Batman '66
Cover of Batman '66 #1
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
ScheduleMonthly
Publication dateJuly 2013 – February 2016
No. of issues30
Main character(s)Batman and Robin
Creative team
Written byJeff Parker
Artist(s)Mike Allred (cover)
Various (interior)

Batman '66 is a superhero 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. It published 30 issues from 2013-16, although the setting has been used in occasional crossovers since 2016.

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] Original characters from the television series such as the Bookworm, the Minstrel, the Sandman, Olga, Queen of the Cossacks, Zelda the Great, Shame, King Tut, and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds all made their first comic book appearances in the series. The Joker, The Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman and Mr. Freeze also appeared in the series. Characters who were not featured in the television series (some of them were created after the series ended) also appeared in Batman '66, with Red Hood and Dr. Quinn appearing in issue #3, Poison Ivy in issue #26, Bane in issue #27, The Scarecrow and Killer Croc in issue #28, Kobra in issue #72, Copperhead in Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 issue #5, Professor Hugo Strange in Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul 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 the Green Hornet crossover miniseries, Batman '66 Meets The Green Hornet, began publication.[10] There are also three other crossover miniseries 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 crossover one-shot issue 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 archvillains attempted to take over Riverdale in the crossover miniseries Archie Meets Batman '66.[11]

Batman '66 has been designated Earth 66 in the post-Dark Crisis multiverse.[12]

Collected editions

TitleMaterial collectedPublication datesISBN
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 and Mrs. Peel Batman '66 Meets Steed and 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, Batman '66: 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

  1. ↑ "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. 22 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "DC Comics To Publish A Batman JEFF PARKER Writes BATMAN 1966, Digital-First Comic". Newsarama.com.
  3. ↑ "BATMAN '66 2013". DC Comics. Archived from the original on 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  4. ↑ Beedle, Tim (2015-06-09). "EXCLUSIVE: Get Your First Look at Batman '66's Harley Quinn in Action". DC Comics. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  5. ↑ ""Injustice" Ends, Killer Croc Debuts in "Batman '66" and More from DC in October". Comic Book Resources. 2014-07-14. Archived from the original on 2015-11-08. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  6. ↑ "BATMAN '66 #10". DC Comics. 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  7. ↑ Sava, Oliver (10 November 2015). "Exclusive DC preview: The Allreds end Batman '66 by going back to the beginning". A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Batman '66". Comic Vine. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman Announce New Batman/Green Hornet Project – (DCAA 206)". YouTube.
  11. ↑ "Archie Meets Batman '66 #1". website. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  12. ↑ Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1 (February 2023)
  13. ↑ Bailey, Benjamin (2013-07-03). "Batman '66 #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  14. ↑ Cecchini, Mike (2013-07-05). "Batman 66 #1 (DC Comics) Review". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  15. ↑ Sava, Oliver (12 July 2013). "The deliciously retro Batman '66 is a huge step forward for DC digital comics". A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
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