The Ultimate Comic Book Ending at NovelTeas

NovelTeas tea and coffee house on Bridge Ave in Red Bank is the perfect place to spend an afternoon  catching up with good friends, spending quality alone time with a good book, or pondering the meaning of life all-- while drinking unique and delicious tea.

It could only be better if, perhaps, you were able to spend the afternoon having a stimulating and inspiring conversation with a well respected yet extremely down to earth author. Such was the case on Saturday, when Michael Uslan,  executive producer of the Batman movies and noted author, stopped by for a book signing of his latest release Archie Marries.

Uslan is proud New Jersey native, born in Deal and growing up on the Jersey Shore. A self proclaimed “comic book geek,” Ulsan spent most of his younger days amassing a comic book collection that consisted of  an astonishing 30,000 comic books, most of which he picked up for around five cents each at the Collingswood Auction. His love of comics never stopped, and it was his intense passion for them that catapulted his career.

Uslan made a name for himself at Indiana University School of Law where he persuaded the Dean of the College of Arts and Science to create an accredited class in the folklore department on comic books. Originally, met with resistance by the Dean, Uslan used his creativity to demonstrate to the Dean how there were similarities in the stories of Moses and Superman. The Dean relented; and thus the first accredited college class to seriously study comic books was born.

The class garnered a lot of attention from the press and other media and Uslan began getting calls from a number of influential people in the industry, including Stan Lee, the vice president of DC Comics. Lee invited Uslan to spend the summer working for him, and this is where Uslan got the opportunity to write his first comic The Shadow.

Uslan is best known for being executive producer on all the modern Batman films. He said he knew from the time he was in eighth grade that he would create a new Batman; a darker and more mysterious one from the Batman known in comic books. Uslan never gave up on this dream, even though multiple people handed him rejection after rejection. 

Finally, in 1989, after 10 years of battling, Uslan was able to get the first dark Batman movie made. After that, his career continued to go full speed ahead with the release of multiple Batman movies.

Uslan credits his success to a few things. One is his to his tough, “gotta deal with it,” New Jersey attitude. He has a deep love for his home state, and has never forgotten his roots despite his many successes. Although many times a victim of a New Jersey joke while spending his time in LA, Uslan feels that there is a “real coolness” emanating from New Jersey right now, and that people are recognizing the fact that people from Jersey have a style and attitude that can’t be imitated.

He feels another crucial key to his relentless determination was the support and guidance from his two beloved middle school teachers, Mrs. Stiller and Mrs. Freidman. Throughout his success, Uslan never forgot these two women, and even honored them by bringing them as guests to the premiere of his first Batman movie.

His latest endeavor, Archie Marries, delves into the love triangle that has always been the center of the Archie comics. The book is a seven part story in which the reader follows Archie down two different memory lanes—one where he marries Veronica Lodge and one where he marries Betty Cooper. The book signing was to benefit the Friends of Books and Beyond Project, a nonprofit organization that is revolutionizing education in the USA and Rwanda.  

Uslan’s passion, both for his craft and for his roots, was evident with every word he spoke. His determination for achieving his dreams was inspiring, and his advice was realistic yet hopeful. 

“Everyone doubted me,” he said. “They kept telling me ‘You can’t make a dark Batman-- that will never work.’”   

He knew in his heart that he could do it, and he believed in himself even when no one else did. His best advice for anyone looking to break into the field is simple, “If you really want it,” he said, “You’ve got to keep knocking-- until your knuckles are bloody.”