Of all the superheroes there are, why Batman?
Why is Batman my favorite?
Adam West. That’s why.
I was born in 1986, before Michael Keaton took the role and turned it serious again in the eye of the mainstream public. Yes, comics had returned the ‘dark’ in The Dark Knight in the 1970’s and 1980’s thanks to writers like Denny O’Neil and Frank Miller. But it wasn’t until Tim Burton’s Batman hit theaters in 1989 that the character was taken seriously again by the general public.
But I was too young to know about any of that or even know the difference between the dark or the light.
Batmania swept the nation (again) in the late 80’s thanks to the Batman film, and as a result, reruns of the 1960’s Batman TV series starring Adam West were frequently shown on the Family Channel. And I loved that show. My parents even had several episodes recorded on a VHS tape (which I still have) that I could watch if it wasn’t actually on TV.
The cassette featured the following episodes:
- Fine Feathered Finks
- The Penguin’s A Jinx
- The Joker Is Wild
- Batman Is Riled
- Instant Freeze
- Rats Like Cheese
- A Riddle A Day Keeps The Riddler Away
- When The Rat’s Away The Mice Will Play
Yeah, eight episodes. No matter how you look at it, the tape wasn’t labeled right (eight episodes that make up four two-parters). There are random sports taped onto the end so perhaps my dad taped over two more two-parters that would have made it six complete stories.
Because I had those episodes on tape to watch whenever I want, they were my favorites. They had some of the most vivid and memorable scenes for me as a kid.
Specifically…
- The giant umbrella falling on the street in Fine Feathered Finks and Bruce Wayne being tied up, slowly moving toward the fire.
- The Joker escaping prison thanks to an exploding softball and being ejected over the prison wall in The Joker Is Wild, along with Joker and his henchmen hiding behind the statues in the Comedians Hall Of Fame. And of course, the Joker doing the opera singing with the sad clown mask that would later be used in The Dark Knight. Plus the idea of Joker having his own utility belt was really cool to me as a kid.
- Mr. Freeze using his freeze gun to freeze the road and the front of the Batmobile in Instant Freeze. And his temperature controlled room, which turned red for the warm areas. And his barrage of fake Batmans in Rats Like Cheese!
- Riddler’s riddles on the floating cloths and scrolls. Batman & Robin being tied up on the spinning wheels. The Dynamic Duo jumping through the painting of themselves, and the mislead of having both Bruce and Batman in the same room together!
But it didn’t stop there. I also loved the Batman movie from 1966. In fact, I remember acting out the fights from that film when I was in the bath. There’s a huge fight scene that takes place on top of the Penguin’s submarine and various henchmen, villains, and course, Batman & Robin all get punched, kicked, or thrown off the sub and into the sea. So I would be fighting outside of the tub and be punched, kicked, or thrown into the sea (the tub) in a manner that I’m sure made a mess and a lot of noise.
Sorry, mom and dad.
Eventually I was able to see Tim Burton’s Batman on VHS, but as mentioned before, there was no difference to me between his take or the 60’s TV show. And that all comes down to Adam West’s performance. Despite how crazy and often hilarious everything around him was, he played that part in a way that took everything completely serious. So for awhile at least, the transition from West to Keaton was seamless.
As time went on, I grew older and was exposed to more and more serious takes on Batman. In 1992, Batman Returns was released and was the first movie I ever saw at the movie theater. I remember the McDonald’s promotions, complete with toys, collectible cups, and even having an event where Batman himself was there. My mom took me to the McDonald’s on McArthur Avenue (which closed this year after decades of doing business) to see Batman. I was super excited, only to be disappointed when I saw that it wasn’t really him. The guy’s mask was really loose around his face, so I knew it wasn’t THE Batman.
My entire room was decked out with Batman Returns stuff and I got all the action figures, cars, and the Batcave for Christmas.
In the fall of 1992, Batman: The Animated Series debuted on TV and I was hooked from the beginning. That show took cues from the two Michael Keaton Batman films, but was more faithful to the source material and struck an incredible balance between being serious stories that weren’t dumbed down for kids, but were still appropriate. As a result, it’s a show I still watch and love to this day. I even consider it one of my two definitive takes on the character.
Despite my youth, I knew without a doubt that Mr. Adam West was the voice of the Gray Ghost the animated series episode Beware The Gray Ghost, and it was awesome to have him suiting up beside Kevin Conroy’s Batman.
I was fortunate enough to see Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm in theaters in 1993 and continued watching the animated series after school each day, even as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers took the country by storm.
As much as I loved Michael Keaton in the role, I also loved Val Kilmer when he took over for 1995’s Batman Forever. That was another marketing monster that was advertised everywhere. And I loved the movie.
But… Things took a turn from there. I was 10 years old when Batman & Robin came out in 1997. Despite my youth, I was already shifting away from superheroes and toys and things like that and began focusing more on sports and music. And when I saw Batman & Robin at the movie theater, it essentially killed my love for the character. Even at that age, I thought it was stupid and it was nothing like the Keaton movies or the animated series that I had loved so much.
And so… I forgot about Batman. Turns out, so did the movie industry.
Adam West, however, returned to my life as the voice of Mayor West in the new animated series Family Guy, which I was a fan of very early on. The concept of a crazy version of him being the mayor of this town cracked me up and he was always a highlight of the episodes he popped up in. He continued to voice the role through the season that just ended.
It wasn’t until May 5, 2002 that I started to wonder about Batman again. That was the day I went to see Spiderman in theaters. I though the film was great, but it made me think… “When the hell is another Batman movie going to come out?”
And so I searched the internet, and that was when I discovered Batman-On-Film.com. As it turned out, there had been several failed attempts at getting Batman on the big screen since the disaster that was Batman & Robin.
Thankfully, 2003 provided the first glimmer of hope as things finally seemed to be moving forward in Gotham City. And I was so inspired that I bought myself a brand new Batsuit to dress as Batman for Halloween for the first time in 11 years.
2003 also reintroduced me to the classic Batman of the 1960’s thanks to the TV movie Return To The Batcave, starring Adam West and Burt Ward among others from the original TV series. It was a humorous ‘behind the scenes’ story of the TV series that crossed over with a modern day adventure featuring West and Ward.
July 2, 2004 provided yet another chance for me to be envious as I watched Spiderman 2 in theaters. As much as I liked the film (more than the first), all I could think about was wanting to see a great Batman film on the big screen again.
By that point, it was only a matter of time as the next Batman film was already being made. Simultaneously, I was being primed to return to my Batman fandom thanks to a very expensive impulse buy at the local Walmart.
Despite having very little income thanks to my job at McDonald’s, I still decided to spend $40 on a box set of Batman: The Animated Series. My memories of it were so good that I had to see if it was truly that great. But I was also worried… Would it not hold up through my nostalgia-ridden eyes?
Turns out… It was better than I remembered. I was amazed at how great the series was an anxiously awaited each volume that followed.
My rediscovery of Batman: The Animated Series restored my love for the character, and it only got better in 2005 when Batman Begins hit theaters and my long wait for an amazing and modern Batman film had finally come to an end.
Things got even better in 2008 when yet another wave of Batmania struck for the release of The Dark Knight.
Christopher Nolan’s trilogy concluded in 2012 with the release of The Dark Knight Rises. It was bittersweet, as I loved the film but was sad that the era had come to an end. I had been following the making of Nolan’s trilogy since 2003.
It wouldn’t be long before a new Batman would grace the big screen, but before that… I was finally able to revisit the classic Batman of the 1960’s in 2014. And it all started with meeting the man (and his trusty sidekick) himself.
At Wizard World Comic Con in St. Louis, MO on April 5, 2014, I got to briefly meet Adam West and Burt Ward. It was very rushed, but I was able to say ‘hi’ to each and have my picture taken with them.
Since Adam West was my original Batman and was essentially responsible for me liking the character at all, it was amazing to get the chance to at least say hi and have a photo to cherish.
Plus I got to sit in the Batmobile later on!
In late 2014, the Batman TV series was FINALLY released on DVD and Bluray after years of being tied up by rights issues due to the dual ownership (20th Century Fox owned the show, but Warner Brothers owned all DC Comics properties).
I got the complete series box set for Christmas and anxiously started going through the first season, which included all of the episodes that I watched over and over again on VHS as a kid. I gleefully watched, remembering so many little details of the episodes that I hadn’t seen in so many years.
Watching the series as an adult has been a brand new experience. In fact, a quote by Adam West in 2015 sums it up:
“My Batman has endured because it had something for everyone. When you were a kid, you could enjoy all the adventure, the color, the crazy costumes, the wonderful villains. Then as you got a little bit older you saw the satirical elements, the bizarre stuff.”
He nailed it. That perfectly describes my relationship with the TV series.
The villains, the danger, it was all serious business to me as a kid. But now, I can see how amazing, over the top, and funny it is.
2016 added to the legendary series, as the animated film Return Of The Caped Crusaders was released. The movie brought Adam West and Burt Ward back to the roles of Batman & Robin, respectively, and also featured original Catoman Julie Newmar. The film was set in the continuity of the TV series and perfectly honored and poked fun at it and all of the Batman history that has happened since.
June 9, 2017, will be a sad day in the Batman history books, as Adam West passed away at the age of 88 after a short battle with leukemia. I had no idea he was sick, but the signs were there as he hadn’t made any Comic Con appearances in recent months and those that were scheduled had been canceled.
A sequel to Return Of The Caped Crusaders has been in the works since the release of the first film, and it was to feature William Shatner as the voice of Two Face. I’m not sure of the exact status of the film, but I really, really, really hope West had recorded his part so that we are fortunate enough to have one last go with him as the voice of Batman.
If I were to make a Mount Rushmore of actors to play Batman, it would feature Adam West, Michael Keaton, Kevin Conroy, and Christian Bale. They all represent various incarnations of the character, but Adam West is notable for being my first Batman and without him, the others would not have mattered.
Comic Con afforded me the opportunity to meet another one of my definitive Batman actors, Kevin Conroy, in 2017. And it’s notable that he had worked with Adam West on the animated series.
I’ll continue my trek through the Batman TV series, enjoy the original movie, and give Return Of The Caped Crusaders another viewing since it is such a great film.
So thank you, Adam West, for BEING Batman and being such a huge part of who I am. My life would be very different if it weren’t for you, and I applaud you for embracing your legacy and doing so much for the character, me, and so many other fans.
We’ll miss you, old chum.
TurnToDust86 