Exactly 57 years ago the world of comic books experienced its most Earth-Shattering and long lasting shot in the arm!
On January 12th, 1966 the BATMAN television program debuted on ABC-TV. It’s twice weekly formulaic episodes began with the greatest, most iconic comic book related tv-theme. Visually moving comic pages with a super-catchy theme song! Based on the DC Comics cartoonist Bob Kane’s BATMAN, the television episodes commonly started with a call from Commissioner Gordon and Chief O’Hara to stately Wayne Manor and a trip down the bat-poles to the bat-cave. The show changed the way the world saw comic books. A ride in the Batmobile to the hide-out of that week’s villain always lead to fistfights and a creative deadly cliffhanger for our heroes. Adam West’s deadpan style started a movement called BATMANIA. Hollywood’s stars made it big by guest starring on the shows. Batman’s impressive rogue’s gallery of villainy included big names like Frank Gorshin/Riddler, Burgess Meredith/Penguin, Cesar Romero/Joker and Julie Newmar/Catwoman.
The show’s ‘comic book’ stylings were portrayed with tilted camera angles and giant full-screen action packed word balloons. DC Comics Batman comic books sales skyrocketed and never looked back. With a dawn of the Adam West/Burt Ward BATMAN television show- -Batman’s costume in the Batman and Detective Comics added a yellow circle. It was not the only book that showed change. That new look Batman styling was incorporated within the pages of the silver age JLA, WORLDS FINEST, BRAVE AND THE BOLD and many other DC Comics comic books.
Still today change occurs weekly. We have a revamped Batman monthly comic book, a fantastic new World’s Finest comic book . . . and very soon a new Superman comic and if we are lucky, even more fun comic books to look forward to.
Reader of those 1960’s comic books could hardly envision today’s worlds of comic book influenced television and feature films. DC Comics today is seen in such diverse television programming from the long running worlds of Arrowverse/Flash and Superman-family shows to the wonderfully produced worlds of Sweet Tooth and Peacemaker.
And when you turn around. Change is back again. . .
New worlds of the James Gunn produced DC Comics television and feature films are about to start landing.
Stay tuned.
Same Bat time- –
Same Bat channel
