| Batman '66 | |
|---|---|
 Cover of Batman '66 #1. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | July 2013 – February 2016 |
| No. of issues | 30 |
| Main character(s) | Batman and Robin |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Jeff Parker |
| Artist(s) | Mike Allred (cover) Various (interior) |
Batman '66 is a comic book series published by DC Comics featuring Batman as a continuation of the 1966–68 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was written primarily by Jeff Parker and Tom Peyer, with cover art by Mike Allred.
Publication history[]
In 2013, DC began publication of Batman '66, which tells all-new stories set in the world of the 1966–68 TV series. It was written by Jeff Parker, and featured cover art by Mike Allred while interior art was done by different artists each issue.[1][2][3] Characters from the television series such as the Bookworm, the Minstrel, the Sandman, Olga, Queen of the Cossacks, Zelda the Great, Shame, and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds all made their first comic-book appearance in the series. Penguin, Joker, Riddler, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze also appear in the series. Characters who were not featured in the television series (some of them created after the series ended) also appeared in Batman '66 with the Red Hood and Dr. Quinn appearing in issue #3, Poison Ivy in issue #26, Bane in issue #27, Kobra in issue #72, Scarecrow and Killer Croc appearing in issue #28, Copperhead appears in issue "Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #5, Professor Hugo Strange appearing in Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul appearing in Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77.[4][5] Also, new characters and vehicles were created for the series such as the Bat-Jet, used to follow False-Face to Mount Rushmore, as well as a new villainess named Cleopatra.[6]
The series was released both physically and digitally. The series was cancelled in 2015, with physical issue #30, cover-dated February 2016, and digital issue #73.[7][8]
In April 2014, the first five issues were compiled into the Batman '66 Vol. 1 trade paperback. Additional volumes collecting the rest of the issues have since been released. Len Wein and José Luis García-López produced a comics adaptation of a Two-Face story written by Harlan Ellison originally intended for the Batman television series in the 1960s.[9] In June 2014, Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman's six-issue Batman and Green Hornet crossover miniseries, Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet, began publication.[10] There are also three other crossovers with fellow 1960s and 1970s TV shows; The Man From U.N.C.L.E. with Batman '66 Meets the Man From U.N.C.L.E., TV's The Avengers with Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel, and Wonder Woman, as played by Lynda Carter, in Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77. In July 2017, a new one-shot called Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes shows Batman and Robin teaming up with the Legion of Super-Heroes. In July 2018, the Batman arch villains attempted to take over Riverdale in the Archie meets Batman '66 mini-series.[11]
It is unknown whether Batman '66 is represented in one of the current New 52 DC Multiverse alternate Earths.[12]
Collected editions[]
| Title | Material Collected | Publication dates | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman '66 Vol. 1 | Batman '66 #1-5 | April 8, 2014 | 978-1401247218 |
| Batman '66 Vol. 2 | Batman '66 #6-10 | April 28, 2014 | 978-1401254612 |
| Batman '66 Vol. 3 | Batman '66 #11-16 | December 8, 2015 | 978-1401257507 |
| Batman '66 Vol. 4 | Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1 and Batman '66 #17-22 | May 17, 2016 | 978-1401261047 |
| Batman '66 Vol. 5 | Batman '66 #23-30 | December 13, 2016 | 978-1401264833 |
| Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet | Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet #1-6 | March 24, 2015 | 978-1401252281 |
| Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E. | Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E. #1-6 | September 13, 2016 | 978-1401264475 |
| Batman '66 Meets Steed & Mrs. Peel | Batman '66 Meets Steed & Mrs. Peel #1-6 | September 27, 2017 | 978-1401268206 |
| Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 | Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #1-6 | October 3, 2017 | 978-1401273859 |
| Batman '66 omnibus | Batman '66 #1-30, The Lost Episode #1 and Solo #7's "Batman A-Go-Go!" | August 8, 2018 | 978-1401283285 |
| Archie Meets Batman '66 | Archie Meets Batman '66 #1-6 | April 18, 2019 | 978-1682558478 |
Reception[]
Response to the series was positive. Benjamin Bailey of IGN gave the first issue a 9.8 out of 10 calling it "nothing short of brilliant" saying that "even if you aren't a fan of the classic TV show, you'll have a good time here. It's a blast from start to finish."[13] Meanwhile, Den of Geek gave the first issue an 8 out of 10 saying that "Batman '66 looks like it might just fit right in with the spirit of the show's better episodes."[14] The A.V. Club's Oliver Sava, in reviewing the second issue, called it "a delightfully silly look at a bygone era of Batman, (and) also one of the year’s finest superhero comics."[15]
References[]
- ↑ "DC Comics To Publish A Batman Sixties TV Show Comic, As Well As A Batusi Exclusive Toy For San Diego Comic Con". Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "DC Comics To Publish A Batman JEFF PARKER Writes BATMAN 1966, Digital-First Comic". Newsarama.com.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "BATMAN '66 2013". DC Comics. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Beedle, Tim (2015-06-09). "EXCLUSIVE: Get Your First Look at Batman '66's Harley Quinn in Action". DC Comics. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ ""Injustice" Ends, Killer Croc Debuts in "Batman '66" and More from DC in October". Comic Book Resources. 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "BATMAN '66 #10". DC Comics. 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Sava, Oliver. "Exclusive DC preview: The Allreds end Batman '66 by going back to the beginning". A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Batman '66". Comic Vine. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (November 20, 2014). "Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 23, 2014.
Writer Harlan Ellison got as far as pitching a Two-Face-themed episode before the combination of the villain's gruesome appearance and Ellison's conflicts with ABC executives killed the idea. Decades later, that pitch has become the inspiration for this oversized Batman '66 comic.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman Announce New Batman/Green Hornet Project – (DCAA 206)". YouTube.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "Archie Meets Batman '66 #1". website. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ The Multiversity Guidebook (January 2015)
- ↑ Bailey, Benjamin (2013-07-03). "Batman '66 #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Cecchini, Mike (2013-07-05). "Batman 66 #1 (DC Comics) Review". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Sava, Oliver. "The deliciously retro Batman '66 is a huge step forward for DC digital comics". A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
{{cite web}}:
| Batman (TV series) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters adapted for the series |
Alfred • Batgirl / Barbara Gordon • Batman / Bruce Wayne • Catwoman • Clock King • Commissioner James Gordon • Green Hornet • The Joker • Kato • The Mad Hatter • Mr. Freeze • The Penguin • The Riddler • Robin / Richard "Dick" Grayson | |
| Characters created for the series |
Egghead • King Tut | |
| Episodes | "Hi Diddle Riddle" • "Smack in the Middle" • "Fine Feathered Finks" • "The Penguin's a Jinx" • "The Joker Is Wild" • "Batman Is Riled" • "Instant Freeze" • "Rats Like Cheese" • "Zelda the Great" • "A Death Worse Than Fate" • "The Joker Goes to School" • "He Meets His Match, The Grisly Ghoul" • "True or False-Face" • "Holy Rat Race" • "The Penguin Goes Straight" • "Not Yet, He Ain't" • "Shoot a Crooked Arrow" • "Walk the Straight and Narrow" • "Hot Off the Griddle" • "The Cat and the Fiddle" • "Marsha, Queen of Diamonds" • "Marsha's Scheme of Diamonds" • "The Zodiac Crimes" • "The Joker's Hard Times" • "The Penguin Declines" • "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin" • "The Londinium Larcenies/The Foggiest Notion/The Bloody Tower" | |
| Vehicles & gadgetry | Batmobile • Batboat • Batcopter • Batcycle • Batsuit • Batphone • Batcomputer • Batbelt | |
| In-story locations | Gotham City • Batcave • Wayne Manor | |
| Related topics | Shows | Legends of the Superheroes • The New Adventures of Batman • The Green Hornet |
| Films | Batman • Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt • Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders • Batman vs. Two-Face | |
| Other | "Batman Theme" • "Holy..." • Batman '66 • Batman XXX: A Porn Parody • Bat Pussy • Batusi | |