What Further Adventures Would You Like To See In Batman '66?

[The Boss]

Even though "Batman '66 Meets The Legion Of Superheroes" has been announced as the final issue of Batman '66 there is always the possibility that could change. If new issues are commissioned what kind of adventures (be it single issue or 6 issue mini series) would you like to see?

Batman '66 Meets Superman '55
(6 issue mini series)

The issue that everyone wants to see. The two most populat TV heroes of the 20th century. Would it be a family friendlier version of Batman vs Superman or would they be natural allies whom Batman calls "Soup"?

The first problem I came up with is how to get the Superman cast to the 60's without aging them. Sure, it would be nothing for Superman to still be active in the 60 but, what about Lois Lane and the young Jimmy Olsen? Perhaps Metropolis' local friendly mad scientist Professor Pepperwinkle could accidently invent a machine that sends people through time instead of it's intended purpose.

With no way to get home the Superman cast hear of Batman and Robin and seek them out for assistance. Their timely arrival helps the Dynamic Duo out of a jam and Superman quickly becomes an ally of Batman and agree to help the Caped Crusaders solve their current caper. In exchange Batman promises to use all resourses available in the Batcave to help them return to their own time.

Meanwhile in 1955 Professor Pepperwinkle has been trying to bring them back. A combination of his invention and a Batman experiment causes another unexpected time travel.

Now here's where I'm torn. Should Batman and Robin be transported back to 1955 thus causing futher time travel issues and letting the casts swap shows for a time or (the scenario I'm leaning toward) should only Superman be transported back leaving the rest stranded? Professor Pepperwinkle figures out how to bring them all back but they must be within a few feet of another device he invented. Unfortunately there is no way to send Superman to any specific chosen period of time. He must wait 11 years before flying to Gotham and giving them the device.

While Superman has to wait 11 years, to those in the 60s it feels like a few seconds. Superman disappears and then flies back a few seconds later. But within those 11 years Clark learns of information vital to help Batman solve the crime. He follows the lead for years as it plays out in real time as history puts the clues together naturally. When the time comes to fly back to Gotham City the mystery is nearly solved and just needs Batman's help to fill in the pieces. This way one can't do it without the other.

Also I would love to read some youthful banter between Olsen and Robin (or Dick Grayson) over who is the better Superhero. BvS family friendly style.

What would you like to see?

[Dan E Kool]

I'm not a huge fan of cross-overs, tbh. Often you lose the charm of one (or both) of the "properties" involved. These are two very different shows that handle things in their own way. If you mush them together, you lose some of that and gain very little, IMO.

I love seeing the art of stuff like this, like the beautiful image you've got above, but story-wise, these things tend to drag. There always has to be some big explanation of how it is that these characters are meeting now, etc. Meh.

[The Boss]

I'm not a huge fan of cross-overs, tbh. Often you lose the charm of one (or both) of the "properties" involved. These are two very different shows that handle things in their own way. If you mush them together, you lose some of that and gain very little, IMO.

I love seeing the art of stuff like this, like the beautiful image you've got above, but story-wise, these things tend to drag. There always has to be some big explanation of how it is that these characters are meeting now, etc. Meh.

I would prefer if they brought back regular production of the series AND continued to do special crossover series. If you don't like the crossovers give us a regular issue adventure you would like to see.

[John Mack]

I'd like to see the original series get done in comic book form. All 120 episodes.

[elmrgraham]

Me too.

[Dan E Kool]

I would prefer if they brought back regular production of the series AND continued to do special crossover series. If you don't like the crossovers give us a regular issue adventure you would like to see.

I didn't mean to sound so down on the cross-overs, Boss. Your idea of the Professor's time machine and Superman's 11 years on ice is clever, as always.

The "regular" adventure I'm looking forward to right now is the Adam West-inspired story that Andy Fish is cooking up I think the '66 comics would have benefited from more writers with different takes on the series. No offense to Jeff Parker, of course.

[Jthree]

I'd like to see other writers take a stab at Batman 66. Perhaps a Christmas tale featuring the Batman 66 is in order. All the tv shows back in the sixties did one. I know Santa Clause appeared in a cameo,but I'm talking about a full blown episode dealing with the holiday season.

I'd like to see Pussycat make a return appearance, but I'd also like to see some progress with a Robin/Batgirl romance.

More later.

Jthree

[Golddragon71]

In I'll be a Mummy's Uncle, Tut learns proof positive that Bruce Wayne and Batman are one in the same but gets his customary klonk on the head before he can spill the Bat-Beans. We know from other episodes that Tut recalls everything that occurs between Tut Episodes even if he reverts to his normal self between one incident and the next.
As a result, I'd like to see them tell a story of Tut getting "activated" remembering what he learned in Mummy's uncle and using it against the Dynamic Duo in a (nearly) fool-proof plan

[SprangFan]

I don't think the Adam West Batman would ever be so disrespectful as to call Superman "Soup."

That said, I think there's some fun to be had with the Daily Planet staff ca. 1955 being thrown into the Swingin' 60s. What would Lois, in her calf-length skirts, button-up collars and pillbox hats make of mini-skirts and go-go boots? How would Jimmy react to hippie culture and the Beatles?

On the other hand, this would create some storytelling problems. By the accepted rules of sci-fi, these characters can't exist in duplicate in any moment in time without creating a time paradox. Which means in order for 1955 Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Perry to travel to Batman's era, they cannot already exist in 1966. Which raises the disturbing question of what happened to them? Maybe you could get around this by saying they disappeared in 1957 when the show went off the air and have been in some kind of limbo ever since. But in that case you have to figure out what to do with them: if you return them to their own time, you must repeat the cycle eternally or destroy the timeline. If you let them pick up their lives and start moving forward again in 1966, then you have to accept that Batman's world now includes a super-powered alien who can do things the Caped Crusader can't, which kind of takes away from him.

[The Boss]

I didn't mean to sound so down on the cross-overs, Boss. Your idea of the Professor's time machine and Superman's 11 years on ice is clever, as always.

No offense taken. I just wanted to clarify that I was not only referring to crossover adventures. Your compliment is quite appreciated. Thank you.

The "regular" adventure I'm looking forward to right now is the Adam West-inspired story that Andy Fish is cooking up I think the '66 comics would have benefited from more writers with different takes on the series. No offense to Jeff Parker, of course.

I agree. One man cannot do it all. As long as there was someone at the head of creative who understood the principles of the TV series and would keep the comics true to the source material without letting people slip in too much "dark" or alternate universe Batman.

[The Boss]

I don't think the Adam West Batman would ever be so disrespectful as to call Superman "Soup."

Oh yeah? Start watching at 1:10 [BBvideo=560,315] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GpaQlfJsqCs [/BBvideo]

That said, I think there's some fun to be had with the Daily Planet staff ca. 1955 being thrown into the Swingin' 60s. What would Lois, in her calf-length skirts, button-up collars and pillbox hats make of mini-skirts and go-go boots? How would Jimmy react to hippie culture and the Beatles?

Totally agree.

On the other hand, this would create some storytelling problems. By the accepted rules of sci-fi, these characters can't exist in duplicate in any moment in time without creating a time paradox. Which means in order for 1955 Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Perry to travel to Batman's era, they cannot already exist in 1966. Which raises the disturbing question of what happened to them?

That's why they wouldn't be recognized in 1966. Upon having the scenerio described to them however Batman recalls a tale from his youth about a man who could fly. He did much research but all reports suddenly ended and Bruce began to think they were nothing more than tall tales. But now he understands.

Maybe you could get around this by saying they disappeared in 1957 when the show went off the air and have been in some kind of limbo ever since.

BRILLIANT! I was just referring to the reports ending when they were send into the future. But tying it to the show's cancellation is ingenious!

But in that case you have to figure out what to do with them: if you return them to their own time, you must repeat the cycle eternally or destroy the timeline. If you let them pick up their lives and start moving forward again in 1966, then you have to accept that Batman's world now includes a super-powered alien who can do things the Caped Crusader can't, which kind of takes away from him.

Not at all. As I stated the Superman crew would ultimately be returned to their own time. Superman - the only one who could endure it - is the only one who feels the full effect of the time travel having to 11 years (or 9 if we tie into the show's cancellation) to get back to the future. To everyone else it's instantaneous. We get to see what happens to The Daily Planet and Metropolis during those nine years and Superman has to be ultra careful to both continue to stop crime but also to not change the timeline so that he can still fly back to Gotham at the right time to deliver the time device and save his friends.

So none of the humans will be in more than one timeline at a time thus keeping everything steady. As far as Batman and Robin are conserned once Superman has left it is back to business as usual chalking up their meeting with Superman as just one of those things in the life of every crime fighter. When Robin asks if they will ever see him again Batman replies, "Who knows. After all we can now confirm that he is out there somewhere. Right now. Maybe one day we crime fighters may even form a league of our own."

[AndyFish]

Despite the video, I agree with Sprang-- the Adam West Batman would never call Superman "Soups". The video is of Adam West but by this point the character was long past the guidance of the team who made the character what it is remembered to be. Adam's flippant likely ad libbed "soups" line isn't part of the canon that makes the '66 Batman work for me.

Over the course of the series he never refers to anyone by a nickname. That's what makes him great-- he's Jack Webb and Captain Quick mixed together.

[Golddragon71]

On the other hand, this would create some storytelling problems. By the accepted rules of sci-fi, these characters can't exist in duplicate in any moment in time without creating a time paradox. Which means in order for 1955 Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Perry to travel to Batman's era, they cannot already exist in 1966.

I'm not sure we can really hold time travel up to an absolute set of scientific rules/laws. Primarily because there are so many different Time travel based franchises. Now it's true that many of these franchises hold to certain self imposed rules involving paradoxes and such but those are not always consistantly held from this franchise to the next.
For instance, in Time Cop, the movie has a rule that a time traveler cannot physically touch his or her past or future self (the rule being that the same matter cannot occupy the same space.) However in the Flash season three, present day Barry Allen shakes hands with his future self with no repercussions.

the truth is that Time Travel is more fantasy than science fiction. We can use what knowledge we have of physics to construct theories about what might occur if time travel were possible. But those theories are all subjective and cannot be proven. (and in the arena of science fiction those theories can be debated and/or ignored by the author to fit the needs of the narrative.

[The Boss]

Despite the video, I agree with Sprang-- the Adam West Batman would never call Superman "Soups".

"Soup", not "Soups". lol

Over the course of the series he never refers to anyone by a nickname.

Sure he does. But only his closests friends. "Dick" (as oppoaed to Richard) Grayson. Or Robin as "Old Chum". As Bruce Wayne he used nicknames for his friends all of the time. Of course, as Batman he had to pretend that he didn't know them as well and referred to them by their full names. All part of the disguise.

In the case of Superman however it would be reversed as he would know Soup better as Batman while as Bruce Wayne he would have to play as amazed and befuddled as the rest of the citizens.
I wouldn't even use the nickname until late in the story to show how close the two had become as allies. Plus by using the name we would also be incorporating a little bit of Adam West originallity and IMO showing respect to the years when Adam struggled with the typecasting but still found a way to make it work. Again, in my opinion.

[The Boss]

Another issue I would like to see is an adventure with...

Sweet Tooth


I'm not yet sure what kind of adventure other than it involving sweets but, I'm sure I'll love it. I always enjoyed this character from the 1977 Filmation series and would like to see him revived either as a one shot or multiple individual issues if full time production resumes. Any suggestions for a Sweet Tooth revival?