Hello BOF’ers as well as any non-BOF’er who might’ve stumbled upon this article…WELCOME!
I have been a Batman fan for as long as I remember, so I’m talking at least a half century at this point in my life. Needless to say, I’ve witnessed a lot of Batmanning in my day.
I have seen Batman exist solely in comics, TV show reruns, and Saturday morning cartoons, to what the character is today: An American (and worldwide) cultural icon that exists in all sorts of mediums.
So in honor of Batman’s 80th anniversary, I thought it would be fun to write about some of my personal favorite Batman things such as a movie, comic book story, animated series, and more.
Enjoy!
TV SERIES – BATMAN (1966-1968)
Really, could it be anything else? And I STILL get giddy when I see this…
The 1960s BATMAN television series starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin was my introduction to the character and made me the Batman fan that I am today.
I don’t remember it while it was actually airing in primetime on ABC (I was 1 when it premiered and 3 when it ended), though I do know that I watched it. My Mom told me she would turn it on when I was a toddler and I’d sit and watch, absolutely mesmerized.
My first recollections of BATMAN came via the syndicated reruns that aired in the afternoons on local TV stations. I remember running home from school starting in Kindergarten so I could watch it. Most of the time, I wore it sporting the homemade Batman costume that my Mom had made me for my 3rd birthday.
What great childhood memories!
INDIVIDUAL COMIC BOOK – BATMAN #251 (1973)
This is the first Batman comic that I remember actually buying for my self and actually reading.
When I was a kid, I had no idea what a comic book store was or if there was one near me. However, most of the area corner convenience stores had comics on spinning racks and on their bookshelves. So, that’s how I obtained my comics back in the day.
I still clearly remember seeing BATMAN #251 on the comic book rack as that classic cover featuring The Joker and Batman (mainly The Joker) by Neal Adams jumped out to me.
Reading the comic, the fact that this Joker was really bad and really, well, scary made a big impression on me. Up until reading that comic, I only knew the character from the 60s BATMAN TV series and the original animated BATMAN AND ROBIN Saturday morning show.
I still have my original copy of BATMAN #251 — although it lost its cover long ago.
However, I do have a poster of that cover framed and it hangs in the BOF home office.
ANIMATED SERIES EPISODE – “Chill of the Night!” from BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD (2010)
This isn’t my favorite episode of an animated Batman TV series because it’s the “darkest” one from BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD. It’s because it’s a homage to two of my fave Batman comic book stories: 1948s’ BATMAN #47 (“The Origin of The Batman”)…
And 1956’s DETECTIVE COMICS #253 (“The First Batman!”)…
So, what are you’re favorites of these 3 categories? Post ’em in the comments section below! – Bill “Jett” Ramey
#Batman80 #LongLiveTheBat
GO TO PART 2
