Crisis on Infinite Earths: Batman

Believe it or don't, there's only been ONE live action adult Batman/Bruce Wayne. His name was West. Adam West.

I grew up on Adam West Batman reruns. I took Mr. West's Batman seriously. It wasn't until recently that I read that the '66 Batman live action series was nominated for an Emmy in the SITCOM category!

Robert Wuhl and Michael Keaton are confirmed as cameos for the CW EVENT, Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation. The cameos are more like Easter eggs.

Burt Ward, West's co-star, as Robin, the Boy Wonder is confirmed to appear in the CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths adaptation. He appears in an as yet, undisclosed role. Should be interesting to see what character he plays...

Nightwing? The Dark Knight Returns Batman? The Kingdom Come Batman?

There's word that the DC Universe streaming series Titans will be involved in the Crisis adaptation. So, there will be a Nightwing and a Robin appearing from that series...

That got me to thinking...

Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell were nearly cast as The Dynamic Duo. I could see Waggoner as either Earth-3's Owlman, or a live action '66 version of Harvey Dent. The late Harlan Ellison wrote a Batman '66 Two-Face script; and, legend has it that Clint Eastwood was considered for television reporter Harvey Dent.

Kevin Conroy is making the crossover from animation to live action as the Batman Beyond Bruce Wayne...

Diedrich Bader voiced Batman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Maybe he, and his his version of Batman could be included.

Rino Romano voiced Batman in The Batman animated series. The series was set in the third year of Bruce Wayne operating as The Dark Knight. The series lasted for five seasons, culminating in the formation of the Justice League.

I would love to see Mark Hamill as either The Joker or The Trickster!

Hey, they digitized Henry Cavill's mustache in Justice League. they could digitize Hamill's beard...

Crisis of Infinite Cameos

Oh - it just got real! Actor Robert Wuhl has been confirmed as reprising his role as Batman '89's Alexander Knox in the upcoming CW Network adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths! This is on top of Michael Keaton appearing as a photograph of Bruce Wayne. It's quite possible that Wuhl's Knox will be reading a newspaper featuring the photograph, in a "blink and you'll miss it" cameo. It is also possible that Wuhl's Knox appears on Earth-89 - designated for the year that Batman film was released.

Yes, this is a rating event. With a capital "E". Pure and simple.

Here's what I know from twenty-four years in radio: EVERY thing is designed to be an EVENT. There isn't a show on television, a film in the theaters, a book on a shelf, a comic book on a stand - nothing is out there that isn't meant to reach MASS APPEAL. You are a demographic. EVERY thing about YOU is broken down in order to reach accurate aim.

There's been a lot of rumor, speculation and fan-casting for this EVENT.

Here's mine.

Ben Affleck as George Reeves Superman.
There must be no doubt that Ben Affleck is a Geek. He's played Daredevil; Batman, and the George Reeves Superman. Hollywoodland is a pretty decent movie and I recommend it. It's like an extension of AJ Benza's E! Mysteries and Scandals.

Tim Daly as the The Dark Knight Returns Superman.
Brandon Routh is getting a "do-over" as the Kingdom Come Superman.

Based on Kevin Conroy appearing for the FIRST TIME in live action as the Batman Beyond Bruce Wayne, I would love to see Tim Daly - who voiced Superman and Clark Kent in the Timm-Diniverse Superman: The Animated Series as the The Dark Knight Returns Superman.

Daly and Conroy infamously re-created The Dark Knight Returns on Daly's YouTube page...

George Newbern as the Justice Lords Superman.

George Newbern took over from Tim Daly as Superman in the Timm-Diniverse Justice League animated series.

Honestly, "Secret Origin" is MUCH better than the live action Justice League film. But, that's another blog.

The episode "A Better World" features the (SPOILER ALERT) death of The Flash, voiced by Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum. The League become bitter and cynical and transform into the Justice Lords. This is another casting based on Kevin Conroy crossing over from animation to live action.

 
John Haymes Newton as Ultraman, from Earth-3.

John Haymes Newton was the first Superboy. The UPN series was based on the Christopher Reeve films. Newton, and co-star Stacy Haiduk, were Clark Kent and Lana Lang off to college at Shuster University. They were joined by Perry's son, T. J. White. Newton got into some trouble and was released from the series. It would be kinda cool to see him back in action.

Gerard Christopher as Superboy-Prime.
I met Gerard Christopher at Comic-Con Chicago many, many years ago. He had a booth. He was by himself. He seemed like a very polite, nice young man. He succeeded John Haymes Newton as Superboy for the remainder of the UPN series. I think from Season Two through Season Four. There were a few years between Superboy and Smallville. I would think that Smallville was trying to distance itself from Superboy - hence the "no tights, no flights" commandment.

I would think that Superboy and stars John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher are kind of overlooked. Neither one appeared on Smallville - like Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher did. A cameo in the CW Network Crisis adaptation might change that.

Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher as Lois and Clark.

Both have appeared on Smallville. Cain, and Helen Slater, are the CW Supergirl's adoptive parents. Lois and Clark was landmark. Clark revealed his identity to Lois Lane and the two finally married. the series prompted DC Comics to marry the two characters, too.

Jon Cryer, who played Gene Hackman's nephew in the Christopher Reeve Superman films will appear as Lex Luthor in the CW adaptation of Crisis. Michael Rosenbaum stated on social media that he was pitched a cameo, but it was more like, Hey, we need to know rightnowthissecond if you'd like to appear as Luthor. He turned the opportunity down.

I doubt that Kevin Spacey would make a cameo as a Luthor. Bit what about Clancy Brown? He voiced Luthor on the animated Superman and Justice League series. You've seen him in the original Highlander film and on Lost. John Shea played Luthor on Lois and Clark. Sherman Howard played Luthor on the Superboy series. Any one of them could play Earth-3's lone hero, Luthor.

The question still remains, who will SURVIVE the Crisis on Infinite Earths?   

Does There Have to be a Crisis on Infinite Earths?

I'm hyped about the upcoming CW Network adaptation of the 1985 comic book series Crisis on Infinite Earths! I'm excited about the cameos mostly. I've seen a few episodes of Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl - I liked what I saw; unfortunately, I just haven't had time to binge-watch an entire season or series.

Smallville was the last series that I followed closely. I followed it, because at the heart of the Superman story is a story of adoption. At the time the show was in prime time network run, my wife, Cathy, and I were adopting three children. I followed Jonathan and Martha Kent's story. I really liked John Schneider's Jonathan Kent. I followed Tom Welling's struggle as Clark, with the fitting in, and the maturing into both man and Superman. Yes, it was a more angsty take on the Man of Steel. Early episodes struck me as kinda realistic... For my mileage, the show derailed when Clark did not go to college, yet still ended up a reporter as The Daily Planet. I know Christopher Reeve pulled that same thing off years earlier - somehow that worked! The Smallville microscope... not so much. But then, Smallville was trying very hard NOT to be the previous Superboy. Hence, the "no tights, no flights" commandment, I would imagine.

Photographs of Welling and co-star Erica Durance re-uniting for the CW Crisis are on social media. Michael Rosenbaum shared his reason for NOT reprising his role as Lex Luthor on social media, too.

(One of the cool highlights, is that it is quite possible that the Smallville: Season Eleven comic book storyline will be considered canon!)

Triple threat John Wesley Shipp will be appearing - again - as the '90's The Flash; the legendary Kevin Conroy - who voiced Bruce Wayne and Batman in the '90's Bruce Timm-Paul Dini Batman: The Animated Series - will appear as the older, grizzled Bruce Wayne from Batman Beyond - in live action!!! Brandon Routh will appear as the Kingdom Come Superman. Tyler Hoechlin, from Supergirl, join in as that version of Superman. '66 Robin, the Boy Wonder, Burt Ward is confirmed, but in an unspecified role. There's been rumors of Lynda Carter making an appearance as Wonder Woman. There's fan speculation over other cameos, too.

But, does there have to be a Crisis on Infinite Earths?

The point of the original Crisis was basically housecleaning. Simply put, DC had a LOT of characters in so many different places. The point of Crisis then, was to put ALL of their characters in ONE place: one SINGLE Earth, with ONE timeline or history.

For instance: The Golden-Age Justice Society of America was formed in 1940 and disbanded in 1951. The Earth, or reality that they existed in did NOT develop a Justice League of America. There was a gap - filled with team-ups - from 1951 to 1985, when the children and proteges of the Justice Society formed the team Infinity, Inc.

Now, the Earth, or reality that the Justice League was in, never produced a Justice Society during World War II. Barry Allen, one of the founders of The Silver Age, read The Flash - Jay Garrick - comic books growing up. It was part of the inspiration for him to become the next generation The Flash. I would argue that it also inspired the formation of the League, since the team was just Barry, Arthur Curry as Aquaman, Hal Jordan's Green Lantern, J'onn J'onzz as the Martian Manhunter and Diana Prince as Wonder Woman. Batman and Superman were sort of grandfathered in.

There was later a THIRD Earth, with evil mirror images of the Justice League; kind of like that classic episode of Star Trek. 

Other Earth's or realities were developed, like Earth-S, for the SHAZAM! Family of characters that DC got from Fawcett. As DC got other characters from other companies, the Earths, or realities, multiplied... almost to infinity.

Here's the thing: the point, then, of Crisis, was to eliminate all of those infinite Earths or realities down to a single timeline - or history - on a single Earth. 

So, with Tom Welling, Brandon Routh and Tyler Hoechlin all appearing as a version of Clark Kent, will only ONE survive? There are fans calling for Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher to appear from their Lois and Clark series - but would their version end up being erased? I'd love to see Tim Daly and George Newbern appear. Both voiced the animated Superman, like Kevin Conroy voiced Batman. It would be cool to see John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher from the Superboy series appear. But would their versions be eliminated, too?

Is this CW adaptation streamlining DC live action - and possibly animation - continuity?

That's the big question on my mind right now. Okay, there are other, bigger, more important questions on my mind, but as a comic book geek, this is what I'm wondering.

Who will survive this live action adaptation?

The Blog at the End of the Day!

This is The Blog at the End of the Day! Whenever you're actually reading this, just know that I sat down at the end of the day to share some thoughts.

I didn't read very many comic books during the '90's. Cathy and I got married, May 6th, 1990. I had just started a job in the mailroom of a railroad company. I moved up into the accounting department. That didn't work out so well. I moved on to another mailroom. That didn't work out too well either. I was struggling to find the right fit. That was when Cathy told me that I had a face voice for radio. I took a course in broadcasting. Cathy and I drove out to the class together. She'd read or do needlepoint or go to the mall, while I was in class. One of my classmates was a fellow geek. He was excited about this storyline called The Death of Superman. One night he came in with a box of trading cards he had just bought. The cards were for that storyline. He was telling us all that he was blown away that two years before, DC Comics and the creative team behind the storyline had begun planning it all.

I'm not sure if it still works out that way, but I knew what he was talking about. A comic book takes time to write, edit, pencil, ink, letter, color and print before it hits store shelves. I may have missed a step or two, there, but you understand what I'm getting at. It's a process.

The '90's had it's gimmicks. The Death of Superman. Batman faced Knightfall, where Bruce Wayne's back was broken by Bane and a character named Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) took over, not Dick Grayson. Oliver Queen was blown up and his son took over as Green Arrow, not his ward, Roy Harper who was Speedy. Or maybe he had become Arsenal. Wally West, the former Kid Flash was still The Flash. Barry Allen had made the ultimate sacrifice in 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths. During The Death of Superman, one of the four replacements, Cyborg-Superman, Hank Henshaw destroyed Coast City, paving the way for the Emerald Twilight storyline over in Green Lantern. Hal Jordan snapped over the destruction of his hometown and pretty much turned on the Green Lantern Corps. He became the villain Parallax, Kyle Rayner took over as Earth's Green Lantern. Green Lantern back-up Guy Gardner became Warrior. Green Lantern John Stewart was off-world somewhere.

There were two comic books that I followed regularly during the '90's. One was The Batman Adventures, a tie-in comic book to Batman: The Animated Series.

The other was Starman.

There was a third book. It was only eighteen issues and an Annual. It was Impact Comics' The Comet. 

DC Comics had licensed a number of the Archie Red Circle characters. Google, Wikipedia and Comic Vine can help you get more background if you're curious.

The Comet was re-imagined by [edit] Tom Lyle with Mark Waid. It's been awhile since I've read The Comet. Tonight, I am digging all eighteen issues, the Impact! Special, the annual, the first three issues of The Crusaders and The Crucible mini-series to re-read. I remember the book being a lot of fun to read. The surprise twist near the end of the run was a real gut-punch. 

I'm going to star re-reading The Comet tonight in honor of artist Tom Lyle's birthday.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.    

My Latest "Guilty Pleasure"

I firmly believe that no single issue of a comic book should cost $5.

I started reading comics just after the price hike from $.12 to a quarter. This was The Bronze Age of Comics, just after Gwen Stacy's death. One of my earliest comics was an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, where he fights The Tarantula (a truly politically incorrect and stereotypical rogue); and, is confronted by a Gwen Clone and The Gremlin. It was in a three-pack with an issue of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Might have been a buck for the three-pack. I started reading Batman around the same time because I was a fan of the '60's TV series - still am.

From that point on, cover prices jumped to thirty-five cents, forty, fifty; then a buck, buck and a quarter, buck-ninety-five. Once the cover price got over a buck, it just kept going up and up until we're now at $3.95 or $4.99 for a single issue cover price. Which is ridiculous.

And yet... I've gone to Wal-Mart and gotten three issues of Batman Giant, an issue of Justice League Giant and the Swamp Thing Halloween Horror.

I'm trying to figure out how to track down an issue I missed. I missed Batman Giant 2. I'm trying to figure out how to track it down without it costing an arm and a leg. I checked eBay - yowza!

The reason I'm not a fan of these over-priced exclusives is that out of 100 pages, there's only a twelve-page original story. That's it. Twelve pages out of 100. The rest is reprint.Four stories in the Batman Giant, nine in the Swamp Thing Giant.

My question is, who decided to reprint the Hush storyline in Batman Giant? I thought Hush was pretty innovative. It involved the entire Batman Family; drawing in Superman and Lois Lane. It pretty much included nearly all of Batman's rogues. It introduced a new Bat-villain. Not the greatest Bat-villain, but a new one. The final reveal was pretty amazing to, as to who was really behind the whole thing. Turns out it was one of my favorite Bat-villains, thanks to Frank Gorshin. Although the story was written by Jeph Loeb, the art for Hush and Origin reprinting in the Justice League Giant and by Jim Lee. One of the critiques I have of the 2011 reboot of the Justice League in Origin is that the team's costumes are to complicated. The simple design is gone and replaced by a busy, over-complicated style. Lee's Hush was a nine issue series - nine months to tell that story. Six to tell Origin. That seems to be the way stories are written anymore. Six issues to collect in a trade paperback. Now it's coming back around as a reprint in an anthology comic book.

Batman Giant 3 started a Batman-Riddler story by Brian Michael Bendis, who wrote Ultimate Spider-Man. He's written Jessica Jones, too. He created a comic called Powers. He's working on Superman for DC Comics, now. It was a big deal that he went from Marvel to DC.

The Swamp Thing Halloween Horror Giant is interesting for a number of reasons. It's a pretty timely anthology collection comic out in October. It does feature an original Swamp Thing story, along with a Swamp Thing reprint. The other reprints do look recent. There is a Classic Batman and Robin story. Night of the Reaper, from Batman 237, December 1971! It's more of a Gothic murder mystery, set at the Annual Rutland Parade in Vermont.

The other thing that is interesting is that the stories feature more Superman, Batman - even Aquaman! Aquaman and The Demon! There's a unique pairing. I'm surprised that there isn't a John Constantine: Hellblazer, Sandman, Phantom Stranger, Spectre, Dr. Fate, Solomon Grundy or Shade story in there. Not even a Sinestro, or Sinestro Corps story. I jest.

Do you shop at Wal-Mart? When you head to the check-out, do you stop by the aisle where the collectibles are? That's the aisle the DC 100 Page Giant display is. Along with trading cards, bobble heads and other chachkeis are. DC is publishing four titles that are exclusive to Wal-Mart: Superman, Batman, Justice League and Teen Titans.I'm a Batman fan, so that was the one that caught my eye. Brian Michael Bendis has his critics, I'm not one of them. I'm enjoying his Batman-Riddler story. He's introduced a great- great- great- (not sure how many greats to go here) grand-daughter of Western hero Jonah Hex. There's something about Batman and Jonah Hex that is cool.

Like I said, I'm trying to figure out how to track down a cipy of Batman Giant 2 without it costing an arm and a leg. I think Batman Giant is going to fit in with my bucket list of gathering all twenty issues of The Batman Family from the '70's.   

The Heroes Creed

Variety is reporting that production on The Flash, starring Ezra Miller, has been pushed back to late 2019. That means the film will not be in theaters until 2021 at the earliest.

In releasing that information, Variety also hinted that Warner Bros./DC Comics may be moving forward without Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman. I'm not sure whether Cavill's schedule is conflicting with him suiting up as The Man of Steel again, or what. Affleck is currently undergoing rehab. There's not been any word on a sequel to the 2013 Man of Steel film, or any further on Cavill as Superman. Affleck's solo film as Batman has been in development for some time now.

Here's what concerns me about this whole thing. Warner Bros./DC Comics has been trying to "Marvelize" these icons. Make them more relatable by giving them angst, and maybe, real-world problems. It works for Peter Parker to have issues, complications and stress that are either compounded or lifted by The Amazing Spider-Man. What about a carefree millionaire-philanthropist-playboy? King of Atlantis? Amazon Princess?

Smallville imagined Clark Kent growing up trying to define himself. We got to see what made him a Man of Steel. My problem with that show was that in addition to the mistakes he made, He somehow landed a job as a crack, star reporter at The Daily Planet without a college education. There seemed a number of fumbles along the way. I say that with fervent passion: I loved watching that show with my boys after bringing them home forever from Ukraine.

I get that it makes sense to be real, and human and show how a person picks themselves up and moves on after making a mistake. We're not really doing that very well in real life, though, are we? Just look at James Gunn. Fired, and seemingly unforgiven, by Disney for a mistake he made years ago that he admitted, regretted and apologized for.

My concern is more for Affleck, and then, Batman.

I remember once hearing Clayton Moore talk about how they acted in public, off screen of The Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger had a creed that the actors themselves followed.

"Kids nowadays aren't so quick to worship heroes. The world is a lot more complicated; we don't seem to believe in absolute good and evil - white hats and black hats - anymore. It's fashionable to think of virtue and honor and bravery as naive, outmoded emotions. Deep down, I believe that people still cling to those ideals. When I first appeared on television as the Lone Ranger, Jay Silverheels (Tonto) and I used to do a lot of public appearances. Years earlier, when George W. Trendle created the Lone Ranger for the radio, he gave his writers a code of behavior that the Lone Ranger and Tonto must live by. Jay and I were heroes to millions of kids, and to avoid disappointing them, we lived by Trendle's original rules."

- Clayton Moore

There is a story that the late Jay Thomas told on The Late Show with David Letterman. Every Christmas, Letterman would have a decorated tree with a giant meatball on top. He would invite Thomas on the show to knock the meatball off with a football. Thomas would throw the football to knock the meatball off. Then he would tell the story of working in radio and doing a life broadcast, or remote, at a car dealer with Clayton Moore. After the live broadcast, Thomas was Moore's chauffeur to the airport. Thomas' car was cut off in traffic by another motorist. Thomas chased him down and confronted him. The driver scoffed, asking Thomas who they would believe. 

I get chill bumps when Thomas relates how Clayton Moore, in full The Lone Ranger costume rises out of the backseat of Thomas' beat-up Volvo and tells the motorist in his deep, rich baritone, "They'll believe ME, citizen."

I want my superheroes and my actors who play my superheroes to be more like THAT.

Let's expect more, and stop settling for less.    

Batman '66 on Gilligan's Island

I'm a believer. No doubt in my mind.

I took Adam West seriously as Batman. It wasn't until the late '70's, mid '80's that I began to understand that Batman '66 was campy; and the word "campy" was meant as an insult. I read the old Batman comics collected in the hardcover Batman: From the '30's to the '70's. At first, he was The Batman. The Darknight Detective. Then the '50's rolled around and Batman changed. Maybe it was due to Wertham, and his Seduction of the Innocent. I've never read it, but from what I have read about it, it had a huge impact on how comic books were produced in the Silver Age. The contemporary comic books of the '50's and early '60's were what Batman '66 were based on. Just look at the stories collected in Batman: The TV Stories. Very few of them come from Batman's early days. Remember, the live action television series was meant to make the most of color and the visual medium. Every thing was over-the-top. Just like the comics that inspired the series episodes.

As a kid, watching the show in reruns, I loved it!

I loved it that DC Comics produced the Batman '66 comic book series!

Even more, Kevin Smith, Ralph Garman, Alex Ross and Ty Templeton collaborated on reuniting The Bright Knight and The Green Hornet!

Other team-ups soon followed: Batman '66 Meets The Man From UNCLE; Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel; Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77; Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes.

And now, Archie Meets Batman '66!

Jeff Parker has shown he knows Gotham City! He wrote the majority of the stories for the Batman '66 series, Batman '66 Meets The Man From UNCLE and Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77. 

And now, Archie Meets Batman '66, with Michael Moreci. 

Y'know what I would LOVE to see? Batman '66 on Gilligan's Island.

The first thing is, Batman and Robin can not actually be on the island. They would rescue The Castaways - game over.

I would start an imaginary Season Four of Batman with The Penguin operating The Iceberg Lounge.

Yes, it is a retcon. A modern contrivance. The Penguin would become the underworld information hub. The Iceberg Lounge would also open up a ton of story possibility and cameo opportunities.

Secondly, like Parker, I would introduce a few more modern characters. Legend has it that Madge Blake was going to be let go from the series. Mr. West went to Bat for her, and stood up for keeping her on as Aunt Harriet. He found a homemade cake from her in his dressing room after. No disrespect to Mr. West, but I would eliminate or reduce her role as Aunt Harriet, and introduce Julie Madison as Bruce Wayne's fiance - lifted straight from the Classic, Golden Age Comics. I would keep the character on for half a season or maybe a whole season. The end of the arc would be just like the comics: she would move on to a career defining role and leave Bruce. This would open up introducing Kathy Kane; and, later, Silver St. Cloud. I could also see expanding and fleshing out Catwoman's role by introducing her as the first character with a dual identity - Selina Kyle. Selina and Bruce could start seeing one another; and then, "Biff", "Bam" -

He would learn her true identity!

I would also introduce Lucius Fox as Vice-Chairman of Wayne Foundation, and Dr. Leslie Thompson.

Getting back to Madge Blake's Aunt Harriet. I would send her off in style and class. I would have her head off on Bruce Wayne's yacht on a cruise around the world. Her first stop would be on Gilligan's Island.

I would have The Penguin team-up with Dr. Boris Balinkoff to marry Aunt Harriet to have access to the Wayne Fortune and the class of High Society. Yes, this would be the THIRD time Penguin's tried the marriage scheme. Third time's the charm right? He would use Balinkoff's ring as a wedding band to mind-control Harriet for his scheme. Since she's on a cruise near Hawaii, why not a private island wedding? 

Of course, Mrs. Howell can't stand that "dreadful" woman Harriet Cooper. Thurston Howell and Thomas Wayne were business rivals. A corporate takeover of Wayne Enterprises is on his bucket list.

There's got to be a way to get the Castaways back to Balinkoff's castle where Gilligan and The Skipper mind-swap with Batman and Robin. There's also gotta be a cool deathtrap for both The Dynamic Duo and Gilligan and The Skipper.

But, at no time can Batman and Robin be on the island. Rescue = game over.

The way the Castaways do NOT get rescued is that Howell let's slip that he plans to take over Wayne Enterprises and Foundation first thing he gets back, and - 

Aunt Harriet puts the "ki-bosh" on any rescue. She "forgets". And she sails off into the sunset, continuing her cruise.

I have no idea what plans DC has for Batman '66 after the Archie crossover. The DC series ended in July 2017 with the Legion of Super-Heroes one-shot by the Allreds.

I'm probably the only one that thinks it would be cool to see Batman '66 on Gilligan's Island.

But it would be cool to see.

A Sign of Weakness?

I've been reading Archie Meets Batman '66. It's billed as "two iconic comic book characters meet up for the first time in this historic crossover!"

Last year, on my birthday, August 17 (my birthday, in case you were wondering) Senior VP/Executive Editor and DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio was quoted on ScreenRant.com as to why there won't be (m)any intercompany crossovers between DC Comics and Marvel.

He said, "It's not that we're mortal enemies - it is competition, if you want the truth. It has to be. As we say, 'the more we compete, the better off you are.' It means that we're trying harder to make our books better so you come to our books rather than Marvel books. That's what the competition is all about. Between the two companies, we still are the industry leaders."

Last March 18th, lrmonline picked up the thread, with a quote from Joe Quesada.

I get it. I can down a whole Roma pizza in one sitting. Those things aren't that big. They're like eight slices. So, what he's saying, I think, unless I have my analogies wrong, is an intercompany crossover is like slicing a Roma pizza and sharing it with my three kids. Rather than having the whole pie myself.

I'm a Bronze Age comic book fan. The Bronze Age started in April 1970, when Dennis O'Neal and Neil Adams brought together Green Lantern and Green Arrow in Green Lantern 85.

Didio's comments, and Quesada's response were in response to the much-hyped DC Versus Marvel series from April and May of 1996. The four-issue series match characters like Aquaman and Namor; The Flash and Quicksilver; Batman and Captain America - characters that seemed similar, with similar powers. The match-up were decided by fan votes. The outcome was that Quesada's Marvel beat Didio's DC. Out of eleven match-ups, Marvel won six:  Elektra over Catwoman, Silver Surfer beat Green Lantern Kyle Raynor, Thor outmatched Captain Marvel, Spider-Man defeated Superboy, Wolverine amazingly beat Lobo and Storm overpowered Wonder Woman. By fan votes.

Nobody wants to come out a loser. Especially when the fans voted Marvel over DC. That's not just a loss, that's the sound of one hand clapping.        

The Marvel Versus DC/DC Versus Marvel Amalgam Comics came at a time when both companies needed one another and needed an intercompany crossover. It wasn't like bringing Superman and Spider-Man together; or, Batman and The Incredible Hulk; or, The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans. Amalgam wasn't for story, or characters or fans. It was about revenue, and monetizing. The industry was down, and the whole Amalgam thing was a gimmick, like variant covers or foil covers to bolster lagging sales and revenue.

I think this is where my pizza analogy comes in.

I'm enjoying Archie Meets Batman '66. I've read a few other crossovers that were pretty good, too. I'm sure you have, too.

Growing up in the Bronze Age, I enjoyed comic book titles like The Brave and the Bold; DC Comics Presents and Marvel Team-Up. I never read Marvel Two-In-One with The Thing, but I've heard it was a pretty cool title. That book came back this year to lead into the return of the Fantastic Four.

The idea of those team-up books was to take strong characters, like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and The Thing, and use them to lend a little spotlight to lesser known characters. Characters that fans liked but didn't get to see much of. They weren't strong enough to carry their own comic book title.

Right now, outside of team books - which are basically the same concept, just with a larger number of characters - the only thing resembling a team-up is DC's Super Sons. The offspring of Superman and Batman.

 It's kind of a bummer that a crossover can't be seen as bringing strengths together to make an even bigger strength.

I guess when you see a crossover as a need or a weakness, that's how you're going to see them.

Which is a shame.

This is what I like to see.

CBS And Super-Heroes

Variety us reporting that CBS is developing DC Comics' The Secret Six for live action. (You can click Secret Six to learn more about the origin and history of the team.)

That's awesome!

The first thing that popped up into mind was, Remember that one time CBS aired Supergirl before it went over to the CW? Ha!

There's two things I like about this story. First is that it's a DC Comics property. Let's set aside as painfully obvious that Warner Bros./DC Comics have absolutely no blueprint, map or plan in bringing their characters to live action. Their stated plan is to do the exact opposite of whatever Marvel is doing. This goes back to 2008, when Marvel rolled out the first Iron Man film; and, as time went on, released information that everything was connecting and connected in a larger Cinematic Universe. Your mileage may vary; but, it has been brilliant, and enjoyable. Each film over the last ten years has built to the next to where we are now on the precipice of Captain Marvel and Avengers 4! DC, doing the exact opposite could work. Unfortunately, DC has seperated most of their properties into television and film universes. Now there's possibly an even bigger splinter between the CW's Arrowverse, the streaming Titans, and now CBS' Secret Six. Grant Gustin should have been The Flash in the Justice League film. #CyborgIsATitan. Instead of the Justice League film we got, we should have gotten Starro as a villain or an adaptation of JLA: Liberty and Justice.

But, like I said, let's set that aside. We could argue all day. Let's just agree to disagree.

The second thing I find interesting is that CBS is developing a DC Comics live action super-hero series.

Being a geezer, I remember when The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Nicholas Hammond from The Sound of Music was on CBS. There were only three major networks at the time. The series looked nothing like the late '60's cartoon or the comic book. It lasted thirteen episodes over two seasons. Take as long as you need with that. Most series have a season of twenty-two episodes. CBS aired thirteen episodes from '77 to '79. CBS aired two Captain America television films and a Dr. Strange television film. The network picked up Wonder Woman for two seasons after ABC cancelled the series. To be fair, Wonder Woman, a DC character, was set during World War II; and, like most of the super-hero shows on at the time not named Batman, looked nothing like the comic book inspiration. Even contemporized on CBS, it still looked nothing like the comic book. And it was still a DC Comics character (rimshot! "Hiyo!")

The most successful super-hero series on CBS was The Incredible Hulk, starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Like The Amazing Spider-Man, The Hulk looked nothing like the comic book or cartoon series before it. Kenneth Johnson said on The Incredible Hulk Season One box set that he had just finished reading Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, and based the series on the chase between Javert and Veljean. It looked more like an updating of David Janssen's The Fugitive, with Gerard chasing Dr. Richard Kimble. The Hulk lasted eighty-two episodes across five seasons. NBC aired the three reunion television films in the early '90's.

So, it will be interesting to see what becomes of Secret Six. Will it look like the comic book? Which iteration will it be?

The ultimate question is this: How long will it last on CBS before it A) Goes to the DC streaming service; or, 2) merges with the CW Arrowverse.

Honestly, since Supergirl started on CBS and then moved to the CW, I am surprised that CBS is developing another comic book series.

Making 2016 Super!

First, there was Christopher Reeve.

From 1966 to 1978, Adam West defined the super-hero genre. Three seasons in Prime Time on ABC, and as here and there on Saturday morning cartoons, his version of Batman was how super-heroes were seen. Then Christopher Reeve came along as a then modern day Man of Steel and there was a burst of super-hero activity. Wonder Woman had been tried. Spider-Man mad an attempt. So did Captain America and Dr. Strange. Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno came along with The Incredible Hulk. That did pretty well for awhile.

Christopher Reeve's Superman redefined the super-hero genre.

After the failure of Superman III and Superman IV, the franchise went in another direction. Bringing Superboy to the small screen. This wasn't easy. Following the 1985 DC Comics line-wide event Crisis on Infinite Earths, The Man of Steel returned to his roots as The Last Son of Krypton. He didn't have adventures as a Boy of Steel. There was no Superboy, Krypto or Supergirl. There was no Bottle City of Kandor, either. The world of Krypton was left behind, and Kal-El was the lone survivor of a dead and forgotten world. His tie to the Legion of Super-Heroes was severed.

This is where Superboy came in. The television series was the first weekly series produced outside of Hollywood, at Disney/MGM Studios, and later Universal Studios, in Florida. It was also a comic book television series written by comic book writers, which was pretty unique.

Most television series tie-in comic books had a certain style about them. Alex Toth, Ric Estrada and Ramona Fradon kept the look of the Super Friends cartoon in the tie-in comic book. That wasn't the case with the first issue of Superboy: The Comic Book. Clark Kent didn't look like either John Haymes Newton, who played him in the First Season, or Gerard Christopher, who played him from Season Two on. Lana resembled Stacy Haiduk... a little. The characters didn't look like the Superboy comics that had come before, either. 

The story is interesting.

The night before leaving for Florida and Shuster University - named for co-creator Joe Shuster - Clark and Lana are at a going away bonfire where Pete Ross and a girl named Becky argue over who's the better driver. They agree to a drag race on the dangerous Lakeshore Road. Pete loses control of his car and Clark rescues him. Lana points out that almost everyone has had a mysterious Guardian Angel save them. Huh, imagine that! Next she's creeped out by the motor oil on Clark's hand.

Heading back home, Clark finds Pa waiting up for him. Jonathan gives Clark a rousing "with great power comes great responsibility" talk. It's pretty similar to the "destined for great things" talk Glenn Ford's Jonathan gave a Young Clark in Superman: The Movie.

The next morning Ma and Pa Kent see Clark and Lana off at the bus station.

Shuster becomes the Great Wide Open World for Clark and Lana. To mark the occasion, she lets down her hair. They have an unfortunate first meeting with TJ White. He's the son of Daily Planet editor Perry White. His father wants him to become a photo-journalist, but his heart, Rock music and stand-up comedy. In case you were wondering, TJ White is the series' comic relief. Ironically, he's Clark roommate.

On their way to the bonfire at the start of the issue, Clark and Lana saw a meteor shower. One of the meteors is now being tested at Shuster University. The tests go awry and there's a blackout, spreading from the university into town. Clark races to help over at the local hospital. When things get serious at the University Research building, he soars into action as Superboy.

What is interesting about this meteor is it's just a meteor. It's not Kryptonite. An alien life form has attached itself to the meteor. The alien recognizes Clark as a fellow alien, too. Maybe that's the whole point. A way to establish Superboy as otherworldly. But wouldn't he already know if Pa kept the remains of the rocket? Unless that little detail is not part Superboy's background. Superboy promotes that instead of Pa Kent dying from a heart attack, and Clark heading to the North Pole to build the Fortress of Solitude and getting his education there, Kal-El became the Boy of Steel and had college adventures. Oh, and Pa's still alive.

It's an interesting direction to go in pre-Smallville. It's a pretty solid comic book story by writer John Moore, pencilled by Jim Mooney, inked by Ty Templeton - who would go on to make a huge name for himself - edited by Jonathan Peterson and Mike Carlin. Carlin, incidentally, would later be immortalized as the villain Mastermind in The Batman Adventures.

It's an interesting direction to go in for "Superman's adventures when he was a boy". Superboy filled a lot of comic book pages in Smallville; maybe they were thinking to go where no one had gone before. There's an Afterward that explains the premise of the companion comic as continuing the adventures from the syndicated television series. Filling in the blanks and missing pieces that are not shown in live action. It should be interesting to see where this series goes.