbol” hits bookstores on September 15th, 2009.

5 millions copies of “The Lost Symbol” are set to be released by Doubleday Books on September 15, 2009.

THE LOST SYMBOL

…not “The Solomon Key” as we had all long anticipated.  With almost 5 years of delays, a soaring amount of hype that followed shortly after The Da Vinci Code’s epidemic popularity, and the multitude of speculative books assuming “The Solomon Key” as the book’s title, it really does come as little surprise that author Dan Brown has simply retitled the work.  Despite the lack of details concerning the book’s storyline, we do know that Brown has spent an awful lot of time researching Washington D.C.’s Masonic temples and that the author is very much obsessed with the Freemasons.

The 3rd in a series of conspiracy thriller novels following Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, The Lost Symbol will be published by Doubleday in the U.S. and Canada on September 15th, 2009.  5 million copies are scheduled to be printed.  This was announced today by Sonny Mehta, Chairman and Editor in Chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.  Mehta commented with the following:

This is a great day for readers and booksellers.  The Lost Symbol is a brilliant and compelling thriller. Dan Brown’s prodigious talent for storytelling, infused with history, codes and intrigue, is on full display in this new book. This is one of the most anticipated publications in recent history, and it was well worth the wait.

Jason Kaufman, who is Vice President and Executive Editor at Doubleday as well as Brown’s longtime editor, said:

Nothing ever is as it first appears in a Dan Brown novel. This book’s narrative takes place in a twelve-hour period, and from the first page, Dan’s readers will feel the thrill of discovery as they follow Robert Langdon through a masterful and unexpected new landscape. The Lost Symbol is full of surprises.

Brown added:

This novel has been a strange and wonderful journey.  Weaving five years of research into the story’s twelve-hour timeframe was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon’s life clearly moves a lot faster than mine.

Columbia Pictures is also moving forward with The Lost Symbol, which will be the third film in the series.  Ron Howard and Tom Hanks are expected to return.

Angels & Demons, the second installment, hits theaters May 15th.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Tom Hanks doesn’t have a mullet in this one and the movie actually makes sense.