Batman '66 Meets the Man from U.N.C.L.E.

[Benzadmiral]

I'd heard about this new DC Comic series, in which they take Batman back to his somewhat more campy days as a crimefighter a la the 1966 ABC TV series. A welcome contrast to the DARK KNIGHT grittiness, even if you're not a fan of Adam West's Batman. Anyway, coming out today is the first in a 6-issue series in which Batman and Robin team with Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin (apparently the originals, not the characters from the new movie): http://batman-news.com/2015/12/23/batman-66-meets-the-man-from-u-n-c-l-e-1-review/

Kind of an in-between mix of camp and high adventure, I guess. Interesting artwork, especially for issue no. 2: http://westfieldcomics.com/comic-books/Batman-66-Meets-the-Man-from-UNCLE/15110399

The last comic I bought was the Phoenix Saga from the X-Men. This is very different -- but it looks like it could be fun.

 

[SeaJay]

Interesting, those two series were hot stuff when they came out in the 1960s.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: SeaJay
Interesting, those two series were hot stuff when they came out in the 1960s.


Unfortunately, the success of Batman prompted the makers of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to make the series campy and ridiculous in an attempt to grab a share of the Caped Crusader's success.

 

[Benzadmiral]

MCompact is quite right. The campy approach of the third year of U.N.C.L.E. drove a lot of fans away. Not me, not completely -- though even at age 13-14, I knew the approach was wrong -- but if it hadn't been for the more exciting and imaginative tie-in novels, I might have drifted away.

AS for Batman the TV series, it had a lot to recommend it: the puzzles that the Riddler would set for Batman echoed the "detective" aspect of Batman from the comics, and the casting of the villains was spot on (nobody can beat Frank Gorshin's Riddler or Burgess Meredith's Penguin). But the cartoonishness turned me off even at age 12. While the "dark avenger" theme of the recent films is better, there's still something missing from the recent Batman -- that "Sherlock Holmes in a cape and mask" I enjoyed.

 

[Shannow]

Dang, now I need to go find me a box set of the Invisible Man...