And Now For Something Entirely Different
Another glorious day in Gotham City...
But wait! What's this?! The Penguin smuggling mums out of Gotham Airport? And using a trick umbrella to vex The Dynamic Duo with vertigo? Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara positioned nearby as..."back up"?
The Caped Crusader manages to foil the cagey bird with a well-placed Batarang; however, The Boy Wonder lands really hard. Even in a comic book it looks painful. Back in the Batcave, they try to deduce The Penguin's plan and it leads Batman to Japan! But not with Robin, who is still suffering from acute vertigo.
Right there, Jeff Parker shows a brilliance with this story. The formula of the Batman live action television series often played with Adam West and Burt Ward in their dual identities with one another; Bruce Wayne with Robin negotiating Aunt Harriet's release from kidnappers; Batman at Dick Grayson's high school touting the importance of a good education. Neither one was ever sidelined from the action for long by an injury. In the comics, Dick Grayson sometimes had homework or a cold.
The Bright Knight summons Batgirl with a color-coded Bat-signal, and the two are off to Japan. It is interesting that Batman '66 shows off an innocence and simplicity. These are the days before Batplanes, jets or Justice League teleporters. You would think Bruce Wayne would spring for First Class...
Batman '66 21 is unique for a number of reasons. Another reason is the villain. Lord Death Man. The rogues featured on the live action series were grand and cartoonish. There was no Harvey Dent or Two-Face; no Scarecrow, no Poison Ivy, or Hugo Strange. The more gothic elements that are familiar to The Dark Knight were muted for mass appeal audiences. This is a truly suspenseful, almost scary story.
And yet, Parker manages to fit Lord Death Man into the Batman '66 Universe. It feels very Lost In Space, but it still fits the '60's genre. This could have been an episode right along with Get Smart, My Favorite Martian and Star Trek. What's unusual is that Lord Death Man has but one purpose for luring The Bright Knight to Japan...
The Good
This is another brilliant, witty script from Parker with art by Sandy Jarrell "The Garden of Death" features great colors by Jordie Bellaire, especially in the Batcave. The humor of Gordon and O'Hara at the airport, Robin bumping into everything because of vertigo, and the introduction of a "toyetic" Batmobile-J are fantastic.
The Bad
Lord Death Man. Not that he is a bad character, per se, but he's just bad to the bone. Most of the villains and plots of the series revolve around robbery. The Joker never really tries to murder anyone like in the comics, except for a death-trap or two for Batman and Robin. Lord Death Man is his name. There's only one point to a story like this. This is Batman's Reichenbach Falls. It has an eerie, unsettling quality to it. It is supposed to be jarring and unnerving.
That is not an insult. Hopefully Lord Death Man will return with another carefully crafted, devious, Twilight Zone-esque plot.
The Skinny
Batman '66 is growing. It is clearly moving beyond the series formula and premise to tell Batman stories of the 1960's. Really great stories. There's hope for new life and new villains for The Bright Knight to face. Batman '66 21 is a great jumping on point for what is certainly destined to come!
Batman '66 21 earns four full stars for story and art.