Friday 8 January 2016

Batman '66 comes to an EGG-citing conclusion

Being a huge fan of the original TV series, DC's Batman '66 has been a nostalgic treat and I'm a bit sad to see it come to an end after 30 issues.

The excellent covers, drawings and stories have been a fitting tribute to the show's retro look and tongue-in-cheek tone, and what's more, they also brought back to life some key villains who were created especially for the 1960s show – none more so than the world's greatest criminal brain, Egghead (played, of course, by Vincent Price), who got his own stand-alone story in Issue 16.

The final case for the Dynamic Duo (again featuring superb likenesses of both Adam West and Burt Ward) sees them facing a sinister plot being hatched in an empty film studio and ending up battling nearly every villain in Gotham, expect the Riddler. Amongst them is Egghead, who gets in a couple of EGG-cellent lines, while keen eyed readers will spot the brain-drain machine from the second season TV episode, An Egg Grows in Gotham.



When I watched the show as an eight year old, I always imagined that it was Egghead who appeared in the opening credits (it wasn't). But thanks to this final Batman '66 caper, its been made a reality as the artists have managed to paint Eggy into an homage of that iconic sequence. Thanks guys!


Issue 30 might be the end of the regular series, but all is not lost, Batfans! A series of specials are already in the pipeline, with the first being a crossover with The Man from U.N.C.L.E. that's already hit the shelves. And speaking of crossovers, I do so wish they do Get Smart next - with Price's pill-popping Jarvis Pym making a cameo, or even Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, with Price's deadly dolls going on the rampage. Oh the joy of feeling like an eight-year-old again….





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