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joshvox
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Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
Even the biggest fans of the '66 series (I'm one of them) know it was just plain silly. It was the definition of campy and portrayed Batman and Robin (along with all the villains) as such. It was by no means the "dark knight" that we all know and love, and that is the character that I feel defines Batman. Of course, die hard Batman fans are able to tell the difference. But a lot of those who are not still feel that this is what Batman is as a character. To them, Adam West and his portrayal IS Batman, and there is no room for any other (more consistent with the original) interpretation of the character. But there is no doubt that this show is a cultural icon, and maybe Batman wouldn't even be around today in the scope that he is without it. So what do you think? Did this series do more harm than good or the other way around?
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2/1/2007, 7:49 pm
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Moddy Mart
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
The 1966 TV show helped. No question. He made the character of Batman, and costumed heroes in general, important and vital to members of the general public who previously may have either ignored them or forgotten them from their childhood. Comic book sales went through the roof. In the same way as hardcore comic fans have issues with the recent Keaton/Kilmer/Clooney even Bale movies they did great things keeping the character and concept in the mind of the public as a whole. They turned 'normal' people into those who may drop into the local comic book store when previously they may not have. You only need to look at the amount of Batman titles which sprang up in 1989/90 to see the impact and importance of the movies. Same as 1966. It is like asking if Roger Moore did more to help or harm the 007 franchise. Sure his take on the character, and the producers at the time, was lighter and kookier than the early and later versions but to many he 'IS' James Bond and he kept interest going when previously it was looking to be on the slide. For good or bad he reinforced the character on the public and created interest which remains to this day. Same goes for the Adam West TV show. Being on TV it was the one thing that really could be enjoyed without any effort on the part of the viewer hence the largest cross section of people have an awareness of it. I agree that the public's perception of Batman fifteen to twenty years back was based largely on the TV show but now I think maybe a black rubber clad dark figure is more prominent in minds of people below the age of 30. The old thing about Batman being this dark figure of the night was, prior to the Neal Adams era, a very short period. Almost from the moment Robin appeared in 1940 Batman ceased to be a 'vampiric' brooding figure and became a kindly father figure with a strong sense of right and wrong for maybe the next 25 years. His adventures were not too far off the stuff we saw in the TV show. I doubt there were many people reading the comics or watching the TV show in 1966 who were thinking 'I wish he was a lone figure of vengeance like he used to be' because the period of time when he was portrayed like that was maybe a year or so at the start of his career almost thirty years earlier. I think the appeal of Batman is that he can appreciated in many guises. Comic books or TV shows, cartoons or movies, toys or graohic novels. He can be alone or part of a 'family, a dark scary ass 'monster or a smiling barrel chested deputy policeman. I think that is why he has survived this long. Good topic!
Last edited by Moddy Mart, 2/2/2007, 8:45 am
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2/2/2007, 2:31 am
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jokerscrowbar
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
Without the popularity of the series I think they would have pulled the comic or at least put it in mothballs.
As a kid watching them for the first time it was fantastic and colourful. I am a big Joker fan because of Romero,I love the Batmobile and in those days I didnt know what camp meant so Adam West's Batman was still a hero.
The series then was the equivalent of Austin Powers and BTAS now.Highly popular and often quoted.As old TV shows go it's a classic and is still watchable.
Which is more than can be said of some of the junk I used to think was brilliant when I was 5.
I never did like Robin though .
--- TJ
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2/2/2007, 10:55 am
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joshvox
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
quote:
jokerscrowbar wrote:
I didnt know what camp meant so Adam West's Batman was still a hero.
That's actually an excellent point. I never thought of it from the perspective of how many kids that the show probably turned into hardcore batman fans.
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2/2/2007, 9:25 pm
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batblog
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
I know it helped the Batman Myth in a very positive way. I mean, I always think of the campy TV Show as a totally separate thing, I think alot of other people do too, & it's what made me a BIG Batman Fan when I was a little kid. Plus, there's rumors DC was gonna cancel the comic book until the popularity of the TV Series became so HUGE. I also LOVE the vintage toys from that era, they made a ton of them, & they're all the greatest stuff out there!
1966 TV Series Batman Rules!!
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2/5/2007, 1:28 pm
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LittleLouieGroovy
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
It saved the character from extinction...period. Be thankful, be VERY thankful
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2/5/2007, 10:27 pm
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BigBatDude
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
The Batman TV series was my springboard into the whole comic book & Batman universe. It is still my primary love as a Batfan! Always will be. To me it wasn't "camp", it was MAGIC!
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2/10/2007, 2:33 pm
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Catfan
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
The 1966 series helped Batman to survive as a comic, because the show broadened the appeal of the character. Had the series retained the serious nature of the first season, it would not have damaged things for future shows on super heroes. Unfortunately, the second and—especially—the third seasons were not so kind. I was so turned off by the camp and by the low budget of the third season that I stopped watching the series by the end of 1967.
However, this was as much due to the state of American TV as much as anything. Had there been more of a focus on quality, I think the show would have fared better, and it would have enhanced the comic more.
That said, the final tribute to Batman is that, when it aired on TV Land again in 2002, it finally prompted me to look at the comic books, and I was hooked as a result.
Last edited by Catfan, 2/15/2007, 6:26 am
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2/15/2007, 6:25 am
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SprangBatman
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
Gotta echo the consensus here and say the show helped Batman, no question. The boost in comics sales saved the character from extinction at DC and the popularity of the show put Batman on the cultural radar for a lot of people who I dare say had never heard of him, even though by 1966 he'd already been on the stands for nearly 30 years.
The impact of TV and film projects in general on comic characters cannot be overestimated; the plain fact is that more people watch TV and go to movies than purchase comic books (now more than ever!).
It's easy to look back now and say the show was too silly or untrue to the character's roots or whatever, but all that Monday-morning quarterbacking would be impossible if the character no longer existed. As ModdyMart (hi, Martin!) said, it's analagous to Roger Moore as Bond; sure we can look back now and roll our eyes, but he sure filled the seats for 12 years, didn't he? (And for the record, "Batman," at least in the first season, was very faithful to the spirit of the comics...that's what made it funny!)
If I have any regrets about the show, it's that so many people took it as the ONLY way to do comics-to-film projects. Lame attempts at "camp" ruined the Doc Savage film, tainted the Superman movies and skewed the first season of Wonder Woman, as well. What "Batman" did in 1966 was innovative and fun; what it spawned was years and years of unimaginative, shoddy imitations and a ****-eyed view of superheroes in general.
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2/16/2007, 11:46 am
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batblog
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Re: Did the '66 Batman series help or hurt the character more?
Hey SprangBatman,
Welcome to the BAT-BLOG Message Board & thanx for joining up! By the way, I really like your avatar graphic....cool artwork.
Did you name yourself after the Golden Age 1940's Batman artist Di ck Sprang? He's one of my all-time favorites!! His work is classic stuff. Anyway, hope we see more of you here, have fun & try to stay outta trouble.
Thanx, Tommy ( Bat-Blog )
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2/16/2007, 12:56 pm
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