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BATMAN ’66

Given the brooding Dark Knight Batman whom comic readers have come to know so well in so many forms during the past 30-some years, “Batman ’66” may be the most shocking version of the character in ages. Why? Because the ’66 refers to 1966 as in the same timeframe when the popular “Batman” TV show aired. In the published comic and digital format editions, “Batman ’66” creates new stories based on the Adam West and Burt Ward Batman and Robin from the television series. Artists create illustrations that resemble the actors behind cowl and mask, but the villain illustrations bear an even closer resemblance to the actors who played them: Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Burgess Meredith’s Penguin, Julie Newmar’s Catwoman, and Cesar Romero’s Joker right down to the mustache drawn under the Joker makeup the same as the actor’s refusal to shave his trademark mustache to play the Clown Prince of Crime. This collection of stories takes other angles from the ’60s TV show for the 21st century comics adaption, such as Batman and Robin traveling to England in costume on a transcontinental plane. “Batman ’66” is a nostalgic joy for those who recall the TV show.