| Batman '66 | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofBatman '66 #1 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Publication date | July 2013 – February 2016 |
| No. of issues | 30 |
| Main character(s) | Batman andRobin |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Jeff Parker |
| Artist(s) | Mike Allred (cover) Various (interior) |
Batman '66 is an Americansuperhero comic book series published by the comic book publishing companyDC Comics featuringBatman as a continuation of the1966–1968 television series starringAdam West andBurt Ward as Batman andRobin. The series was written primarily byJeff Parker andTom Peyer, with cover art byMike Allred. It published 30 issues from 2013 to 2016, although the setting has been used in crossovers since 2016:Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet,Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E.,Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel,Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77, andArchie Meets Batman '66.
In 2013, DC began publication ofBatman '66, which tells all-new stories set in the world of the1966–1968 TV series. It was written byJeff Parker, and featured cover art byMike 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, andMarsha, Queen of Diamonds all made their first comic book appearances in the series.The Joker,The Penguin,Riddler,Catwoman andMr. 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 inBatman '66, withRed Hood andDr. Quinn appearing in issue #3,Poison Ivy in issue #26,Bane in issue #27,The Scarecrow andKiller Croc in issue #28,Kobra in issue #72,Copperhead inBatman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 issue #5,Professor Hugo Strange inBatman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E., andRa's al Ghul andTalia al Ghul inBatman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77.[4][5] Also, new characters and vehicles were created for the series such as the Bat-Jet, used to followFalse-Face toMount 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 theBatman '66 Vol. 1 trade paperback. Additional volumes collecting the rest of the issues have since been released.Len Wein andJosé Luis García-López produced a comics adaptation of aTwo-Face story written byHarlan Ellison originally intended for theBatman television series in the 1960s.[9] In June 2014,Kevin Smith andRalph Garman's six-issue Batman and theGreen 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. withBatman '66 Meets the Man From U.N.C.L.E.,TV'sThe Avengers withBatman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel, andWonder Woman, as played byLynda Carter, inBatman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77. In July 2017, a new crossover one-shot issue calledBatman '66 Meets the Legion of Super Heroes shows Batman and Robin teaming up with theLegion of Super Heroes. In July 2018, the Batman archvillains attempted to take overRiverdale in the crossover miniseriesArchie Meets Batman '66.[11]
Batman '66 has been designated Earth-66 in the post-Dark Crisis multiverse.[12]
| 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 andBatman '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 andSolo #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 |
Response to the series was positive. Benjamin Bailey ofIGN 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]
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 oversizedBatman '66 comic.
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