Holy Tangled Web!
##In Batman '66 15, Jeff Parker brings together a most unusual partnership; The Black Widow and The Penguin! If you too are a fan of the 1966 live action Batman television series, you will, no doubt, remember that The Penguin has infamously worked with The Joker; and, as part of the "World Crime League" with the clown prince of crime as well as The Riddler and Catwoman.
Parker's story, with art by Wilfredo Torres, colors by Tony Aviña, and letters by Wes Abbott, opens with scientist and his benefactor toasting their accomplishment. Dr. Hollis has developed a new super fuel. The Black Widow and The Penguin arrive and the formula gets tossed into the lit fireplace of Hollis' benefactor, Mr. Brockman. The Widow turns her attention to Dr. Hollis; and soon, at stately Wayne Manor, the Bat-phone beeps.
The game is afoot and The Dynamic Duo are off, first discovering that Hollis has been permanently handicapped. Next, Chief O'Hara alerts them to a bank robbery. A clue from the bank heist sends them to investigate the old armory outside of town, where The Black Widow and The Penguin have made their hideout.
The live-action Batman '66 television series was a pop-culture phenomenon. It was a who's who of celebrity guest-villains. The conceit was that the guest-stars playing the rogues were more famous than the stars playing the heroes. Cesar Romero was well known from films in the '40's and '50's. Burgess Meredith, Vincent Price, Art Carney, Van Johnson and Milton Berle were all big names and well known celebrities of the time. Tallulah Bankhead was another famous celebrity, with a long and successful career, even considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara for Gone With The Wind. One of her final performances before her death in 1968, was as The Black Widow, opposite Adam West and Burt Ward.
It's a bit vague from Parker's script, but it appears that The Black Widow has some sort of hold over The Penguin. Torres, part of a rotating art ensemble for the book manages to capture the look of the '60's series with broader strokes, combining the look of the '60's series with the later '70's Super Friends look of The Dynamic Duo. The Black Widow seems a little like Poison Ivy, who made her first appearance in '66; and is one of the few Batman villains that didn't make it to the small screen.
Batman '66 is more about the television villains, especially the one-episode wonders like False-Face, Zelda The Great, The Bookworm, The Minstrel, The Archer and The Black Widow.
As always, Batman '66 is a fun romp, an enjoyable escape from more serious and complicated matters. The continuity is simple. The stories are fun. There's no explanation given as to why The Black Widow and The Penguin want to stop a new super fuel. There's also no explanation given as to why the pair go and rob a bank next. The story seems to move directly toward bringing Batman and Robin to a death-trap; where they rescue The Penguin from The Black Widow's control and they work together to capture her. The Black Widow seems mysterious and enigmatic; but, she comes off as more of a cipher. There's no motivation given for any of her actions. What's the point of her partnership with The Penguin? What does she stand to make from stopping the super fuel? As a fun, action-packed romp, the important questions never matter. They never really mattered watching the live-action television series. In that, Parker has managed to capture the essence and spirit of the series.
Batman '66 15 earns four stars out of five for a good, fun story that could have only been made better with a couple of key details. Hopefully, when next she has Gotham City and The Caped Crusaders in her thrall, a larger plot will be revealed!