"Party Man"
Another glorious day in Gotham City. But wait, what's this? Egghead stealing eggsquisite antiquities? And foiled by a new hero in Gotham? The Jokerman? The Joker in his George Barris-style Jokermobile manages to arrive on the scene well before The Dynamic Duo! It's almost as if... The Caped Crusader and The Boy Wonder were slowing down! What other explanation can there be?
Rob Williams provides Ruben Procopio, Jordie Bellaire and Wes Abbott with a fantastic script for Batman '66 20! Previously we've seen The Penguin as a hero; as a candidate for mayor; and as a criminal mastermind, manipulating Batman into planning his crimes for him. Catwoman has gone back to school as part of her capers. So has The Joker, sort of. The Joker's crimes were in Dick Grayson's high school. However, The Clown Prince of Crime has never tried going straight. Until now.
He adopts all the tropes of The Bright Knight, down to a legion of sidekicks, a Joker-signal and a green Joker-hotline in Commissioner Gordon's office! He seemingly has a better jump on crime than Batman. Leading one to wonder if it really isn't better to have crooks foil crime! Jokermania grips Gotham, pushing Batman and Robin out of the limelight and into the dark shadows of obsolescence. Until a third sharp point in this vexing crime axis presents itself!
Batman '66 just keeps getting better and better with each issue. It is a delight to see The Joker turn the tables on The Dynamic Duo; and then see the tables spun back around again! The '66 Joker is very much a product of the mainstream Batman and Detective Comics of the late '40's and '50's. Batman's rogues gallery had been softened. The Joker was less the dark, psychotic madman he became once again in the Bronze Age, from '69 on. Or, from Detective Comics #475 - The Laughing Fish! on. For a good long while, The Clown Price of Crime was a wacky prankster. A self-parody. To the point where he had his own comic book title; and, to teaming up with both The Dark Knight in The Brave and the Bold and The Man of Steel in DC Comics Presents!
The Good
Rob Williams' script and Ruben Procopio's art is fantastic. The use of the Jokermobile, Joker signal and Joker hotline is awesome.
The Bad
I don't think it needs to be a statement of anything, but what the Batman '66 series needs is characters like Leslie Thompkins, Julie Madison, Kathy Kane, Lucius Fox, Rene Montoya and Harvey Bullock. It's obvious why these characters were created since the '66 series. As a classic Golden Age character, Julie Madison should have made an appearance on the series. Her place was taken by the comic relief of Madge Blake's Aunt Harriet. Aunt Harriet is making fewer and fewer appearances.
Batman '66 has a great cast of characters that could only be improved on by introducing some of the great supporting characters into the '66 universe.
The Skinny
If you are not reading Batman '66 it's not too late. Pick up a copy of the trade paperback collections or catch up digitally. If you are old school, track down the monthly issues. It really is worth the effort.
Batman '66 20 earns a full five stars for a great story featuring great characters and with great art.