Batman '66 (2013), Volume 1

August 1, 2014

It can be argued that, by playing things completely straight, the 1960s Adam West/Burt Ward Batman TV show (finally due for release on home video later this year) exposed superhero stories--or at least the kind that the Comics Code of the day allowed--as ridiculous, and thereby set back public acceptance of comics as a valid and valuable art form for many years. It can also be argued that the show was a lot of fun. This series does a fine job of reviving the show's heroic and comical spirit, aided by use of the actors' likenesses, including Frank Gorshin (the Riddler), Burgess Meredith (the Penguin), and both Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt as Catwoman. It's a contemporary "meta" take, decorated with pop-art effects and full of in-jokes relating to the show, its era, and other Batman stories. There's not quite as much "Biff! Pow!" and "Holy halitosis!" as one might expect, and a Joker story falls flat--but Bat-gadgetry is on display, and when Egghead (Vincent Price) calls his eggshell-helmeted henchmen "my Eggmen," all is forgiven. VERDICT A lot of fun.--S.R.

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