Michael E. Uslan, JD'76
When Michael Uslan was a boy, his dream was to write Batman comics. The New Jersey native amassed an incredible collection of comic books, a passion that spawned an extraordinary career in film and entertainment.
Uslan's journey to producing Batman films is aptly characterized as superheroic. At Indiana University, he earned three degrees (BA history, 1973; MS education, 1975; JD, 1976) and taught the first accredited college course on comic books. The course drew international media attention and led DC Comics to invite Uslan to write his dream comic, Batman.
His childhood ambition realized, Uslan decided to bring the Caped Crusader to the big screen. Knowing Hollywood's doors would be impenetrable without proper credentials, Uslan undertook the study of law and upon graduation became a production attorney for United Artists, where his film projects included Apocalypse Now and Raging Bull.
Four years later, Uslan acquired the rights to Batman and left United Artists. Every major motion picture studio turned down Uslan, who was intent on portraying a dark, serious Batman faithful to the character in the original comics. Nearly a decade later, Batman was released by Warner Bros. in 1989 and became the highest grossing movie of the year.
President of Branded Entertainment, Uslan has produced a long list of acclaimed films and series, including the recent Batman Begins (2005) and previous Batman sequels, Constantine, the Emmy Award-winning Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, and the PBS miniseries Three Sovereigns for Sarah. He is the author of more than 30 books on the history of comics and rock-and-roll and of the celebrated children's book, Chatterbox: The Bird Who Wore Glasses. His many awards include the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture (Batman), the IU President's Award, and the Law School's Hoagy Carmichael Creative Achievement Award. Uslan also serves on several national boards, including the Discovery Channel Global Education Fund and the Center for Excellence in Education.
The only person to be selected twice as the Law School's commencement speaker, Uslan sits on the Intellectual Property Advisory Board and visits the school often as a Practitioner in Residence, donating his time to counsel law students and guest lecture in classes. He also donated his treasure—38,000 comic books—to the Lilly Library's Michael E. Uslan Collection.