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.

Creature Comforts From Home VII: Fantastic Four

After wrapping up Starman, James Robinson moved on to other things. He wrote JSA (Justice Society of America) and Hawkman; he wrote Justice League: Cry For Justice; He wrote Batman and Detective Comics; he wrote the War of the Supermen and New Krypton storylines in Superman. He had a brief run on Justice League before The New 52 reboot relaunch in 2011. His League could be described as Justice Titans; it featured Dick (Robin) Grayson as The Batman, Donna (Wonder Girl) Troy as Wonder Woman, Mon-El as Superman, and Supergirl, just to name a few. I picked up a few issues of that, and I enjoyed it. What I would have enjoyed more, is Robinson's take on the original Magnificent Seven. With The New 52 reboot relaunch in 2011, Robinson re-imagined the Golden Age heroes of the Justice Society of America in Earth-2. You may have seen the news that his new Alan Scott was gay.

Robinson left Earth-2 and DC abruptly. He went across the street to the competition, Marvel, where he is now writing and updated The Invaders and Fantastic Four. I still believe that James Robinson has something in common with Roy Thomas. A Golden Age spirit. The Invaders was a World War II team book that Roy Thomas wrote when he was at Marvel in the mid-1970's. Captain America and Bucky, The Human Torch and Toro with Namor, the Sub-Mariner.

 

I'm sure that it is no co-incidence that Robinson was attracted to The Invaders, having worked on The Golden Age four-issue mini-series for DC; then Starman, which spent a great deal of time in the Golden Age; and finally writing both Justice Society and Earth-2. It is probably no co-incidence either that he is working with two teams that have a Human Torch; Jim Hammond, the original, Golden Age Human Torch, and Johnny Storm, Human Torch with the Fantastic Four.

 

Robinson's The Invaders is a little different from what I might have anticipated. It is hard to see these characters updated and contemporary from their wartime adventures. The same was true with the re-imagined Earth-2 heroes. The first story-arc puts these veteran heroes in a cosmic setting; which I would see as more suitable to the Fantastic Four. The Fantastic Four is a more cosmic team. They got their powers from a cosmic event. Reed Richards, Mister Fantastic is a cosmic scientist. He discovered the Negative Zone, which is cosmic. I see The Invaders as more of a Batman and The Outsiders team. Somewhat more political in nature. That might not work these days, it being such a small world. I see The Invaders as the original The A-Team. Only super-heroes.

 

 

I'm leaning more toward really enjoying his run on Fantastic Four. His Starman was about relationships; father-and-son, brothers, family. I believe that makes him a perfect fit for Marvel's First Family. I enjoyed Mark Waid and Mark Weringo's run on the book and their approach to the team as "Imaginauts". So far, Robinson is a few issues into his run and is deconstructing the team to define and rebuild them. As always, I'm interested to see where he is going with things.

 

To get ready for his relaunch, I went to the library and I picked up a copy of Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 1. It is a soft cover trade paperback collecting the first twenty issues, plus the first annual. One of the stories is the often reprinted Fantastic Four #5, featuring the first appearance of Doctor Doom.

 

 

This was re-imagined by Marc Sumerak and Dax Gordine in the All-Ages, Marvel Age Fantastic Four #5. Doom traps the Fantastic Four in the Baxter Building and takes them captive. He then enlists them to go back in time through his Time Platform to bring back Blackbeard's Treasure Chest. And, wackiness ensues. He holds Sue hostage while Reed, Johnny and Ben make the journey into the past. It is one of the greatest Fantastic Four stories by the original creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

 

 

In 1996, around the time Doctor Doom and Reed Richards seemingly died like Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty, Marvel launched a ninety-nine cent comic book line. One of the many titles was Fantastic Four Unplugged. It lasted all of six issues before it was cancelled ended. One of the issues featured Johnny Storm on a date. While on this date he encounters a group of Moloids carrying out an operation for The Mole Man. He is the Fantastic Four's first villain. It is very much a companion piece to the main Fantastic Four book; and, it is also interconnected to other Marvel books. You can't just pick up an issue and jump right into the story without knowing what else is going on in the Marvel Universe. Still, it is a pretty fun story. Except for the stuff that might not make sense unless you already know what's going on.

 

 

Marvel and DC have had a long love-hate relationship. Over the years they have produced some great cross-company team-ups; Superman and Spider-Man and Batman and The Incredible Hulk. In 1996, the two companies came up with DC Versus Marvel. It was a contest with fan involvement to see which characters would best each other. During the course of this and future encounters, the DC and Marvel characters were amalgamated, producing new characters from each publisher. Batman and Wolverine became Dark Claw; Iron Man and Green Lantern became Iron Lantern. The Fantastic Four were combined with the Challengers of the Unknown to become the Challengers of the Fantastic. Doctor Doom was combined with the Superman villain Doomsday to become Doctor Doomsday. The Watcher was melded with the Guardians of the Universe to become Uatu, the Guardian. Galactus and Brainiac became Galactiac. The Silver Surfer and The Back Racer became - you guessed it - The Silver Racer. It was all very '60's Silver Age and fun, in an Elseworlds/What If? alternate reality sort of way.

 

Robinson's Fantastic Four feels grand, epic and serious. At the end of issue #2, Johnny loses his Human Torch powers. The storyline is called "The Fall of the Fantastic Four". It should be interesting to see where Robinson takes the team. The most interesting development is that they are now wearing red uniforms.

 

Kinda like this...

Since my wife, Cathy, and I are building our family through adoption - we are on our third trip to Kiev, bringing home our daughter, Masha - and Marvel's First Family is the Fantastic Four, I brought along the first two issues of James Robinson's Fantastic Four and a couple of other FF comics as creature comforts from home.

 

I can wait to get back home to my favorite run of FF comics -

 

I have the entire 49 issues of Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four. A number of issues were written by Batman '66 writer Jeff Parker. They are all done-in-one stories. They are a lot of fun to re-read! I hope the same is true of Robinson's FF.  

 

 

   

Creature Comforts From Home V: Batman '66 #6

 

Nostalgia isn't for every one. My wife, Cathy, isn't very nostalgic. She doesn't like to dwell too much on the past. Dwelling and obsessing on the past is not a very healthy thing. But there are some things about the past that were pretty cool, and worth reliving.

 

Like the live action Batman television series that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1968.

 

It is hard to believe that 120 episodes, across three seasons and a feature length film were crammed in between '66 and '68. Even harder to believe that by the third season, the twice weekly cliffhanger concept had pretty much burnt out and Batgirl was introduced to bump up flagging ratings. Even harder to imagine that 48 years later, the live action series starring Adam West and Burt Ward against a Hollywood Who's Who of guest villains would still be popular! Fans are still debating the pros and cons of the series.    

 



 

Last July, DC Comics launched Batman '66 as a webcomic. Stories would appear as a webcomic through DC and Comixology. (It was just announced last week that Amazon would purchase Comixology.) The webcomics would be available for a mere $ .99. The stories would later be collected in print, and each issue would be available for $4.99. Now, the downside to webcomics, is the same downside to iTunes. The buyer doesn't actually own a physical copy of either the song, the album or the comic book. For ninety-nine cents you are actually buying access to either listen to the song or album; or read the comic book. There is currently a debate going on over what happens to a buyer's iTunes playlist when that buyer dies. Now this access may appeal to some people. It appeals to me on a level where my space isn't cluttered with long boxes full of printed comics. But at the same time, I enjoy reading a comic book the same way I enjoy reading a hardback or paperback novel. There is something about the feel of paper and the smell of old comic book newsprint that is enjoyable.

 

The Penguin Burgess Meredith in The Twilight Zone

So, as much as I would love to have a tablet filled with my favorite comic books - as if that were possible! - I have resigned myself that I need a space for my long boxes of comic books.

 

There are a few that are my go-to books to re-read. Starman, by James Robinson, Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger; Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley; and, my Batman collection. Now, you would think that as a Batman fan I would have boxes and boxes of Detective  and Batman Comics. Legends of The Dark Knight. The Shadow of the Bat. The Brave and the Bold. The World's Finest. Whatever "mainstream" title Batman has appeared in. I have a few of those. The collection of Batman comics I enjoy the most is the animated series tie-in. After Batman Returns, Fox Kids launched Batman: The Animated Series, in 1992. DC launched The Batman Adventures not long after. They kept the series going through a number of re-launches. When The WB launched The Batman, DC followed with The Batman Strikes. Then came Batman: The Brave and the Bold, both on Cartoon Network and from DC.

 

Batman '66 #6 featuring The Bookworm!

 

The latest gem in my Batman collection is Batman '66 written by Jeff Parker. There are stories written by Tom Peyer with a rotating art crew that involves Jonathan Case, Mike and Laura Allred, Ty Templeton, Craig Rousseau, Chris Sprouse, Reuben Procopio, Christopher Jones, Colleen Coover, Dave Johnson, Sandy Jarrell and Joe Quinones.

 

It is as if the television series had not been cancelled. Along with appearances by The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, and Catwoman - all staples of the series - there's the unique guest villains designed for the stars that played them. Egghead, King Tut, Zelda The Great and Olga Queen of the Cossacks. What is brilliant is that Batman '66 and Parker are doing some really creative things with the series; like, [spoiler alert] revealing the link between Jervis Tetch's The Mad Hatter and The Clock King. Batman '66 #8 is a unique time travel story involving King Tut, his goons and The Dynamic Duo all heading back to ancient Egypt. One of his goons is Waylon Jones. I'm sure we'll be seeing him again in another form very soon!

 

The issue that I brought along with on my trip to Kiev to bring home my daughter, Masha, is Batman '66 #6 featuring Roddy McDowell's The Bookworm. I like Roddy McDowell. He was awesome in his only appearance on the series in the role, and later in The Planet of the Apes series. He later returned to Batman, reading the novelization of the first Batman film in 1989; and later, on The Animated Series as The Mad Hatter.

 

The Bookworm, as described by Batman on the original series, is a frustrated writer. He is the ultimate fanboy. In the Batman '66 appearance, Bookworm is composing a scrapbook on Batman, in an effort to stay one step ahead of the Caped Crusader. Rather than stealing an over-sized check from the Gotham Chamber of Currency, he steals the over-sized checkbook! He also tries to steal a set of 19th Century matchbooks! He does manage to steal the Gotham City Police department manuals, so they are left unable to operate - (wait for it) by the book!

 

Batman '66 is written as a fun comedy, pretty much how the original series was played. The art is spot on. Although the likenesses are only through the feature film, with only Adam West, Burt Ward, Julie Newmar, Ceasar Romero, Frank Gorshin and Burgess Meredith licensing their likenesses. Yvonne Craig recently licensed her likeness for Batman '66 merchandise.

 

It is an enjoyable, fun read. Like the original series there's a gag on every page. Which makes Batman '66 a definite creature comfort from home.

 

But wait! There's more! This summer Batman meets an old associate. Kevin Smith of Clerks fame will be writing a Batman-Green Hornet crossover! Green Hornet was from the same production company as Batman, but only lasted on television one season.

 

 

 

           



Who's Laughing Now?

In September of 2011, DC Comics relaunched its entire super-hero comic book line with all-new #1 issues.

Including Aquaman #1, by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. Despite criticism, Johns has a pretty good grasp of super-hero comics. He was an assistant to Richard Donner, director of the 1978 Superman film. He first created Stargirl for DC Comics an homage to his late sister. He took over JSA with fellow screenwriter he David Goyer from James Robinson. He wrote Teen Titans and the event comics Infinite Crisis and 52. He rebooted Green Lantern, bringing fan-favorite, Hal Jordan back from the dead. Jordan had gone rogue, becoming the villain Parallax, and sacrificed himself in the Final Night event. On the heels of Green Lantern: Rebirth, Johns brought fan-favorite Barry Allen back from the dead in The Flash: Rebirth. Allen's return came after a quarter century of being "away" from comics, having sacrificed himself to save the universe in the landmark 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths event. Both Jordan and Allen enjoyed a reunion in the spotlight in the Green Lantern comic event Blackest Night. Fellow Justice Leaguer, Aquaman was one of the many "zombie" super-heroes brought back to life as Black Lanterns during Blackest Night; and later given new lease on life in the sequel, Brightest Day. Johns and Reis rebooted sea king Arthur Curry with the September 2011 Aquaman #1.

Aquaman has been a comic book punchline for awhile. He was pretty much defined by his weakness rather than his strengths. For the longest time he was considered a fish out of water. His one main strength was that he could communicate with sea life. Johns made some jokes about him being a cannibal by eating in a seafood restaurant; and poked fun about basic perceptions and misconceptions about Aquaman. Johns even had a hand in poking fun at Aquaman with Seth Green in a DC Comics Robot Chicken Special. After twenty-five issues, plus a zero issue an annual and two Forever Evil event tie-in issues, relaunch mastermind Geoff Johns hands over Aquaman to Jeff Parker. Parker comes to Aquaman from Marvel Adventures The Avengers and Fantastic Four; X-Men: First Class; and is currently writing DC's Batman 66 web-to-print comic.

The question is, Who's laughing now?

Jeff Parker and penciller Paul Pelletier take over from Geoff Johns and artist Ivan Reis with Aquaman #26. Arthur Curry's powers have been amped up. He's not handicapped by dehydration. More than just an ability to communicate with sea life, he is telepathic. Because he's an undersea hero, he's super-strong, durable and nigh-invulnerable.

Here, Parker and Pelletier actually launch Aquaman into action from the start. He and Mera rescue Atlantean engineers at an undersea volcanic eruption. While in the Northern Atlantic, something mysterious is discovered. An alert is sent out, and Mera rockets Aquaman from Atlantis into an encounter with a creature inspired by a either Pacific Rim or Power Rangers. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure arrives in Amnesty Bay, where Aquaman maintains a home, asking about him. What's unusual is not that people are tight lipped or defensive, but that no one seems to be aware of Aquaman there. There's some friction going on among the Atlantis Council over Aquaman's reign. Mera acknowledges that she's "as welcome as an oil slick".

The change from Reis to Pelletier is going to take some getting used to.

Parker has been enjoyable on Marvel Adventures, X-Men: First Class and Batman '66. This first issue feels a bit disjointed. As if there are too many disconnected things going on that won't connect until the next issue or maybe the one after that. Parker's strength seems to be the done-in-one, self-contained stories. Here, he's stretching, reaching out with a sprawling storyline and it may be just a little too thin to start. Johns started out strong and built up to the sprawling Throne of Atlantis storyline that spread out from Aquaman to Justice League.

Aquaman is still a strong character. Parker may just need to get his footing and stride down. This is a less than A+ debut from a solid writer. Disappointing, but by no means a deal-breaker. Right now, Aquaman is uncharted waters. Aquaman is one of the characters that has benefited from The New 52 reset. Johns' - and now Parker's - approach to Aquaman is reminiscent of Alex Ross' and Jim Krueger's Justice Aquaman. That's good company to be in.

   
        

Batman 1966 Casting Call: Judge Madison, Vicki Vale and Jack Ryder

The Batman is a Gothic creature of the night. He is The Dark Knight. He is also the Dark Knight Detective.

After the cruel murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne what every normal, rational individual with tons of money and a lot of free time would do. Become a revenge-seeking costumed vigilante. Dressed like a bat.

For three seasons, two nights a week, on Wednesday and Thursday nights on ABC, Batman was the "Caped Crusader". He fought the good fight in broad daylight. On occasion he went out after dark. He was not scary, and neither were the rogues he fought. As ground-breaking and landmark a series as the 1966 live-action Batman television show was, the producers still played it safe. The show was a half-hour program two nights a week; but really, it was a sixty minute program broken up into two half hour segments that hinged on a cliffhanger. Producers didn't want to scare younger viewers, or alienate adult viewers watching with their children, so Batman became campy, and played for laughs. Gone were the Gothic, scary, thriller elements - and characters. Two-Face, The Scarecrow and Clayface were nowhere to be seen on the series. The Joker, instead of the insane psychotic we all know and love, was more clownish than terrifying like he was in the early comic books. The 1950's had been unkind to comic books. German-American psychiatrist Frederic Wortham had concluded in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent that "comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency". Wortham had become a "Harold Hill", his "pool" were comic books. Twelve years later, in January of 1966, Adam West and Burt ward took the country by storm when Batman debuted. Batman was a show EVERY body wanted to be on.

Instead of characters like Two-Face, The Scarecrow, Clayface, Poison Ivy, viewers were treated to Bookworm, Egghead, King Tut, Lorelei Circe, Louie The Lilac, Marsha Queen of Diamonds and Zelda The Great.

Interestingly enough, immediately after the series had been cancelled, The Batman returned to his Gothic, suspense roots with stories by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, like, The Secret of the Waiting Graves.

Batman was still campy in cartoons, though.

In 1989, The Batman returned to theaters as a dark figure of the night with Michael Keaton as The Batman.

 But, what if? What if YouTube videos were true? What if fan-made videos and films were what the original producers had accomplished with the 1966 series? Over the passed couple of days, I've wondered aloud who I would like to see added to the cast, here and here.

Along with Adam West, Burt Ward, Alan Napier and Neil Hamilton, I would add Lyle Waggoner as Gotham City DA Harvey Dent, Jessica Walter as Dent's fiance Pamela Isley, Raquel Welch as Bruce Wayne's fiance Julie Madison, Meredith MacRae as Kathy Kane and Donna Reed as Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

On top of that I would cast the late Raymond Burr, best known as Perry Mason and Ironside as Julie Madison's father, Judge Madison. Like Chief O'Hara and aunt Harriet Cooper, the judge would be a completely original character created solely for the series. Batman would have access to Commissioner Gordon, DA Harvey Dent, Dr. Leslie Thompkins and Judge Madison. Bruce and The Judge would be social friends, because of his engagement to Julie. Like Harvey, The Judge would be a resource for law. But, The Judge might not be one hundred percent sold on The Batman as a Caped Crusader. More as a Dark Knight. One of the weaknesses of the series was that Jim Gordon and the Gotham City Police were reduced to incompetence around Batman. Instead of trying to arrest and unmask a costumed vigilante, he's been "duly deputized"! Instead of the urban myth that helps promote his war on crime and inspire fear in criminals, Jim Gordon has a hotline under glass in his office to summon the savior of Gotham.

Next, I would add news photographer Vicki Vale, Batman's version of Lois Lane, with fashion model-slash-actress Lauren Hutton. She could be the original Kim Basinger. Vicki would be obsessed with revealing this urban legend and unmasking Batman. Of course, Bruce Wayne would be fascinated by her photos. Nothing like Corto Maltese; more along the lines of portrait, landscape and scenery.

And then there would be Jack Ryder. Much like Vicki Vale, Jack would be obsessed with proving that The Batman is a vigilante and a menace to Gotham City. This would be tricky. Crusading television newsman Jack Ryder is the alter-ego of The Creeper. If The Joker could have a "martian" in an episode, (episode 118, "The Joker's Flying Saucer") then certainly Batman could face Jack Ryder's "Hotseat" program, while teaming up with The Creeper; along with Meredith MacRae's Batwoman, Cyd Charisse's Wonder Woman and Peter Lupus' Superman.

I would invite James Darren, from Gidget, The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker fame to join the Batman cast as Jack Ryder.

This is all fantasy casting. If there were no limits. What if? What if each one of these celebrity actors and actresses were available and agreeable to appearing on the series.

Jeff Parker expressed the desire in a recent interview at Comic Book resources to introduce Killer Croc to the Batman '66 comic book he is currently producing for DC. He expressed the desire to base the character on Ted Cassidy, who played great characters on The Addams Family, Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie. I started wondering - what else could be possible?

What if?