When it comes to alternate media, it's actually rather difficult to translate the exact same feeling of watching the show, film, cartoon, or whathaveyou that you're trying to replicate within the pages of a comic book. And while one would think that translating an actual property based on a comic book would be a helluvalot easier to accomplish, it's actually alot rarer than you think to get it right. Everything from the many Batman movies and animated series to the current CW hit, Arrow, has been given a comic book adaptation and it's been brought to panel-by-panel life to many varying results. While you could never really say that all of the Batman comics based off of The Animated Series were bad, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that could claim that they're just as good, or even a respectable replacement for just sitting down and watching the show. And let's face it, that's going to be the problem with anything based off of something inherently designed for an entirely different medium.
DC Entertainment's latest attempt to revitalize one of their long-celebrated properties, Batman '66 - while not being able to shy away from the problem in a sense - does deliver that feeling of nostalgic fun alot better than you'd expect. And it's an especially surprising feat accomplished, given that the Adam West and Burt Ward camp classic Batman television show has been the result of countless parodies, homages, and outright attempts at duplication over the many decades since the program's cancellation in the late 1960's. It's a concept that you could almost say has been done to death, given that some could argue that some part of the general populace will always think of those multicolored 'BAM!', 'BIFF!', and 'POW!' sound effects stretching across the screen whenever the word 'superhero' is even brought up in conversation.
Self-aware supervillainy? Check.
So how does Batman '66 avoid the trap of becoming any of that? The simple answer is by getting the joke. Writer Jeff Parker is no stranger to his share of comedic work within the medium: as a longtime artist-turned-scribe that graduated over from the 90's to the 2000's, Parker made his name as a writer for Marvel Comics, perhaps more famously garnering some acclaim for his stint as the man responsible for X-Men: First Class. And the key to First Class' success was it's combination in the portrayal of the initial X-Men team's struggles in coming to terms with their roles as mutant defenders and, perhaps even moreso, the often comedic interactions between the team's key players. So whenever he was hired by DC to resurrect the zany adventures of TV's first Batman, Parker's background with action and comedy were always going to be the key to ensuring the series' faithfulness.
Shot-encapsulating onomatopoeia? Check.
And don't worry, Bat-fans. It has faithfulness in leaps and bounds. Any fan of the show will immediately recognize the setting from the very first page, as the brightly colored and abundantly sunny landscape of Gotham City makes for a backdrop to what will inevitably become the target of series staple villain The Riddler, portrayed brilliantly in the show by the late Frank Gorshin. Cackling and howling away as Gorshin's Prince of Puzzles often did, Parker even takes a chance to poke fun at the fact that the show's Riddler often drew comparisons to another series staple by having Riddler announce that he felt adding a laughing agent to his paralysis gas would be "too Joker" before trying to make a getaway with a priceless artifact offered to the Gotham Police.
Bat-dickishness? Check.
But it's when Batman himself makes an appearance that the tone of the series really starts to mark it's territory. Immediately rocketing onto the scene in the classic red and black Batmobile that became one of the most iconic vehicles in the history of film and television, one of The Caped Crusader's initial remarks has him making a ridiculously random observation passed off as scientific fact, one of the many hallmarks of West's portrayal. This Batman isn't so much the world's greatest detective as he is the world's greatest man alive, being able to solve the unsolvable and leave every single person on the planet in the dust with his cunning and resourcefulness. It's an over-the-top statement that makes for great fodder, helping to sell the idea that even though Commissioner Gordon could be a bumbling fool who utilizes the crimefighter a bit too often, he's usually justified in calling upon Batman's many talents. Because if there's anything West's Batman wasn't, it was a pushover.
And it isn't just Batman himself that Parker manages to get right from the outset, it's the entire supporting cast. With Gordon himself appearing as a short-fused beacon of absolute stoic delivery, it's also a delight to hear Chief O'Hara's iconic "Begorrah!" being shouted on the streets below as the chaos ramps up to eleven. And what would the series be without Burt Ward's energetic Boy Wonder? Robin makes an appearance, as always, dutifully offering his aid in the seemingly impossible tasks that Batman has him undertake. There's even a fun little moment where Batman orders his youthful companion to utilize that "daytime driver's license" and Robin, always eager to leap into action himself, enthusiastically shouts "I sure do!" as he takes on the wheel of the Batmobile. And yes, there is definitely a "Holy ____!" moment.
What, did you think they would skimp out on that? Well, if you were truly foolish enough to have doubted such a thing, I think I have only one thing to call you:
As a testament to the series' impressive debut, I can safely say that if you're looking for a gateway back into a time where The Dark Knight was less about psychologically-driven urban warfare featuring a cowled protagonist that never forgot his violent roots, and more about the sheer over-the-top insanity that defined the everyday life of a masked crimefighter looking for nothing more than to do his part in serving the greater good, taking on colorfully clad villains to push his skills as a crimefighter to the absolute limit, then this book is for you. If you're a Batman fan like me, who can appreciate every varying interpretation of The Caped Crusader on some level or another, then this book is for you. Hell, if you just want to read a book that prompts you to internally place a Shatner-esque delivery atop of every line of it's lead character mouth, then this book is for you.
Holy must-reads, Batman!
Rating
4.5 out of 5
Reviewed by Alex Koch
