Batman '66 Vol. 1 Hardcover – April 8, 2014

Thoroughly enjoyed this colorful trip down memory lane (watching the series reruns after school). Looking forward to collecting the accompanying volumes!

I got this book being a Batman fan not worth paying 24 dollars Why books looks new but it’s kinda used just needs a little cleaning I was gonna get the rest of the Batman 66 decided not to

I was never a huge fan of the 1966 Batman television show. I've seen most of the episodes and for the most part enjoyed them but I watched them in the 70's and 80's when that kind of camp was already seen as an embarrassing part of Batman's history "It was noble of that [porpoise] to hurl himself into the path of that final torpedo" Tim Burton's 1989 film was pretty much the nail in the coffin. These days I don't get many comic compilations but Batman '66 was getting some spectacular reviews from professional reviewers and how could I resist such an offbeat series.Batman '66 is intended to literally be an attempt to create a comic as if it were produced in 1966 based on the old television program. The first story even recreates color separation problems so common in older comics. Characters are drawn to resemble the actors who played them; Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin and Frank Gorshin as the Riddler. For Catwoman Julie Newmar was chosen in one story and Eartha Kitt in another (poor Lee Meriwether). For the most part the artists manage to capture the actors although Burt Ward seemed to be a particularly difficult one; perhaps because Ward has no distinguishing features. There are also appearances by villains created specifically for the show including Egghead, Sandman and Siren.The comic does not constrain itself to the budgetary limitations of the 1966 show, for instance Batman might be hanging from a plane's tail or Robin might pilot the Bat sub around Gotham Harbor. There are also some subtle nods to the Burton/Nolan movies. By and large the stories and art are reflective of the television show and when Batman and Robin speak I hear Adam West and Burt Ward's voices in my head. The stories are simplistic and campy. I would compare them to the brilliant Batman: The Brave and the Bold television show from a few years back except that it somewhat handcuffs itself by establishing itself in the universe of the television show. By the way, I have no doubt that this Earth will, at some point, be known as Earth 66 and will be integrated as part of the greater DC multiverse. I think a team-up between the Earth 1 Batman and the Earth 66 Batman would be incredible.I'm rewriting my review because I originally gave it four stars but on further reflection I'm switching to the full five stars. The book is just so much fun and a great change of pace from the heavy Batman stories being produced for decades. IGN gave the first issue a 9.8 which I feel was overly generous but as the book goes on I felt like Jeff Parker found his groove and the stories continually improved in quality. They felt a little less like the television show but that only improved them as the stories became more complex and creative. I'm not going to rank this as one of the all-time great comics I have ever read but it has such a gentle, feel good quality to it that I just cannot help but try and promote it. I think it's the rare person who will read through this collection and not enjoy it. I certainly intend on grabbing up volume 2 the day it comes out.One last thing. The book has no dust cover which I hope is a trend that will catch on. Dust covers are meant to protect a book but if a reader cares enough to protect their book they're going to also want to protect the more fragile dust cover which defeats the whole purpose of the dust cover. Here's to no more dust covers on hardbound comic collections.

The classic '60s Batman tv show has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance these past few years: Finally being released on DVD, animated sequels, toys and collectibles, and now this comic book homage. As a life-long fan of the show, it's great to see.The visuals are a definite highlight here, with the various artists doing a great job capturing the "pop-art" razzle-dazzle style of the tv series (which of course was inspired by the look of old comic books in the first place -- Holy Turnabout is fair play, Batman!).Writer Jeff Parker has a pretty good grasp on the verbal style of the show as well. The characters sound like they should, and there's all the bombastic melodrama and tongue-in-cheek self-awareness you would expect as the action unfolds. He also comes up with some novel uses for the classic bad guys. The mostly forgettable Sandman gets a big upgrade here, and the sequence where Batman has to logically work out that he's trapped in a dream is great fun.In some cases, though, the stories feel a little thin. A big part of the fun of the old series was the elaborate cat-and-mouse game between Batman and his foes: the initial skirmishes, the slow reveal of the villain's ultimate plot, and then Batman finally figuring everything out and lowering the boom. The first story in this volume, featuring the Riddler and Catwoman, has some of that feeling, but many of the others seem rushed. You barely have time to register, "Oh yeah, I remember that guy from the one episode..." and then the story's over.I was also disappointed that one classic staple of the tv show -- the cliffhanger death-traps -- are mostly absent. We do get one big escape sequence in the Egghead story, and it's one of the best bits in the book.Still, I can't complain too much. The book accomplishes what it sets out to do: Deliver a big hit of nostalgia to those of us old enough to rememeber watching the reruns on the local UHF station after school. Another job well done, Caped Crusader!

The story take me back to my childhood I felt it was Saturday morning all over again ..thank you dc fr the great moments read this book..rip Adam west...

I know it's an unpopular opinion but it's true; for me the '60's Barman will always be THE version. I love the hilarious humor, the vibrant (and villainous) villains, the campy comedy, and yes, even the playful parlance. I learned a lot of words from this show. Also, no one will ever measure up to Frank Gorshin's Riddler (my personal favorite), Cesar Romero's Joker, and Julie Newmar's Cat woman, etc.So I've not read Barman comics and while I do admit to liking some of the 90's movies and The Dark Knight trilogy, in the end they aren't Barman to me. So I knew the instant I saw this in a store (somehow not hearing about it before), I had to own this. Finally, comics written for me.And it's everything I could have hoped for. Each story feels just like you're watching the show and I can practically hear the actors giving the dialogue. While each is drawn differently, most capture the actors' looks really well and they are all colored perfectly. I can even recommend reading this on the Kindle as the colors show quite well and you can get an in depth look at each panel.So I'll definitely be continuing this series; I'm off to read the second collection now!

If the Batman comics of the 1930s and 40s are a kid who doesn’t quite know what he wants to be yet and the 21st century Batman is a grown man who knows exactly who he is now and forever, Batman ‘66 is somewhere in between - a young adult fresh out of his teens who knows who he’s going to be but isn’t ready yet to fully commit and wants to have a little fun first.That’s a convoluted way of saying to modern Batman comics readers that Batman ‘66 isn’t the Batman you’re familiar with. This is before he became the Dark Knight and was known as the Caped Crusader; this is pre-Miller/Moore/Morrison, pre-Burton/Nolan movies; this is Batman when he went out in the daytime - and smiled! Fans of the Adam West show already know all of this because this is the comics version of that celebrated - and mocked in equal measure - TV series.The Batman ‘66 comics are exactly what you’d expect a comic book of the series to be: the same silly tone, corny dialogue, bonkers storylines and charming characterisations. Writer Jeff Parker and artist Jonathan Case haven’t just matched the tone of the series but the likenesses of the actors from the show are also present and correct.The legendary Adam West and Burt Ward are back as Batman and Robin while Alan Napier is Alfred (sans glasses), with Cesar Romero as the Joker (with moustache beneath the greasepaint of course), Frank Gorshin is the Riddler, Burgess Meredith is the Penguin, Otto Preminger is Mister Freeze, Vincent Price is Egghead, David Wayne is The Mad Hatter, and both Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt are Catwoman (in two separate stories). Also appearing are Chief O’Hara alongside Commissioner Gordon and Yvonne Craig makes a cameo as Batgirl.It’s essentially the same setup as the TV show with one crucial difference: there is no TV budget holding back the stories. That means we get the same cast and tone of Batman ‘66 but sexed up in a way that wasn’t possible before. The first story - The Riddler’s Ruse - shows us what to expect as Batman and Riddler have an aerial fight on a biplane with Batman using his cape as a glider! Later on in London, The Mad Hatter escapes on giant flying top hats(!) with Batman in tow, while back in Gotham harbour, a massive iceberg is the set piece for a showdown between Batman and Robin and the Penguin and Mister Freeze.The only other addition to mention is that Jeff Parker’s taken to introducing characters from elsewhere in the DC Universe that didn’t appear in the show like Red Hood and Dr Harleen Quinzel (yet to become Harley Quinn).But full credit to Jeff Parker for this book. What a home run this series was to read! The stories were brilliantly conceived, the dialogue was pitch perfect - he matched the same cadences with which West... delivered... his... lines! - and it was an absolute blast to read. For all intents and purposes, these were new episodes of Batman ‘66!And what about Jonathan Case? I was floored with his outstanding artwork in this book - his Adam West Batman is perfect down to the last detail, in fact all of the characters he drew were extraordinary, and the layouts were dynamic and exciting. After his work on Batman ‘66, he is an artist whose name I now look out for - he’s turned me into a fan for life! (Also check out his excellent work on Green River Killer, an excellent true crime comic)Case isn’t the only artist on this title and he’s joined by the brilliant Ty Templeton who brings to life the Penguin/Mister Freeze storyline, Joe Quinones who draws the Joker’s story, and Colleen Coover who gives us the Batgirl/Catwoman episode. Throw in blindingly awesome covers by the one and only Michael Allred and you’ve got one hell of a good looking book!In recent years DC has had a tendency to change characters and the kinds of stories they appear in, like when the New 52 launched in 2011 and everything got rebooted with nearly every title becoming darker and more serious, but Batman ‘66 stands out as the direct opposite to that approach. It’s been a series that was conceived as entirely faithful to the show (otherwise, duh, it wouldn’t be Batman ‘66!) so if you’re expecting a darker, more realistic take on the show with this book, prepare to be disappointed.However, if what you’re after is more of the same fun hijinks that you got on the show, you’ll love this book! Batman and Robin - in costume and in broad daylight - taking a public plane to London and being greeted at Heathrow like the Beatles, was a highlight (in that same story, spot the Tardis in one of the panels). There are also the famous bits you’d expect like Batman and Robin walking up the side of a building on a rope, the KWAM! BOFF! KICK! SWHACK! sound effects are on the page, Robin’s punching his fist into his palm and saying “Holy…”, and there’s a Batusi reference (though no dancing from Batman - yet!).If you read some of the issues digitally (they were released as digital firsts weeks ahead of the single issues), the transition to the printed page isn’t that bad but I definitely preferred the effect of guided view technology on this story. Sound effects would pop up when you hit the side of the screen, panels would turn different shades of colour, and characters would move on the page like it was animated. In the print edition, a lot of the movements have been limited so rather than have 2 or 3 Batmans in a panel, they’ve discarded two and left just one. It’s definitely not a bad transition but if you compare the two side by side, they’re noticeably different and, honestly, I prefer the digital, made for guided view versions better.Batman ‘66 is one of the most entertaining, enjoyable and best releases from DC in years. Superhero needn’t be dark and gritty to be enjoyable so long as they’re created with passion and heart, and this series is certainly that. You get the sense of Parker and co.’s deep affection for Batman ‘66 on every page and it’s definitely appreciated.I love the grown-up Batman stories of Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder, but I also love the silliness and irreverence of the Adam West Batman - so long as you do too, you’ll get a lot from this series.

Really enjoyed this. Really captures the essence of the original tv series - a real cult classic! Cleverly done bringing in some of the later villains. My eight year old son loves it too!

For those who know of the legendary 60's tv series this book will go down a treat with you. It captures perfectly the spirit of the show capturing every subtlety that the show had.This volume contains the first five issues (or first 15) digital chapters and villains featured include the Riddler, Penguin, Mr Freeze, Catwoman, Joker and Mad Hatter.There are bat fights galore and cliffhangers - although these are more affective in the digital forum as the printed issues barring issue 1 tend to collect both parts of an adventure as one whole removing the text that replicates the televised cliffhanger at the conclusion to part 1.You will not be disappointed with this purchase if you are a fun lover at heart!

Batman was an icon in the sixties because of the TV series, which I wish you could get on DVD, so this is the next best thing. Good service from supplier who I would use again.

Great present for a mother in law! She loved it.